Songlines: Shake Your Hips
Slim Harpo, Love Sculpture, The Rolling Stones, Peter Green’s Splinter Group
James Moore released his first 45, ‘I’m A King Bee’ under his nom de record Slim Harpo, in 1957 at the age of thirty-three.
Starting with a hit, he continued to enjoy mainstream popularity throughout his career, and unlike most of his contemporaries, did so on both sides of the Atlantic.
The A-side to Them’s debut single that year was ‘Don’t Start Crying Now’.
‘Shake Your Hips’ was the A-side of single in 1966
Slim Harpo
Slim Harpo: vocal & harmonica /
James Johnson, Rudolph Richard: guitar /
Geese August: bass / Sammy K. Brown: drums /
Lazy Lester: percussion / Willie Parker: tenor saxophone
Recorded February 06, 1966, Crowley, LA
Released A-side, Excello single (June 1966) / Stateside single (U.K.) (July 1966)
Slim Harpo – Shake Your Hips –
Slim’s puffing harmonica blasts ring out like a train about to leave the station, a feeling enforced by the jittery strumming of the guitars and the insistent tapping of the percussion. The saxophone slyly picks up for the harmonica to stoke the fire.
Slim’s wavering vocal adds to the sense of urgency. The harmonica returns to close out the number to fulfill the need for brevity for a song to receive airplay at that time.
Love Sculpture
Dave Edmunds: guitar & vocal /
John Williams: bass /
Bob “Congo” Jones: drums
Recorded September 1968
Released on “Blues Helping” (Parlaphone) October 1968
Love Sculpture – Shake Your Hips –
Harpo’s song didn’t see any covers for two years, when the Welsh band Love Sculpture recorded it for their debut LP, “Blues Helping”. It was one of seven covers of blues songs (the title track was a “jam” credited to the band, two others were by Ray Charles and topped off with a cover of George Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’)
The first thing one notices is that the tempo has been noticeably increased.
Performing as a trio, they lose the second guitarist and saxophone player heard on the original. And apparently, no one could play harmonica.
Not to worry, Dave Edmunds’ guitar will fill in for all the missing instruments. And he does this ably, especially the extended solo.
His vocal too is fine until he gets to what had been the falsetto exclamation leading into the break; his shout sounds more like a dubbed movie extra being tossed to his death from a cliff or parapet in a low budget movie.
The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger: vocal & harmonica /
Keith Richards, Mick Taylor: guitars /
Bill Wyman: bass / Charlie Watts: drums /
Ian Stewart: piano / Bobby Keyes: saxophone
Recorded 1970 – 1972
Released on “Exile on Main Street” (Rolling Stone Records 1972)
The Rolling Stones – Shake Your Hips –
It would be another four years before the song was revived, this time by The Rolling Stones.
It was recorded during the protracted sessions for what would become their first double LP, with the song being reworked in five different studios from 1970 to 1972.
Interestingly, their take starts off with the twinned guitars of Richards and Taylor before Charlie Watts comes in.
Jagger’s vocal has been filtered to make it sound like an old record.
Ian Stewart is billed as playing piano on the number, but I can’t hear him in the mix. Bobby Keyes on the other hand is in there right from the start, gradually getting louder as the number rolls on, dueting with Jagger’s harmonica during the extended fade.
It would be another long lull, 1985 before the baton was picked up once more, this time by The Big Town Playboys, a British R & B revival band covered on their debut LP.
A few more covers were released before the end of the decade, and for reasons unknown, the song was picked up by a variety of bands throughout the nineties, with five versions being released in 1997 alone.
Joining that list before the end of the millennium was the Peter Green Splinter Group, with two versions being recorded within a few months of one another.
The band had been formed and began to tour in 1996 and was considered a “comeback” for British guitarist Peter Green.
They released a live album of covers in 1997 and followed it up with another LP, consisting solely of Robert Johnson songs in 1998.
In April of that year, they recorded a show at the famed London nightspot Ronnie Scott’s to be sold at their live shows as a two-CD set titled “Soho Session”. In 2012, the recordings were licensed to Recall Records and made available commercially as “Soho – Live at Ronnie Scott’s”.
Peter Green Splinter Group
Peter Green: vocal, lead guitar & harmonica /
Roger Cotton: keyboards / Neil Murray: bass /
Larry Tolfree: drums
Recorded April 05, 1998 at Ronnie Scott’s
Released on “Soho Session” (Artisan 1999)
Peter Green Splinter Group – Shake Your Hips (5:15)
There is a sense of tentativeness to Green’s harmonica playing at the beginning of the number and the band works hard to shake it for the length of the number.
Larry Tolfree increases the pace, tapping his sticks on the rims of his drums. Green’s vocal is strong and jaunty.
Coming up on the one minute mark, Neil Murray adds some bass, but then seems to think the better of it.
Green plays some guitar beneath the vocals but it is Roger Cotton on organ, who will dominate the first break to excellent effect.
The break runs over two minutes and Green comes in for the next verse close to the three minute mark. Tolfree’s stick work adds to the sense of fun in Green’s vocal and the band begins to swing.
Cotton’s organ again dominates the soundscape, carrying the ghost of Booker T. & the MGs, reminding one of Green’s earliest recordings with The Peter B’s.
The tentativeness that lurked in the beginning of the number soon returns and the outro begins to drift before they bring it to a definitive conclusion.
The Splinter Group with Peter Green
Peter Green: vocal, lead guitar & harmonica /
Nigel Watson: rhythm guitar /
Roger Cotton: keyboards / Neil Murray: bass /
Larry Tolfree: drums
Recorded live on Ohne Filter, Baden Germany June 28, 1998
Audio Available on “Cells Alive” (bootleg)* / (Some) Videos on YouTube
The Splinter Group with Peter Green – Shake Your Hips (6:12) –
Two months after the recording at Ronnie Scott’s, the band where taped for the German television show Ohne Filter.
Green and the band sound far more comfortable here.
Rather than the drummer kicking things off, this time it is Roger Cotton setting the tempo and Green’s harmonica, is more confident.
Green also plays far more guitar on this version, (softly, but still great to hear), his first break coming in around 1:49. After the two minute mark, Larry Tolfree goes to the drums and injects the number with a shot of adrenaline. Cotton too lays into the keyboards, sounding more like Jon Lord than Booker T. Jones.
This seems to have energized Green’s vocal when he comes back in and inspired a second break on guitar. The band all seem to be enjoying themselves and as the clock ticks towards the five minute mark, Green even takes another turn on the harmonica.
This time, they keep the momentum going and the number ends as it began with Cotton’s organ.
A fun performance – glad it was caught on video.
Joan Osborne
Joan Osborne: vocal /
Andrew Carillo: guitar / Richard Hammond: bass /
Keith Cotton: keyboards / Aaron Comess: drums
Recorded at the Acme Recording Studios, Mamaroneck, NY March 29, 2012
Released on YouTube April 03, 2012
Joan Osborne – Shake Your Hips –
Osborne and her road band recorded this version for a New York Radio station, promoting her then new release, “Bring It on Home” (Saguaro Road 2012)
This is easily the most high octane performance of those posted here and a joy to hear, that is why I included it.
There seem to have been at least another eight covers released after this one, but I haven’t found anything later than 2019.
*Note: there are copies of this bootleg in circulation stating that the show was recorded at the South Shields Cellar Club in the U.K. – this is incorrect. It is the show broadcast on Ohne Filter.
