The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums (“Rant N’ Rave With The Stray Cats”)

“The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums” gives you exactly what the title implies: a rare or out-of-print album from the ’80s in its entirety. Some will be from CD, but most will have been lovingly transferred from pristine vinyl culled directly from the Analog Kid’s vast collection. Whatever album I choose, it will be one that you can’t easily find a physical copy for sale on Amazon or in your local record store (if you even have one anymore). Death…by stereo!

Rant N’ Rave With The Stray Cats has always been my favorite Stray Cats album. Rant N’ Rave was the band’s second U.S. release (the third internationally), and the LP somehow managed to be both nastier (“How Long You Wanna Live, Anyway?”) and yet more sophisticated (the gorgeous “I Won’t Stand In Your Way”) than its predecessors. The album may not have been as successful as Built For Speed in America, but it’s still the Stray Cats album that I go back to the most often.

I bought my CD copy of Rant N’ Rave during the summer of 1989, and I had to search pretty hard to find it. That U.S. pressing is now long out of print, although you can still shell out some big bucks for an import copy if you want. One word of warning, though: according to many reviewers on Amazon, the import version actually beeps the word “ass” during the album-opening “Rebels Rule.” What, is this still 1989 and we’re watching Ghostbusters on TBS?

“Yes, it’s true…this man has no dick spine.”

Well, I can promise you that there is no unnecessary censorship in the copy of Rant N’ Rave that I have shared below–it’s a beautiful 320 kbps rip from that original U.S. CD pressing. I’ve also included all of the Stray Cats’ b-sides from the era in the bonus tracks section. You know what? I got a strange, sneaking suspicion that this post will prove to be one of my most popular entries on The Analog Kid Blog…

Stray Cats: Rant N’ Rave With The Stray Cats

EMI America Records, 1983

320 kbps CD rip courtesy of The Analog Kid

1. “Rebels Rule” (Brian Setzer)

Rebels Rule

2. “Too Hip, Gotta Go” (Brian Setzer)

Too Hip, Gotta Go

3. “Look At That Cadillac” (Brian Setzer)

Look At That Cadillac

4. “Something’s Wrong With My Radio” (Brian Setzer/Slim Jim Phantom/Lee Rocker)

Something’s Wrong With My Radio

5. “18 Miles To Memphis” (Brian Setzer)

18 Miles To Memphis

6. “(She’s) Sexy + 17” (Brian Setzer)

(She’s) Sexy + 17

7. “Dig Dirty Doggie” (Brian Setzer)

Dig Dirty Doggy

8. “I Won’t Stand In Your Way” (Brian Setzer)

I Won’t Stand In Your Way

9. “Hot Rod Gang” (Brian Setzer)

Hotrod Gang

10. “How Long You Wanna Live, Anyway?” (Brian Setzer/Slim Jim Phantom/Lee Rocker)

How Long You Wanna Live, Anyway?

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

Stray Cats: “Built For Speed” (Brian Sezter)

From the U.S. LP Built For Speed

EMI America Records, 1982

Built for Speed

Stray Cats: “(She’s) Sexy + 17″ [7” Version] (Brian Setzer)

EMI America Records, 1983

(She’s) Sexy + 17 [7″ Version]

Stray Cats: “Lookin’ Better Every Beer” (Brian Setzer)

Lookin’ Better Every Beer

Stray Cats: “Cruisin'” (Gene Vincent/Bill Davis)

Cruisin’

Stray Cats: “Lucky Charm (Ooh Wee Suzy)” (Brian Setzer)

Lucky Charm (Ooh Wee Suzy)

All 3 tracks taken from the U.K. 12″ (She’s) Sexy + 17

Arista Records, 1983

Stray Cats: “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” (John Fogerty)

From the German 7″ Rebels Rule

Arista Records, 1983

Vinyl rip courtesy of The Analog Kid

Lookin’ Out My Back Door