Slow Down (Larry Williams song)

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"Slow Down"
Larry-williams-dizzy-miss-lizzy-1958-s.jpg
US picture sleeve
Single by Larry Williams
A-side "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy"
ReleasedMarch 1958 (1958-03)
RecordedSeptember 11, 1957
Studio Masters Records, Hollywood, California
Genre Rock and roll
Length2:40
Label Specialty
Songwriter(s) Larry Williams
Larry Williams singles chronology
"Bony Moronie"
(1957)
"Slow Down"
(1958)
"Hootchy-Koo" / "The Dummy"
(1958)

"Slow Down" is a rock and roll song written and performed by Larry Williams. Recorded in 1957, AllMusic writer Stewart Mason describes it as "raucous enough to be punk rock nearly a full two decades before the concept was even in existence." [1] Specialty Records released it as a single in 1958, but only the second-side "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy" reached the record charts. [2] Both songs were later covered by the Beatles.

Contents

Recording

Williams recorded the song at Master Recorders, Hollywood, California, on September 11, 1957. [3] Music journalist Gene Sculatti describes the instrumentation provided by the back-up musicians as "unstoppable, nongimmicky, almost careening out of control with its pounding piano and booting sax, 'Slow Down' is arguably Williams's hippest track". [3] The personnel includes:

The Beatles rendition

"Slow Down"
Slow down singles beatles.PNG
US picture sleeve (reverse)
Single by the Beatles
A-side "Matchbox"
Released
  • June 19, 1964 (1964-06-19) (UK Long Tall Sally EP)
  • August 24, 1964 (US single)
RecordedJune 1 & 4, 1964
Studio EMI 2, London
Genre Rock and roll
Length2:54
Label
Songwriter(s) Larry Williams
Producer(s) George Martin
The Beatles USsingles chronology
"I'll Cry Instead"
(1964)
"Matchbox" / "Slow Down"
(1964)
"I Feel Fine"
(1964)

On June 1, 1964, the Beatles recorded most of their version of "Slow Down" at EMI Studio 2 in London. [4] Producer George Martin added piano overdubs three days later. [4] Parlophone released the song on the Long Tall Sally EP in June in the UK. [4] In July, the song was included on the American album Something New . Capitol Records also released it as a single, with "Matchbox" (also from the Long Tall Sally EP) as the A-side, on August 24, 1964. [4]

"Slow Down" reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. [5] The song is also included on the 1988 Past Masters compilation. [4] A performance specifically recorded for broadcast by the BBC is found on the album Live at the BBC (1994).

In his book Revolution in the Head , Ian MacDonald criticizes the performance as "one of the Beatles' least successful rock-and-roll covers", lacking "bottom, drive and basic cohesion" and states that "The guitar solo is embarrassing and the sound balance a shambles". [6] He also points out the edit at 1:14 where the piano momentarily disappears and McCartney's bass becomes inaudible. According to MacDonald, the personnel includes:

However, author John C. Winn states that Harrison played the lead guitar on the track. [4] Musicologist Walter Everett also lists Harrison as the lead guitarist, and says he played his parts on a Gretsch Country Gentleman. [7]

References

  1. Mason, Stewart. "Here's Larry Williams – Review". AllMusic . Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  2. "Top 100 Sides". Billboard . Vol. 70, no. 17. April 28, 1958. p. 32. ISSN   0006-2510.
  3. 1 2 Sculatti, Gene (1989). Larry Williams: Bad Boy (Album notes). Larry Williams. Specialty Records. pp. 2, 6. SPCD 7002.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Winn, John C. (2008). Way Beyond Compare: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume One 1957–1965. Crown. pp. xiii, 108, 187. ISBN   978-0307452382.
  5. "The Beatles Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard.com . Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  6. MacDonald, Ian (2007). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Third ed.). Chicago Review Press. p.  118. ISBN   978-1-55652-733-3.
  7. Everett, Walter (2001). The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 240. ISBN   0-19-514105-9.