Tracks:
I Put a Spell On You
Frenzy
Little Demon
Hong Kong
I Love Paris
Alligator Wine
Person to Person
Darling, Please Forgive Me
There's Something Wrong With You
Temptation
Yellow Coat
You Ain't Foolin' Me
Take Me Back to My Boots
Orange Colored Sky
Deep Purple
(She Put The) Whammy On Me
If You Are But a Dream
Voodoo

Performer Notes:

• Ex-boxer Screamin' Jay Hawkins' live show, full of on-stage coffins, skulls, and toilets, prefigured the extravagant concert productions of later artists like Alice Cooper and George Clinton, and Hawkins' full awareness of the visual aspect of rock music extended even to his lyrics, which were purposefully graphic and surreal. In essence, Hawkins was a one- or two-trick pony, but boy, those ponies could run. His masterpiece was "I Put a Spell on You," which he originally recorded for OKeh Records (supposedly while extremely drunk) in 1956, and while Hawkins' version was never even close to being a commercial hit, the song has been covered so many times (most notably by Nina Simone) that it has deservedly been certified as a rock and R&B classic. "Spell" is here, of course, on this so-so collection of 1950s and 1960s tracks, and it's clearly the high point, although Hawkins' gives "Little Bitty Pretty One," Fats Domino's "Please Don't Leave Me," and Little Willie Mabon's "I Don't Know" nice workouts. This same set, with different cover art, has also been issued as Essential Recordings by Golden in 2000 and under the same title, I Put a Spell on You, by Charly in 1999. ~ Steve Leggett

Format: CD (1 Disc); Stereo

Studio/Live: Studio

Release Date: 15 November, 2011

Label: Hawkins, Screamin' Jay

Dimensions: 12.5 x 1 x 14.3 centimeters (0.04 kg)