The Johnny Otis Show - Snatch and The Poontangs

There are a lot of reasons to recommend this. First, it's a double disc featuring Johnny Otis' 1968 comeback release "Cold Shot" combined with Johnny Otis' 1969 "Snatch and the Poontangs". Second, it contains two previously unreleased tracks, "It's Good To Be Free" and "The Dirty Dozens". Third, the music is excellent and shows that there is a lighter and humorous side to the blues and last but not least, it features some funky rhythms and wicked lead licks by Johnny's then 13-year-old son Johnny Shuggie Otis Jr.
He got a lot of press for being precocious on this album; he played all the guitars and bass tracks, plus harmonica (Johnny played drums, piano and vibes; this was a two-man band, courtesy of overdubs, plus Delmar Evans on vox). And he does do an amazing job for a kid; but you can't listen to him as a kid. What he does is a very good job for ANYONE, regardless of age. What you don't tend to hear about is the singer. Nicknamed "Mighty Mouth", Delmar Evans gives us real gifts throughout this disc. He has a strong, reedy falsetto and a low growl, and he bounces from one to the other, and in between, with great facility. Listen to the clip of "Sittin Here All Alone". It's a voice that truly deserves to be better known than it is, and this disc is a great way to get familiar with it. Listen to him cracking himself up in "That's Life", unable to continue on about the guy from Podunk who woke up in a bunk full of funk, he laughs, "Aw, f*** it, y'all play me sump'm, sh**!!" I still can't hear that without smiling wide. "Cold Shot" was a legitimate release by the Johnny Otis Show, comprised of the musicians mentioned. It opened with "Signifying Monkey", a musical treatment of a traditional 'toast' (an african-american oral tradition, see Roger Abrahams [...]) From there it continues with straight up high-quality 1969 L.A. Blues. This album could be found in record stores. "For Adults Only", on the other hand, was an entirely anonymous production. My guess is, that's because the cover art alone, let alone the songs, could have landed anyone involved with the project in jail on obscenity charges. Though the band is clearly the same, and F.A.O. even opened with the same track as Cold Shot, no real person's real name appeared anywhere on the original album. This album could be found in Adult Bookstores. The original albums were "Cold Shot": tracks 1-10 here, in order; "For Adults Only": track 1, then tracks 11-18 (track 1 was the opening track for both albums); tracks 19-20 were not on either original record. Definitely X RATED. Play it loud.

1.The Signifyin' Monkey Part 1 (3:06) - Cold Shot - The Johnny Otis Show2. Country Girl (2:35) - Cold Shot - The Johnny Otis Show3. I Believe I'll Go Back Home (2:41) - Cold Shot - The Johnny Otis Show4. Hi Heel Sneakers (2:43) - Cold Shot - The Johnny Otis Show5. Sittin' Here Alone (3:18) - Cold Shot - The Johnny Otis Show6. C C Rider (2:31) - Cold Shot - The Johnny Otis Show7. You Better Look Out (2:37) - Cold Shot - The Johnny Otis Show8. Goin' Back To L A (2:51) - Cold Shot - The Johnny Otis Show9. Bye Bye Baby (Until We Meet Again)(3:05) - Cold Shot - The Johnny Otis Show10. Cold Shot (2:41) - Cold Shot - The Johnny Otis Show11. The Signifyin' Monkey Part 2 (3:59) - Snatch And The Poontangs12. That's Life (2:27) - Snatch And The Poontangs13. The Great Stack A Lee (6:14) - Snatch And The Poontangs14. The Pissed-Off Cowboy (2:25) - Snatch And The Poontangs15. Hey Shine (3:27) - Snatch And The Poontangs16. Two Time Slim (4:54) - Snatch And The Poontangs17. Big John Jeeter (5:22) - Snatch And The Poontangs18. Two Girls In Love (With Each Other)(4:31) - Snatch And The Poontangs19. It's Good To Be Free (3:25) - Snatch And The Poontangs20. The Dirty Dozens (3:35)

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