Robert Gordon & Link Wray – Rumble: Their First European Tour 1978 2CD+DVD
Robert Gordon & Link Wray – Rumble: Their First European Tour 1978 is an extraordinary live document of the first European tour undertaken by two generations of Rock 'n' Roll rebels. Young rockabilly revivalist Robert Gordon and veteran guitar pioneer Link Wray joined forces in the late 1970s, ignoring the musical fashions of the day and pursuing their own vision of raw, authentic Rock 'n' Roll. This remarkable 2CD+DVD set brings together previously unreleased recordings, rare photographs and detailed liner notes documenting their historic 1978 European tour.
The audio material includes the complete surviving recording of their January 24, 1978 session for Musikladen Extra at Radio Bremen, where Gordon and Wray were joined by Jon Paris on bass and Anton Fig on drums. The set also features the surviving tapes of the January 20 concert at Rotterdam's Eksit club, with a wealth of classic material including The Way I Walk, Twenty Flight Rock, Rumble, Red Hot, Fire and Mystery Train.
Gordon and Wray's two studio albums had already demonstrated their brilliant mixture of original material and Rock 'n' Roll classics, with songs associated with Gene Vincent, Jack Scott, Eddie Cochran and Johnny Burnette sitting alongside their own compositions. Wray's thunderous instrumental Rumble had first made his name in 1958, while Gordon's smooth vocals and rockabilly image helped place the original sound firmly back in the spotlight during the 1970s revival.
The DVD adds another fascinating dimension, preserving film of the performance at Amsterdam's Paradiso on January 21, 1978. With the Rotterdam concert, the Radio Bremen session and the Paradiso footage gathered together, Rumble: Their First European Tour 1978 is a superb piece of Rock 'n' Roll history and an essential release for fans of Robert Gordon, Link Wray and the revival that helped reconnect a new generation with the music's roots.
