Has there ever been an instrumental so sinister, slinky and sexy as Link Wray’s 1958 single, “Rumble?”
Apparently not, because it remains the only instrumental ever to be banned from radio airplay (lest it incite iniquity and malefaction).
Wray originally recorded the song under the name “Oddball.” Sources differ on who suggested the name “Rumble” (wikipedia credits Phil Everly, but I’ve read other accounts that credit Wray’s producer’s daughter), but all accounts seem to derive from the fact that the song sounds exactly like a soundtrack to a gang fight.
Regardless of who named it in why, “Rumble” was certainly groundbreaking for its use of distortion, which Wray created by punching holes in his amp. The effect blew the minds of young and aspiring musicians, including Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, Jimmy Page, and of course, Bruce Springsteen.
Bruce got the chance to work with Wray, bringing him on stage on both the River and Tunnel of Love Tours, and of course Bruce and Link both played on Robert Gordon’s studio recording of “Fire.”
But Bruce never took the opportunity to cover Wray’s signature song until after Wray passed away in 2005. A few weeks Wray’s passing, Bruce opened the final two shows of the Devils & Dust Tour with an absolutely stunning cover of “Rumble” — bristling with power and growling with menace.
Watch and listen below. (Bruce is in the shadows most of the time, but isn’t that appropriate for this song?)
Rumble
First performed: November 21, 2005 (Trenton, NJ)
Last performed: November 22, 2005 (Trenton, NJ)
