Jass Records (1991) J-CD-630
|
Viper Mad Blues
25 Songs of Dope and Depravity
The best collection of old-time drug songs around. These blues and jazz recordings are from the late twenties to early forties. The wonderful collection includes songs by the famous and the forgotten. The famous include Leadbelly, Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Waller, Champion Jack Dupree and blues guitar greats Lonnie Johnson and Big Bill Broonzy. The oldest English-language reefer song, Willie the Weeper, is on this CD.
Not all the songs are about pot; there are also some cocaine, alcohol, and opium, and general "get high" songs. The table shows which "depravity" is featured. Highly recommended CD. Hogeye Bill sez check it out.
|
| Num
| Song Title
| Year
| Performer
| Featured Depravity |
|
1
| Kicking the Gong Around
| 1933
| Cab Calloway and his Cotton Club Orchestra
| "Kicking the gong around" is smoking opium. |
|
2
| Dope Head Blues
| 1927
| Victoria Spivey and Lonnie Johnson
| Cocaine. "Give me another sniffle of that dope." sniffle = toot = snort = whiff |
|
3
| Cocaine Habit Blues
| 1930
| Memphis Jug Band
| Cocaine. |
|
4
| Pipe Dream Blues
| 19??
| Hazel Meyers
| Opium smoking. Sounds late 20's or early 30's. |
|
5
| Smoking Reefers
| 1938
| Larry Adler
| Cannabis. |
|
6
| Take a Whiff on Me
| 1934
| Leadbelly
| Cocaine. |
|
7
| Killing Jive
| 1939
| The Cats and the Fiddle
| Cannabis. jive = tea = gage = ganja "you start laughing and you can't stop." |
|
8
| If You're a Viper
| 1936
| Stuff Smith and his Onyx Club Boys
| Cannabis. viper = stoner = toker Refers to cotton-mouth and the munchies. |
|
9
| The Stuff is Here and It's Mellow
| 1935
| Cleo Brown
| Alcohol. Song was apparently written during alcohol prohibition. |
|
10
| Reefer Man
| 1932
| Baron Lee and the Blue Rhythm Band
| Cannabis. |
|
11
| The Onyx Hop
| 1937
| Frankie Newton and his Uptown Serenaders
| Cannabis. |
|
12
| Knocking Myself Out
| 1941
| Lil Green
| Cannabis. |
|
13
| Junker's Blues
| 1940
| Champion Jack Dupree
| Cannabis, with references to various other drugs. |
|
14
| Reefer Hound Blues
| 1938
| Curtis Jones
| Cannabis. |
|
15
| The Reefer Song
| 1943
| Fats Waller
| Cannabis. Fats covers If You're a Viper. Track 8 is the original. |
|
16
| I'm Feeling High and Happy
| 1938
| Gene Krupa and his Orchestra
| Unclear/Drugs in general. Most likely cannabis. |
|
17
| When I Get Low, I Get High
| 1936
| Ella Fitzgerald
| Unclear/Drugs in general. Most likely cannabis. |
|
18
| Ol' Man River (Smoke a Little Tea)
| 1938
| Cootie Williams and his Rug Cutters
| Cannabis. Refers to "tea" (pot). Tea influenced parody of a classic. |
|
19
| Blue Reefer Blues
| 1935
| Richard M. Jones and his Jazz Wizards
| Cannabis. Instrumental piece. |
|
20
| Cocaine
| 19??
| Dick Justice
| Cocaine. Cover of track 24 Cocaine Blues by Luke Jordan. |
|
21
| Reefer Head Woman
| 1938
| Jazz Gillum and his Jass Boys
| Cannabis. Pothead girlfriend sleeps too much. Big Bill on guitar. |
|
22
| Willie the Weeper
| 1927
| Frankie "Half-Pint" Jackson
| Opium or morphine user. "Weeper" probably refers to red eyes. |
|
23
| Cocaine
| 19??
| Luke Jordan
| Cocaine. The quintessential coke song. |
|
24
| Blue Drag
| 1935
| Freddy Taylor and his Swing Men from Harlem
| Cannabis. Blue drag is apparently a nickname for ganja. |
|
25
| A Viper's Moan
| 1935
| Willie Bryant and his Orchestra
| Cannabis. Instrumental with ad lib crosstalk. |