Bo Diddley

MCA Records CD, CHD-5904.

Bo Diddley passed on. I got this CD in 1986 or '87. It combines two albums from Chess Records, "Bo Diddley" and "Go Bo Diddley." I don't listen to it much, but there are several songs on it I really like. It has 24 tracks, with track 6 and 23 being the same song, and I'm thinking the same everything, each being 2:32 for time. [Later edit: Track 6 and 23 have two different master numbers, and a slight personnel difference between the takes, according to the liner notes.]

1) Bo Diddley - Great song with the Bo Diddley sound. "Have ya heard?" Clever, casual lyrics, almost nursery-rhyme like, Mockingbird stuff, with muddy, persistent sound. Very direct and live. This is the definitive Bo Diddley sound.

2) I'm A Man - The rhythm as far as I know it is the "I'm A Man" rhythm. Like the first track, it's an iconic song. Spell "M-A-N, Man." Great declaration. And it's unapologetic, 100% man, making love in such a way they can't resist. Legendary song.

3) Bring It To Jerome - Very cool repetition of the title throughout. Melody is walking along at a good speed, and the voices interplay with this lazy repetition of, "Bring it to Jerome." The rhythm of Bo Diddley songs have a nice individuality.

4) Before You Accuse Me - More classic blues sound. "Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself." You got somebody else. The guitar work sounds so casual, almost informal, yet every note gets in there.

5) Hey! Bo Diddley - Wild combo, thrashing out a distinctive rhythm. Telling a story in snippets. "Saw my baby runnin' across a field, slipping and sliding like an automobile." Shout and response on the title throughout.

6) Dearest Darling - So direct and right before you. Song is about someone the Lord picked out for him. It marches along, with the vocals slow and deliberate. She has two hearts and he has none. Gets brasher toward the end, insistent, volume increases, very feeling. Soulful.

7) Hush Your Mouth - Very fast pace, "Ahhh, hersh yer mouth." Mockingbird type of rhythm, which is what the Bo Diddley sound is like. "Mama going to buy you a diamond ring," etc. Dirty, thick sound on the track, powerful drums.

8) Say Bossman - Relaxed combo sound, close up background singers. Lead vocal, telling bossman of the 19 kids he has to feed. The background singers add to the whole relaxed vibe. The lead vocal is like a preacher's voice, with a swaying choir.

9) Diddley Daddy - The Bo Diddley rhythm, little snippets, little lines, in the nursery rhyme kind of poetry. They fill in a song that has a strong instrumental presence. The recording on some of these songs -- this one -- has some distortion, being quite casual.

10) Diddy Wah Diddy - Strong, guitar and almost doo-wop vocal style. This is a blues rocker. I love this song. It has a cleaner sound overall, the recording quality. He has a gal, she lives way down in diddy wah diddy. Ain't no town, ain't no city, but how they love in diddy wah diddy. I think I got that right. Beautiful guitar on this one.

11) Who Do You Love - This is a famous one. I've heard this song a lot without even trying. Weird, cryptic lyrics, poetry in a different stream. Then the title repeated several times, a beautiful song. Mentions rattlesnakes and whips, Arlene, and somebody screamed.

12) Pretty Thing - Very crisp, clear guitar opening. Then the group comes in with rhythms that are distinctive Bo Diddley. Prolonged instrumental section. "Let me give you all my love the rest of my life, you perty thing." Become my blushing bride, "O, you perty thing."

13) Crackin' Up - This is another song I love. It has a loping rhythm, and several aspects of cool group interaction. Bo addresses a loved one who's always complaining. Such a great song. "You buggin' me, yeah yeah, you're crackin' up." This is a song that could go on for a half hour as far as I'm concerned. It's that great. "I'm all fed up, yeah yeah, you buggin' me."

14) I'm Sorry - Romantic sound to the instruments. The vocal is a sentimental one, of sorrow, with a doo-wop like background going on, sorry for the things I said to you. This one is very much like a traditional doo-wop, soul song. Slow, pleading. Interesting lyrics, "For I knew not what I was saying."

15) Bo's Guitar - Instruments going in generally the same direction, a real stew in their interplay. Quite a band sound -- unlike most songs you've ever heard. Nearly like noodling around, with everything thrown together. Completely instrumental song.

16) Willie and Lillie - The vocals dominate, intense delivery. The instruments are not sparse, but more reserved. The recording on this song sounds like it needs someone to clean it up a bit. Kind of a bad one.

17) You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care) - This is like a call and response song, with the response being from the moaning instruments, immediately there. He has a complaint against her, with the title telling the story. The band rocks out on this one, some killer piano licks.

18) Say Man - Very fast beat. And interaction between two. A humorous song about a guy who insults the other guy's girl. I don't know what the genre is called, but there's a category of songs in which they exchange insults about their girl, their mamas, etc. His chick is so ugly she has to sneak up on a glass to get a drink of water. Like that. Funny. The band just keeps a beat going, overlaid with the two speakers.

19) The Great Grandfather - Probably my favorite song, not as good as Crackin' Up, actually, but it's a sentimental favorite. I used to sing this one to my kids, and I still sing it. About the great grandpappy. Telling about the old guy, then moaning, ohh, ohh... Includes redskins, so it's like the old pioneers or something. "The grand grandpappy was a busy man, cooked his grub in a frying pan. Picked his teeth with a huntin' knife, he wore the same suit all of his life." That's the part I love. Also a cool falsetto bit.

20) Oh Yea - The classic Bo Diddley sound slowed down a bit. Crisp and clear, and confident vocals. "She's my woman, all in all, she's my lover, she's my ball." Declarations about his lover, who says, "Bo Diddley, you the one, O yea, sho nuff."

21) Don't Let It Go - Song hustles along. Great background work on this one. Like a revival meeting going at it in song. Piano working it, but the real distinctive is the vocal work. Bo right up front, then everyone else coming in.

22) Little Girl - Faster blues rhythm. Simple song, generic lyrics, "Little girl, can I go home with you." Good excuse to dive into some instruments.

23) Dearest Darling - We had this song. Same as track 6.

24) The Clock Struck Twelve - Very dirty sound on the instruments, meaning intense sound and jagged edges. Clean recording. This has some intensity, all music, instrumental. Toward the end there's a dominant solo, some kind of highly taut thing, picked like a rubber band. Then a violin that gives it a smoky, dive-like sound.

Conclusion

If I were going to download eight songs off this album, they'd be: 1) Bo Diddley; 2) I'm A Man; 3) Diddy Wah Diddy; 4) Who Do You Love; 5) Crackin' Up; 6) The Great Grandfather; 7) Pretty Thing; 8) I'm Sorry. But the first six on that list are my favorites.