| El Rayo-X | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Studio | Record One, Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 39:31 | |||
| Label | Asylum [1] | |||
| Producer | Jackson Browne, Greg Ladanyi | |||
| David Lindley chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | B+ [3] |
El Rayo-X is David Lindley's debut studio album, released in 1981. [4] [5] The album spent 18 weeks on the Billboard 200 , peaking at No. 83 on July 16, 1981. [6]
The album generally received favorable reviews.
Boo Browning, of The Washington Post , wrote:
El Rayo-X is not this year's greatest album, but there's very little to compete with it for well-executed let-the-good-times rock. Coming from a fellow who's spent the last few years contemplating Jackson Browne's elbow, it's a delightful surprise -- sort of like rounding the corner at the Haunted House and bumping into a six-foot Goofy. [4]
In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Matthew Greenwald stated:
Lindley scored a contract with Elektra Records and put together an excellent band that was able to keep up with his eclectic vision. Combining blues, rock & roll, Cajun, Zydeco, Middle Eastern music, and other elements, his debut album is an absolute joy. [2]
| Year | Chart | Single | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Pop Albums | 83 | |
| 1981 | Mainstream rock | Mercury Blues | 34 |
| Year | Chart | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Pop Albums [7] | 28 |
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David Perry Lindley was an American musician who founded the rock band El Rayo-X and worked with many other performers including Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Warren Zevon, Curtis Mayfield and Dolly Parton. He mastered such a wide variety of instruments that Acoustic Guitar magazine referred to him not as a multi-instrumentalist but instead as a "maxi-instrumentalist." On stage, Lindley was known for wearing garishly colored polyester shirts with clashing pants, gaining the nickname the Prince of Polyester.
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