As cool rocking names go, Slim Harpo is in the freezer. His sonic stylings are just as frigid. A narrow minded man would say he sounds too much like Jimmy Reed. An eloquent man would talk about his lazy-sounding vocal style, the sinewy guitar, the backbeat you can drive a Cadillac through, how less is most deliciously more. But I’m neither of those.Instead I’ll mention some titles: ‘I Need Money’, ‘Shake Your Hips’, ‘Baby Scratch My Back’….What economy and directness. The lyrics are just as straightforward, stories of simple pleasure that often contain well-observed truth. Did he make this up right before the tape rolled? -- Ohhh, I dig those crazy clothesLet me feel those fishnet hoseCut low at the topAnd high at the bottomIn fact, I don't seeHow we ever did without 'emSlim is from Louisiana. Maybe that explains his magic.“Baby Scratch My Back”The British beat guys dug his sound. Slim recorded this song as “Shake Your Hips”.On ‘Exiles On Main Street’, the Rolling Stones did it as “Hipshake”. I like the version on record because about halfway through they noticeably speed up.The Stones on Beat Club in GermanySlim’s most famous song is “King Bee’. The Stones did it of course, but let’s hear Pink Floyd’s version. Syd Barrett’s solo is a perfect filter of Slim Harpo through Wind In The Willows.Pink Floyd – (I’m A) King Bee
dermahrk says
Wait, sounding like Jimmy Reed is a ??bad?? thing? I was not familiar with Slim Harpo until this post, and am thus grateful. I knew of the Stones' covers, but not the original version. His harp playing is perfect - tasty, not showy, and a wonderful complement to the song itself.
I hope the Stones credited Slim as the writer (and royalty recipient - him or his estate) on ??Shake Your Hips??.
I also must inquire as to the source of the Floyd version. I'm not a Floyd fan except for the early Syd material, which limits me to a handful of tracks.
Jonh Ingham says
Bill & Dermahrk - The Floyd track is apparently 1965. It's definitely pre Joe and as far as I know, has only come out on bootlegs.
I don't think sounding like Jimmy Reed is a bad thing, but a grumpy person on the other hand....
I'm curious about the credit on the Stones version as well and since all my vinyl is packed, I can't reach for it easily. But they're generally gentlemen in crediting others, unlike some of their contemporaries.
Cody B says
Dyno-Mite..Phew, I'm glad I clicked in..what shows from this post in the MOS doesn't even hint at the glories inside. The wood block/rim shot/stick bangin' percussion part in Slim' Hips is soooo good.
Spike says
Great post, Jonh.
A few quotes:
In the liner notes to a John Fred and His Playboy Band CD, it mentions that they toured England in 1967 with their hit "Judy in Disguise." "They visited the Apple store and met the Beatles. John Lennon was chilly until he realised that they were from South Louisiana, then quizzed them for 45 minutes about Slim Harpo."
From the book Sixties Rock by Michael Hicks: "If Jagger was imitating anyone, it was slight-voiced tenor bluesmen like Slim Harpo and Chuck Berry and country-western singers like George Jones....Jagger always seemed to understand the limitations of his instrument and developed his voice as much as possible within its constraints."
TylerDurden says
Outstanding -> John, I liked the bit about his name being so cool it was in the freezer. very nice. he's an aquired taste, but I just love his guitar.
Ohm51 says
I love all of Slim Harpo's stuff, and particularly that strong vibrato setting he used on his classic cuts.
That was a fun anecdote Spike ... about Lennon's quizzing John Fred and the Playboys about Slim Harpo. (But no wonder he was initially cool as 'Judy in Disguise' was apparently a parody of ' Lucy in the Skies')
I have a working knowledge of most of Slim Harpo's classic cuts ... from having played (as drummer) in myriad blues bands throughout the 80's thru early 90's.
Stiil my favorite is " Got Love if You Want It' as its got that great ArfoCuban feel percolating underneath ... and fun to play drum-wise.
Really Excellent Post John! and nice to hear all this stuff again
brendanhalpin says
Whaddya know, it's Slim Harpo! Thanks for posting this stuff--love it. I used to have it on a long-gone cassette. I think "Ti Ni Nee Ni Nu" is actually my favorite.
Jonh Ingham says
Ohm - Thanks for the drummer's insight. As a non-player I've always suspected that music like this can be a lot of fun to play.
Brendan - That's my favourite single Slim Harpo lyric - so much bragging in such an understated way! Personally, it's hard to have a favourite, though 'Baby Scratch My Back' tends to win because it was the first thing I heard and it was on the radio as a bona-fide Top 40 hit.
As cool rocking names go, Slim Harpo is in the freezer. His sonic stylings are just as frigid. A narrow minded man would say he sounds too much like Jimmy Reed. An eloquent man would talk about his lazy-sounding vocal style, the sinewy guitar, the backbeat you can drive a Cadillac through, how less is most deliciously more. But I’m neither of those.Instead I’ll mention some titles: ‘I Need Money’, ‘Shake Your Hips’, ‘Baby Scratch My Back’….What economy and directness. The lyrics are just as straightforward, stories of simple pleasure that often contain well-observed truth. Did he make this up right before the tape rolled? -- Ohhh, I dig those crazy clothesLet me feel those fishnet hoseCut low at the topAnd high at the bottomIn fact, I don't seeHow we ever did without 'emSlim is from Louisiana. Maybe that explains his magic.“Baby Scratch My Back”The British beat guys dug his sound. Slim recorded this song as “Shake Your Hips”.On ‘Exiles On Main Street’, the Rolling Stones did it as “Hipshake”. I like the version on record because about halfway through they noticeably speed up.The Stones on Beat Club in GermanySlim’s most famous song is “King Bee’. The Stones did it of course, but let’s hear Pink Floyd’s version. Syd Barrett’s solo is a perfect filter of Slim Harpo through Wind In The Willows.Pink Floyd – (I’m A) King Bee
Comments (14)