Various - Fender: The Golden Age 1946-1970

it is the first time ace has devoted a compilation to a musical instrument or a manufacturer of such and we feel we could not begin on a better note than with the story of fender guitars. though the first guitars were made in 1946 it was in the following year that leon mcauliffe re-recorded his splendid composition 'steel guitar rag' on which he had played the lead instrument on for bob wills and his texas playboys in 1936. this time the star of the record was the fender. we then travel through some western swing to the blues of ike turner, cut way back in 1954 before women singers raised their pretty heads. by then the distinctive guitar sound had spread across the country and we have offerings from johnny cash in memphis, otis rush in chicago and, by the early 60s across the pond, the mighty shadows in london town. the world of soul with booker t & the mgs, surf from the guitar of dick dale, garage from the anarchic kingsmen and thames delta blues from one e. clapton esq with his 1964 outfit the yardbirds all hit the zeitgeist, and frequently the charts, with that distinctive twang. records as disparate as king curtis' 'memphis soul stew' and the velvet underground's 'beginning to see the light' all benefited from the fender factor. the cd features many much-loved popular music classics that are seen through the eyes of guitar aficionados who are more interested in the sound than the genres we tend to classify and often limit appreciation of music by. there are also four catchy little fender radio shot jingles that add to the charm of the presentation as well as copious notes and illustrations of a memorable era.