THE LOUISIANA RABBIT HOLE

Here's a few from the Ace Records Boppin' By the Bayou series of compilations, twenty two in all, all from Louisiana and most cuts pretty damn obscure. The only name below you're likely to recognize is Slim Harpo and his cut has a little faster tempo then his better known fare. The compilations are packed with great cuts crossing all sorts of genres; blues, rhythm 'n' blues, soul, cajun, zydeco, country, hillbilly, bluegrass, Mississippi hill blues, gospel and boogie-woogie. These were picked at random so you get an idea of the quality, The breadth of this series is mind-blowing in its diversity. This is gonna take forever.

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Listen:
Slim Harpo - Wild About My Baby mp3 at Internet Archive
Peto Marlow and the Rhythm Kings - Rock and Roll Beat mp3 at Internet Archive
Jeff Daniels - Switch Blade Sam mp3 at Internet Archive
Johnny Preston - Satan in Satin mp3 at Internet Archive
Visit:
Boppin' By the Bayou series at Discogs Compilation details

MISSISSIPPI SLIM JOHNSON

Been on a bit of a Stones binge lately. Let It Bleed through Exile, at the same time reading Keith Richard's Life and the 33 1/3 Series book on Exile On Main St.. Both books are great, they complement each other, particularly if you're into that era of the Stones, roughly '69 through '72, and you happen to be on that sort of binge. Alas, every time I've posted Stones stuff I've been respectively requested to cut that shit out. Freddy Sessler is on it. So, here's three songs they covered, "You Gotta Move" by Mississippi Fred McDowell (covered on Sticky Fingers), and Slim Harpo's "Shake Your Hips" and Robert Johnson's "Stop Breaking Down Blues" (covered on Exile On Main St.).

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Listen:
Mississippi Fred McDowell You Gotta Move mp3 at Tumblr (?)
Slim Harpo - Shake Your Hips mp3 at Le Mellotron
Robert Johnson - Stop Breaking Down Blues mp3 at More Things

LAZY LESTER RIDES AGAIN

Sometimes I feel a little guilty about posting stuff I've posted before, but sometimes the band, mix, or post somewhere else bears mentioning again. That's the case with this mix, So Many Days, posted in 2012 at Hearsay and still ripe for clicking. It's subtitled Rhythm and Blues 1946-1966, so you know just what you're getting into. There's a good bit of regular blues too. What isn't apparent by looking at the song list, packed with B-listers, is that every song on it is, at the very least, great. Some, mind blowingly so. Check out Lazy Lester's "Sad City Blues". Yeesh. Imagine someone humming "I've Put a Spell On You" on their way to the gallows. That's the feel if not the content. Doom Gold.

Here's just s few from the mix. Go there for all 24, posted individually and as a single zip.

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Listen:
Lazy Lester - Sad City Blues mp3 at Hearsay
Little Walter - I Got To Go mp3 at Hearsay
Slim Harpo - Buzz Me Babe mp3 at Hearsay
The mix:
So Many Days - Rhythm and Blues 1946 - 1966 at Hearsay 24 cuts, individually or in a zip

THE TIE BREAKER

On any other night, that photo above would have been of Warren Smith. It was to be his post, and it was, until I ran into, uh, that photo above, of Barbara Lynn. Now hold on a second, I know what you're thinking. I'd be a liar if I said that photo above wasn't fetching to a certain degree. As a straight male with a deep love of cool music shit, I can't be objective. But listen to the covers of "I Got Love If You Want It", by both Smith and Lynn, back to back. Completely different interpretations, apples and oranges, equal only in their quality. In other words, both hot shit. Smith's version getting a slight edge because it's a rockabilly version, the only one I'm aware of. Unfortunately my eyeballs get a vote too. And both vote for Barbara Lynn. It was close.

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Listen:
Warren Smith - I Got Love If You Want It mp3 at Mp3 Rockabilly
Barbara Lynn - I Got Love If You Want It mp3 at Diatone Reccords (?)
Slim Harpo - I Got Love If You Want It mp3 at Beware of the Blog

YOU CAN SHAKE OTHER STUFF TOO

It isn't often that you run into Exile-era Stones clips that aren't concert footage, so, what the hell. Check the clip linked below. It's them doing "Shake Your Hips" from the German TV show Beat Club, what appears to be a rehearsal, or maybe just a promo film. To compare and contrast, there's the original too, from Slim Harpo. As things happen, while looking for an image I ran into a high resolution of that baddass one above. That was it. Fuck the Stones, it's Slim Harpo's night.

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Listen:
Slim Harpo - Shake Your Hips mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
Slim Harpo - Baby, Scratch My Back  mp3 at LZ Center
Slim Harpo - I'm A King Bee mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
Slim Harpo - I Got Love If You Want It mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban

Video:

The Rolling Stones - Shake Your Hips (Beat Club) at YouTube Followed by "Tumbling Dice"

Pin up:
Slim Harpo at Ace Records High resolution copy of above image.

CHECK BETWEEN THE CRACKS

I wouldn't really consider this a cop out. Though I did post a link to this mix back in January, I doubt many of you listened to every song, and there's some really cool shit buried in there. The mix is So Many Days - Rhythm and Blues 1946-1966, an awesome cross section of just what it says it is. Posted at Hearsay way back in 2012. Tonight I went back to it to listen to some of the songs I hadn't. I was stopped dead in my tracks by the Lazy Lester cut (that's him above). So, really, this isn't a cop out. This is a dutiful reminder.

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Listen:
Lazy Lester - Sad City Blues mp3 at Hearsay
More from the mix:
Little Walter - I Got To Go mp3 at Hearsay
Slim Harpo - Buzz Me Babe mp3 at Hearsay
Guitar Slim - Certainly All mp3 at Hearsay
The Otis Rush Blues Band - Rock mp3 at Hearsay
The mix:
So Many Days - Rhythm and Blues 1946 - 1966 at Hearsay 24 cuts, individually or in a zip

EARLY RACKET

I'm not fucking around here. This mix hit the spot, and will continue to do so for the better part of the next hour. By then I'll be out of here, so just follow me. It's a mix of blues and rhythm and blues, from the mid-forties to the mid-sixties, and it's good stuff, with some a bunch of names you'll recognize, but few songs you'll know. In other words, low on hits, with exception of Little Junior Parker's "Mystery Train", That's a good thing, because you already have all the basic stuff, Elmore James, Little Walter, Johnny Otis, Guitar Slim, etc, etc., right?

Hearsay has a lot of old mixes laying around, of differing themes, and all I've heard are good, There's a new wave one that I can't vouch for, for reasons that should seem obvious. Here's a couple teasers from the one I'm digging on tonight. There's twenty four in all. The Little Walter cut is mindblowing, Total punk rock, just an insane racket. Everything is getting abused. You know, godhead. And then there's the drums on the Slim Harpo cut...

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Listen:
Little Walter - I Got To Go mp3 at Hearsay
Slim Harpo - Buzz Me Babe mp3 at Hearsay
Guitar Slim - Certainly All mp3 at Hearsay
The Otis Rush Blues Band - Rock mp3 at Hearsay
The mix:
So Many Days - Rhythm and Blues 1946 - 1966 at Hearsay 24 cuts, individually or in a zip

WELL, WHADDYA KNOW?

Just going about my business last night with the music on shuffle, I had to stop when "Te-Ni-Nee-Ni-Nu" by Slim Harpo came on. It was one of those songs that I probably listened to when I downloaded it, but had completely forgotten about. Regardless, it hit the spot. From 1968, it's a little later than most of his better known stuff, interesting in that it definitely sounds like him, but it has almost a New Orleans feel to it. It was followed by Groundhog's "Take It Off" which definitely borrows from Harpo's "Scratch My Back", albeit with a late night lovin' stoney feel.

Both of these were posted at Boogie Woogie Flu, back in 2012, with five others, all songs that Alex Chilton had covered at one time or another. 

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Listen:
Slim Harpo - Te-Ni-Nee-Ni-Nu mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Groundhog - Take It Off mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Five more songs that Chilton covered at Boogie Woogie Flu

SHE SAID "WHADDYA KNOW..."

Here's Clifton Chenier doing a bang up job with Slim Harpo's "Baby, Scratch My Back" on his "Keep On Scratching". With that title, he's not really hiding anything, and it's not as if he didn't put his own stamp on it. Chenier was something akin to the Chuck Berry of zydeco, in as much as he music was a template that others built on. Harpo was much the same for laid back electric blues. What I found most remarkable is the fact that Harpo's original was actually #91 on Billboards Top 100 of 1966. (To give you an idea of what makes the charts these days, take a look at the 2012 list. Blecch.) Anywho, dig these.

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Listen:
Clifton Chenier - Keep On Scratching mp3 at The Melting Pot
Slim Harpo - Baby, Scratch My Back  mp3 at LZ Center
Clifton Chenier – Bon Ton Roulet mp3 at The Melting Pot
Clifton Chenier – Jole Blonde mp3 at The Melting Pot

Slim Harpo - I'm A King Bee mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban

Slim Harpo - I Got Love If You Want It mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban

Slim Harpo - Shake Your Hips mp3 at Snuhthing Anything

SHAKE SCRATCH BUZZ

It's Slim Harpo month over at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban. Their first helping has a couple songs you might know...no, make that you should know. No excuses. "I'm a King Bee" and "I Got Love If You Want It", pretty elementary for most of you. Having never really looked at his chronological discography, I was not aware that those two oft covered songs were both from his first 45. From his first 45. Yeah. So go to Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban to get them. There's another down there, "Shake Your Hips". You know that one.

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Listen:

Slim Harpo - I'm A King Bee mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban Go there to get it.

Slim Harpo - I Got Love If You Want It mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban Go there to get it.

Slim Harpo - Shake Your Hips mp3 at Snuhthing Anything

Visit:

Slim Harpo at The Hound Blog Excellent

Slim Harpo at Wikipedia

Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban

ONLY ONE KING BEE

The photo above, kiped from The Slow Drag, was so awesome, I had to post some stuff to go along with it. Most of you should be familiar with Slim Harpo, and undoubtedly most of you who are came to his music through covers, and most of you who are familiar with him through covers first heard a cover or two by the Stones. So, really, those shaggy proto-hipsters did their job. Great. Maybe they'll sell some records and make a career out of it.

Though never having had any ailment worse than a common cold, Harpo died of a heart attack at the age of 45. Mick Jagger is, what, pushing 70? No justice.

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Listen:
Slim Harpo - Jody Man mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Slim Harpo - Te-Ni-Nee-Ni-Nu mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Slim Harpo - Shake Your Hips mp3 at Le Mellotron
Slim Harpo - I'm a King Bee mp3 at Gapersblog
Slim Harpo - I'm Your Bread Maker Baby mp3 at R n B 45
Slim Harpo - Baby Scratch My Back mp3 at Gapersblog
Visit:
Slim Harpo - Excellent bio at The Hound Blog
Slim Harpo - Illustrated discography

WE'RE NEW HERE

Well folks, this is how it's done when it's done well. Boogie Woogie Flu just posted their third in a series about the Stones' early years, from 1963 through 1965. They do it up right, with some interesting factoids, Stones songs from the period (including some unreleased), and a bucket load of original versions of songs that the Stones covered. If you're at all a fan of their early stuff, these posts should take care of a good chunk of your allotted lurking time. I'll just leave it at that.

Here's a sip, just a few of the original versions of the Stones covered songs. There's a whole lot more where these came from. While you're over there, dig around a bit. If it's good enough to make it to the Get Lost list, that's just what you should do. As on Hee-Haw, "Sal-luuute!"

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Listen:
Chuck Berry - Come On mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Muddy Waters - I Want To Be Loved mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Benny Spellman - Fortune Teller mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Muddy Waters - I Just Want To Make Love To You mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Slim Harpo - I'm A King Bee mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
The Coasters - Poison Ivy mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
The Valentinos - It's All Over Now mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Irma Thomas - Time Is On My Side mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Visit the posts:
Gather No Moss - Rolling Stones post, Part 1 at Boogie Woogie Flu
England's Newest Hitmakers - Rollings Stones post, Part 2 at Boogie Woogie Flu
2120 South Michigan Avenue - Rolling Stones post, Part 3 at Boogie Woogie Flu

I AM KEEPING IT SIMPLE, STUPID

Sometimes all it takes is a couple songs to make you slow things down, just to dig them. These two from Slim Harpo couldn't have hit at a better time. They're from a post at Boogie Woogie Flu that consists of songs that Alex Chilton covered at one time or another. These particular two were all I needed tonight. I'll go back to get the Dixie Cups, Benny Spellman, and Jimmy Newman cuts later.

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Listen:
Slim Harpo - Te-Ni-Nee-Ni-Nu mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Slim Harpo - Tip On In (Part one) mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Four more songs that Alex Chilton covered at Boogie Woogie Flu Groundhog, Benny Spellman, the Dixie Cups, Jimmy Newman, and Ernest Tubb

JERK IS THE WORD

Who's idea was it? I have wanted to know for years, just who's idea it was for the Stones to change the phrase in Chuck Berry's "Come On," that goes "some stupid jerk trying to reach another number" to "some stupid guy trying to reach another number"? Being that it was done on their very first 45, it could be the secret of the whole dynamic of the band. What if Jagger and Richards agreed about everything else up to that point, but Jagger was insistent enough about changing the word "jerk" to "guy," that Richards assumed the "fuck off" attitude of the band, right then and there? Or could it have been the idea of Andrew Loog Oldham? Maybe they had a vote. Who knows? I thought that the answer to this lingering question would be in Richards' tell-all autobiography Life, but no. He doesn't tell all. Not of what I want to know.

The answer's probably out there, in some Stones book, or in the mental database of any real Stones fiend. Regardless, I was reminded of that when I ran into a couple posts at Boogie Woogie Flu. Both posts are about the Stones' early material, particularly the covers they did, and they're a nice mix of the covers original versions, early Stones oddballs and a couple of unreleased tracks. I'm not linking directly to any Stones stuff (just go there to get them). Let's just say that this time it's because they changed the lyrics to a Chuck Berry song on their first record. Yeah, they're lucky this big shot listens to them at all.

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Listen:
Chuck Berry - Come On mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Muddy Waters - I Want To Be Loved mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Benny Spellman - Fortune Teller mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Muddy Waters - I Just Want To Make Love To You mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Jimmy Reed - Honest I Do mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Bo Diddley - Mona mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Slim Harpo - I'm A King Bee mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Visit:
Gather No Moss - Rolling Stones post, part 1 (13 more songs) at Boogie Woogie Flu
England's Newest Hitmakers - Rollings Stones post, part 2 (9 more songs) at Boogie Woogie Flu