Brian Setzer

After the Stray Cats broke up for the first of several times in 1984, guitarist and frontman Brian Setzer seemed determined to prove he could do a lot more than make like Eddie Cochran, and his first solo set was 1986's surprisingly ambitious The Knife Feels Like Justice…

After the Stray Cats broke up for the first of several times in 1984, guitarist and frontman Brian Setzer seemed determined to prove he could do a lot more than make like Eddie Cochran, and his first solo set was 1986's surprisingly ambitious The Knife Feels Like Justice…

Brian Setzer, in a career entering its fifth decade as of 2023, has restored not one Americana genre to popularity, but two: During the '80s with the chart-topping Stray Cats, he revived rockabilly (it was only marginally popular in the '50s). In the '90s he formed the Brian Setzer Orchestra, spreading big-band jump and swing to the alt rock generation. In the 21st century, he's recorded live more often than in the studio. Following a 2019 Stray Cats reunion, he issued the excellent Gotta Have the Rumble in 2021 after a seven-year studio hiatus. The Devil Always Collects was recorded at The Terrarium in Minneapolis, and co-produed by Setzer and Julian Raymond. The 11-song set contains eight Setzer originals: Five co-written with Mike Himelstein, one with spouse Julie Setzer, and three covers.

After the Stray Cats broke up, Brian Setzer took a long walk from his rockabilly past with his first solo album, 1986's The Knife Feels Like Justice, but while it was a fine LP and a modest success, later that year the Stray Cats reunited for the first of many times to record Rock Therapy, and by the time Setzer made his way back to the studio on his own, he'd seemingly grown tired of his new heartland rock gestures and dove back into the retro style that had made his name. While 1988's Live Nude Guitars leans toward rockabilly and uptempo roots rock, the production (mostly by Setzer and Larson Paine, though Dave Stewart and Chris Thomas work on a few tracks) is a lot slicker than anything the Stray Cats ever put to wax, and the big, glossy sound of "Rockability," "Red Lightning Blues," and "She Thinks I'm Trash" tends to work against the songs, and the synthesizer line and drum machine on "When the Sky Comes Tumblin' Down" are simply cringe-inducing.

Brian Setzer's smash hit "Rockabilly Riot! Tour" saw him rock four different continents: Europe, North America, Japan, and Australia! We took the very best from every show to put together this amazing album!