Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton – I Smell A Rat

Like I said in my last post, I was going to stick up Young Jessie’s, 1954 recording of I Smell A Rat but it’s been re-issued / bootlegged so it’s a bit boring to post it here. Here’s Big Mama Thornton’s version instead from the same year. Hope y’all like it as much as I do.

Annisteen Allen – Rough Lover

I must apologise. 2011 is already well established and this is only my second post of the year. Shame on me! I was going to stick up a great Young Jessie record, I Smell A Rat but it’s just been re-issued so I’m not so keen to stick it up.

Instead I thought I’d post a record by an artist that will no doubt get a bootleg repress soon: Annisteen Allen. She made quite a few hot records on Capital, including Fujiyama Mama in 1955 - although Take A Chance On Me is my all time favourite - I’ll post that up soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my most recent AA acquisition: Rough Lover cut on Decca in 1957.

Louisiana Red – Sugar Hips

Holidays went way too fast and, as usual, my exercise-to-food-intake ratio has been all wrong over the last couple of weeks. I had second then third helpings of sticky toffee pudding only yesterday. Good times! But I definitely feel like somebody turned gravity up this morning as I get ready to face my first day at work in 2011.

I’m pretty sure Lousiana Red wasn’t thinking of post-Christmas podgyness when he recorded this instrumental, Sugar Hips in the early 60s – but it still feels like an appropriate way to kick things off for 2011!

The Drifters – White Christmas

This is my favourite Christmas record of all time: The Drifters version of White Christmas with Clyde McPhatter making an appearance on vocal duties, released on Atlantic in 1954.

And with the crazy weather we’ve had the last week here across the UK, many of us might just get a White Christmas this year. However, snowfall over the next few days will piss a lot more people off than it will please, as snow is Mother the exact opposite of “a calm sea and a favourable wind” – it just isn’t helpful for people trying to get from A to B! I hope all this blog’s readers get to spend time with their families and enjoy a very Merry Christmas, whether it’s white or not. Best seasonal wishes! x

Larry Williams – Slow Down

It’s 30 years since John Lennon died and it’s still incredibly sad – but his legacy lives on. Derek over at Derek’s Daily 45 blog posted up Timmy Shaw’s fantastic Gonna Send You Back To Georgia on Wand earlier in the week, mentioning that it was one of the singles discovered in Lennon’s jukebox. I seem to remember reading somewhere that Lennon was a massive Larry Williams fan and loved, in particular, this awesome Specialty side cut by Williams in 1958.

Mmm.. must try and find a list of all the other singles in Lennon’s jukebox…