Bo Diddley Is A Gunslinger

Though Bo Diddley never achieved the commercial success of his Chess label mate Chuck Berry, his contributions to the early evolution of rock & roll are no less significant, and, if nothing else, Diddley should be enshrined for being so freaky, funky, and downright rocking--a perfect distillation of the genre's attitude. Fortunately, the music is irrepressible as well: The primal "Bo Diddley beat", the gospel-tinged backing vocals, the snaky shake of Jerome Green's maracas, and Diddley's tremolo-heavy guitar riffs and boasting shout-croon all come together in an exquisite rave-up package.
It's worth picking up 1960's BO DIDDLEY IS A GUNSLINGER for the cover art alone (Diddley in full cowboy regalia about to "draw" his mean-looking git fiddle). The music--cleaned up here on this 2004 reissue--is great too: Cowpoke clippity-clop rhythms join the melange of ballads, session patter, R&B, blues, and unbridled rock & roll energy. "Gun Slinger" and "Cadillac" rip things up in classic Bo style, whereas "Somewhere" goes tender and melodic, while "Working Man" borders on a field holler. This is one gem of a record.|