Review: Lonnie Mack ‘Strike Like Lightning’
By Mike O’Cull
Chicago’s Alligator Records is proud to rerelease roots guitar star Lonnie Mack’s 1985 album Strike Like Lightning on vinyl, the set that revitalized Mack’s career and remains one of the most-loved titles in Alligator’s history.
A landmark effort, Strike Like Lightning drops in the LP format for the first time in more than 30 years on June 2nd, 2023. The record’s original release brought Mack, arguably the first blues/rock guitar hero, back into the public eye after the first part of his career had run its course. It also put Mack in the studio with his number-one fan and guitar disciple Stevie Ray Vaughan. Legend tells us that Mack’s signature hit song “Wham!” was the first record SRV ever bought and Mack was an important early influence on Vaughan’s development.
Mack and Stevie co-produced the record and Vaughn also played guitar on four tracks. They captured the whole thing in just four days in Austin, Texas at Cedar Creek Recording and the album went on to sell over 100,000 copies in the USA, alone. It’s come to be considered a masterpiece and a defining moment in Mack’s long career. Alligator boss Bruce Iglauer personally oversaw the fine remastering work done for the new vinyl release.
Lonnie Mack was a criminally-underrated and overlooked guitarist and singer from the early days of modern rock. In his mid-60s heyday, his album The Wham Of That Memphis Man made some serious noise and spawned the two instrumentals, “Wham!” and “Memphis,” that made him immortal. Armed with his Bigsby-equipped Gibson Flying V and Magnatone amp, Mack became an innovator in the art of rock guitar soloing and his vibrato-drenched lines left a permanent mark on American music. By the mid-80s, Mack was living in a converted school bus in the Austin area and was gone from public view and the national music scene. Strike Like Lightning was the record that brought him back to life.
“Strike Like Lightning” (remastered)
From the first biting notes of the opening song “Hound Dog Man,” it’s clear that Lonnie came to the studio to play. His lines are crisp and aggressive, his phrasing is bold and bodacious, and his spirit is fully switched on. Mack’s vocals are strong, too, and he quickly puts your ears in his hip pocket. If that’s not enough to hook you, SRV guests on guitar.
The pumping “Satisfy Susie” turns the heat up a bit more and Mack lays down the kind of rock and roll that helped create everything that came after him. The studio band rocks a tough pocket for Lonnie, who pushed his guitar even harder here. Mack was one of the best-ever at ripping out notes that could absolutely sting you and that quality is out in full force on this one.
Alligator Records website
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