Strike Like Lightning

1985 studio album by Lonnie Mack

Strike Like Lightning

Studio album by

Lonnie Mack

Released| 1985
Label| Alligator
Producer| Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lonnie Mack
Lonnie Mack chronology
| Lonnie Mack with Pismo
(1977)  | Strike Like Lightning
(1985)  | Second Sight
(1986)

|
|

Strike Like Lightning is an album by the American musician Lonnie Mack, released in 1985.[1][2] The working title was Return of the Flying V, after Mack's 1958 Gibson Flying V.[3] Regarded as a comeback album, Strike Like Lightning was a commercial success.[4][5][6]

## Production

[edit]

Recorded in Austin, Texas, the album was coproduced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, who also played guitar on some of the songs.[7][8][9] The recording sessions were delayed while Mack recovered from health issues.[10] Tim Drummond played bass on the album; Stan Szelest played keyboards.[7][11] "Double Whammy" is a takeoff on Mack's first hit, "Wham!"[12] Vaughan played a National steel guitar on "Oreo Cookie Blues"[13] and sang on "If You Have to Know". "Stop" is a reworked version of Mack's "Why".[14]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Robert Christgau| B+[15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music| [16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [13]

The Globe and Mail called the album "raw and raunchy" and "a solid reminder of why Mack is regarded as a pioneer of the electric blues-guitar style that dominated rock in the late sixties."[17] The Kingston Whig-Standard wrote that "Mack has a whipsaw-raspy country-blues voice that any of today's rockers would kill for."[18] The Daily Oklahoman stated that the songs "are distinguished by Mack's trademark—stinging, low-register, twangy guitar—and his raspy, born-for-the-blues vocals."[19]

The Omaha World-Herald deemed the album "rolling rhythm and blues that avoids the cliches and pitfalls of usual guitar albums."[20] The Dallas Morning News praised the "great playing, inventive blues songwriting, and some of the best blues vocals in a long, long time."[21] New Orleans music magazine Wavelength wrote that Mack's guitar soloing and singing were great, but criticized Vaughan's production for "shoddy arrangements, [...] plodding drumbeats", and poor sound quality.[22]

## Track listing

[edit]

No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Hound Dog Man"|
2.| "Satisfy Susie"|
3.| "Stop"|
4.| "Long Way from Memphis"|
5.| "Double Whammy"|
6.| "Strike Like Lightning"|
7.| "Falling Back in Love with You"|
8.| "If You Have to Know"|
9.| "You Ain't Got Me"|
10.| "Oreo Cookie Blues"|

## References

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1. ^ Van Matre, Lynn (2 May 1985). "Lonnie Mack Back in the Swing of Things". Chicago Tribune. p. 9E.
2. ^ Pareles, Jon (14 July 1985). "Rock 'n' Roll Lonnie Mack". The New York Times. p. A44.
3. ^ Tunis, Walter (May 22, 1985). "Musician Found a New Start in Texas". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. D2.
4. ^ McCormick, Moira (Jun 8, 1985). "'Guitar Heroes' Boost Alligator's Sales". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 23\. p. 82.
5. ^ Hawkins, Robert J. (October 11, 1985). "Mack refuses to string along his fans with hybrid sounds". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. C4.
6. ^ Iglauer, Bruce; Roberts, Patrick A. (2018). Bitten by the Blues: The Alligator Records Story. University of Chicago Press. p. 184.
7. ^ a b Robins, Wayne (6 Dec 1985). "Green and Womack Bare Their Souls". Weekend. Newsday. p. 29.
8. ^ Morse, Steve (21 Mar 1985). "Stevie Ray Vaughan: Texas Turbo on Guitar". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 11.
9. ^ Snyder, Michael (August 4, 1985). "Lonnie Mack: Getting in Licks With the Same Guitar". Sunday Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. p. 55.
10. ^ Joyce, Mike (July 9, 195). "Lonnie Mack, Making His Mark on Music". The Washington Post.
11. ^ Carson, Phil (2001). Roy Buchanan: American Axe. Backbeat Books. p. 225.
12. ^ Stanley, Jean (August 24, 1985). "Rock". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. L26.
13. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 441.
14. ^ Denberg, Jody (May 1985). "Resident Rockers". Texas Monthly. Vol. 13, no. 5\. p. 182.
15. ^ "Lonnie Mack". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
16. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5\. MUZE. p. 411.
17. ^ Lacey, Liam (3 May 1985). "Stevie Ray helps pal Lonnie launch a big Mack attack". The Globe and Mail. p. E7.
18. ^ Burliuk, Greg (6 July 1985). "Strike Like Lightning Lonnie Mack". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
19. ^ Triplett, Gene (April 26, 1985). "Mack Finds Way Back from 'Memphis'". The Daily Oklahoman.
20. ^ Catlin, Roger (May 12, 1985). "Ever since his hit 1963 instrumental version...". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald.
21. ^ Ferman, Dave (November 14, 1986). "Preview". Guide. The Dallas Morning News. p. 31.
22. ^ Bingham, Mark (August 1985). Connie Atkinson (ed.). "Lonnie Mack: Strike Like Lightning". Wavelength. No. 58\. New Orleans: Nauman S. Scott. p. 19.

*[No.]: Number