Egyptian surfer girl

Dick Dale - Miserlou

Miserlou is a tune with a long history, much longer than I can cover right here, right now. We don't know who originally wrote it but the Greek man who first penned the lyrics gave it a name meaning: Muslim Egyptian girl. Legend has it that Dick Dale's first crack at Miserlou came after being dared to play a song using only one string. He remembered his Lebanese uncle, also a musician, playing the tune on a single string of the oud -- an Arabic lute. Needless to say, Dale ramped it up a notch or three before releasing it. The result is possibly the most definitive slice of instrumental surf rock music ever to be pressed onto vinyl.

Some housekeeping now: for the next few weeks I will be, what can only really be described as, galivanting around the globe, so the Diddy Wah blog posting frequency will slow if not stop until sometime in October -- just so you know.

Dig right in and do the clam

Elvis Presley - Do The Clam

And now for some more underwater creature related Elvis movie music madness. From 1964's Girl Happy, we find Elvis leading a crowd of beach revellers through a new dance called the clam. It seems simple enough, first you grab your barefoot baby by the hand, then you turn and tease, followed by some hugging and squeezing. I expect that the fun loving folk at The Haggerston this Monday night will be digging in and doing the clam during my Elvis anniversary extravaganza.

Mr Crawfish

Elvis Presley - Crawfish

In the lead up to the 33rd anniversary of his passing, to be marked in East London by my night at The Haggerston (see previous post), here's another taste of the King, Elvis Presley. This time we find him in 1958 and in fine form. He's singing -- a sultry ode to the Louisiana variety of freshwater crustacean that, round where I grew up, is known as a Yabby -- a duet with Kitty White from the movie King Creole.

Long Live The King

Elvis Presley - Surrender

Elvis released Surrender in 1961, it was a huge hit. The tune is from an old Neapolitan ballad called Torna a Surriento (Come Back to Sorrento). I like how it starts a bit like the theme from James Bond, full of mystery.

August 16th 1977 was the day Elvis finally surrendered and left the building for the last time. To celebrate his life and music I'm putting on a night on the same date exactly 33 years later -- that's this Monday August 16th. It will be great fun and so if you are in the area (London, UK), come on down. The Haggerston is a pub on Kingsland Road in, well, in Haggerston, which is the badlands between trendy Shoreditch and trendy Dalston.

I will be joined behind the decks by Gav from Get Involved, Fritz and Sean from Buzzsaw Joint and Deano from the Strongroom Bar. Also, as an extra special treat, the gals from Lily and Chew will be preparing some Elvis themed snacks. Can't wait!

I Was Born In Midnight Town

Roy Hamilton - Midnight Town-Daybreak City

Now, here's some more crooning for your listening pleasure. Singing star Roy Hamilton was looked up to by Elvis Presley and Jackie Wilson. His biggest successes were with You'll Never Walk Alone and an early version of Unchained Melody but for today's post I've ripped his 1963 rendition of Midnight Town-Daybreak City. As well as showcasing Hamilton's superb baritone it highlights the songwriting mastery of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who also produced the record -- can't but love the massive crescendo.

The Sound of Vince Hill

Vince Hill - A Woman Needs Love

British crooner Vince Hill gives us today's selection, the flipside to his biggest hit which was a cover of Edelweiss. Yes, Edelweiss from The Sound of Music. Released in 1967 it went all the way up to the second spot on the UK charts. However, I reckon A Woman Needs Love stands up better over time. It sounds like a proto power ballad.