Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Slim Harpo Edition

He was bluesman who influenced The Rolling Stones, The Pretty Things and The Who, among others. He has two song in the Grammy Hall of Fame. But he never was a full-time singer. Slim Harpo’s first single was an instant classic, “I’m A King Bee” (and covered by the Stones, and many others). Later on, he waxed the great “Rainin’ In My Heart” along with many other great songs. Harpo specialized in mid-tempo blues tunes with his drawling vocals and great lead guitar and harmonica parts (his name coming from his harp playing, of course. Harpo’s tunes had a swinging vibe to them that make them stand out. In addition to his music career, Harpo ran a trucking business. Let’s pay tribute to Slim by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.

1. The Five Du-Tones – Shake A Tail Feather (Hairspray soundtrack): Most people probably know this song from The Blues Brothers’ version in their movie. But John Waters brought out the original for his classic movie Hairspray. This is such a great soundtrack that has only a fraction of the many, mostly obscure, songs that Waters tabbed for his movie about ‘60s TV record hop shows.
2. The Rolling Stones – Monkey Man (Let It Bleed): A great track from one of the best Rolling Stones albums. This song is a great mix of drama and blues riff, with Mick Jagger at his best.
3. Pere Ubu – Codex (Dub Housing): This song sounds like it could be part of a film score, with a dramatic lead guitar part. Then David Thomas begins singing in a creepy fashion, with a modified reggae guitar part and slowly rolling drums and a careening melody giving this song the effect of a disjointed dream.
4. Sparks – Tarzan And Jane (Angst In My Pants): On Angst In My Pants, Sparks honed their new wave era style, while also taking on a lot of pop culture, from Mickey Mouse to Sherlock Holmes to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ most famous characters. Here, Ron and Russell Mael key the song around the undulating rhythm of the drums, while Russ sings about a classroom that has gone to the jungle, with the great couplet, “Look at Bob, he’s getting straight As/whose he carrying around on his face?”
5. Pere Ubu – Pushin (Cloudland): This is a track from Pere Ubu’s big pop move, and in comparison to “Codex” above, it’s downright cuddly. But the verses are still a bit dissonant, but they open up into a strong chorus. Is it a coincidence that Pere Ubu should show up twice the same week the band’s new album is released...?
6. Descendents – Ace (I Don’t Want To Grow Up): Rightfully considered one of the godfathers of pop-punk (American division), not everything was sunny melodies at a fast pace. This tune is somewhat more in the vein of early Wipers, but for the poppy middle eight.
7. Christian Scott – Cumulonimbus (Christian Atunde Adujah): Scott has played with Thom Yorke and did a great version of Yorke’s “The Eraser” on his last album. This is a track from his 2012 double album, and Scott’s pianist plays a beautiful solo on this short instrumental. It fits in with the modern rock edge that Scott is trying to meld into his otherwise traditionally inspired jazz.
8. Finn Brothers – Only Talking Sense (Finn Brothers): The opening track from this classic first brother only collaboration by Tim and Neil Finn. Beyond the magic of their voices together, the Finns created a very organic environment with often spare production that allows these wonderful tunes to breathe. This is one of Neil’s, and it’s as good as any of his best songs.
9. Material Issue – Trouble (International Pop Overthrow): Wow, a lot of dramatic  songs in this shuffle. Jim Ellison is at his most frantic on this pulsing power pop tune. It was a good decision to put his voice so far up in the mix, as his performance really carries the song and the band keeps up with it.
10. Brian Wilson – Heroes And Villains (Smile): Even though a completed version of The Beach Boys’ Smile has finally been released, don’t give the short shrift to Brian Wilson’s version. Not only did Wilson and Van Dyke Parks finally coherently stitch the songs together, little things were added here and there. Moreover, Brian sounds inspired and his backing band is terrific. In many respects, I prefer this version to the subsequently released “official” version.