Jeff Beck and the Big Town Playboys
Crazy Legs (Epic) (STAR)(STAR)
“Crazy Legs” finds Jeff Beck indulging his fascination with the music of ’50s rockabilly whacko Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps, and in particular the blast and twang of guitarist Cliff Gallup. The Big Town Playboys freeze-frame Vincent’s sound without updating it on 18 Blue Caps classics, right down to the hiccup in singer Mike Sanchez’s voice. Beck becomes a sideman, albeit an impressive one, as he supplies brief, high-octane six-string bursts or slathers a tune like “Catman” in eerie reverb. It’s an energetic tribute, but hardly a transcendent one. Vincent’s swagger remains inimitable.
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Ratings: Excellent (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Good (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Fair (STAR)(STAR) Poor (STAR)
