Howlin' Wolf

Wang-Dang Doodle / Back Door Man

Chess : 1777 DJ manship mint

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Detail

  • Artist: Howlin' Wolf
  • A Side: Wang-Dang Doodle
  • B Side: Back Door Man
  • Label: Chess
  • Format: 45s

Condition

Condition

  • Vinyl Condition: M
  • Label Condition: M
  • Sleeve Condition: M

Key: View

Description


Description

Classic Chicago R&B stompers from the pen of Willie Dixon. both of them framing this man's colossal vocal, introduced by jagged-edged Harmonica playing. Accompanying "Wolf's" all powerful, sit-up and listen gargling style.

Ike Turner who discovered the hidden gifts of Chester Burnett in Memphis was quoted describing his enthusiasm in action "God, what it would be worth on film to see the fervour in that man's face when he sang. His eyes would light up, you'd see the veins come out on his neck and, buddy, there was nothing on his mind but that song. He sang with his damn soul".

As can be witnessed on this electrifying Jump Blues anthem "Wang-Dang Doodle" described by Willie Dixon as meaning "A Damn Good Time" a man totally immersed in Dixon's work, as a the ultimate "good time song" unfurls. A performance that will lift your day, with the combination of foot-stomping percussion, twangy guitar pulses sashaying through with unique snarling, gargling, throaty growls supported by . So impressive you have to sit up and take notice. It impressed Led Zeppelin who adopted the rhythms for their anthem "A Whole Lotta Love". In 1965 Ko Ko Taylor recorded the timeless snarling-sister version, considered today as a Northern Soul/MOD classic!

Genius "get on your feet" lyrics:
"Tell Automatic slim, to tell razor totin' Jim
To tell butcher knife totin' Annie, to tell fast talkin' Fannie ...
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long"

With Otis Spann on piano, Hubert Sumlin on guitar, Dixon on bass, and Fred Below on drums with Freddy King helping out too.

Flip it over, we love the cheeky and shameless lyrics of "Back Door Man", which Wikipedia correctly credits to Willie Dixon but Chess records credits "Chester Burnett" on this promo, a quick complaint from Willie rectified that error in time for the blue stock copy press.

"When everybody trying to sleep
I'm somewhere making my midnight creep
Every morning the rooster crow
He's telling me you got to go ...
I am the back door man"

Two truly superior examples of stomping 60's Chicago R&B. 2 x Jump Blues at it most inspiring, but not as inspiring as the "impossible" Manship Mint condition this promo copy is presented in, still housed in its vintage brown-paper birth-sleeve.

Condition Report

two totally clean promo labels, full gloss mint archive filed vinyl, still housed in birth-sleeve

A Side

  • Title: Wang-Dang Doodle

    B Side

  • Title: Back Door Man
  • Year: 1961
  • City: Chicago, Illinois

    Tracklisting