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Mac users have been experiencing problems in unpacking the WinRAR archives used on this blog. Two solutions have been suggested.

1. Use The Unarchiver - www.theunarchiver.com - see comments on Little Esther Bad Baad Girl post for details.

2. Use Keka - http://www.kekaosx.com/en/ - see comments on Johnny Otis Presents post.

Sunday 7 February 2010

Sil Austin - Everything's Shakin' (MGW 12227)










Side 1
1. Everything's Shakin'
2. Fall Out
3. Tell Your Story
4. The Square From Cuba
5. Late Show

Side 2
Sil Austin - Balin' Wire
Sil Austin - So Slow
Sil Austin - Green Blazer
Sil Austin - Yipe
Sil Austin - I'm Back

Download from:


Get ready to dance, ‘cos here’s a 1957 collection of wild R&B screechers by one of the great tenor sax honkers, Sil Austin. This LP was originally issued as Mercury LP MG20320 and is presented here in its Wing reissue incarnation. Long time followers of Be Bop Wino will remember that I posted this album on the original blog and before that on Rock Hall, but this time round you get a scan of the whole front cover plus back cover and label scans.

Sil Austin was born in Florida in 1929. A performance of “Danny Boy” at an Apollo Theatre amateur night in 1948 led to a gig with Roy Eldridge. The following year he replaced Willis Jackson in the Cootie Williams band and in 1953 he joined the Tiny Bradshaw band as a replacement for Red Prysock. He stayed with Bradshaw for about a year, featuring on eight sides, the best known being “Ping Pong.” In the spring of 1954 Sil went solo (Noble Watts stepped into the vacant Bradshaw spot) and recorded two sessions for Jubilee, with three singles being released.

Two years later Sil signed for Mercury Records where he remained until 1964. His biggest hit “Slow Walk” was recorded in September 1956 and the following month his first album, “Slow Walk Rock” was recorded. That LP used to be on the old Baikinange’s Schadenfreudian Therapy blog which has since gone to the great blog bin in the sky. I have reuploaded the LP and now you can download it from this blog. The front cover should look kinda familiar as it has the same dancing couple as the cover of “Everything’s Shakin’”.

The sides for “Everything’s Shakin’” were recorded in April and May of 1957. In 1959 Sil changed his sound, laying down the sides for his “Plays Pretty for the People” LP accompanied by an orchestra and choir. You can download a reissue version of that LP from Be Bop Wino here. One of the tracks, “Danny Boy,” was a pop hit, which encouraged Sil to continue recording with strings and choir. But “Everything’s Shakin’” is a feast of greasy R&B, Rock and Roll, and even a touch of Latin.





Side 1
1. Train Whistle
2. Shufflin' Home
3. Pink Shade Of Blue
4. Walkin' And Talkin'
5. Oochie John
6. Birthday Party

Side 2
7. The Last Time
8. One Plus Two Is Nine
9. Dogwood Junction
10. Bout Time
11. A Mother's Child
12. He's A Real Gone Guy

Download "Slow Walk Rock" from here:

http://www20.zippyshare.com/v/uiXZbtj7/file.html

"Slow Walk Rock" is a tremendous album, probably better than "Everything's Shakin'" and although it is in a lower bitrate, it certainly behooves beholding (to borrow a phrase from Nick Tosches.)

6 comments:

Zoomer said...

I love this. Is that Mickey Baker on guitar?

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ said...

I have found you! Glad to see you at it still. One of my all time favorite sites. I have one to contribute once it is cleaned up. I will email you.

boogiewoody said...

Hi Oracle and welcome back! All vinyl contributions are gratefully received.

Zoomer - I'm afraid I can't say for sure if Mickey Baker is on this album. He was certainly on Sil's 1956 sessions, including "Slow Walk" but any discographies I've looked at give the personnel on these 1957 sides as "unknown."

Anonymous said...

Mr. Austin is going to add plenty of spark to our upcoming Mardi Gras festivities. Thank you again, darlin'! - d.

imnokid said...

great blog. any chance of re-upping the 2 sil austin albums? It would be appreciated.

boogiewoody said...

Hi imnokid - thanks for posting. It looks like a whole load of links to stuff re-upped last November have been taken down.

I've re-upped the 2 LPs on this post and am about to put up the new links.

BW