Search - Kingsmen :: Very Best of

Great CD

' Groovin' guy | 04/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll tell you why......The blurry words ARE SUPPOSED to sound like this.



The Kingsmen didn't achieve their success by slow and clear vocalization.



The subject of President Hoover's investigation and a book on the studies of lyrical content, the legendary song Louie,Louie is still fresh and exciting as well as the other songs.



For Kingmen fan, I highly recommend this CD."

Stereo versions of most of their songs

James M. Meehan | somerville, ma United States | 12/22/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Your better off getting the Rhino collection as it is in mono. This CD is in stereo and is more of a curio. The songs have no power in stereo and sound like different mixes. By the way, no comp by the Kingsmen includes the single mix of "Little Latin Lupe Lu". That version has dubbed in percussion and guitars and the vocals are higher in the mix. Unless your a stereo fanatic, don't buy this one."

Banned In Boston (And Indiana)

James M. Meehan | 07/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1957, Richard Berry & The Pharaohs recorded a little ditty Berry had written, based upon a Jamaican love song, called Louie, Louie, for Max and Lilian Feirtag's L.A.-based Flip Records, a label that also recorded, among others, The Six Teens and The Elgins. It never made any national charts, but it did become a stage staple item for many subsequent groups and bands, including the instrumental group from Tacoma, Washington, The Wailers, who also recorded it without national success in 1959.



That version struck a chord with a band that formed up that same year in Portland, Oregon comprised of vocalist/guitarist Jack Ely, guitarist Mike Mitchell, drummer Lynn Easton and bassist Bob Nordby, and soon adding pianist Don Gallucci. Their recording of it took place at Northwest Recorders in Portland, an establishment devoid of much in the way of modern recording equipment, and it was released, b/w the instrumental Haunted Castle, on Jerden 712 in 1963, a label owned by Jerry Dennon (hence (Jer-den) and Bonnie Guitar of Dark Moon fame, both previously associated with Dolton Records. Despite being almost unintelligible, it was picked up by Florence Greenberg's Wand Records, a subsidiary of Scepter, and was doing only modest business when fate stepped in.



It seems elements of the Governor's office in Indiana, hearing it for the first time, decided it had to be obscene, or perhaps contain some hidden "Satanic messages," when they couldn't understand a word, so they convinced the Governor to ban it from Indiana airwaves. When Boston followed suit (they had even banned 12-year-old Jimmy Boyd's I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus in 1952), curiosity was aroused, and soon the record was on its way to # 2 Hot 100, ultimately kept from # 1 only by Nino Tempo & April Stevens' Deep Purple, Dale & Grace's I'm Leaving It Up To You, and The Singing Nun's Dominique.



It's probably safe to say that, without the unexpected publicity, the song may have just gone the way of the earlier recordings without much national interest. But, of course, politicians never could understand that when THEY say something is banned, everyone else wants to see what all the fuss was about. It even charted again in May 1966 on a re-release, only this time reaching just # 97 Hot 100, after the release of the version by The Sandpipers on A&M, which finished at # 24 Adult Contemporary and # 30 Hot 100.



It also ensured their continuing popularity through the opening phases of the British Invasion (not many North American acts can make that claim), with their cover of Barrett Strong's Money (That's What I Want) hitting # 16 Hot 100 in April 1964, and two more minor hits that year with their cover of The Righteous Brothers' Little Latin Lupe Lu going to # 46 Hot 100 and Death Of An Angel finishing at # 42 Hot 100. Then, early in 1965, and inspired by a Green Giant commercial, they added new lyrics to The Olympic's 1960 hit, Big Boy Pete, and came up with their second-best hit, The Jolly Green Giant, which peaked at # 4 Hot 100 and # 25 R&B in February, b/w Long Green.



Nothing else they did made the Top 40, but all the hits are here (yes, in stereo, which may not please mono addicts), with a discography on the reverse, three pages of very interesting background notes written by Cub Koda of Discoveries Magazine in 1998, AND the complete lyrics to Louie, Louie so you can "slur" along with the boys.



As for the lack of original Wand mono cuts, I have a 10-track CD (not currently listed in Amazon) that came out in 1991 from PolyGram/PolyTel (Elite 845 626-2) which contains all 8 hits and one B-side called Greatest Hits Of The Kingsmen. On the reverse it states "Original Wand Recordings" and the insert contains a single page of notes written by "D.S." - whoever that is. In 1967 Gallucci formed a new band called Don & The Goodtimes, and they had two minor hits that year on Epic."