Los Straightjackets is an indie band known for their Mexican wrestling masks and their love affair with retro-surf sounds. While earlier records are playful forays into the genre, The Velvet Touch of... (their third full-length release) is the result of endless touring and the confidence that comes with it. This time out, while still reverential of the past (their music honors the greats like Dick Dale and the Ventures), they wildly color the mix, with rewarding results. From the grinding swagger of "Rockola" to the blitzkrieg of buzzing guitars in "Hornet's Nest," Velvet Touch should appeal to rock fans of all persuasions. A hint of world music drifts through tracks like "Tabouli," with its sensuous Middle-Eastern feel, and the brassy, Tex-Mex flavored "Tijuana Boots." The band brazenly turns Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing," into a swinging surfabilly number, and the Telstar-treatment of "My Heart Will Go On" (yes, from Titanic) is a showstopper, played with a keen awareness of Hollywood melodrama. (The best part is that they seem completely sincere.) This is an outstanding rock record, perfect for a dose of fun anytime. --Lorry Fleming Amazon.com
This was the 1999 album by America's instrumental rock & roll combo. It's a very good album of mostly original rock and roll instrumentals. The two cover songs are Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing" and Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". Both covers are very good, with "My Heart Will Go On" being a sort of "Titanic meets Telstar" version of the tune. The original tunes are also very good. The music is played in a sort of Ventures/surf music style, but more modern sounding. Some of the songs have other influences, too; like horror movie music, mariachi bands and Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2". This is a terrific album that fans of the Ventures style instrumental rock will enjoy.
March 10, 2006 |  | Amazing, soaring surf music -- with one amazing cover |  |
While everything on this album is top-drawer surf music, the song that, deservedly, gives people whiplash when walking by your cubicle is their cover of "My Heart Will Go On," the theme from "Titanic." Not changed, not transformed, simply filtered through the surf music stylings of Los Straitjackets, it becomes truly a classic surf tune and one guaranteed to make casual listeners stop, trying to figure out where they know the song from.
The cover nicely encapsulates both the humor and artistry of Los Straitjackets, who manage to produce classic surf music without sounding like they're simply emulating Dick Dale or the Ventures and without straying into other forms in order to find a way to inject new life into the music.
A great album for surf music fans of all ages. Strongly recommended. February 8, 2004
 | | Best rock'n'roll instrumental ever | |
It's Los Straitjackets' cover of the horrible Celine Dion theme from The Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On." Without ever having seen the movie, and without intentionally listening to hideous "easy listening" radio, I've heard part of the song about 2000 times, so, yes, I know it. But the Straitjackets take it through the Ventures/surf rock funhouse, and without camping it up too much turn it into a wild ride of an instrumental, right from the Telstar opening, through the harp riffs and the Star Trek Theme haunting space vocals. Everything that was cool about the Ventures style of instrumentals is in here. The version from "The Velvet Touch of Los Straitjackets" is better than the live version, but only because it allowed them to put on that veneer of perfection that went with The Ventures.
Oh yeah, the rest of the album rocks, too! Listen, ALL their stuff rocks.
By the way, Los Straitjackets and The Ventures are playing together on a cruise ship. I'm not sure what to make of that, but I wish I could be there. October 10, 2002
If your into surf-instrumental, you gotta get this CD!
June 28, 2002That said, Los Straitjackets is a group of artists.
The cuts on Viva Los Straitjackets range from the laid back calm of early Surfari's work, to the raging sci-fi frenzy of "Man or Astro Man?," on cuts like "Hornet's Nest."
Another important fact: Surf is fun.
Please make note of the insanely funny cover of Celine Dion's horrifying "My Heart Will Go On." Los Straitjackets not only makes this wretched, filthy song tollerable, they proceed to mock it, using the same twisted synthesyzer sounds used by the Ventures on their equally regrettable "Telstar."
All hail the new carriers of the Surf torch. May 9, 2001
More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(20 reviews)