mp3: Blues Rockers - Calling All Cows Today's selection falls somewhere between the novelty and risque-blues genres. Moo sounding background vocals provide the novelty aspect; the risque aspect I can't exactly pin down, but I'm sure it's there somewhere amongst all that talk of milk, cream, cows and yards. It was released on Nashville's Excello Records in 1955 by the Blues Rockers -- a group that includes the song's writer, Earley Dranne, as well as Lazy Bill Lucas, PT Hayes and Jo Jo Williams. Elvin Bishop released a version in 1975 and The [...]
mp3: Cliff Richard - I'm The Lonely One I must confess to being more familiar with Tom Jones' funked-up interpretation of this tune, which he released as The Lonely One in '68. However, just four years prior, Cliff Richard and The Shadows were there first with this mighty fine version. The song was written by Gordon Mills who, in the interim, discovered Jones, became his manager and penned his first hit, It's Not Unusual. I was turned on to today's selection through the brilliant Killer Diller Radio Show , which is well [...]
mp3: The Night Raiders - Cottonpickin' A wickedly rollicking guitar-led instrumental from 1959 is today's offering. The axe playing is, apparently, courtesy of a sixteen year old badass, Bill Ballard. Clocking in at just over a minute and a half, this is an adrenaline filled ride from go to
mp3: The Versatones - Bila The Versatones was a popular name for US bands fifty or so years back. Because of this, there are conflicting reports floating around on the internet regarding this particular group. With that in mind, I'll try not to rehash too much for fear of adding weight to incorrect information. Incorrect information, we can't have that at Diddy Wah (I even read somewhere that all copies of this record have writing on the label). That said, I'm reasonably certain Bila was originally released in the year of 1958 on [...]
mp3: Johnny O'Keefe - Shout mp3: Johnny O'Keefe - What'd I Say Here's some great stuff from Australia's pioneering rocker, Johnny O'Keefe -- or as he's known in Aus, JOK. Musically, O'Keefe started out as a Johnny Ray impersonator, but after being exposed to Bill Haley's Rock Around The Clock, he decided that becoming a rock'n'roll star was his destiny. He formed a band, The Dee Jays, in '56 and in '58 his debut release, Wild One, was the first rock song to ever enter the Aussie charts. He was [...]
mp3: Harmonicats - Bo Diddley Here we have a group from Chicago consisting solely of harmonica players. Their leader, Jerry Murad, started in 1940 with the Harmonica Madcaps, which became the Harmonica Rascals before disbanding and then reforming as a trio, the Harmonicats. The three harmonicists played instruments of varying sizes, one of which seems improbably large. They had huge success in 1947 with Peg 'O My Heart. It sold of over a million and soared to the very top chart spot. Achieving what they did, as harmonica players, must have been unlikely [...]
mp3: The Jesters - Peter Gunn Twist I'm sure someone knows something about this record but it ain't me, that's not for want of trying though. Web search engines aren't able to help much. Over the years, there has been several Rio records, but this particular one seems to be reasonably obscure. Somewhere in my sleuthing, someone mentions the Midwest, which is as likely an origin for the group as anywhere. Peter Gunn Twist appears on a few compilations, notably the first of the awesome Las Vegas Grind series, where it's dated as [...]
mp3: Rockin Robin Roberts - Louie Louie mp3: Rockin Robin Roberts - Maryann This version of Louie Louie has real historical significance, in a musical sense. In 1961, it was the first revival of Richard Berry's obscure R&B b-side. A full two years before The Kingsmen, with The Wailers backing him, Rockin Robin Roberts spurred Louie Louie on to become immortal classic that it is today. This record was the first release on Tacoma's legendary Etiquette record label; I posted the second release, Mashi, back in June. Although nowhere near [...]
The Monkees - Daydream Believer The Monkees - Daydream Believer 33rpm The third in this series of singles slowed down a notch was suggested to me through email. It's the only way that one Diddy Wah visitor listens to this tune. I suspect it's soon to be the only way that many Diddy Wah visitors listen to this tune. Just as with Gloria and Funnel Of Love, Daydream Believer transforms into a new song when revolving thirty three and a third times per minute. As if by magic, this pop ballad, that we've all heard a countless [...]
mp3: The Monkees - Daydream Believer mp3: The Monkees - Daydream Believer 33rpm The third in this series of singles slowed down a notch was suggested to me through email. It's the only way that one Diddy Wah visitor listens to this tune. I suspect it's soon to be the only way that many Diddy Wah visitors listen to this tune. Just as with Gloria and Funnel Of Love, Daydream Believer transforms into a new song when revolving thirty three and a third times per minute. As if by [...]
mp3: Johnny And The Hurricanes - Crossfire Led by the tenor sax playing Johnny Paris, Johnny and the Hurricanes were the one of the quintessential rockin' instrumental bands. Today I'm posting their debut hit single from 1959, Crossfire, recorded in a cinema for extra echo. It was first released on Twirl records and then later on Warwick, both out of Detroit. During the early sixties, the group performed a number of times at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany. On occasion they were supported by the Beatles, which, without taking absolutely anything away from [...]
A few weeks back, Gav from Get Involved asked me to contribute to his Shing-A-Ling series of podcasts. Being a big fan, I could hardly refuse. Regular visitors to Diddy Wah will have noticed that I've been buying lots of West Coast 60s surf instrumentals recently. With the podcast in mind, I figured it would be swell to bring them together in a mix. The result is Mashi, which I'm hoping will pipe a little sunshine into your day. I've also done some tinkering with the site layout, including a new Mashi-inspired header. I trust this [...]
mp3: The Strangers - The Caterpillar Crawl mp3: The Rumblers - Boss Would a version excursion by any other name sound as sweet? In 1959, The Strangers' sinister instrumental, Caterpillar Crawl, was the first record released on California's Titan label, capturing nationwide attention. Then, in 1963, The Rumblers had a chart hit with a tougher interpretation of the same, out-and-out dangerous sounding, surf tune. Around twenty years later, The Cramps, a band with exquisite taste, would also borrow those riffs for one of their early singles, Garbageman.
mp3: The Stone Crushers - Crawfish mp3: The Stone Crushers - Tadpole Wiggle After chasing this 45 for some time, I'm tickled pink to have finally caught it. It goes something like this: In 1958, Elvis Presley starred in the movie King Creole, set in New Orleans. In it, in duet with Kitty White, he sings an ode to the humble Crawfish – which is a lot steamier than it sounds. Musician and songwriter Jesse Stone, who wrote such hits as Shake, Rattle and Roll and Money Honey – both [...]
mp3: The Seeds - Can't Seem To Make You Mine Sky Saxon's off-key vocals on this stalkerish-love song are entrancing, as are the sunshine filled guitar licks and keyboard solo. Originally released in 1965, The Seeds first single, Can't Seem To Make You Mine, has been covered by Alex Chilton, The Ramones and Garbage. Recently, it was used in an advertisement for a deodorant that is popular among teenage boys (the scent of Africa is recalled with mixed emotions from when yours truly stumbled through that demographic). Saxon had the unfortunate circumstance last [...]
mp3: Them - Gloria mp3: Them - Gloria 33rpm Following on from Wanda Jackson's Funnel Of Love -- posted the other week at the original 45rpm and also at 33rpm -- here is Them's Gloria given the same treatment (props to Jonas for suggesting this). There's not a lot I can add to what has already been said about the pure rock'n'roll brilliance of Gloria -- released in 1964 as the b-side to, the equally incredible, Baby Please Don't Go. Slowing the record down to 33rpm makes Van Morrison sound [...]
mp3: Sir Stan - Soulin' I was about to type that I couldn't tell you anything about this artist or this record, but with just a teeny bit more googling I discovered that Sir Stan is Stanley Griggs, who was born in Oklahoma and raised in Kansas City before moving to Los Angeles. He sings and plays bass guitar. On this recording his band was called The Counts. Released around 1964 on the Magnum label, Soulin' is another killer instrumental. Off the measure in terms of groove, this tune just blissfully bounces along. [...]
mp3: Gary Webb - Drum City Pt.1 mp3: Gary Webb - Drum City Pt.2 I was turned on to the frenetic, marching, surf sound of Drum City through the excellent compilation, Lost Treasures - Rarities From the Vaults of Del-Fi. Some years later I managed to track down a vinyl copy; it was actually put out on the Donna label, a Del-Fi subsidiary. Gary 'Spider' Webb was a drummer who played with the Hollywood Argyles as well as with the cross-dressing entertainer, Troy Walker. It has also been whispered that, [...]
mp3: Link Wray And The Wraymen - Raw-Hide From 1959, and following on from a rumbling debut, Raw-Hide was Link Wray's second single. It started off as a b-side but became the hit-side by reaching #23 on the Billboard charts. Although a completely different song to the Frankie Laine sung theme to the television series Rawhide, it was released just three days after the series' first episode first aired -- now, even the firmest believer in coincidences would have to be a bit skeptical about that. Anyway, what's unquestionable is that today's pick [...]
mp3: Wanda Jackson - Funnel Of Love mp3: Wanda Jackson - Funnel Of Love 33rpm Today's selection has become one of Wanda Jackson's best known and most highly revered songs. Written by Charlie McCoy, Funnel Of Love was released in 1961 as a b-side. It's not shy about being mysterious, with spooky background vocals, a syncopated beat and Roy Clark's twangy-to-the-point-of-being-t rippy guitar licks. All that, combined with Jackson's vocal inflections and lyrics about falling, make for a dreamy, almost Sci-Fi, overall sound. Make no bones about it, this is an [...]
Diddy Wah
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Shinichi Osawa – Big Beach Mix 2012
Mr Fogg - Eleven
