Expired Sand

Swing & Jump Blues: Count Basie, Dance of the Gremlins/Swinging the Blues (1941?), Lionel Hampton, Hey Ba Ba-Re-Bop (1945), Louis Jordan, Caldonia (1946), Cab Calloway, Reefer Man (fast version, 1933?).

How to jerk: The Mighty Hannibal's approach to Jerkin' the Dog (1965) gets the Northern Soul treatment by The Foundations (1967-70). Old school is Drifters' Bill Pinkney, I Do The Jerk (1964), but of course there are Jamaican suggestions by The Wailers, Ska Jerk (1964/6), or Derrick Harriott, Do The Jerk (1965), who got his recipe from Don Julian & The Larks, The Jerk (1964). Or perhaps a Cool Jerk, The Capitols (1968), or Do The Jerk with Martha Reeves & The Vandellas (1964).

How to clean up & get dirty again: Weed Smokers Dream, Harlem Hamfats (1936), vs. the girl's version of the story: Why Don't You Do Right, Lil Green (1941), cleaned up for Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman (1942/7). Of course it ends badly, with slack reggae: King Stitt, Who Yea (1969). (There is worse, with Jessica Rabitt's version.)

Johnny and the Hurricanes, Reveille Rock (1959) vs. the Harry J All Stars, Jay Moon Walk (1969).

Telstar: Tornadoes (1962) vs. The Pyramids (1970).
 

The bass train: Train to Skaville, The Ethiopians (1967) choo-choo on to 54-64 (That's My Number), Toots and the Maytals (1968), picking up steam with SS Binns Bossa Moon (1970),  taken for maintenance by The Reggae Boys to Ba Ba, reassembled in The Upsetters, Cold Sweat, stomping on with Derrick Morgan to the Moon Hop (all1969), armed with The Guns of Brixton by The Clash (1977), and imbued with soul by Beats International, Dub Be Good To Me (1990).
The list goes on. One morphing bass line, at least five period anthems. Respect.

Congo connections: Vicky Longomba singing Indépendance Cha Cha with Grand Kallé and the African Jazz (1960), vs. himself singing Course au Pouvoir with the unsurpassed Franco's OK Jazz (1966), vs. his son Lovy Longomba of Orchestra Super Mazembe with Shauri Yako (1983), vs. another singing son, Awilo Longomba, with Carolina (c1995?). If you're still sitting still, you must be paralysed.

Prince Belgo Buster? Hawaii Welcome by the Waikikis (Belgium, 1961), vs. the Buster All Stars (Jamaica, 1964), vs. Prince Buster (UK issue, 1967). Belgium's uncredited 2p contribution to Blue Beat ska? Oh no! It's the Hawaiian War Chant. Here's Spike Jones & the Wacky Wakakians' take on it (1936). (Give it a minute.)
Added Johnny Noble, introducing the 1860 song to the US in 1934, & the Muppets.

Which drunk whines the most? Red Red Wine: Neil Diamond (1968, original) would be a good contender, while Tony Tribe (1969) just rox, the Dutch Tee Set (1969) because they generally get ignored, and a punk version accidentally found on U2pe prooves Tony's point that the song has to be played fast: Florida's Late Messengers (2008?). (UB40 is off the scale, sorry.)

Off to Kansas City, with the original "K.C. Loving" by Little Willie Littlefield (1952), the classic Wilbert Harrison (1959), the Dutch Pim Maas (proudly labelled "The Dutch Elvis Presley", in 1959, at the ripe age of 14), Fats Domino (1964), James Brown (released 1967, here live 1968), The Beatles (1964), two Jamaican versions (of course): Laurel Aitken & The Les Dawson Combo (1962), and Joya Landis (1968), Wanda Jackson (1961), and finally predecessor Jim Jackson with the Kansas City Blues, aka the first R&R tune ever (1927). We could go on, but enough is enough.

Rasta Count Ossie drumming to Haile Selassie at his visit to Jamaica (1966), and Jimmy Cliff with the Dragonaires (live, 1962), when the lion was King of Kings.

South African marabi music:  Mafikizolo, Marabi (c2003), and The Meteors & Archie Choker, Meadowlands (1962). I never know whether to laugh or cry with this stuff: (Tebza of Mafikizolo was shot in a road rage incident, Meadowlands pokes fun at the illusion of a safe, white suburbia.) Anyway,  Bert Kaempfert, anyone?
 

My mate P says this is the self-evident proof of why pop exists: The Ronettes, Be My Baby (1965).  Added The Chiffons, He's So Fine (1963), The Shirelles, Will you Love Me Tomorrow (1960), and the Shangri-Las, The Leader of the Pack (1964), just to make sure.

Indo rock! Andy Tielman & his Brothers before and after (2nd in Dutsj, sjorry): 1960 Rollin' Rock (eat this, Jimmy!), and Dutch tv interview in the 80s. And for compa-rative measure: Gene Krupa drumming with Benny Goodman in Sing, Sing, Sing (1937, fragment - a full version is 9'. And, yes, I am serious.), and surfing Temptation by the Crazy Rockers (1963), with a bit of Dutch interview added, to skip at will.

 

Trying to cure myself from obsession with an archaeology of King Kahn & the BBQ Show, Waddlin' Around (2007): remove the garage (The Lyres, Don't give it up now, 1984), dig into the Velvet Underground (Run Run Run, 1967), to find the throbbing doowop underneath (The Edsels, Rama Lama Ding Dong, 1958).

I just want to make love to you! Slow, with Muddy Waters (1954); Burlesque, with Etta James (1961); Raw, with the Stones (1964); but not with the Animals (1966).