SETZERS Comparisons

Well, I'd like we talk about the tracks Brian recorded several times and tell the one we love the best. A kind of comparison...
Let's start by one of the older one, I mean "(EVERYTIME I HEAR THAT) MELLOW SAXOPHONE", recorded first time on Stray Cats eponymous album, played rarely (never ?) live and then recorded by the BSO on Guitar Slinger session and played live very often. No doubt here for me, even if I really like the Cats version, the BSO one is my favorite. This song is made for horns and a sixteen pieces band play it perfectly. And always with that killin' guitar solo...

Rock This Town - Stray Cats (Nashvillains live is a pretty close second)

Stray Cat Strut - BSO (w/ Pink Panther insert)

Rumble In Brighton - Stray Cats

Wild/Mellow Saxophone - BSO

Drink That Bottle Down - Stray Cats - I love Brian's blistering blues riffs on the raw original

She's Sexy and 17 - Stray Cats (It's just not the same without Jim yellin' at the beginning)

Mystery Train - 68 CBS live from the Live In Japan DVD/Jumpin East of Java/Ultimate Collection/Ignition bonus track / Choo Choo Hot Fish good, but still 2nd.

Cross of Love - B-Side Setzer original (I think it was the B-side of "When the Sky Comes Tumblin' Down?)

Drive Like Lightning - better than Radiation Ranch

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - BSO better than the one the Cats worked up live in the early 90s

I Won't Stand In Your Way - I like the album version slightly better than the a capella version, which is also very cool, and much better than the various live versions since the 1998 Carl Perkins tribute, where Brian claimed his "balls dropped," forever changing the range of the song

Town Without Pity - BSO version beats LGF, even though jazz legend Herbie Hancock appears on the LGF album

Your True Love - BSO version bests Original Cool

This Cat's On a Hot Tin Roof - Better w/ BSO than live trio versions

Caravan - See above

Sleep Walk - I'm still partial to the Choo Choo Hot Fish version

That Someone Just Ain't You - Fully-formed Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy preferred over LGF demo version

I Fought the Law - B-side version over Original Cool

Flying Saucers Rock-n-Roll - I like Rockabilly Riot's version - less "over-the-top" than Original Cool rendition

I'm sure if you factor in non-officially-released live versions and the Live in Europe CDs, there are an insane number of comparisons. I vote we keep those out of the mix (even though I did it with Crazy Little Thing Called Love)

I also love Rockin' By Myself, but I don't know that I prefer any of those versions to their non-acoustic counterparts.

I wonder what I left out?

Forget Me Not-a-billy

right now I'm listening to the Orchestra version of Mellow Saxophone for the first time, interesting
so far I like both versions of that song

Rickabilly wrote:

Rock This Town - Stray Cats (Nashvillains live is a pretty close second)
Cross of Love - B-Side Setzer original (I think it was the B-side of "When the Sky Comes Tumblin' Down?)
Forget Me Not-a-billy

I concur (i always say 'i agree' lol) - The Nashvillains version on 'Red Hot + Live' is a very good second place to the Cats. I love how the piano 'honky tonks' and fits in with the guitar (something which i believe Brian didn't think could work together)
It's a blistering version indeed. Just listened to it on monday - highlight of Red Hot cd i think.
Is the 'Cross of love' one you prefer the one on 'Brian Setzer Collection 81-88 Rick?
That has the B side to 'Sky comes tumblin'' and if so i 'concur' that that version is better than the LGF one.

Quote :

I wonder what I left out?

You're pretty thorough my good man!
I heard on the grape vine that the last time you left anything out was 1972!
Although there was one iffy post in 2003.....

Saying that.....there may be some more Stray Cats songs which we can compare with Setzer solo/ Radiation Ranch etc....
'SummerTime Blues' springs to mind. Ok i appreciate that falls into Cats live which we won't go into - But there's the Cats version on 'Sixteen Candles' and the studio outtake on 'Brian Setzer Collection 81-88.....Which doesn't sound like the Cats to me.
So i'm guessing it's a Setzer solo.
Saying that it's probably best if we stick to the official albums and compare like with like.

I think you mean the La Bamba soundtrack for Summertime Blues. That was Brian, not Stray Cats. The Stray Cats' 16 Candles was the Jimmy Iovine-produced track for the 16 Candles soundtrack.

In any case, I think the '81-'88 compilation has a different Summertime Blues by Brian. I haven't listened to them that closely to have a preference.

Speaking of officially-released Eddie covers - I prefer the Stray Cats' B-side version of "Somethin' Else" to the Original Cool version, and the Rumble In Brixton version of 20 Flight Rock over the OC version as well.

Thanks for confirming the Cross of Love B-Side info. That's the one I like.

I'm going to preserve my sanity and not include any Tomcats recordings in these comparisons, but if you're familiar enough with them, and you think there are any that blow away later-recorded versions, feel free to mention them.

Multiplicity-billy

Here goes my list of a few of them off top of my head:

Cross Of Love: "Choo Choo" version
Livin' Souls / She Thinks I'm Trash: the latter
Mellow Saxophone: BSO
Sleepwalk: BSO
Radiation Ranch / Drive Like... : Radiation Ranch
Rumble in Brighton: Stray Cats, but live versions from 1988-89 onwards
Sexy + 17: Stray Cats, undoubtfully
Mystery Train: totally agree with Rickabilly

Flying Saucer Rock and roll-New Year's Eve performance 1980 Stray Cats

WILD SAXOPHONE is more at my taste, probably Stray Cats early times nostalgia...
TOWN WITHOUT PITY too : Cats version is my favorite.
And it's the same for SLEEPWALK.
ROCK THIS TOWN, sorry, I know that tune is legendary but... I really appreciate the BSO since a few months (that was not the case at the beginning)
CROSS OF LOVE : now, it's the Let's Go Faster version for me.
FLYING SAUCER R & R : Original Cool.
DRIVE beats RADIATION.
RUMBLE IN BRIGHTON : the original.
MYSTERY TRAIN : the live from Japan (on Ignition)
SUMMERTIME BLUES ? In my opinion, the best version is the Cats one recorded live at Tokyo in 1990 (see "Rock Tokyo")

The job is done Mr Hub'. Are you satisfied ?

Seterado, I'm taking down notes of your list, looks good!

Hold your horses there pilgrims while I water the lawn. Ok , Once again I ride into town to deliver in person ,the correct opinion to have . Here goes

Wild Saxaphone.....Stray Cats version ,hands down. Name just one other young band that delivered that kind of dudeness.

Rock this town.... Again the original Cats version. The BSO version in my opinion is all over the place, a bit of a mess really.

Stray Cat Strut.... BOth versions have thier merits but the original is just too cool for school.

Rumble in Brighton .... Either version of this is good ,the original is raw and punky. The horns in Guitar Slinger give it extra balls.

Sexy and 17.......I think after age 25, a guy should stop doing this one. Unless you are a hillbilly singing about your cousin ! !

Town without pity.... The BSO version is the better one ,though I dont really like either

Cross of Love.... The original Bside version is by far the best. Dont know why it was left off Live Nude Guitars.

Lets go Faster...... The original one from the LGF album

Mystery Train....... Same as Rickabilly. This song just rocks on the Japan version of Ignition.

Radiation Ranch is somewhat better than Drive like lightning ,though both are good. I think Radiation Ranch is more like what Brian could've/should've done with the Cats if they had not broke up in 84.

Flying saucer Rock n Roll ..... The Riot version ,definately.

Somethin' Else........The 1981 B side is way more rockin' and edgier. I dont think much of the Original Cool track. It's lacking goolies.

Drink that Bottle Down......These 2 versions are awesome ,1981 version and the version on youtube from Paris in 1989. The BSO version is interesting but that's all.

Sleepwalk..... Stray Cats , Numero Uno.. I dont think the horns brought anything to it. The Cats version is more crisp and beautiful.

As for the Demo version verses the Official release of Lets Go Faster......The original idea/sound of the Demo was the way to go but alas , wishful thinking.

Well,there you have it folks. Read it 2 or 3 times and live your life according to my dictat.
Ciao...

Quote :

Lets go Faster...... The original one from the LGF album

I actually think this track is better on 'Choo Choo Hot Fish'.

Ever since Dave from this board first heard that song live it has always made me smile.....'Let's go Bastard Bastard'!!!! Even with headphones on those seem to be the words on the CCHF cut!

Also LGF the album is very underrated.
Saying that though, i feel there are better versions of 'Thing about you' and 'Cross of Love' on Brian setzer collection 81-88. Better cut than on choo choo hot fish too.
jmho.

One of my all time favourite Setzer songs appears on the the Brian Setzer collection, "Waiting for Desiree". I would love to know what album he originally intended it for and why such an awesome track never made it onto any album. I know the Cats cut a demo of a different version for LGF called . "Cant stand losing You" but it never made the actual finished album.
The version from the collection of " Thing About You" is also far,far better than the version on LGF. I also love the live cut of Runaway Boys on the BS collection. In fact another fine track " Echo Park" .would love to know why that song was abandoned.

Hey Vincent Blackshadow,
I totally agree with you: Echo Park is a wonderful tune and I don't know why some of those demos/studio outtakes were left out of either The Knife or Live Nude... but up to some extent, it's great that we have them as outtakes, demos... I think we appreciate them much more when they come like that.

I mean, if for instance, Can't Stand Losing You had been included in LGF, we wouldn't have even taken it into account, you folks see what I mean?

However, it's true that some songs from those demos & outtakes should have been on the album (Echo Park, Waitin' For Desiree, Livin' Souls) whilst others included should not have been on the album (The Rain Washed, Every Tear...)

Setzerado wrote:

ROCK THIS TOWN, sorry, I know that tune is legendary but... I really appreciate the BSO since a few months (that was not the case at the beginning)

Me too!!!!!

That might me a french disease... Me too !

frenchlmp wrote:

Setzerado wrote:

ROCK THIS TOWN, sorry, I know that tune is legendary but... I really appreciate the BSO since a few months (that was not the case at the beginning)

Me too!!!!!

What i mean: I really appreciate Rock this town since the song is played with the BSO!
That what you meant?

No ! I've always liked Rock This Town ! It's a classical.
I meant that I was listen more & more to the BSO version this last months and appreciate it more & more...

Going off topic for a really brief second, has anyone heard Lee Rocker's version of Rock This Town? It's a very different take on the song, but I think it's brilliant. OK, back to the topic......

I just think that if some of those tracks from The Collection 81-88 had been included on TKFLJ or Live Nude Guitars , than they would've been stronger ,more rounded albums and Brian would possibly have reached the bigger audience, these songs deserved. Think about the crap people were listening to back then, Brian had the looks ,the chops ,the songs. He should've been much bigger. Seriously, until I came across this board, having lived in Ireland, New York and London and been a Setzer fan since November 1980, I only ever knew ONE Brian Setzer fan personnally.
I've strayed off topic again and now I shall head off into the desert for 40 days now to repent.
Oops, there's no desert in Ireland , just loads of water. I lucked out again.

You can meet persons who have some Brian Setzer or/and Stray Cats records without necessary being a FAN. Personally, I've nerver met a real fan (except at gigs of course) but a lot of people I know have some Brian's records.

I know only one guy with some of thier records

Back to the topic and to Rock This Town by the BSO.
I've just watched the DVD from Montreal festival (1995) and the version here is really huge.

I never liked the first versions to Rock This Town... I think that initial version was made quite in a hurry, just because it's a Setzer classic and that had to be played; Besides, it's a song hard to orchestrate, whereas Stray Cat Strut is somehow easier in that respect.
But, Dirty Boogie version is a proper arrangement and it looks a completely new song!

ChooChooHotHub wrote:

Back to the topic and to Rock This Town by the BSO.
I've just watched the DVD from Montreal festival (1995) and the version here is really huge.

That's when I discovered the New Rock this Town! HUGE!
I had the BSO in the skin at the time.
I also like the DVD version of Christmas Estravangaza.
Where he climbs on top of an amplifier and the introduction of the song is in 3 time!
I too take my foot at the time!