Shoo-Bop-Shoo-Bop
2006-09-05 22:26:20 UTC
From the liner notes to Rhinos collection, "The Best Of Louie Louie":
Besides groupies and having 12-inch records pressed on vinyl, what do Frank
Zappa, Julie London, Iggy Pop, Barry White, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers,
Blondie, The Beach Boys, David McCallum, Toot And The Maytals and The Kinks
have in common? You guessed it: They and scores of other major artists,
along with thousands of lesser-known artists, have performed versions of
'the most easily recognizable' rock song of all time - 'Louie Louie'. How
did this particular song come to be an immortal international hit that has
been branded by many in the music business as the song that defines rock 'n'
roll? The complex history of this three-chord wonder dates back nearly 30
years, and involves a full spectrum of inspiration, luck, talent, rumor and
dispute.
The story of 'Louie Louie' begins in late 1955. Richard Berry, a young black
musician in Los Angeles, was playing with a Mexican group, Ricky Rivera And
The Rhythm Rockers. One of the songs this group performed, 'El Loco Cha Cha'
had a rather contagious musical figure in it, which Berry couldn't get out
of his head. One night, while waiting backstage to perform at the Harmony
Club Ballroom, the words 'Louie Louie' superimposed themselves over the
persistent riff in Berry's mind, and 'the rest just fell into place'. In his
visualization and creation of the song 'Louie Louie', Berry was influenced
by a composition called 'One For My Baby'. This song is sung from the
viewpoint of a customer speaking to a bartender named Joe, and saying 'One
for my baby, one for the road, set 'em up, Joe.' In Berry's composition, the
bartender is Louie and the customer is telling Louie how he intends to sail
to Jamaica and find his true love. Berry states that the song's speech
pattern and use of Jamaica were partially influenced by his exposure to a
lot of Latin music, and partially by Chuck (no relation) Berry's similarly
styled 'Havana Moon'.
When he wrote rock 'n' roll's most recorded song, Berry was under contract
to Modern Records. Because of a dispute over royalties for the sixty-plus
songs he had written for Modern, Berry saved 'Louie Louie' until his
contract expired and the song could be released on Flip Records in 1956. The
original version was a respectable r&b hit, selling, Berry says, some
130,000 copies. A year later, after sales of this first version had tapered
off, Berry needed some money for his upcoming wedding. He therefore sold the
record sales publishing rights to 'Louie Louie' and retained only the radio
and television performance rights. Berry philosophically chalks this sale up
to 'experience'. Who could have predicted the bizarre set of circumstances
that would propel the song into a major hit record?
Our story continues some five years later in the unlikely geographical
extremity of Seattle, Washington. An obscure singer by the name of Rockin'
Robin Roberts discovered the Berry version of 'Louie Louie' while browsing
through the bargain bin of a local record store. 'Louie' soon became
Roberts' signature song and he took it with him through a succession of
various local bands. Finally, after joining one of the more popular local
bands, The Wailers (no relation to Bob Marley's contingent), it was decided
that Robin would cut the song for the group's own Etiquette Records label.
Stylistically the song has a raucous, gospel feel, and upon first listen,
one can see how the song evolved from Berry's soft r&b style to The
Kingsmen's straight rock 'n' roll style. The single became a mild local hit,
and was later rereleased by The Wailers for the extremely successful Los
Angeles-based Liberty records. The single was a flop nationally, but
continued to receive attention throughout the Northwest. Its popularity soon
spread to neighboring Portland, Oregon, where one night a Top 40 cover band
by the name of The Kingsmen were playing a double bill with friendly rivals
Paul Revere And The Raiders. Kingsmen band members were watching a rather
enthusiastic crowd dance around a jukebox blaring out The Wailers' version
of 'Louie Louie'. Since this reaction was exactly what The Kingsmen were
looking for in their performances, they resolved to all learn the song
separately by their next rehearsal. Lead singer Jack Ely was the only band
member who followed through on the pact, and consequently ended up doing the
vocals and teaching the song to the rest of the group. (In the process, Ely
made an error, and taught the band a 1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2 version of the
song, rather than The Wailers' 1-2-3-4, 1-2, 1-2-3-4, 1-2 rendition. It is
interesting to speculate on the success of the song had Ely not accidentally
made the alteration to a somewhat faster pace.) As had been intended,
audience response to The Kingsmen's performances of 'Louie Louie' was wildly
enthusiastic. The band would get requests to play the song as many as eight
or nine times per night. One Friday in May, 1963, the band mischievously
decided to do a marathon version of the song to see who could last longer,
the dancers or the band. Even bass player Bob Nordby, who didn't sing,
warbled through a few verses to keep the song going for approximately 45
minutes. Despite the band's boredom, audience response was so positive that
arrangements were made that night to record 'Louie Louie' the next day.
The recording facilities were, at best, primitive. Mikes were placed next to
amps which had been muffled with coats and blankets. Jack Ely's lead vocal
was yelled up to a mike suspended near the studio's 15-foot-high-ceiling.
The session lasted less than two hours, and cost the group $50. (The next
day, Paul Revere And The Raiders, with Mark Lindsay on sax, went into the
same studio to record their version of 'Louie Louie'.)
Through their manager's connections, The Kingsmen got 1,000 copies of the
record pressed, and began receiving local airplay. Due to a saxophone trend
at the time, the Paul Revere version received more Portland airplay than the
Kingsmen version. By August, 1963, both versions were slowing in sales. At
this point, when the record was not yet a national hit, The Kingsmen had an
internal dispute which was to permanently affect the careers of all band
members.
Drummer Lynn Easton announced to the group that four years earlier he and
his mother had made things 'easier' by shortening paperwork when the group
name was being registered. Rather than make all group members and their
parents appear and sign forms in front of a notary public, Easton and his
mother had 'simplified' matters by registering the band's name in the Easton
name only. Easton stated, therefore, that he owned the band's name, and
further asserted that he wanted to be the band's front man, forcing Ely to
play drums and give up lead vocals. Ely and bassist Nordby both left the
group immediately.
Meanwhile, the initial pressing of The Kingsmen's 'Louie Louie' (on the
Jerden label) had garnered strong enough audience response on a Boston
station that Wand Records picked up the single for pressing and
distribution. By September 1963, the single was number 94 in Billboard and
climbing rapidly. The final shot-in-the-arm, which boosted the record to the
top of the charts for more than four months, was unplanned and
unintentional - someone thought the words were dirty. The rumor mill began
grinding when people started 'interpreting' Ely's slurred vocals. Numerous
versions of what the lyrics 'really' said arose throughout the country.
Although there were many different interpretations of what the words were
supposed to be, they all shared a common premise: There's an obscenity in
there somewhere. The rumors spread as people listened to the record at
different speeds and traded different lyrics back and forth. The song was
banned from the airwaves in Indiana. The FBI and FCC conducted an
investigation, playing the record at every speed from 16 to 78 rpm. Both Ely
and Richard Berry were called in to testify as to the lyrical content. The
official conclusion was that 'We (the FCC) found the record to be
unintelligible at any speed we played it'.
A raw sound (that parents didn't like) and supposedly dirty lyrics: This was
an unbeatable combination. The record took off, selling more than eight
million copies. The Kingsmen, now under Easton's leadership, were signed to
record albums, go on tour, and appear on television programs.All of this
without Jack Ely, the voice that had been banned in Indiana. The Kingsmen's
first album, 'In Person', was recorded live at a Portland club, with, of
course, the exception of one song. The 'Louie Louie' on the album was the
original Ely version with applause overdubbed to simulate the live
atmosphere of the rest of the LP, much like the Rolling Stones' 'Fortune
Teller' on 'Got Live If You Want It'. The appearances of Easton's Kingsmen
began to suffer when people who came to see 'Louie Louie' didn't get exactly
what they expected. The television appearances on shows like Hullabaloo and
Shindig featured Easton lip-syncing to Ely's original vocal. Ely later began
performing with a new band billed as 'Jack Ely And The Kingsmen'.
Because of the ticket sales conflicts with performances of Easton's
Kingsmen, the issue was taken to court. Ely was prohibited from using the
name 'Kingsmen', and Easton was prohibited from lip-syncing to Ely's
original vocal. (As a side note, Ely later recorded a follow-up to the
record entitled 'Love That Louie' which shouldn't be confused with Paul
Revere And The Raiders' follow-up entitled 'Louie Go Home'.)
In the years following the 1963 success of 'Louie Louie', the song became
the rock standard. Does anyone recall a school dance in the 1960s that
didn't feature a version of 'Louie Louie'? Major artists also began to do
versions of the song. The fact that many of these well-known performers
largely did only original material is a testimonial to the widespread
acceptance of the song as the definitive rock 'n' roll classic. Artists in
other musical genres began to adapt the ultimate rock song to fit their
particular musical format. Actor David McCallum did an easy listening
version. Toots And The Maytals did a reggae version. Julie London did a
middle-of-the-road version. George Duke recorded a fusion version. Barry
White, Iggy Pop, Blondie, The Turtles, The Kinks, The Beach Boys.... at this
point, it might be easier to compile a list of artists who haven't done the
song. The song even became an international hit. Versions were created in
Japan, Holland, France, Italy, El Salvador, and Mexico.
While interest in 'Louie Louie' (as well as real rock 'n' roll) waned in the
mellow seventies, a series of events near the end of the decade re-propelled
'Louie' into the spotlight. First of all, the song was used as the main
theme in the hit movie 'Animal House'. While it is obvious that no other
song would have been as appropriate for a film depicting '60s college frat
life, there is an unconfirmed rumor that John Belushi insisted the song be
used in the movie because 'Louie Louie' was playing on the radio the first
time he had sex.
About the same time, the new wave and punk movements brought a new-found
respect to '50s and '60s rock 'n' roll. 'Louie Louie' was rediscovered by
millions of young rock fans who were only too eager to pay homage to rock
'n' roll's true roots. As in 1963, many bands started including 'Louie
Louie' as a regular part of their set. Versions from two of the best young
Los Angeles bands appear on this record: the hardcore punks Eddie And The
Subtitles, and the grossly underrated neo-folk rockers The Last.
In Addition, even the media began to give 'Louie Louie' its just due. In
1980, two L.A. DJ's, Art Damage and Chuck Steak, began holding weekly
'Battle of the Louie Louie' contests on their KPFK radio show 'Unprovoked
Attack'. The jocks would play a number of versions of the song and listeners
would call in and vote for their favorite rendition. The following year
Strech Riedle, Music Director of KFJC-FM in Los Altos Hills, California,
decided to assemble all the versions he could find of his all-time favorite
rock song as a special feature on his regular air shift. Riedle was able to
obtain 33 versions of 'Louie Louie' which he played consecutively for
slightly over an hour and a half. Response to this special was surprisingly
good, and Riedle obtained several additional versions from listeners during
the program.
By coincidence, KALX-FM in Berkeley had just completed a listener survey to
determine their audience's all-time favorite rock song. When 'Louie Louie'
topped the poll, KALX expanded Riedle's concept and increased the number of
consecutively aired 'Louie' versions to 50 in December 1981. Five months
later, KFJC broadcast its second 'Lou-a-thon' with an additional 38
versions,pushing the total up to 88 distinctly different renditions of the
song. Finally, in December 1982, KALX's Amazing Mystery DJ made a Herculean
effort, and assembled a 200-version, 12-hour tribute to Richard Berry's rock
icon.
The nest step was KFJC's 'Maximum Louie Louie', which aired on August 19,
1983. Over 300 versions were catalogued on a computer playlist for the
special. In addition, local bands performed live versions of the song on the
air. To add a final touch of authenticity, Richard Berry hosted a portion of
the special and even performed a live version of the song.
As a tangible, long-lasting tribute to Berry's never-to-be-equaled classic,
Rhino Records has issued this collection containing the most important and
definitive versions of the song. From the middle-of-the-road soft stylings
of the Sandpipers to the trendy, techno-pop arrangement by Les Dantz And His
Orchestra, 'Louie Louie' has permeated every type and class of music, and
will doubtlessly be adapted into any new musical styles which evolve in the
future.
Besides groupies and having 12-inch records pressed on vinyl, what do Frank
Zappa, Julie London, Iggy Pop, Barry White, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers,
Blondie, The Beach Boys, David McCallum, Toot And The Maytals and The Kinks
have in common? You guessed it: They and scores of other major artists,
along with thousands of lesser-known artists, have performed versions of
'the most easily recognizable' rock song of all time - 'Louie Louie'. How
did this particular song come to be an immortal international hit that has
been branded by many in the music business as the song that defines rock 'n'
roll? The complex history of this three-chord wonder dates back nearly 30
years, and involves a full spectrum of inspiration, luck, talent, rumor and
dispute.
The story of 'Louie Louie' begins in late 1955. Richard Berry, a young black
musician in Los Angeles, was playing with a Mexican group, Ricky Rivera And
The Rhythm Rockers. One of the songs this group performed, 'El Loco Cha Cha'
had a rather contagious musical figure in it, which Berry couldn't get out
of his head. One night, while waiting backstage to perform at the Harmony
Club Ballroom, the words 'Louie Louie' superimposed themselves over the
persistent riff in Berry's mind, and 'the rest just fell into place'. In his
visualization and creation of the song 'Louie Louie', Berry was influenced
by a composition called 'One For My Baby'. This song is sung from the
viewpoint of a customer speaking to a bartender named Joe, and saying 'One
for my baby, one for the road, set 'em up, Joe.' In Berry's composition, the
bartender is Louie and the customer is telling Louie how he intends to sail
to Jamaica and find his true love. Berry states that the song's speech
pattern and use of Jamaica were partially influenced by his exposure to a
lot of Latin music, and partially by Chuck (no relation) Berry's similarly
styled 'Havana Moon'.
When he wrote rock 'n' roll's most recorded song, Berry was under contract
to Modern Records. Because of a dispute over royalties for the sixty-plus
songs he had written for Modern, Berry saved 'Louie Louie' until his
contract expired and the song could be released on Flip Records in 1956. The
original version was a respectable r&b hit, selling, Berry says, some
130,000 copies. A year later, after sales of this first version had tapered
off, Berry needed some money for his upcoming wedding. He therefore sold the
record sales publishing rights to 'Louie Louie' and retained only the radio
and television performance rights. Berry philosophically chalks this sale up
to 'experience'. Who could have predicted the bizarre set of circumstances
that would propel the song into a major hit record?
Our story continues some five years later in the unlikely geographical
extremity of Seattle, Washington. An obscure singer by the name of Rockin'
Robin Roberts discovered the Berry version of 'Louie Louie' while browsing
through the bargain bin of a local record store. 'Louie' soon became
Roberts' signature song and he took it with him through a succession of
various local bands. Finally, after joining one of the more popular local
bands, The Wailers (no relation to Bob Marley's contingent), it was decided
that Robin would cut the song for the group's own Etiquette Records label.
Stylistically the song has a raucous, gospel feel, and upon first listen,
one can see how the song evolved from Berry's soft r&b style to The
Kingsmen's straight rock 'n' roll style. The single became a mild local hit,
and was later rereleased by The Wailers for the extremely successful Los
Angeles-based Liberty records. The single was a flop nationally, but
continued to receive attention throughout the Northwest. Its popularity soon
spread to neighboring Portland, Oregon, where one night a Top 40 cover band
by the name of The Kingsmen were playing a double bill with friendly rivals
Paul Revere And The Raiders. Kingsmen band members were watching a rather
enthusiastic crowd dance around a jukebox blaring out The Wailers' version
of 'Louie Louie'. Since this reaction was exactly what The Kingsmen were
looking for in their performances, they resolved to all learn the song
separately by their next rehearsal. Lead singer Jack Ely was the only band
member who followed through on the pact, and consequently ended up doing the
vocals and teaching the song to the rest of the group. (In the process, Ely
made an error, and taught the band a 1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2 version of the
song, rather than The Wailers' 1-2-3-4, 1-2, 1-2-3-4, 1-2 rendition. It is
interesting to speculate on the success of the song had Ely not accidentally
made the alteration to a somewhat faster pace.) As had been intended,
audience response to The Kingsmen's performances of 'Louie Louie' was wildly
enthusiastic. The band would get requests to play the song as many as eight
or nine times per night. One Friday in May, 1963, the band mischievously
decided to do a marathon version of the song to see who could last longer,
the dancers or the band. Even bass player Bob Nordby, who didn't sing,
warbled through a few verses to keep the song going for approximately 45
minutes. Despite the band's boredom, audience response was so positive that
arrangements were made that night to record 'Louie Louie' the next day.
The recording facilities were, at best, primitive. Mikes were placed next to
amps which had been muffled with coats and blankets. Jack Ely's lead vocal
was yelled up to a mike suspended near the studio's 15-foot-high-ceiling.
The session lasted less than two hours, and cost the group $50. (The next
day, Paul Revere And The Raiders, with Mark Lindsay on sax, went into the
same studio to record their version of 'Louie Louie'.)
Through their manager's connections, The Kingsmen got 1,000 copies of the
record pressed, and began receiving local airplay. Due to a saxophone trend
at the time, the Paul Revere version received more Portland airplay than the
Kingsmen version. By August, 1963, both versions were slowing in sales. At
this point, when the record was not yet a national hit, The Kingsmen had an
internal dispute which was to permanently affect the careers of all band
members.
Drummer Lynn Easton announced to the group that four years earlier he and
his mother had made things 'easier' by shortening paperwork when the group
name was being registered. Rather than make all group members and their
parents appear and sign forms in front of a notary public, Easton and his
mother had 'simplified' matters by registering the band's name in the Easton
name only. Easton stated, therefore, that he owned the band's name, and
further asserted that he wanted to be the band's front man, forcing Ely to
play drums and give up lead vocals. Ely and bassist Nordby both left the
group immediately.
Meanwhile, the initial pressing of The Kingsmen's 'Louie Louie' (on the
Jerden label) had garnered strong enough audience response on a Boston
station that Wand Records picked up the single for pressing and
distribution. By September 1963, the single was number 94 in Billboard and
climbing rapidly. The final shot-in-the-arm, which boosted the record to the
top of the charts for more than four months, was unplanned and
unintentional - someone thought the words were dirty. The rumor mill began
grinding when people started 'interpreting' Ely's slurred vocals. Numerous
versions of what the lyrics 'really' said arose throughout the country.
Although there were many different interpretations of what the words were
supposed to be, they all shared a common premise: There's an obscenity in
there somewhere. The rumors spread as people listened to the record at
different speeds and traded different lyrics back and forth. The song was
banned from the airwaves in Indiana. The FBI and FCC conducted an
investigation, playing the record at every speed from 16 to 78 rpm. Both Ely
and Richard Berry were called in to testify as to the lyrical content. The
official conclusion was that 'We (the FCC) found the record to be
unintelligible at any speed we played it'.
A raw sound (that parents didn't like) and supposedly dirty lyrics: This was
an unbeatable combination. The record took off, selling more than eight
million copies. The Kingsmen, now under Easton's leadership, were signed to
record albums, go on tour, and appear on television programs.All of this
without Jack Ely, the voice that had been banned in Indiana. The Kingsmen's
first album, 'In Person', was recorded live at a Portland club, with, of
course, the exception of one song. The 'Louie Louie' on the album was the
original Ely version with applause overdubbed to simulate the live
atmosphere of the rest of the LP, much like the Rolling Stones' 'Fortune
Teller' on 'Got Live If You Want It'. The appearances of Easton's Kingsmen
began to suffer when people who came to see 'Louie Louie' didn't get exactly
what they expected. The television appearances on shows like Hullabaloo and
Shindig featured Easton lip-syncing to Ely's original vocal. Ely later began
performing with a new band billed as 'Jack Ely And The Kingsmen'.
Because of the ticket sales conflicts with performances of Easton's
Kingsmen, the issue was taken to court. Ely was prohibited from using the
name 'Kingsmen', and Easton was prohibited from lip-syncing to Ely's
original vocal. (As a side note, Ely later recorded a follow-up to the
record entitled 'Love That Louie' which shouldn't be confused with Paul
Revere And The Raiders' follow-up entitled 'Louie Go Home'.)
In the years following the 1963 success of 'Louie Louie', the song became
the rock standard. Does anyone recall a school dance in the 1960s that
didn't feature a version of 'Louie Louie'? Major artists also began to do
versions of the song. The fact that many of these well-known performers
largely did only original material is a testimonial to the widespread
acceptance of the song as the definitive rock 'n' roll classic. Artists in
other musical genres began to adapt the ultimate rock song to fit their
particular musical format. Actor David McCallum did an easy listening
version. Toots And The Maytals did a reggae version. Julie London did a
middle-of-the-road version. George Duke recorded a fusion version. Barry
White, Iggy Pop, Blondie, The Turtles, The Kinks, The Beach Boys.... at this
point, it might be easier to compile a list of artists who haven't done the
song. The song even became an international hit. Versions were created in
Japan, Holland, France, Italy, El Salvador, and Mexico.
While interest in 'Louie Louie' (as well as real rock 'n' roll) waned in the
mellow seventies, a series of events near the end of the decade re-propelled
'Louie' into the spotlight. First of all, the song was used as the main
theme in the hit movie 'Animal House'. While it is obvious that no other
song would have been as appropriate for a film depicting '60s college frat
life, there is an unconfirmed rumor that John Belushi insisted the song be
used in the movie because 'Louie Louie' was playing on the radio the first
time he had sex.
About the same time, the new wave and punk movements brought a new-found
respect to '50s and '60s rock 'n' roll. 'Louie Louie' was rediscovered by
millions of young rock fans who were only too eager to pay homage to rock
'n' roll's true roots. As in 1963, many bands started including 'Louie
Louie' as a regular part of their set. Versions from two of the best young
Los Angeles bands appear on this record: the hardcore punks Eddie And The
Subtitles, and the grossly underrated neo-folk rockers The Last.
In Addition, even the media began to give 'Louie Louie' its just due. In
1980, two L.A. DJ's, Art Damage and Chuck Steak, began holding weekly
'Battle of the Louie Louie' contests on their KPFK radio show 'Unprovoked
Attack'. The jocks would play a number of versions of the song and listeners
would call in and vote for their favorite rendition. The following year
Strech Riedle, Music Director of KFJC-FM in Los Altos Hills, California,
decided to assemble all the versions he could find of his all-time favorite
rock song as a special feature on his regular air shift. Riedle was able to
obtain 33 versions of 'Louie Louie' which he played consecutively for
slightly over an hour and a half. Response to this special was surprisingly
good, and Riedle obtained several additional versions from listeners during
the program.
By coincidence, KALX-FM in Berkeley had just completed a listener survey to
determine their audience's all-time favorite rock song. When 'Louie Louie'
topped the poll, KALX expanded Riedle's concept and increased the number of
consecutively aired 'Louie' versions to 50 in December 1981. Five months
later, KFJC broadcast its second 'Lou-a-thon' with an additional 38
versions,pushing the total up to 88 distinctly different renditions of the
song. Finally, in December 1982, KALX's Amazing Mystery DJ made a Herculean
effort, and assembled a 200-version, 12-hour tribute to Richard Berry's rock
icon.
The nest step was KFJC's 'Maximum Louie Louie', which aired on August 19,
1983. Over 300 versions were catalogued on a computer playlist for the
special. In addition, local bands performed live versions of the song on the
air. To add a final touch of authenticity, Richard Berry hosted a portion of
the special and even performed a live version of the song.
As a tangible, long-lasting tribute to Berry's never-to-be-equaled classic,
Rhino Records has issued this collection containing the most important and
definitive versions of the song. From the middle-of-the-road soft stylings
of the Sandpipers to the trendy, techno-pop arrangement by Les Dantz And His
Orchestra, 'Louie Louie' has permeated every type and class of music, and
will doubtlessly be adapted into any new musical styles which evolve in the
future.
--
Bill Bugge
"Are the stars out tonight?
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright."
Bill Bugge
"Are the stars out tonight?
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright."