Win This Record!

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Win This Record!
Studio album by
Released1982
LabelAsylum
ProducerDavid Lindley, Greg Ladanyi
David Lindley chronology
El Rayo-X
(1981)
Win This Record!
(1982)
El Rayo Live
(1983)

Win This Record! is an album by the American musician David Lindley, released in 1982.[1][2] He is credited with his band, El Rayo-X.[3] It was a commercial disappointment, and his final album for Asylum Records.[4][5]

Production[edit]

The album was produced by Lindley and Greg Ladanyi.[6] Lindley tried to avoid adding too many additional musical ideas to his original conceptions of the songs.[7] As with other albums, Lindley used cheap guitars and parts and instruments he found in junk shops.[5] Booker T. Jones guested on organ.[8] "Something's Got a Hold on Me" is a cover of the Etta James song.[9] "Ram-a-Lamb-a Man" is a tribute to condoms.[10] "Premature" is a cover of the Toots and the Maytals song.[11]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Clarion-Ledger[12]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[6]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[14]

The Globe and Mail wrote: "Lindley's brand of California reggae grows stronger with each listening. The rhythms are amazing, and his guitarwork first class."[15] The Sun Sentinel called the album "filled with upbeat, gritty and reggae-flavored covers and originals," writing that "Talk to the Lawyer" "should have been a hit."[16] Billboard deemed it "another exercise in classic rock and reggae/pop."[17] The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that "the lyrics are more acute and the playing has a bristling energy that belies the laid-back tempo of most of the songs."[13] The Commercial Appeal considered it "a carefully careless rendering of music rooted in the four corners of the world."[18]

AllMusic stated: "A rambling, fun record, Win This Record is one of the finest rock records of the '80s."[9] The State labeled the album "innovative rock 'n' reggae."[19] The Palm Beach Post listed Win This Record! among the 13 "great records you may have missed in the '80s," writing that Lindley is "a musical virtuoso who can play anything with strings."[20] The San Diego Union-Tribune also considered the album to be among the best of the 1980s.[21]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Something's Got a Hold on Me" 
2."Turning Point" 
3."Spodie" 
4."Brother John" 
5."Premature" 
6."Talk to the Lawyer" 
7."Make It on Time" 
8."Rock with I" 
9."Ram-a-Lamb-a Man" 
10."Look So Good" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ "David Lindley Biography by Mark Deming". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  2. ^ Hatlo, Jim (1989). Hot Licks. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 64.
  3. ^ Varga, George (4 Sep 1987). "Lindley gets a boost from Ronstadt". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. D3.
  4. ^ Burliuk, Greg (January 19, 1988). "Legendary Live-Concert Performer David Lindley Comes to Kingston". The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 21.
  5. ^ a b Stout, Gene (March 7, 1986). "Electric Eclectic". What's Happening. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. 3.
  6. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 410.
  7. ^ Varga, George (February 4, 1984). "Lindley's music is joyful". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. B8.
  8. ^ "Records". Pharos-Tribune. Logansport. 17 Oct 1982. p. 28.
  9. ^ a b c "Win This Record Review by Matthew Greenwald". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  10. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (6 Mar 2023). "David Lindley, 1944-2023: A fixture in L.A. recording scene in '70s and '80s". Los Angeles Times. p. E3.
  11. ^ Denselow, Robin (Mar 15, 2023). "David Lindley Obituary". Music. The Guardian.
  12. ^ Burnett, Brown (17 Oct 1982). "On Music". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 13H.
  13. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (October 24, 1982). "Rock 'n' Roll Music with a Sense of Humor". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. P9.
  14. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 425.
  15. ^ Lacey, Liam (30 Oct 1982). "Win This Record David Lindley". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.
  16. ^ Benarde, Scott (15 Nov 1985). "Bypassed Recordings Merit a Second Look". Sun Sentinel. p. 27S.
  17. ^ "Top Album Picks". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 39. Oct 2, 1982. p. 62.
  18. ^ Wyde, Nathan (17 Oct 1982). "David Lindley". The Commercial Appeal. p. 12.
  19. ^ Miller, Michael L. (March 25, 1988). "The big news coming...". The State. p. 10B.
  20. ^ Benarde, Scott (14 Jan 1990). "Y-Not Rewinds for Best of the '80s". The Palm Beach Post. p. L2.
  21. ^ Varga, George (31 Dec 1989). "Best of the Decade". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. E4.