Really, really good...but different

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	• 88 Elmira St. Danny Gatton Elektra / Wea, 1991 average customer review:based on 17 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A must have

I knew nothing about Danny Gatton other than reading an article about him after his death way back when in Guitar Player Magazine. When I saw 88 Elmira St. in a used CD shop I figured I'd see what the hype was about. Since that day the CD has been one of my mainstays for years. It was recently ripped off when my truck got busted into and will probably just end up in the trash by some idiot. Luckily there are enough idiots out there that have no clue and I can pick it up here on Amazon for under $3 used.

The only thing I do not like about the CD is that mix is a bit harsh.

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Flawless Guitar, Singular Voice

As reviewer Patrick Early clearly stated, this talent is possibly the greatest axe-grinder I've ever heard, and I've heard live most of the greats of the 60's, 70's and 80's. He was all the things stated in previous reviews and the excellent book about his life, Unfinished Business The Life & Times Of Danny Gatton. by Ralph Heibutzki. When you watch the videos on youtube, even the worst quality ones, his playing shines through, brilliantly. The thing about Danny Gatton's untouchable playing was just that. He was so good at whatever genre he played in, few would agree to get on stage with him. He didn't try to show them up, or even compete. He was just so far ahead of them.

Now, you might say that there are other seminal players, and there assuredly are. What sets any master above a journeyman is his sound. Gatton's is infused with an unmistakable tone. If you hear five bars of Hendrix, Tal Farlow, Santana, Eric Johnson, Charlie Christian, Tommy Emmanuel or Wes Montgomery, and you just KNOW who is playing, no mistake. Surely each of the afore-named gents are singular players. What sets them, and Gatton, above the other so-called 'geniuses' is WHAT he had to say. And HOW he said it, so eloquently, so elegantly. All said without swiveling hips encased in sprayed-on vinyl pants or pyrotechnic staging, lest you count what actually happened on the strings of Gatton's guitar. No other player in my experience, at least, played with such blistering dexterity. No other player, except possibly Tommy Emmanuel, made each and every note speak to the whole. In Gatton's playing, there are NO superfluous licks, aggrandizing flourishes, extraneous notes. None that I've ever heard, at any rate.

If you love guitar you can listen to whenever, for whatever mood, gathering or state of mind, get this CD. You won't be disappointed that there's no singing, though he was a masterful accompanist. It's just that most singers smartly realized that such brilliant talent would overshadow, or at the very least, DISTRACT, from their warblings! BTW, when he does have singers to play for, he in no way tries to overshadow or steal the limelight. But he never played less than his best, and his best was pure platinum.

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Gatton's 88 Elmira St.

One of my favorite instrumental pop albums. The man paid his dues for many years, finally got a major label deal, and was dropped after two albums. It was apparently enough for him to take his own life. This man could play a mean Fender Telecaster! His take on Brian Wilson's "In My Room" and the theme from The Simpsons are worth the price of admission, though Les Baxter's Hawaiian-tinged tune "Quiet Village" and Gatton's own "Red Label" are other personal favorites here.

Really, really good...but different

I admire artists that follow their own muse, who don't feel called upon to stick in one and only one area, or sing only one kind of song, or whatever. Gatton was one of those artists!! This CD is rather wide-ranging; it covers a lot of ground, with jazz, rock, etc. If you like big, echoey, American-style electric guitar, this is your CD. I could listen to "Quiet Village" and "In My Room" again and again. I could, on the other hand, cut out "The Simpsons", and on some selections there is too much saxophone(those reasons are why I gave the CD only 4 stars). I will undoubtedly purchase another Gatton CD. This is good stuff from someone that, as others have pointed out, ranked among the top guitar players in America. It shows in each and every selection.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

Danny Gatton ranks with rock & roll's all-time tragic guitar heros. One of the 1980s' greatest guitarists--and unquestionably one of the most eclectic and versatile axe-men ever--he committed suicide in 1994 without achieving the kind of fame his talent should have provided. Though initially considered a rockabilly guitarist, due to his associations with Roger Miller and Robert Gordon, this all- instrumental debut solo album (later LPs feature occasional guest vocalists) reveals that the man could, and did, play everything--jazz, country, blues, folk, swing...you name it. Most of the tracks here are originals, the exceptions being a John Martyn cover, Charlie Patton's "Funky Mama," "The Simpsons Theme," and a heart-wrenching cover of the Beach Boys' "In My Room" that could make Brian Wilson weep. --Bill Holdship

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