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Blast Off! (Stray Cats album)

Blast Off! is an album by the American rockabilly revivalist band Stray Cats, released in 1989.[2][3] It marked a reunion of the band, after three years of solo endeavors; the band's previous album, 1986's Rock Therapy, was produced to fulfill a record contract.[4][5]

The album peaked at No. 111 on the Billboard 200.[6] It peaked at No. 58 on the UK Albums Chart.[7] The first single was "Bring It Back Again".[8]

The band supported Blast Off! by touring with Stevie Ray Vaughan.[2]

Production

The album was produced by Dave Edmunds, who recorded it in two weeks.[9][10] The band began work on the songs at Brian Setzer's house, in the summer of 1988.[11] "Gene and Eddie" is a tribute to Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran.[12]

Critical reception

Spin thought that the album "sounds even more half-hearted than the Stray Cats original (so to speak) take on the rockabilly revival."[22] The Boston Globe determined that "Setzer can still play rave-up guitar with the best of them, though this album has time warp written all over it."[23] The Ottawa Citizen noted that "the humor is there; they give Mr. Spock a pompadour during a ride around the galaxy, then walk on the moon in blue suede shoes."[17] The San Jose Mercury News wrote that "if the way in which the Cats once played with and to nostalgia was original—in a secondhand sense—it now seems only dreary and rehashed."[20]

The Orlando Sentinel stated that "Edmunds gives the Cats a new lease by rekindling the fire that dimmed after their debut album."[16] The Calgary Herald declared that "it rocks and that's why Blast Off is a fun rerun of the party-hearty sound that saw the Stray Cats top the charts in 1982–'83."[24] The Los Angeles Times panned the album, writing that "these un-cool Cats should feel lucky they even get a second chance—especially since they show no sign of being more than a one-dimensional act."[14] The Gazette opined that "the Stray Cats have returned to their original launching point—as a good club band with no real vision."[25]

AllMusic wrote: "Featuring a set of pleasant, but unexciting, songs, Blast Off indicated that the Stray Cats' revved-up rockabilly ran out of gas quickly."[13] Record Collector concluded that "there’s a fiery venom to the galloping title track ... and then there’s way too much filler."[18] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide called the album "unjustly ignored."[15]

Track listing

References

  1. ^ "Stray Cats". Trouser Press. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Stray Cats Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Morrison, Craig (November 23, 1996). "Go Cat Go!: Rockabilly Music and Its Makers". University of Illinois Press – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b Popson, Tom (27 Apr 1989). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 15A.
  5. ^ Graff, Gary (August 25, 1989). "REUNITED STRAY CATS PUT OLD CONFLICTS BEHIND THEM". Lexington Herald-Leader. Knight Ridder. p. B6.
  6. ^ "Stray Cats". Billboard.
  7. ^ "STRAY CATS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  8. ^ Jaeger, Barbara (May 4, 1989). "STRAY CATS RETURN IN TOP FORM". The Record. p. F21.
  9. ^ Thompson, Dave (November 23, 2000). "Alternative Rock". Hal Leonard Corporation – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Mackie, John (24 June 1989). "Recordings". Vancouver Sun. p. D2.
  11. ^ Williams, Stephen (12 May 1989). "After a Split, They've Rounded Up Stray Cats". Newsday. Weekend. p. 15.
  12. ^ Burliuk, Greg (20 May 1989). "Blast Off Stray Cats". The Kingston Whig-Standard. Magazine. p. 1.
  13. ^ a b "Blast Off - Stray Cats | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  14. ^ a b Hochman, Steve (14 May 1989). "POP STARS". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 86.
  15. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1100.
  16. ^ a b Henderson, Bill (14 May 1989). "STRAY CATS". Orlando Sentinel. Calendar. p. 6.
  17. ^ a b Erskine, Evelyn (28 Apr 1989). "The Stray Cats Blast Off!". Ottawa Citizen. p. D6.
  18. ^ a b "Blast Off! - Record Collector Magazine".
  19. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 678.
  20. ^ a b Sumrall, Harry (April 30, 1989). "STRAY CATS' TAILS ARE DRAGGING". San Jose Mercury News. Arts. p. 9.
  21. ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. Virgin. p. 426.
  22. ^ Sprague, David (May 1989). "Spins". Spin. 5 (2): 85.
  23. ^ Morse, Steve (23 Mar 1989). "NEW LP PICKS UP WHERE CATS LEFT OFF". The Boston Globe. Calendar. p. 6.
  24. ^ Muretich, James (20 Apr 1989). "Disc". Calgary Herald. p. G6.
  25. ^ Lepage, Mark (1 June 1989). "STRAY CATS - Blast Off". The Gazette. p. F4.