Thursday 26 November 2009

Battle of the Song No.5 - Flip Flop & Fly

I love this song, even helped give me my nickname, first heard it on JLL`s mid 60s Smash lp Return Of Rock and he did a cool live version on his later live in Vegas album, then I got the BIG Joe Turner original on Atlantic, brilliant stuff like most of his uptempo Atlantic gems, backbeat heaven with intermitent honkin,she`s so small she can mambo in a telephone booth, here too we have a live in Germany version by the great man from the mid 60s, more of a jazzy swining version, Otis Rush is on there and he`s introduced by piano legend Roosevelt Sykes.

In the 70s I saw grainy betamax tapes of Elvis on the Dorsey Bro tv shows which knocked all his 60s movies into Col parker`s big headed stetson in one fell swoop, he did Big Joe`s Shake Rattle N Roll (which he cut for RCA Victor of course ) but showing he`s collest of da kool he slips in a chorus of Flip towards the end, later RCA issued this live cut on the Golden Celebration lp box ( better quality than the dodgy ole boots from Taiwan).

The 70s rockabilly revival reissues brought Johnny Bell's frantic 59 version on Brunswick, mmmm, large Joseph n rockabilly go hand in glove, awesome.

Then from that JLL tv pilot series mentioned in earlier posts we get primo Killerfest of raw roadhouse boogie,mmmmm.

Which is best, pays yer money takes yer choice,think my nod goes to the original 45/78,but it`s agreat song as testified by these cool covers.

Flip


Big Joe Turner Atlantic 78





Big Joe Turner -Flip Flop & Fly (live 66)





Killer - Flip Flop & Fly





Johnny Bell - Flip Flop & Fly ( Brunswick)





The King - Shake Rattle N Roll/Flip Flop & Fly


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