Screamin' Jay Hawkins

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Underrated.

― Nowell, Friday, 10 September 2004 22:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Awesome, and perhaps limited by record company packaging as novelty act. I have an amazing Ace Records Compilation "Cow Fingers and Mosquito Pie" which contains some incredible pieces of better-than-beefhart free association.

The 'Bad Seed' bio of Nick Cave contains some typically mean-spirited and and unintentionally hillarious remarks from Rolan S. Howard about having the tour bus seat to Hawkins, who apparently ranted non-stop about Billy Joel. Hawkins complained about having to support "this BOY who thinks he's John Lee Hooker", which could be Cave's epitaph, as far as I'm concerned.

― Soukesian, Friday, 10 September 2004 22:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Screamin' Jay was ahead of his time.

Whaddya mean, Cave's epitaph?

― Nowell, Friday, 10 September 2004 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

A fearsomely great singer, and I love him. His songs were mostly absurd, but had a kind of scary force to them anyway. I Put A Spell On You is a solid gold classic, of course, but I also love I Hear Voices, his scariest record, and Little Demon, a madly funny and enormously rocking track. And lots more, really.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 10 September 2004 22:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Martin (or anyone else), is there one single compilation it would be best for me to buy as only a casual fan? (It would have to have "I Put a Spell on You.")

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Friday, 10 September 2004 23:55 (twenty-one years ago)

His performance in "Mystery Train" is amazing. "Jiffy Squid?! Man, turn that DAMNED thing off."

― Taxi Dancing in the Soft Prison (Ben Boyer), Friday, 10 September 2004 23:58 (twenty-one years ago)

great pictures to start this off:

Screamin Jay Hawkins--c/d?

"There's Something Wrong With You" might be my favorite Screamin Jay track!

― You've Got to Pick Up Every Stitch (tracerhand), Saturday, 11 September 2004 00:34 (twenty-one years ago)

that thread sort-of-classic for Sterling's dutiful yet half-hearted dialectic thing

― You've Got to Pick Up Every Stitch (tracerhand), Saturday, 11 September 2004 00:36 (twenty-one years ago)

there's a really good compilation that's light on the wacky novelty tunes and has some high-energy rock'n'roll numbers, and some down and dirty funk too. can't seem to find the title of the album, but it has "move me", "what that is!", "please don't leave me", etc....

― m0stly clean (m0stly clean), Saturday, 11 September 2004 00:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I wish I could find the .wav file someone made once of Hawkins' answering machine message. It went along the lines of "Yes....This is Jay. I am UNABLE to take your call, at this time. I may be on the toilet right now as you're hearing this..."

That "Constipation" song... I hope I never have to hear it again. Other than that, CLASSIC.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Saturday, 11 September 2004 00:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Rockist, that 'Cow Fingers' record has the unedited original of "Spell," plus much other great stuff.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Saturday, 11 September 2004 04:29 (twenty-one years ago)

His version of Gene Autry's "Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle," just to name one -- indisputably classic.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Saturday, 11 September 2004 04:30 (twenty-one years ago)

The one good part of Constipation Blues is the intro, where he says that people write hundreds of songs about heartbreak, but no one writes about REAL pain...

I don't know what comps are available. I have, among others, one called Voodoo Jive: The Best Of... with Spell, I Hear Voices, Little Demon, Feast of the Mau-Mau, Alligator Wine, Itty Bitty Pretty One, Person To Person, Do You Really Love Me and (She Put The) Wamee (On Me), among others, so that's near enogh perfect. Same Damn Thing and The Eighth Day are the only favourites not on that one.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 12 September 2004 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Voodoo Jive seconded as the best comp. the interlude in the middle of 'I Love Paris' does it for me - "how about Germany? Germany? ACHTUNG!!"

― Dave M. (rotten03), Sunday, 12 September 2004 16:46 (twenty-one years ago)

He did seem kinda scary.
I heard "I Put a Spell on You" in some jeans commercial. I had to go and buy one of his records.

― Nowell, Monday, 13 September 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)

man, what is the deal with this guy's discography?!? I still have never found any kidn of info on the one album of his I do have (a late 50s/early 60s thing entitled, I think, "Armpit Rubber". There's no date or title on the sleeve). And I just got my copy of the 1958 "At Home with Screamin Jay Hawkins" album - which I was excited to get as its supposed to contain the original version of "I Put a Spell on You". Except that there's a disturbing by-line on the front that says "orchestra under the direction of Leroy Kirkland and O.B. Masingill" (is that last name a bad gynecological joke of some kind?) What does it all mean... I can't figure out which are the good, properly released records and which are the bad ones...

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 13 September 2004 21:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, 'At Home' is OKeh stuff, so it's really, really great. Not to worry about the "orchestra" credit, as the backing is at least as often small combo as it is with-strings . . .

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 01:12 (twenty-one years ago)

In fact, I don't think there's *strings* on any of that stuff.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 01:13 (twenty-one years ago)

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