Hat-Related Double Homicide

Duhhh-Duhhh-Duhhh, Da-da-da-da-da-da

It’s a cracking bit of music-ing that, no wonder Lloyd Price uses it twice here on Four Tracks From Lloyd Price. To be honest if I was him I’d have probably found a way to shoehorn it into the intros to the other two tracks as well as ‘Stagerlee’ and ‘Where Were You On Our Wedding Day’.

Duhhh-Duhhh-Duhhh, Da-da-da-da-da-da

I’ve loved the Lloyd Price version of ‘Stagerlee’ unreservedly since I first accidentally downloaded it illegally decades ago. Hat-related double homicide never ever sounded so jaunty and danceable. There is just something so IMMENSE when the band fully swing in behind Price that never fails to make me grin from ear to ear; you could move continents with that drift. There is a wonderful disconnect too between the polished jauntiness of the music and the lyrics, the wailing sax played by Merritt Mel Dalton towards the end is superb.

Now I am a bit obsessed with ‘Stagerlee’* and I have read a very good, learned book about the case and subsequent legend by Cecil Brown called Stagolee Shot Billy that I heartily recommend to fellow obsessives and friendless weirdoes. I love that a 1895 murder in St Louis carried out by Lee Shelton a flamboyant pimp and gambler of his friend William Lyons over politics and hat flattening (not gambling) still lives on. I also enjoy all the musical embellishments to the tale by generations of musicians before it was even first recorded in 1923 – first mentions of the song coming only 2 years post-incident in 1897. As Shelton did not die until 1912, by which time it was so established a folk song that Alan Lomax had received transcript versions, he would have been aware of it no doubt.

But I digress, ‘Stagerlee’ was why I bought Four Tracks From Lloyd Price but there’s more here.

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Lloyd Price was a big, big deal circa 1960, although he hit big in ’52 with ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy’ which featured Fats Domino on piano Price’s career stalled when he was drafted to fight in Korea in ’54. Later he upped his tempos and socked it to America with his million selling tracks ‘Just Because’, ‘Personality’ and the one about the hat.

‘Personality’ was such a success for Lloyd Price that he later became known as ‘Mr Personality’**. It’s a catchy little bugger of a tune, sitting on the wrong side of schmaltz for me, but I can admire how well-crafted it is. ‘Just Because’ is a better one for me, one I knew really well from my folks’ playing John Lennon’s cover of it. There’s something so great about the way this one begins with the piano and that searching vocal.

For some reason Four Tracks By Lloyd Price misses off the question mark on ‘Where Were You On Our Wedding Day?’^. This is a shame as it is one of the all-time great question-as-title songs, I mean there’s a whole short story right there in the song title for you. It’s a great bouncy tune too, the scorned protagonist demanding his ring back from his errant bride in a decidedly jaunty manner, one verse revealing, sadly, that it was 10 years ago^^.

Is there no subject or song Lloyd Price couldn’t write a swinging happy tune about? if the great man hadn’t died last May I would have offered him substantial riches to see what he could do with Dylan’s ‘The Ballad Of Hollis Brown’ or Suicide’s ‘Frankie Teardrop’. All together now: Duhhh-Duhhh-Duhhh, Da-da-da-da-da-da.

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I really love this little record, I assume that it must have been part of a series of Four Tracks From … releases by ABC Records in 1977. It was a neat way to get hold of, or legitimize, all the Lloyd Price I really wanted. There is a bit of blurb on the back and a general no frills vibe, but it is a really good sounding well-pressed release.

Duhhh-Duhhh-Duhhh, Da-da-da-da-da-da.

1129 Down.

PS: In much later years Lloyd Price was heavily involved as a promoter in setting up Ali and Foreman’s Rumble In The Jungle, how cool? not only did the man make one of my very favourite singles ever but he made sure one of my favourite ever sporting moments happened too.

*and its myriad variations in song – Stacker Lee, Stagolee, Stack-a-Lee, Stack O’Lee and Stackerlee etc.

**unlike a very boring man I used to work with many years ago who was nicknamed ‘Mr Personality’ for ironic reasons.

^reinstated by me there, the original versions all seemed to carry it.

^^It’s been ten years or maybe more
I never got married and that’s for sure
You broke my heart and now I know
I’ve been a fool for you so here I go