black & wyatt records
Black and Wyatt Records was established in 2018 to produce and distribute vinyl albums recorded by Memphis Rock and Roll musicians.
ALWAYS MEMPHIS Rock & ROLL - VOl. 1
Black & Wyatt Records and Head Perfume Records in Dresden, Germany released a 14-track compilation of selections from the first nine Black & Wyatt records. These include both the Heathens and Mario Monterroso’s versions of “Steady Girl” as well as tunes from Fingers Like Saturn, Jack Oblivian and the Dream Killers, Opossums, The Toy Trucks, Turnstyles, Tyler Keith and Jack Oblivian and the Sheiks. Cover photography by Cole Wheeler and design Cole Wheeler and Rene Seim. The recording was mastered by Jesse Manchester. Mail order purchase in the European Union from Headlust.
always memphis rock & roll reviews
The Black & Wyatt record label outta Memphis has been quietly releasing terrific records the past few years when not many folks were looking, This 14-song compilation is a nifty window into the label, grabbing songs from the label’s first nine releases… Kudos to this label for bringing the music to people and they show no signs of slowing down in 2022, on the contrary, I think they’ve got lots more up their sleeves. - Dagger Zine | READ
for those working on their own Black & Wyatt collection at home, each track opens a potential rabbit hole, as it sends you to the albums from which these tracks are sourced. Such was the case on hearing Toy Trucks’ “Schoolbus,” which led me to marvel at that group’s Rockets Bells and Poetry LP, a power pop diamond in the rough. With Always Memphis Rock & Roll, one can discover such gems all over again. -Memphis flyer | read
For me, the Black & Wyatt Records label is a trademark of quality. Since its launch in 2018, the Memphis label has sought to bring interesting and outside-the-box music to the wider public. And it’s been quite successful on that score: I’ve covered a number of Black & Wyatt releases here on Musoscribe, including titles from Jack Oblivian, Turnstyles, Your Academy, Snowglobe, Heathens and more.
It seems like as good a time as any for the label to pause a beat and take a victory lap. And that’s pretty much what Always Memphis Rock and Roll is: a 14-track collection of songs from some of those artists, and others besides. Recorded in 1956(!), the amazing “Steady Girl” from The Heathens is the standout cut here – and the one with the most compelling back story – but it’s a fun comp from start to finish. The song list aims to chronicle Black & Wyatt’s first few years in operation, and this set of (non-chronologically sequenced) tunes succeeds on that level, drawing from B&W’s first nine releases. It’s also a fun listen, and – for anyone who might need it – a tidy window into understanding what the label is all about. And hey: it’s on vinyl. -Musoscribe | READ
A beautiful pearl that Head Perfume Records presents to us here. The label takes us on a journey through the Memphis, Tennessee, of the last six decades. On "Always Memphis Rock & Roll" there is the full range of Memphis Garage Rock'n Roll on the turntable. The album shows us that this city had and has much more to offer than Elvis Presley.
This is a sampler with bands that indulge in the different tones of rock 'n roll, from classic rockabilly to surf, garage rock and punk. There is something for every taste of underground music, far away from the mainstream. Most of the recordings have already been released on Black & Wyatt Records on the artists' respective albums. However, until now it has been quite difficult to get them outside of the USA – unless you were willing to pay exorbitant shipping and customs fees.
Only the song "The Truth" by the Opossums has actually not yet been released in the present live version. Due to the fact that the sampler has an incredible range of different styles, it's only logical that it can't really go into depth, but that's not what it claims to be either. Instead, he gives us an overview of 60 years of music history 'Made in Memphis'. I'd like to recommend Mario Monterosso with "Steady Girl," a cool, soppy rockabilly version of the 1956 original by the Heathens. I was really taken on ice with this song, because it definitely sounds like 1956 and not like 2019.
If you want to buy the sampler, you can do so directly from the label. A stream is only offered at Bandcamp. - Vinyl Keks | READ
Memphis, Tennessee. The collaboration will be celebrated this fall / winter with the compilation "Always Memphis Rock'n'Roll", on which eight bands will present 14 tracks of rough rock'n'rolls and garage rock. Rather smaller bands (at least I wasn't familiar with any so far), but that doesn't say anything about their quality at first. All pieces are from the period from 2000 to 2019, with the exception of one outlier, the number "Steady Girl" by the Heathens from 1956. However, this was then - also represented on this record - the Italian Mario Monterosso in 2019 once accepted.
And to stick with this piece, the Heathens open our trip to Memphis with a wonderful rumble of rock'n'roll. No, they were by no means the experienced and serene studio musicians who would have been brought in to support the likes of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins or Jerry Lee Lewis, but the fun the band had with the recording oozes out of the speakers. Wonderfully amateurish, but equipped with twice and three times as much adrenaline. In contrast, the version by the aforementioned Mario Monterosso comes across as clearly (sound) modern and, to be honest, more professional.
With Jack Oblivian & The Sheiks we arrived at Garage Rock, which comes around the corner with a still raw, but already mellow sound. Cool song, for which Oblivian's rough voice puts the cherry on the cake. Tyler Keith also relies on a lot of dirt under his fingernails on "Scarlett Fever", while he almost sounds a bit like the young, unbridled Mick Jagger on the first three or so Stones albums. The Turnstyles as well as the Opossums continue the gruff but also very likeable Garage Rock of their predecessors, with the Toy Trucks and Fingers Like Saturn going a bit more subtle again. The first-mentioned band seems a bit more mellow and controlled, without, however, denying the stylistic features of good garage rock. One of the strongest numbers so far. At Fingers Like Saturn, a lady is active in front of the microphone, which is another great change. Also very good.
This is followed by the second appearance of Jack Oblivian, this time with the backing band The Dream Killers and the track "Good Time Bad Girl", including the use of woodwinds. The post is really going on there. Tyler Keith, on the other hand, relies on groove in the verses and an explosive chorus in his second song. Gosh these guys are fun! This fact runs completely through the second LP side and the already mentioned Opossum, Turnstyles and Fingers Like Saturn cannot be asked twice to kindle a fire under the roof. The Fingers ... impressively underline their special position on this compilation and, at least for the author of these lines, cross the finish line as winners. Jack Oblivian concludes with his third track "Loose Diamonds".
At the end of the day, "Always Memphis Rock & Roll" is a great record, full of - sometimes more, sometimes less - wild garage rock that is really good in the legs and makes you want more. Garage rock fans should definitely give it a try, but also risk an ear to all other friends of wild rock music. - Rock Times | READ MORE
The Vinyl District
Graded on a Curve: Six from Black and Wyatt Records