Hello from Omaha

Hey guys

I didn't see a formal "introduction" thread, so I thought I'd just make one up real quick.

My name is Sean, and I'm from the current frozen wasteland of Omaha, NE. I would still consider myself a casual fan of Setzer, but I have enjoyed what I have heard and seen greatly...going all the way back to when I was a youngin' sneaking in peeks of MTV (back when music was still relevant on that channel), and really enjoying him as Eddie Cochran in La Bamba. The only songs of Setzers I have were from back in the napster days and the odd miox cd. I've been trying to hunt down Ignition through my local shops here for a couple years with out any success. Where would be a good starting point to get a good taste of Brian Setzer's Stray Cats, BSO, and Solo stuff?


Cheers

Omaha, NE..... everytime I see the name of that town great memories come up to my mind...

Welcome home, amigo.

Welcome to the Lounge. As my screen name would imply, I lean heavily towards the Brian Setzer Orchestra portion of the Brian Setzer Career. For my money, the best starting point would be the two most succesful orchestra releases.

Dirty Boogie and Vavoom.

You can't go wrong with those, ...... but that's just a starting point.

Welcome and enjoy your stay. If Rickabilly chimes in here, you can assume his words as Gospel.

Thanks, Joe! BSO Always Rocks (even when they party like it's 1799 on WBNO)

Greetings from Lincoln, Sean! There's a few Nebraskans and former Nebraskans 'round here. Since you've found the internet, you should have no problems tracking down any previously released Setzer CDs. Amazon is your friend. Of course, I try to support Homer's locally whenever I can, and they will order anything you want. But before they start applying sales tax on all internet purchases, which might be happening later this year, you ought to look around online sources.

And if you want that revenue to go directly to Brian himself, try Surfdog's website - Ignition was released on their label, and since Brian is still with them, they probably still have it in stock.

Sometimes eBay is good, and you may get lucky and find someone selling several Setzer CDs at once.

But you're on the right track. Ignition is regarded by many as his finest solo album.

I still see Runaway Boys: A Retrospective '81-'92 in the occasional Best Buy shop - that's a good Stray Cats overview. Again, the internet is your friend for tracking down the Stray Cats stuff. As a US fan, I'm partial to Built for Speed and Rant-n-Rave. But many will tell you the original first UK album, Stray Cats, is their favorite. Sooner or later, you will get them all. Their live album and DVD, Rumble In Brixton, recorded in 2004, is a nice overview as well.

On eBay, you will often see a Japanese compilation: The Best of the Big Band. This is a great BSO compilation. Since there's a Japanese tour on right now, this may be harder to get at a good price, but it's well worth the effort. The 2-Disc Ultimate Live Collection is readily available at most Best Buy, Barnes and Nobles, etc, even if Homer's kinda blows on keeping up the Setz inventory. That's a good one as well, if you're not keen on buying online. You'll probably see a lot of Wolfgang's Big Night Out in the bins, as it was the BSO's most recent non-Christmas album. It's not bad, but I wouldn't start with that one. BSO Rocks is very wise in directing you to the Dirty Boogie and Vavoom albums. They're also pretty easy to find at a great price online.

People have been posting a lot of links to various live recordings around here. You ought to check them out when you can.

Welcome to the HDVDL! Now go do your homework...


Husker-billy

Thanks for the replies!

I haven't bought much off of Amazon, maybe a couple cds here and there over the years. I usually go from store to store tracking them down. Which used to be easier back when there were more stores used and new around. Amazon usually becomes a last resort before itunes.

I will have to check into those options though. I am definitely going to check out the live in Japan dvd the clips I have seen of that are pretty awesome.

The brick-and-mortar stores are drying up left and right. An artist like Setzer is often sorely under-represented. It will only get worse, as CD sales plummet further and further every year. As far as Amazon goes, they shouldn't be a last resort, especially if you're dealing with a reputable seller on the used market. Most Setzer titles are starting under $10 right now.

I don't know about Omaha, but Lincoln has dwindled to one Independent Music Coalition store (Homer's), when they had 4 stores just 5 years ago. Best Buy is devoting less and less shelf space to CDs, and the only things left are retail outlets like Target and Wal-mart. Barnes and Noble, believe it or not, had a pretty decent selection last year, devoting and entire endcap to Le Setz in late 2005. But they're a bit pricey. I still prefer CDs over downloads, but Brian's pretty well-represented on iTunes.

Thanks for joining the forum. I used to cringe when people would jump in here blathering on and on about what a big fan they were of Brian's, and then ask, by the way, what CD should they buy first. But everybody's gotta start somewhere. We weren't all there from the beginning. So enjoy the ride, and keep your fingers crossed for a Setzer show in Omaha or KC sometime soon. The Cats got a great reception in KC in 2007, and Sokol Hall was rockin' back in '98. So it's not an impossible dream.

By the way, if the Rumblejetts come up from Kansas City, make sure you check 'em out. There's a real dearth of good rockabilly in the Omaha-Lincoln area (not counting the Mezcal Brothers, who are fantastic) so get it when you can. Lee Rocker makes a habit out of putting Omaha on his Midwest itinerary, so be sure to watch for his mighty fine band as well.

I-80-billy

Rickabilly wrote:

I used to cringe when people would jump in here blathering on and on about what a big fan they were of Brian's, and then ask, by the way, what CD should they buy first.

Hey!! I resemble that remark!

I think as far as mom and pop music shops, Homer's is the biggest in Omaha and Antiquarium is still open, but they seem to carry really obscure stuff. Other than that, I'm not sure if any of the other places that were around about 10-15 years ago are still open. I have noticed that shelf space for cds in the big box stores has been reduced. Target used to have a pretty decent selection, the last time I was in Best Buy it seemed like their selection was cut back a lot. I haven't tried Borders or Barnes & Noble in a while because they're usually way overpriced, but you can find the occassional "nice price" cd.

I hear you on the having the physical cd in hand. I always tell myself just try to download from now on, but I do a few album downloads and I end up feeling like I didn't get the whole experience. Plus at around 10 bucks an album, it'd be less expensive to go the used route on Amazon...

I will start to give amazon a try, pretty soon cds will start to go the way of vinyl...

HI I'm Incinerator,

welcome!! or should I say Aloha! yes there are plenty of old/new/rediscoery (my case) of Brian's and the Stray Cats albums

I can see what Rick is saying by when some fans say "oh yes, I am Brian's biggest fan-which cd should I buy?" type of thing BUT really, Brian has so many recordings, it is hard to keep track of the guy! but it's good that he keeps us guessing to what type of music he will do next.

when I first came here, heh heh I only knew the early Cats cd's Rant 'n' Rave, Built for Speed and recently I have been listening to Funny Daddy and 13, 13 is my favorite so far, there is not one song I dislike on there, it really rocks!

the Wolfgang might be next on my Brian agenda-he is fast becoming an expensive habit and very addicting as well
look at how many times I posted here so far, and I only been here, two months, lol

have a great time searching on Amazon and the record stores in your town
and yes, Barnes and Noble/Borders is a ripoff, whoa!

Kelley

S.,
email me on myspace, we'll catch up.
t.

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

S.,
email me on myspace, we'll catch up.
t.

me?

I'm Incinerator wrote:

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

S.,
email me on myspace, we'll catch up.
t.

me?

yah dude...