The Guitar remained, the plaid suit did not.

The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Wolfgang's Big Night Out *** Surfdog Records Released: September 25, 2007     Brian Setzer has made a career out of looking to the past as a way source of inspiration, but for Wolfgang's Big Night Out, The Brian Setzer Orchestra looks back; way back, to find some of the most popular classical melodies of all time and reworking them for a swinging, 17-piece big band. It certainly worked a few years when the BSO produced their stunning take on Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite but is a swingin', big band version of Strauss' Blue Danube (coyly re-titled Some River in Europe) necessary? Well…      Guitar freaks certainly have reason to rejoice as this is the closest Setzer has ever come to releasing an instrumental album (only one song features vocals). Fans of Swing will dig it, but Classical aficionados will surely scoff at the very idea of a rock star that fronts a big band even listening to these masterworks even though Glen Miller did something similar in the 40's. I bet he got kudos from the classical world! Maybe it was the clarinet. Still, who gets more girls, the guitarist or a nerdy dude with a clarinet? I mean, a clarinet would make Freddie Mercury look like a band geek! It's true. However, I digress…      Setzer's trademark fretwork is displayed loudly and proudly on every track; check out his dazzling leads on Honey Man (Flight of the Bumblebee), Sabre Dance and Take A Break Guys (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen). Setzer even gives a rare wah-wah pedal workout on that track giving us hope that maybe, just maybe, the BSO will cover Superfly the next time around. The album also showcases the massive talents of the orchestra with their fiery accompaniment and hip musical arrangements.      But as impressive as this display of musicality is, Wolfgang's Big Night Out is, ultimately, not a compelling listen; somehow, the passion and grandeur of these works get lost, leaving us with the feeling that if we ignore the source material, this could be looked at as a great swing album. But it's not a strict swing album and therein lies the rub as the 'Bard once said. Good, not great but still light years ahead of anything else you've heard this year. Popjunkie's Picks: Click links to purchase download Take the 5th: Take The 5th (An Adaptation Of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5") Honey Man: Honey Man (An Adaptation Of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight Of The Bumblebee") Yes We Can: Yes We Can Can (An Adaptation Of Offenbach's "The Can Can") One More night With You: One More Night With You (An Adaptation Of Grieg's "Hall Of The Mountain King")