{"id":16384,"date":"2019-04-01T05:30:48","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T09:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=16384"},"modified":"2019-03-15T15:24:45","modified_gmt":"2019-03-15T19:24:45","slug":"ep-reviews-two-from-the-koko-mojo-label","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/01\/ep-reviews-two-from-the-koko-mojo-label\/","title":{"rendered":"EP Reviews: Two from the Koko Mojo Label"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Larry Williams \u2013 Short Fat Fanny<\/i> EP
\n<\/b>Today, the name Larry Williams is largely known once removed, as the American rhythm and blues artist who wrote and recorded songs that would be revived by the Beatles, the Who and others. Their covers are now more well-known than Williams\u2019 originals, but it\u2019s worth going back to hear what inspired John Lennon and Pete Townshend. A new EP on the Koko Mojo imprint (a label whose motto is \u201cgood rockin\u2019 blues from the dark side\u201d) serves up four classics.<\/p>\n

The 7: 45 r.p.m. record leads of with its title track, a 1957 side with honkin\u2019 sax and a stompin\u2019 beat. Williams lifts lyrics and song titles form most every popular act \u2013 Little Richard, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins \u2013 but he does so in such an unashamed matter that it\u2019s difficult to hold it against him. The yakety saxophone break by Jesse James Jones provides a template for guitar solos to come. The Beatles noodled around with the tune during their Let it Be<\/i> sessions, who knows: maybe it will surface n Peter Jackson\u2019s upcoming film reboot.<\/p>\n

The Who covered Williams\u2019 \u201cBony Moronie.\u201d Being the Who, they didn\u2019t swing the tune the way Williams did, but otherwise their version is quite faithful. Larry Williams\u2019 original is more dance-worthy, but then that\u2019s what this music was made for. Electric guitar is more prominent here than on this EP\u2019s other cuts, but it\u2019s still the sax taking the lead.<\/p>\n

The Beatles included \u201cSlow Down\u201d in their set from early days, releasing it on an EP of their own; here in the U.S. it surfaced on Capitol\u2019s Something New<\/i> LP. Those hearing Williams\u2019 version for the first time may well be struck by just how similar the Beatles\u2019 reading is to the original. They didn\u2019t feel the need to change what is in fact close to rock \u2019n\u2019 roll perfection.<\/p>\n

If you thought the EP would toss in one ballad to change things up, you’d be wrong. \u201cGive Me Love\u201d features a manic, powerhouse presentation with insistent drums and chirpy chorused female backing vocals. It\u2019s quite different from the other three cuts arrangement-wise, and less well known. But it\u2019s a keeper.<\/p>\n

Koko Mojo does a stunning job with the EP artwork which in nearly every way looks like a vintage EP from sixty-plus years ago. And resident liner note scribe Little Victor pens an informative mini-essay. The record provides fifteen minutes or so of pure delight; you can read the liners after the needle returns to its resting place.<\/p>\n

\"\"Johnny \u201cGuitar\u201d Watson \u2013 For Gangsters and Lovers<\/i> EP
\n<\/b>There could almost be two Johnny \u201cGuitar\u201d Watsons. The first was a blues\/r&b artist of the late 1950s and early \u201860s; the second \u2013 from the late \u201860s to his death in the 1990s \u2013 was a more funk-soul oriented artist. They\u2019re the same guy, of course.<\/p>\n

The \u201cfirst\u201d one is best known as the artist who gave the world the song title \u201cGangster of Love,\u201d later co-opted by Steve Miller in his hit single \u201cThe Joker.\u201d The similarity ends there.<\/p>\n

For Gangsters and Lovers<\/i> is Koko Mojo\u2019s vintage-looking EP showcasing some early sides from Watson. \u201cThe Bear\u201d was a single, but apparently didn\u2019t chart. It\u2019s fairly standard-issue, upbeat r&b enlivened by a spirited vocal performance. \u201cShe Moves Me\u201d is far better, a claustrophobic walking blues. Even when the big horn section comes in, the strolling vibe is super-solid, and Watson engages in dialogue with his (sadly underused) guitar. But during the sax solo, he rips it up on rhythm as much as humanly possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cGangster of Love\u201d starts out very much a Muddy Waters-style badass blues, but evolves into a swaggering r&b\/blues hybrid. It\u2019s full of humorous bravado, and listeners who\u2019ve been waiting for a gutiar solo get their reward. \u201cHot Little Mama\u201d leans pretty heavily on a big band sound, but since Watson gets to unleash his guitar prowess, all is forgiven.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to imagine a more varied selection of early Watson tunes to cram onto a 7\u201d vinyl platter. The packaging and liner notes (again by Little Victor) combine to make this disc simply essential.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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