"...We Don’t Want No
Chaperone..."
Back in the 1990s England’s
Ace Records bought the Dolphin catalogue and has maintained a steady stream of
reissues ever since. “Wow, Wow, Baby!” is the latest instalment (May 2015 on
Ace Records CDTOP 1438 - Barcode 029667071529) which offers up 24 rare cuts - many
of which are Previously Unreleased. As usual with these obscure label CD
compilations - it’s a strange mix of the utterly pedestrian and the refreshingly
brill – with the spread being about 80/20 in favour of the better stuff.
The 12-page colour booklet
has expert info from liner-notes king TONY ROUNCE with photos of characters
like Scatman Crowthers, Chuck Higgins, Marvin & Johnny, Floyd Dixon,
Memphis Slim and Jimmy Witherspoon to name but a few. A and AA label repros of
those rare 45’s and 78’s on the Money and Cash labels pepper the text as does a
not-so-complimentary description of John Dolphin’s delightful business
practices and lack of financial morality (what a guy). The remasters are by
long-standing engineer DUNCAN COWELL and once again he delivers really clean
transfers – plenty of oomph and bottle where needed without being over-egged
for the sake of it (61:45 minutes).
Earl Burton’s “Sleep, Drink
And Play”, the Coasters-witty “Traffic Ticket” by Big Boy Groves and the
girl-bopper “Hey Rube” by The Mellow Tones are amongst the better R&B dancer
tracks - but a lot of the other slow blues tunes like Little Margie’s “Years
And Tears Ago”, James Reed’s “My Love Is Real” and Marvin & Johnny’s “Yak
Yak Woman” refuse to really ignite (feeling a little plodding if the truth be
told). The two holy-roller tunes “Step In The Right Direction” and “I Need The
Lord To Guide Me Everyday” feel out of place too and wooden.
Better is Floyd Dixon who puts
in two wicked Fats Domino shuffles on “Oh Baby” and “Never Can Tell (When A
Woman’s Going To Change Her Mind)” while the Bluesy crawl of “Lonely, Lonely
Woman” by Little Eve is suitably mournful. Jimmy Witherspoon features on two
cuts – the mooching “S.K. Blues (by Saunders King) and the saxophone dancer
“Teenage Party”. Tap Anthony & His Orchestra give us “Fancy Pants” which
sounds like a post World War II dancefloor jive (it’s a great instrumental).
The coolest cut on here is
probably “All Messed Up” by Vernon Anders which is about a woman “whose knock-kneed
and bow-legged” but thankfully our Vernon “loves her so...” In fact it’s
amazing how many women in these songs are bald-headed but still mightily
attractive to the singer (what a gent). “Teenagers Only” (lyrics above) has
Little Margie singing with her girls about not wanting any chaperone when they
start rocking with that saxophone (if you know what Margie’s saying baby). It
ends well on the “oh yeah” call and response of Chuck Higgins when his band and
The Mellotones tear up the studio like they’re on a Little Richard recording.
Another belter from Ace –
someone should give these guys a medal...
This review and Hundreds more like it are available to read
In my SOUNDS GOOD Music Books Series.
Check out the BLUES, VOCAL GROUPS, R 'n' B and R' n' R Version
on Amazon as a Kindle read...
In my SOUNDS GOOD Music Books Series.
Check out the BLUES, VOCAL GROUPS, R 'n' B and R' n' R Version
on Amazon as a Kindle read...
