King of the Wild Guitar

Though Link Wray recorded a large number of vocal tracks throughout his career, those songs are generally less treasured by fans and collectors than his classic instrumental sides. Redoubtable British reissue label Ace Records has updated its popular but out of print collection, THE ORIGINAL RUMBLE, with the excellently chosen 25-track KING OF THE WILD GUITAR. Leaving out any of Wray's vocal turns in favor of pure rock-&-roll twang and thunder, this anthology is near-perfect, and likely the only Link Wray CD that a non-diehard fan would ever need. From hits including the classic "Rumble" (so threatening that legend says it was banned for inciting violence even though it's an instrumental!) to later rarities like "Viva Zapata!," this is a well-chosen and intelligently sequenced collection with no filler.