Consisting of two concerts recorded in the early 80’s for German show Rockplast, Stray Cats Live At Rockplast, shows a lean, mean, rockabilly machine!

For some reason the DVD is organized to play the 1983 concert before the 1981 concert, eschewing chronological order. I chose to play them in chronological order anyway, and I’m glad I did.

The 1981 concert (recorded at Satory-Sale Cologne on 7/16/1981), shows a young three piece that was bringing a punk attitude to rockabilly. It was a fiery performance, rarely slowing down, burning through their set reckless, fun, abandon.



Two years later (in a concert recorded at Open Air Loreley on 8/20/1983), the same amount of fun ensued, but the Stray Cats were a more mature band, and mixed up slower numbers with their more upbeat songs, and the addition of saxophonist Mel Collins on some songs, was welcome by this listener.



Both concerts give a glimpse into a band in it’s prime. Considering when it was recorded, the sound is excellent, and the picture quality, while dated looking, holds up better than a lot of things filmed in the 80’s.

The Stray Cats may be remembered as a relic of the 80’s for songs like, “rock this town” and “Stray Cat strut”, but this DVD showcases how amazing and unique this band was. This is not the schmaltzy Vegas-like showcase that Brian Setzer does these days with his orchestra. There may be no other band quite like the Stray Cats, though it is clear that they have influenced plenty of bands.

Purchase the DVD from Amazon