Put your hands in the sky....

I posted this song once before, a long time ago. It was only up for about ten minutes. I was so embarrassed by what I wrote that I deleted the whole post.

Ya see, this 45 often gets dismissed as a minor effort whereas I happen to think it's brilliant. And given that it didn't sell very well back in the day, I guess I have to accept that I probably hold the minority view of this one. So be it.

Anyway, in my opinion this is not so much a dance tune as it is a mini symphonic ode dedicated to all dance tunes. Don Covay may be carrying-on about the Shingaling but what he's really reaching for here is the joyfully transcendent power of ass-shaking with a capital A.

Bob Gallo gets total credit for the over-the-top production.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Baby don't do it!

Here's one of four Don Covay sides on Rosemart, which as far as I know were the only four sides ever issued on the label. Appearances suggest that the label was set up by Atlantic records as part of a scheme to channel money to a powerful DJ of the day [he was listed as label owner-of-record, Atlantic distributed the singles nationally].

Those who've heard both 45's will know that not only did the Rolling Stones cover one of the Rosemart sides note for note [Mercy Mercy], they also straight-up lifted Covay's entire sound for their more soul-inflected period, circa 1965-66. Those who haven't heard the records before may be in for a shock as the sound is so very 'Stones-like'.

...from 1964, Please Don't Let Me Know