ALBUM: Twangin’ the Golden Hits (1964)
MVC Rating: 3.5/$$$
Twang.
Twang. Twang. Twang. What’s that called when the word sounds like the sound it is a word for? Let me run to Google.
Shite, I already had this in my head as the answer but I looked it up anyway. I hate when I do that. Of course it’s onomatopoeia. Meow.
Duane Eddy it seems couldn’t shake that twang thang.
The twang sound was a technique of playing lead on his guitar’s bass strings to produce a low, reverberant ” sound. according to his Wikipedia page.
Dang. I wrote earlier that John Anderson had a twangy voice, broadening the boundaries of the word’s descriptive power. Over three decades or four, Eddy put out 33 albums, a number of which were recycled greatest type packages.
But of those 33, nearly half — 14 — had Twang or some version (Twangin’, Twangy) in the title. So he was all about the Twangin,’ and I’ll proffer here the guy could twang.
This ‘greatest hits’ album I have is frustrating, however. It doesn’t have the ‘Peter Gunn’ soundtrack, a Henry Mancini piece that was the theme song for the self-entitled television show.
‘Rebel Rouser’ is good, maybe not rousing good, but sock hop tuneful.
Raunchy’? Not much. ‘Shangri La’ didn’t get there.
Instrumental music guitar has always been a bit difficult. I admire good music but I also like my words, you know I do. Oops sorry I just had to slap myself, ‘Last Date’ just about twanged me to sleep. “Honky Tonk’ had words but needed women. Now ‘Rumble’ is good in a slow grind way. Nice sax — which is also present and well played on several tracks. And then there’s ‘The RIver Kwai March,’ yes that one that opens with whistling. Actually in Eddy’s cover version, it sounds like a piccolo has replaced human lips. But this upbeat war music piece seems oddly out-of-place here.
Overall, my take is this is background music for a late 50s dinner party. But he is a R&R hall of famer and Grammy winner, so what do I know.
File this one next to the Chet Atkins album I reviewed earlier. Now for some instrumental party guitar, more what Eddy strives for, not Chet (a legend by the way), I will in the future review a little known band called the Raybeats. Now they rock.
Also, I have a copy of an album by a group called the SIlencers from Pittsburgh which has a locked and loaded version of ‘Peter Gunn.” to be reviewed when I get to the S’s in my alphabetical journey.