Used Vinyl
May 2026
Robert Gordon and Link Wray
“My gal is red hot, your gal ain't doodly-squat”
Side one, track one of 1977’s Robert Gordon and Link Wray album opens with this proclamation. I was lucky enough to pick this up at the discounted price of $4 at Angry Mom Records in Ithaca.
In 1977, when Punk and New Wave were “in,” the Rockabilly style wasn’t extremely popular, but that didn’t stop Robert Gordon from embracing the genre. With his high pompadour, deep voice and slick attire, he covered songs from the 1950’s, including Billy Lee Riley’s 1957 tune “Red Hot.” The Rockabilly sound is a fusion of old country and rhythm and blues - think early Elvis, Gene Vincent or Carl Perkins.
This album was Gordon’s first solo effort, and he enlisted the help of guitar virtuoso Link Wray, which is a bit weird since Link Wray wasn’t a Rock-a-billy kinda guy like Robert Gordon. Wray was known for his hit “Rumble,” from 1957, which was banned in New York City and Boston for fear that it would incite teenage gang violence. That dovetails with the Punk aesthetic of the mid to late 1970’s, which was what Gordon was living through in NYC, regularly performing at the legendary venue CBGB’s.
The Robert Gordon and Link Wray record is toe-tapping fun married with some slinky sounding ballads, thanks to Link Wray’s guitar playing. Sure, it’s cover-heavy, but that’s part of the fun. And because of Gordon’s style and sound’s similarities to “The King of Rock n Roll,” this disc saw a boost in commercial sales after the unexpected death of Elvis Presley in August of 1977. This disc is timeless, even if it is a 1970’s release featuring songs from the 1950’s that I bought in the 21st Century.
