Robert N. from CHICAGO, IL Reviewed on 10/12/2006...
Great 50's bluesman, Slim Harpo sings and plays great electric blues. Inc. I'm a King Bee, Strange Love, Bobby Sox Baby, Rainin' in My Heart, Shake Your Hips, 11 more.
CD Reviews
BuzzzZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzin'
David Bradley | Sterling, VA USA | 09/14/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's no wonder that the Stones aped Slim Harpo on so many of their early records: they were slaves to the groove and had a truly thumpin' bass player; Harpo's records were all about the groove, usually led by a great bass line. The Stones version of
"Hip Shake" on the classic EXILE ON MAIN STREET is a near perfect copy of the Harpo version found on this record.The sound on these recordings is excellent. How a little label like Excello, recording low-budget acts in the (relatively speaking) middle of nowhere could capture such a great sound is beyond me."
Shake Your Hips
booknblueslady | Woodland, CA United States | 01/03/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One of the things about the blues is how well it ages. Some of the standards stay surprisingly fresh and new after many years, waiting for new fans to discover them as if for the first time. I believe that this CD and Slim Harpo exemplifies this. This is a very easy to listen to CD, with great standard songs written by James Moore aka Slim Harpo. Among them are TeNi Nee Ni Nu, Shake your hips, Baby, Scratch My Back ,Rainin' in My Heart, I'm a King Bee, and I've Got Love If You Want It. Harp was a talented guitarist and harpist. Harpo had a unique nasal vocal style which was developed because a producer didn't like his singing so told him to sing through his nose.Harpo was a truly gifted song writer. His songs have been covered by Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Hank Williams, Jr., Elvis Presley and Muddy Waters among others.This is a good CD for those wanting to learn more about the blues and begin developing their own collection. If you are already a blues fan and are not familiar with him take a listen."
A knockout R&B singer, that will bedazzle you...
Rockabilly-cutie17 | 05/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A heavily rhythmic jump blues/R&B singer, who has a rough and rowdy style. This music will have you stompin' on your living room dance floor, you'll be uncontrolably jitterbugging across your dining room into the kitchen. A great cd, that will appeal to fans of blues, roots of rock'n'roll, swing, and rockabilly. Though Slim Harpo is a "blues" artist, his music would have been considered r&b back in the 50's, and now would be categorized as jump blues. A perfect beat for swing dancing, this music was big in jukeboxes at Juke Joints & roadhouses, across the USA in the 50's. There are a few chart hits that he had, and his popularity was immense. A great cd, is the bottom line here."
A Bluesman To Remember
Eclectic Revisited | Arizona | 11/23/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you can say you knew Slim Harpo's work without an English group (The Rolling Stones) or individual musician (Eric Clapton) having had to bring it to your attention some years later, as has often been the case, then good for you. I remember going into this hardcore hillbilly bar (too young to be there) and hearing "Rainin' in My Heart" play often on the jukebox. It was 1961. Everybody seemed to know who it was. That was the first time I could put a name to a familiar singer on a "black only" radio station in Memphis, Tennessee. By the time "Baby, Scratch My Back" came along maybe 5 years later in the midst of British rock, protest songs and Nancy Sinatra, it sounded like a throwback to the 1950s. Slim Harpo was one of the few bluesmen who had a national audience (Motown was in full swing but that's a different thing). This package does in fact have the best of Slim Harpo as I remember his music from both before and after his breaking into the national mainstream. Unfortunately, just as it seems many of his fellow bluesmen did, Slim harpo died at an early age, he in 1970. He was 46 years old. Buy this thing."