USA guitarist/vocalist Tav Falco and his group, Panther Burns, came to prominence in 1981 with Behind The Magnolia Curtain, a rockabilly set fused with garage band sloppiness and Elvis Presley -influenced whoops and hollers. Suitably ragged support from Alex Chilton (ex- Box Tops ; Big Star ) ensured the album quickly became a cult classic. Blow Your Top! and Sugar Ditch Revisited, two similarly-styled EPs followed, the second of which was recorded at the fabled Sun Studios. It was here Falco became acquainted with pianist James Luther Dickenson, formerly of the Dixie Flyers , who guested on several subsequent Panther Burns' recordings. Now! , issued only on cassette, was released on Falco's own label and features seven songs culled from a 1984 concert in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. In 1986 the group found a sympathetic label in New Rose Records, based in Paris, France. The Chilton-produced The World We Knew is arguably Falco's finest recording. Different sidemen support the singer on a range of material encompassing Sun Records -styled rockabilly, R&B and delta blues. However, Red Devil invokes the rampaging style of early releases and features compositions by Chuck Berry and Lee Hazlewood , among others. Tav Falco enjoyed a small role in the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls Of Fire before releasing the self-explanatory 10th Anniversary Live LP: Midnight In Memphis. This two-record set featuring Chilton, Dickenson and other assorted guests on material ranging from "Goldfinger" to "Train Kept A-Rollin'". Curiously, the set lacks overall sparkle, although Return Of The Blue Panther put pay to the notion that Falco had calmed down. Distortion, reverb and unqualified excitement abounds in a set largely comprising of well-known R&B standards, including "Rock Me Baby" and "Got Love If You Want It". Tav Falco's Panther Burns remain on the fringes of rock, but the affection for the music they play remains undiminished.  - MUZE