I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Lindy Fralin recently. He plays around Richmond in a rockabilly outfit called The Bop Cats, and he’s known far and wide as one of the finest makers of aftermarket guitar pickups. (Check out this awesome mention in Guitar Player magazine.) The article won’t be out for a little while, but I’m celebrating earl by rocking 25 Years of Rock n’ Roll this week.

It may look like a greatest hits album, but the tracks were actually culled from recordings the band made years ago (quickly, and to cassette in many cases) to promote their live act. Knowing that gives the recordings a lightning-in-a-bottle quality, something that’s harder and harder to find as sophisticated recording and mixing technology becomes easier to use and more widely available. That context also informs the quality of the musicianship — this is extremely polished stuff, given the limited time given to recording each track.

It’s also some of the most fun and danceable music on planet Earth. Try out their cover of the George Jones classic “The Race Is On” below, click here to snag your own copy of 25 Years of Rock n’ Roll, and keep a lookout for my River City Magazine article about Fralin and fellow Richmond mainstay Susan Greenbaum — it should be out in early November.

The Bop Cats — “The Race Is On” (George Jones cover) [Spotify/iTunes]