Hip Shakin: Excello Collection

Slim Harpo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 29, 1994)
• Original Release Date: December 19, 1994
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Excello Records
• ASIN: B000005KI1
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #281,098 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. I'm A King Bee

2. I Got Love If You Want It

3. Wonderin' and Worryin'

4. Strange Love

5. You'll Be Sorry One Day

Disc: 2

1. Baby Scratch My Back

2. I'm Gonna Miss You Like The Devil

3. Wondering Blues

4. Rock Me Baby

5. Shake Your Hips

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slim Harpo Is the King Bee, April 6, 2000

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hip Shakin: Excello Collection (Audio CD)

This is a definitive two-disc collection of bluesman Slim Harpo's Excello recordings. Harpo, a gifted harmonica player and more than competent vocalist and guitar player began his recording career with his signature song, "I'm a King Bee." [The Rolling Stones covered this song on their 1964 debut and later covered Harpo's "Shake Your Hips" on Exile on Main Street (where it was retitled "Hip Shake.")] In addition to influencing the Stones, Harpo's songs were covered by British Invasion bands like the Kinks and the Yardbirds. More recently the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Lou Ann Barton have covered his songs, like "Got Love If You Want It" and "Te Ni Nee Ni Nu" respectively.

There are no session dates on this recording, but "I'm a King Bee" was recorded probably sometime in the early to mid-Fifties and the latest recordings were in the late-Sixties. Harpo, along with B.B. King, was the only blues artist to hit the Top 40 on the pop charts. He did it in 1961 with the slow blues "Still Rainin' in My Heart" (No, 34) and again in 1966 with the shuffling "Baby Scratch My Back" (No. 16). [Harpo died in 1970 of a heart attack just three weeks after his 46th birthday.]

This set includes all the highlights from the Excello vaults and as an added bonus you get a 16-minute "Live Medley," comprised of "Moody Blues," "I Got Love If You Want It" and "You Know I Love You" taken from an appearance at a 1961 performance at a Mobile, Alabama National Guard Armory. The sound quality of this live cut is shaky, but it gives you the chance to hear Harpo and his King Bees in a live venue.

There is a cheaper single disc "best of" available, but at 44 tracks this gets the nod over the 16-track Hip-O disc (which includes no material not found on Hip Shakin'). There are no electric guitar pyrotechnics, but if you enjoy harmonica-driven laid-back blues, Slim Harpo is your man. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excello Swamp Blues At Its Best, May 18, 2001

By 

J. E FELL "boogaloojef" (Carterville, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hip Shakin: Excello Collection (Audio CD)

Hip Shakin' is a two cd compilation of Slim Harpo's (James Moore) sides cut with the Excello label. Harpo was born in Louisiana and most of his sides were cut in J.D. Miller's Crowley Louisiana studios. Harpo played both harmonica and guitar and also sang as well. A number of other famous blues musicians who signed with Excello made appearances at his sessions. They included such artists as Guitar Gable, Katie Webster, and Lazy Lester. He cut a number of classic sides included here, "I'm A King Bee", "I Got Love If You Want It", "Rainin' In My Heart", "Baby Scratch My Back", and "Shake Your Hips". His fans included Mick Jagger and Cub Koda. Groups such as the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds have covered his songs. The Moody Blues even took the name of their group from one his songs. His music is a mixture of laid back Jimmy Reed styled blues and infectious R & B sounding numbers. The swamp sound which came from the Crowley studios was all its own. The guitars were at times tremelo-laden and distorted while percussion was sometimes added by beating rolled newspapers on boxes. The end result however was addicting. Some other cuts of note included are "Blues Hangover", "I'm Gonna Miss You Like The Devil", "Tip On In", Te Ni Nee Ni Nu", and "Mailbox Blues". The cuts are prime examples of classic swamp blues and it's unfortunate that Harpo died suddenly in 1970 before he was able to reap the full rewards of the blues boom. Just as a warning you may find yourself searching out additional Slim Harpo material after this purchase!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swamp Pop, March 24, 2002

By 

Ben Brenner (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hip Shakin: Excello Collection (Audio CD)

Now way down behind the sun there's a libation made of roughly three parts coca-cola and one part shine. We call that swamp pop, and I don't recommend drinkin' it and smokin' at the same time -- lightnin' may strike and you're liable to get caught holdin' the bag. And on those still, dank bayou nights, when the air hangs hangs on you like a cape and you find yourself slowly nodding off into your swamp pop, I recommend you put this jewel of a collection in the box and prepare to indulge in another form of swamp pop - that preached and practiced by its ultimate innovator, Slim Harpo. Now the other reviewers have covered some of the history -- the well-known and signature tunes (Scratch my back, Rainin' In My Heart, Hip Shake), the association with the Rolling Stones (who covered King Bee) and so forth. I write to emphasize only that this is some of the greatest blues ever to grace a record. If you like down home, no-frills, groove oriented blues, swamp boogie blues than Slim is your man. And don't waste your time with the single disk collections -- you'll miss, in my opinion, two of the greatest tracks Slim ever waxed -- Don't Start Cryin' and Miss You Like The Devil.