CLUB SANDWICH 44

ROCKESTRA TWANG

            As shown by the contents of his juke box (see CS40), Paul is open to the best music from any era. So he jumped at the chance to record with guitarist Duane Eddy, one of early rock's most distinctive musicians
            'Rebel Rouser' put Duane on the map in 1958, firmly establishing his style. Concentrating on the bass strings, he picked out the insistent theme, which was then hammered home with honking sax and wild 'rebel yells'. Starting with an earthquake and building up to a climax, you might say. (A later hit was actually called 'Some Kinda Earthquake'.) His band, the Rebel Rousers, included top session men of the future like Jim Horn and Steve Douglas (saxes) and Larry Knechtel (piano). Eddy's producer and co-writer Lee Hazlewood, famous for his later duets with Nancy Sinatra, ensured a powerful sound and the hits continued into the '60's.
            1960's 'Because They're Young' added strings and was a superb, evocative piece. As instrumentals fell from favour, a female vocal group (the Rebelettes) was added for the later hits 'Dance With The Guitar Man' and 'Boss Guitar'. Albums such as Twangy Guitar, Silky Strings (the word 'twang' was usually in there somewhere) and Duane Eddy Plays Bob Dylan attempted to widen the guitarist's appeal as those upstarts the Beatles made it hard for the previous wave of hitmakers to keep up.
            Duane Eddy then switched to production work and the occasional session, producing and playing on Phil Everly's first solo album in-1973. Then remarkably, a revival of the 'Rebelettes' sound with 'Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar' gave him a major British hit in 1975. There were no further major hits, but Duane remained a rock legend, his status confirmed when Ry Cooder joined him for a series of live shows in the '80's. Recently he has recorded with The Art of Noise.
            Your correspondent confesses to once receiving a copy of Twangy Bits, the Duane Eddy fan club magazine, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear that Duane had recorded 'Rockestra Theme' at Paul's studio on 4th February. Jim Horn was there on sax, Paul played bass and produced and the rest of the band were Charlie Morgan (drums), Phil Pickett (piano) and NickGlennie-Smith (keyboards). Duane should have an album out later this year, with 'Rockestra Theme' as one of the tracks: when confirmed, full details will be in Club Sandwich.

Left to right: Phil Pickett, Nick Glenny-Smith, Paul, Charlie Morgan, Duane Eddy and Jim Horn