Slim Harpo The Excello Singles Anthology
Released: August 26, 2003 Origination Year: 2003 Time: 2 discs Tracks: 44 Produced by: Pat Lawrence &  Dana G Smart Style: Studio Format: CD Enhancement: Remastered Label: Hip-O Records Website: Slim Harpo Info

Another of those great heroes of both blues and rock is Slim Harpo. Harpo’s prolific recordings have been covered by many including, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, and James Brown. Even the psycho-billy band, The Cramps have covered material. Signed to Excello Records from 1957 to 1971, Slim Harpo produced a bevy of major and minor hits for the label including the immensely popular “I’m a King Bee”. In the Stones’ highly rated Exile On Main Street, they cover “Shake Your Hips”. But none do it better than ole Slim Harpo himself.

Over this two-disc set, there are 44 songs. Many of these classics are harmonica infused and driven home by his singing style, which is a mellow, nasally mixture of singing and talking. This set boasts the inclusion of every A-Side/B-Side single produced for the Excello label by Slim Harpo.

For the uninitiated, Slim Harpo becomes an educational pointer to the rock/blues connection from the very first song. “I’m a King Bee” shows his use of instruments to mimic the sound of a buzzing bee by use of a bass. The harmonica laden ”Got Love If You Want It”, the flip side to “I’m a King Bee” is as powerful a one-two punch as could be had on a single disc. What this punctuates is that every song, no matter how minor a hit they may have been for Slim Harpo and Excello, were essential.

The Hip-O Records release of The Excello Singles Anthology by Slim Harpo is a watermark for blues collectors as it brings together what is easily one of the more powerful forces for short and rockin’ blues pieces with electric guitar and harmonica. Simple, with drums, bass, guitar and the harmonica; clearly the front-runner for harder edged rock singles. So now many of you know whom to thank.

“Late Last Night”, “Mailbox Blues” and others, including the exemplary “Tip On In” Parts One and Two, highlight the single (45s) experience and display the hipness of Excello and its golden boy, Slim Harpo. For a treat, listen to Harpo’s cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”. It smokes and - Johnny, forgive me – lays to waste the original. But don’t call me blasphemer until you hear it and then let me know.

“Blues Hang-Over” may well be the shining tune on this collection because of it’s shockingly familiar rock overtones that clearly show the heavy debt owed this great bluesman. The timeless music contained within these 2 CDs is intoxicating and hypnotic. They’ll absorb you and rock you. You’ll also get the hot “Shake Your Hips” and the stunningly hip, ”Te-Ni-Nee-Ni-Nu”. Folks, you get them all.

Even the B-52s derive some style from Slim Harpo. Listen to “Tip On In (Part One)” and “Tip On In (Part Two)” and hear why Fred Schneider should pay some royalties. That includes The Stones, Grand Funk, hell…the entire of rockdom owes this man a dollar or more, likely more.

Slim Harpo sings self descriptive lines in “Mohair Sam” with “..who is the coolest cat..” and says in “Tip On In (Part One)”, “…I don’t know how we ever did without ‘em”. And you know, he’s right. Slim Harpo is no longer with us as he died of a heart attack at the young, young age of 46 in 1970. But he left behind a legacy of songs that serves as a template to every style of rock that ever found it’s way into single status. This singles anthology should be in every serious rock lover’s collection.