Mink deville – Spanish Stroll (From "Live at Montreux 1982")

Big Country – Wonderland (From "Wonderland" DVD)

1982 found Mink deville in the middle of the transition from their cbgbs New York punk origins to a more subtle, rootsier sound blending soul, R & B, Cajun and other influences. Lead by the late Willy deville, whose unique style and inimitable gravelly voice always made them stand out from the crowd, Mink deville released their first album in 1977 and imediately had a huge hit with the track Spanish Stroll. By the time of this appearance at Montreux in 1982 they were touring in support of the fourth album Coup De Grace and the show features tracks from across their career to that point as well as a couple of unreleased gems including their cover of the Ben E King classic Stand By Me. The double DVD / CD set of this gig is released on February 15th, and I will post pre-order links as soon as they are available.