Link Wray and His Ray Men - Law of the Jungle (2005)

It's been said that the Sex Pistols' early performances were viewed by few, yet everybody who saw them started a band. Link Wray served a somewhat similar purpose at an earlier date in rock and roll history. Starting in country music, Wray found himself in the middle of the rockabilly craze in the mid-fifties. He had an early vocal hit, but it was 1958's "Rumble," a guitar instrumental, that became a Link Wray trademark. Wray stripped down musical frills and traditional dexterity and put attractive rhythm and lead guitar rudiments in a package that was easily accessed by a universe of future rock and roll pioneers. Sometimes his songs were merely novelty tunes. His technique was never technically brilliant. But Wray's records were like a passing on of Chairman Mao's Little Red Book as young teenage guitar players everywhere recited newfound revelations. According to Rolling Stone magazine, Pete Townshend is said to have dropped to his knees and prostrated himself upon first meeting Link, and certainly Townshend's guitar playing is rife with triple-note runs, staccato chord punctuation, walking bass-lines and short stinging exclamation marks - all a part of Wray's arsenal. Other Wray fans include Jeff Beck and Dave Davies. Link Wray worship, like Duane Eddy worship, and even Ventures/Surf worship, is recognition of a raw and vital rock and roll force.

Law of the Jungle is a collection of demo tunes recorded in 1964 by Link Wray and the Ray Men. The liner notes by Bill Dahl don't quite clarify the purpose of the demo tapes, nor do they clarify which tunes had already been recorded. If the point was to put out some rough and unpolished versions of previously released tunes, and some working versions of new tunes, they certainly succeeded. Wild drama, kick out the jams bluster, and careening, go-for-it, rock and roll frenzy, really aren't a part of this demo sound. What you get is a studied, engaging, one-off style that never surpasses the confines of ordinary pre-sixties' instrumental rock and roll guitar music in general. Which means that by the time these demos were recorded - 1964 - bands and guitarists originally inspired by Link Wray were busy blasting right past him.

It's nice to be reminded that Wray could play real pretty - as is evident on the slower tunes like "Begin the Beguine" and "My Alberta" where his tone sparkles brightly. And on "Bo Diddley," "Deuces Wild" and Scatter" one can metaphorically daydream on how this father of rock guitar players gave birth to so many sons and daughters.

As is evident elsewhere, Wray was a well-rounded guitar player. But Law of the Jungle is an puzzling artifact that offers little new insight into the man and his music.

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