Keeping Up With The Williams'

The latest in my series of MP3's loosely held together by the most tentative links imaginable. Following on from the immortal Hank Snr. in my previous post we have 5 more tracks from that talented musical family collective known as the Williamses. There are a few that I have left out - no Lucinda sadly - no Robbie of course - and no room either for Hank's off-spring Hank Jnr and his very own Hank the third - just the following bunch, hand picked for your aural enjoyment.

WILLI WILLIAMS - Armagideon Time (1979)



The original version of a song covered by The Clash and released as the "B" side of their "London Calling" single in 1979. The Clash were undoubtedly one of the very few white artists who succeeded in covering reggae with some dignity and by doing so they helped to cement the strong connection between that genre and punk rock. Of course understanding the music and treating it with some respect is partially why the band's efforts sounded so convincing which is more than can be said for Eric Clapton, The Police, 10CC and a host of other "whiteys" who really should have known better and left well alone.

As for this particular Williams, it would appear that he was the proverbial "one hit wonder" but his track record throws up a lot of collaborators that reads like a mini "who's who" of reggae. Went to school with Sly Dunbar, produced The Wailers & Delroy Wilson, worked extensively with Jackie Mittoo and Augustus Pablo and yet seemingly only has this one song to show for his efforts. It was recorded by Willi in the same year that The Clash got hold of it - 1979 - and it's a "version" - that is, a vocal track added by Williams to an existing reggae instrumental - a rare 1968 item called "Real Rock".

KATHRYN WILLIAMS - Fell Down Fast (2000)



Despite making consistently fine albums Kathryn's career has refused to blossom commercially since the 2000 release of her Mercury Prize nominated album "Little Black Numbers" from which this track was taken. Comparisons with Joni, Laura Nyro and Joan Baez are not only misleading but have probably not done her any favours - a more agreeable suggestion might be that she is a female Nick Drake though even this is not strictly accurate. However, whilst other stylistically similar artists like Damien Rice are being treated like the second coming Kathryn remains one of those performers whose talent seems patently obvious but who still deserves greater attention. Her songs are poetic, intimate and personal whilst her gorgeously breathy vocals and somewhat timid stage persona suggests a shy delicate creature. Nevertheless, having had the pleasure of witnessing her live performance on a couple of occasions recently I can confirm that not only does she occasionally share the distinctly rock n'roll affectation of "bowing" her guitar Jimmy Page-like but that she has a typical scousers sense of humour and swears like a trooper. Never judge a book by it's proverbial.

LIL GIZZELLE - Baby Please Don't Go (2006?)



O.K. I admit I'm cheating a little here - not a song BY a Williams but written by one - Big Joe. Immortalised by Van Morrison's Them in the mid 60's, I know little about the artist providing this updated version apart from the fact that she is only 19 years old, caucasian, hails from Mexico and has a voice somewhere between Etta James and a funnel steamer. Pretty impressive. My sincere thanks to Marty for this one.

LARRY WILLIAMS - You Bug Me Baby (1959)



LARRY WILLIAMS & JOHNNY "GUITAR" WATSON - Mercy Mercy Mercy (1967)



2 tracks from a guy whose life story seems tailor made for celluloid. Larry Williams was apparently a pimp prior to signing his first recording contract with Specialty Records and was promptly dropped by the label in 1959 after being arrested for selling drugs. I'm sure that I read somewhere that the character "Shaft" was loosely based on him and perhaps not too surprisingly considering his lifestyle he eventually met a sticky end. He was found dead in 1980 - the victim of a single shot wound to the head - and even though a verdict of suicide was reached, suggestions were that he was murdered.

Musically, his career can be divided into three sections. There was his 1957-59 period with Specialty where he was signed as a replacement for a prosletysing Little Richard and which yielded all of his Penniman inspired hit material. Lennon was a huge fan which is why the Fab Four recorded no less than 3 Williams tracks from this period. After getting out of jail he re-invented himself in the mid 60's as a funky soul brother with a band that included Johnny "Guitar" Watson - another artist with R & B roots whose music became more bootilicious in later years - and finally well... the least said about Williams disco career in the 1970's the better.

From his Specialty career, Sonny Bono's "You Bug Me Baby" marries rock n'roll to a traditional Scottish bagpipe tune a la Lord Rockingham's XI's "Hoots Mon" and Bill Haley's "Rockin Through The Rye". "Mercy Mercy Mercy" on the other hand was a hit for Williams & Watson in 1967 and is a cover of a Joe Zawinul instrumental originally recorded by the jazz artist Cannonball Adderley. Includes additional "right on" lyrics by Johnny & Larry. Can you dig it?