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Every so often, in the course of unearthing rock & roll history, Collectables records stumbles on a real treasure — a musical jewel of such diamond-like symmetry and beauty, that it just makes those in its presence stop to appreciate its perfection, right down to sharp edges of its facets. These boys meshed rockabilly, R&B, Chicago blues, Delta blues, and rock & roll into a seamless whole with the kind of ease and spontaneity that recalls Elvis Presley’s earliest sessions for Sun records.
The Wine, Wine, Wine album is as perfect a blues-based rock & roll album as was ever produced by any white band, and one of the most enduring and endearing pieces of music of its era. The title-track and “Thunderbird” are the most well-known cuts here, rock & roll/rockabilly standards that are still covered by Texas bands today, but this album is filled with material that’s just as good, three killer blues covers (“I Got My Mojo Working,””Sweet Little Angel,””Mojo Man”), two first-rate rock-flavored instrumentals, and a third (“Tough That’s All”) that’s as good as any blues instrumental ever cut by any white band. Oh, and as a footnote to this amazing record, the saxman credited on the original LP as “John Hardtimes” is none other than jazz reedman John Hardee, stepping out of retirement for one session. [Bruce Eder]
What’s the Word? Thunderbird!
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