The Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds

The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Girls Go Wild! (Benchmark)

The Fabulous Thunderbirds

What's the Word? (Benchmark)

The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Butt Rockin' (Benchmark)

The Fabulous Thunderbirds

T-Bird Rhythm (Benchmark)

Like a lot of people, I moved to Austin after the Fabulous Thunderbirds were pretty much confined to the garage, and harbor no nostalgia for thousands-strong Riverfest crowds or seeing them back up Muddy Waters at Antone's. Well ... never mind. No sense wishing for a time machine when the ominously named Universal Record Distribution Corporation, through puppet label Benchmark, has just remastered and re-released their first four albums. Though none feature Preston Hubbard, but rather his predecessor Keith Ferguson, make no mistake; if you want to get your mojo motor purring, the T-Birds are what you need in your tank. Strap in tight, because it's one hell of a ride down Sixth Street, through South Austin, Oak Cliff, Hollywood, and Ville Platte. "Girls Go Wild!" brayed the poster-style cover to the Thunderbirds' 1979 self-titled debut, and from Jimmie Vaughan's stinging intro to "Wait on Time" on in, it's not hard to see why. While the Austin institution took the "show-band" flag and ran with it, they spent an equal amount of time paying heed to their inspirations. Slim Harpo, arguably the king of Louisiana low-down swamp pop, was a particular favorite, the band covering "Scratch My Back" on their debut and dedicating Butt Rockin's "Tip On In" to his memory. In fact, the first four albums contain a number of Gulf Coast buried treasures: "I Hear You Knockin'," "Sugar Coated Love," "You Ain't Nothin' but Fine," and the mother of them all, Cookie & the Cupcakes' "Mathilda." (Any band that puts "Mathilda" on an album can do no wrong in my eyes.) Girls Go Wild and What's the Word? are Texas barroom blues at their greasiest, and Kim Wilson's expressive delivery seems to ease his confusion at whether this woman that keeps popping up is his full- or part-time lover. The latter album's title must refer to the number of instrumentals, but the drummer switch between Mike Buck and Fran Christina goes without a hitch, as Ferguson keeps up a pulse that's relaxed but never bored. The band tinkered with their sound a bit for Butt Rockin', bringing in a few buddies from Roomful of Blues, but adding horns and keyboards to swamp pop is always a good idea. Plus, they can't help but raise romper-stompers like "Roll Roll Roll" a few decibels either. Beginning to taste the commercial success that climaxed with 1986's Tuff Enough, the T-Birds brought in Nick Lowe for T-Bird Rhythm, and the result is a smooth-handling trip through the insurgent "Can't Tear It Up Enough," Huey P. Meaux's "Neighbor Tend to Your Business," Bo Diddley's sweaty "Diddy Wah Diddy," Wilson's swooning "Lover's Crime," and one last great Excello song, Jay Miller's "Tell Me (Pretty Baby)." Then it's last call, and a final trip to the bandstand for the smoky, ice-cold "Gotta Have Some/Just Got Some." Maybe it's just me, but if you squint real hard, you can almost see Muddy Waters and Clifford Antone bobbing their heads just offstage.

(What's the Word?)

(Butt Rockin', Girls Go Wild, T-Bird Rhythm)