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From the Vault...
06/16/2013
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Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs
"The Complete Wolly Bully Years"
© Golden Lion Records
Year of Release: 1993
Rating:
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track listing
Disc One:
Wooly Bully
The Memphis Beat
I Found Love
Go-Go Girls
Every Woman I Know
Haunted House
Juimonos
Shotgun
Sorry 'Bout That
Gangster Of Love
Mary Lee
Long Tall Sally
Ju Ju Hand
Magic Touch
'Cause I Love You
Medicine Man
That Old Black Magic
I've Got A Voo Doo Doll
Got My Mojo Working
The Gypsy
Witchcraft
Love Potion #9
Magic Man
Hoochie Coochie Man
Ain't Gonna Move
Monkey See Monkey Do
Betty And Dupree
Man Child
How Does A
Cheating
Woman Feel
The Signifying Monkey
Disc Two:
Red Hot
Big Blue Diamonds
Over You
Big City Lights
Like You Used To
Please Accept My Love
Ring Dang Doo
Save The Last
Dance For Me
Let's Talk It Over
Mystery Train
Can't Make Enough
Uncle Willie
LI'l Red Riding Hood
Hanky Panky
Deputy Dog
Green'ich Grendel
Mary Is My Little Lamb
Sweet Talk
El Toro De Goro
The Phantom
Little Miss Muffet
Pharaoh-A-Go Go
Ring Them Bells
Grasshopper
The Hair On My
Chinny Chin Chin
(I'm In With)
The Out Crowd
Standing Ovation
Ready Or Not
Don't Try It
A Long Long Way
How Do You Catch A Girl
Te Love You Left Behind
Wooly Bully
Disc Three:
Black Sheep
Struttin'
I'm Not A Lover Anymore
Leave My Kitten Alone
Wanted Dead Or Alive
You Can't Turn Me Off
My Day's Gonna Come
The Cockfight
Let It Eat
Love Me Like Before
Groovin'
Old MacDonald Had A
Booglaoo Farm
Stand By Me
The Down Home Strut
I Passed It By
It's So Strange
Stagger Lee
Despair
If You Try To
Take My Baby
Yakety Yak
Poison Ivy
A Little Bitty Thing
Called Love
I Wish It Were Me
Oh That's Good
No That's Bad
Take What You Can Get
Banned In Boston
Money's My Problem
Let Our Love Light Shine
I Never Had No One
I Can't Spell !!@!
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Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs
"The Complete Wolly Bully Years"
"Wooly Bully," "Li'l Red Riding Hood," "Ju Ju Hand" -- just a few of the well-remembered songs by Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs. The band
emerged from the 1960s, with rock and roll and more specifically, Tex-Mex music. My fondest memories of Sam is having their second album on vinyl -
Their Second Album. I always thought it was entitled Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs because, like many vinyl albums I received from my
older brothers, it was just the vinyl record, and NO album cover. As I remembered, I played the heck out of that album, as I always wanted to find
this album on CD. Many maybe familiar with the compilation Pharaohization!, but this compilation is just a basic set of their music.
Golden Lion Records released the complete works of Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs, primarily their original recordings from 1963 to 1968, on MGM Records.
Eight albums (and bonus material) are here, on 3 CDs. Amazing! Their original recordings, their original albums, all on one huge set. With their
second album and its full contents in my memory bank, I was ready to relive this album again, as well as other tracks they recorded. I had the 45
"Ju Ju Hand" while growing up, and it's B-side was a great rocker, "Ain't Gonna Move." "Ju Ju Hand" was one of the songs on the second album,
but the flip side was not. (Most B-sides back in the day were non-album tracks.) It was great to find that "Ain't Gonna Move" is part of this
set. (As it turned out, "Ain't Gonna Move" was never released on an original Sam The Sham album.)
Disc One - First album: "Wooly Bully" (1965) -- First track would be their signature song, and title track. "The Memphis Beat"
has the early Chuck Berry style. "I Found Love" has a more 1960s R&B sound. Bo Diddley comes to mind on "Go-Go Girls." Rock & Roll is
"Every Woman I Know." "Haunted House" would be a Halloween favorite, and recorded by many future artists, including Country's John Anderson.
"Juimonos"L has a Jamaican/Tropical feel. "Shotgun" was made famous by the Motown act Jr. Walker & The All-Stars. Sam's version is just
as good, although Walker's still remains the best. "Sorry 'Bout That" has the "Wooly Bully" feel. (This was done alot back in the day;
a hit song, sounding alike like other songs.) The remaining tracks from the first album has a comparison to another 1960s band that was also on the
MGM label, Eric Burdon & The Animals. (Another personal favorite 1960s band of mine, next to The Beatles.) "Gangster Of Love" has the early-Animals
sound, likewise the rocking "Mary Lee." Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" may not as be as good as it's original, but give Sam The Sham
credit on this one.
Here we go, let the memories kick in -- 2nd album: "Their Second Album" -- The album starts with what would be another hit for Sam -- "Ju Ju
Hand," with that "pumping rock" sound, as in "Wooly Bully" -- GREAT TUNE! (The "pumping rock" sound, specifically with the organ instrument,
would later be used in what would be called "Tex-Mex" music. (For a great introduction to Tex-Mex, The Texas Tornadoes is one to enjoy.) "The Magic
Touch" was recorded by The Platters, and having an almost slow-styled Tex-Mex feel, Sam does a great version here. I do recall the memory on "'Cause
I Love You" from having Their Second Album on vinyl, as the rest of the (2nd) album is just outstanding. The "pumping rock" on "Medicine
Man" (highly recommended), "I've Got A Voo Doo Doll," "Magic Man." The 1940s classic "That Old Black Magic" (Glenn Miller, and would be
covered by many Jazz artists) has an upbeat rock update. The Ink Spots' "The Gypsy" was another track I definitely remember, and another that was
played heavily. Muddy Waters' "Got My Mojo Working" was another one that I played regularly. The Animals come to mind on "Witchcraft," as
it is "basic Rock & Roll" at its fines. Another song that many would cover is "Love Potion #9" (The Clovers, The Searchers, to name a few).
Another good cover version is here, and another Muddy Waters classic, "Hoochie Coochie Man."
Now for the "Rare" tracks: The B-side to "Ju Ju Hand" -- a favorite of mine, and a non-album track -- "Ain't Gonna Move." Another good
rocker, "Monkey See Monkey Do," the Blues fit on "Betty And Dupree," and more blues (compared to The Animals) -- "Man Child."
"How Does A Cheating Woman Feel" is obvious a non-album track, with its title, and slow blues. Upbeat Rock finds "The Significant Monkey."
Disc Two - The second disc begins with their third album, from 1966: "On Tour." (These songs are studio recordings, where the title
"On Tour" you would think it's a live album.) Lots of "pumping rock'er"s on this one: "Red Hot," "Over You," "Ring Dang Doo" (a song compared
to the style of "Wooly Bully.") This song was another hit for Sam, although I didn't remember this one. speaking of "Wooly Bully," "Uncle
Willie" is a good rock & roll tune, as it is compared to "Wully Bully" again, but slower-paced. "Let's Talk It Over" is good also. For the
Blues fans, "Big Blue Diamonds" is upbeat, The Animals blues/rock on "Can't Make Enough." A very impressive R&B styled song is "Big City
Lights," as a future Blues artist, James Hunter, would have easily covered this one. "Please Accept My Love" is a nice, slow tune. My question
on "Like You Used To" -- did Sam sing on this one? Which leaves left, two cover tunes: The Drifters' "Save The Last Dance For Me" (good one),
and "Mystery Train" -- different than the one we're used to hearing by Elvis and others, and it has the vocal style of Eric Burdon (The Animals).
Their fourth album was released in 1966, "Li'l Red Riding Hood." It opens with the title track, which was a huge hit. Their version of Tommy
James & The Shondells' "Hanky Panky" is a good remake, with its "pumping rock" sound. "Deputy Dog" is more R&B, The "pumping rock" comes
back with "Green'ich Grendel." Most of the songs by Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs were now becoming "novelty songs" (as Li'L Red Riding Hood) --
"Mary Is A Little Lamb" is the same melody as the classic kids tune, yet with different lyrics. "Sweet Talk" -- good rock song. An almost
Spanish sounding Tex-Mex (as in the Texas Tornadoes) on "El Toro De Goro," and with novelty lyrics. The novelty "The Phamtom" could easily
be a Halloween favorite. "Little Miss Muffet" changes the pace a bit, with its somewhat moody style. "Pharaoh-A-Go Go" combines "Wooly
Bully" and a little of The Surfaris' "Wipe Out." "Ring Those Bells" is another good song, and the upbeat "Grasshopper" can be
another novelty track.
More Rare tracks: Another hit for the band was "The Hair On My Chinny Chin Chin," the "Li'l Red Riding Hood" sequel, which was a non-album
track. "(I'm In With) The Out Crowd" -- Was this the answer to Ramsey Lewis' "In Crowd" song?
Two songs from 1967's The Best Of, and would only be available on this LP: The 1960s Rock "Standing OVation" and a song that would be
better remembered as a different title: "Ready Or Not" is the name of the song, but it is really "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie," a song that
would be famous by Jay & The Techniques.
Back to Rare non-album tracks: "Don't Try It," "How Do You Catch A Girl," "The Love You Left Behind" all have the basic 1960s Rock sound.
"A Long Long Way" has more of the sound/style of their famous hit, "Wooly Bully." The last track on disc two is "Wooly Bully,"
but after listening to it, it seems to be the identical version as heard on disc one.
Disc Three begins with the band's next album from 1967, Nefertiti, retitled as The Sam The Sham Revue. This album seemed to be very
different in sound for the band, from their previous releases. Take the first track from the album, "Black Sheep" -- very different sound, in fact
it has more Bob Dylan flavor. None of the songs on this album have the "pumping rock" style, as this album basically sounds like your average 1960s Rock.
This style can be said for the songs "Struttin'," "My Day's Gonna Come," "Let It Eat," and "Love Me Like Before." "I'm Not A Lover
Anymore" is unusual -- it starts out as a fight song, then turns into a kinda humble sad sounding song, (must be the song's title). Novelty tracks:
"Wanted Dead Or Alive," "You Can't Turn Me Off" sounds more like an off-Country novelty tune, and the much spoken words in "The Cockfight"
sounds more Outlaw-ish to fit the Country style. Two remakes to point out: The Rascals' "Groovin'" and "Leave My Kitten Alone" is a very
well-done remake, which The Beatles covered in their early years, which would be an unreleased track to resurface decades later after the Fab Four hit it big.
What would be Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs' last studio album, The Ten Of Pentacles was released in 1968. It pretty much continues the sounds
from the previous release. The 1960s Rock continues with tracks such as "The Down Home Strut," "I Passed It By," "It's So Strange." Soulful
sounds are heard on this album, such as "Old MacDonald Had A Boogaloo Farm," the Van Morrison-ish "Despair," and remakes by R&B artists
Ben E. King ("Stand By Me"), Lloyd Price ("Stagger Lee"), and two remakes from the Coasters: "Yakety Yak" and "POison Ivy."
However, the old Sam The Sham sound is back(!) with "If You Try To Take My Baby" and "A Little Bitty Thing Called Love."
The last of the Rare recordings, and one from 1967's Best Of: 1960s Rock has "I Wish It Were Me," from The Best Of. The remaining
finds a little of everything: The 1960s Rock: "Take What You Can Get," "Banned In Boston," "Let Our Love Light Shine." The "Wooly Bully pumping
rock": "Money's My Problem." The Blues: "I Never Had No One." and the Novelties: "Oh That's Good No That's Bad" and (the really
funny one) "I Can't Spell !!@!"
Sam The Sham's real name is Domingo Zamudio. His earliest interest in music was in second grade. Later on, he would form a group with friends, one of
them was Trini Lopez. He joined the Navy after high school. He formed the Pharaohs in 1961, taking the name from the costumes in the 1966 Yul Brynner film
The Ten Commandments. He took the name Sam The Sham as a joke about his inability as a vocalist. After recording an album in 1961 that did not sell,
they disbanded. After one of the former Pharaohs members was playing in 1963, their organist had quit, in which Sam took his place. It was then that
Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs re-emerged, and became popular. They released four albums and a Best Of from 1966 to 1968. By 1967, they added female
singers (The Shammetts) and changed their name to the Sam The Sham Revue, due to the six-day war between Israel and Egypt. In 1970, Sam went solo, and
released Sam, Hard and Heavy on Atlantic Records. It won a Grammy award for Best Album Notes in 1972. Duane Allman played guitar, and also included
the Dixie Flyers and the Memphis Horns. He formed a new band in 1974. In the late 1970s he worked with saxophonist Joe Sunseri and his band. The early
1980s Sam worked with such artists as Ry Cooder and Freddy Fender on the soundtrack of Jack Nicholson's The Border. He was married in 1959, and divorced
in 1968. From this marriage, he had one son, Dimitrius Zamudio, born in 1963. Nowadays, Sam is a motivational speaker and poet, and makes occasional
concert appearances.
What's amazing to find, it that there is NOT a main website for Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs. Their information is on Wikipedia, and Classicbands.com.
Their videos can be found on YouTube. There are many Best Ofs and Greatest Hit compilations, of which Pharaonization! is one of them.
All the songs from this particular set is on The Complete Wooly Bully Years. The treat for me in having this complete set, is re-enjoying Their
Second Album, an album I truly enjoyed having on vinyl while growing up.
In looking for Sam's Grammy album Hard And Heavy, it is now available on CD, from the label who reissued it,
RealGoneMusic.com.
© WSVNRadio.net. All rights reserved.
Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Golden Lion Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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