1.“THE TWIST” by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters.

Original version by composer / singer and R&B pioneer. Dick Clark heard about this dance craze ripping up the black clubs in 1960 and invited The Midnighters to perform it on ‘American Bandstand’ with obligatory white dance routines, but Hank gave it the no-no as he had plans to get jiggy with a hot date in Cincinnati on the night in question. Dick, never one to let a good idea get away, put out a dragnet and found the caramel-hued Ernest Evans and following the ‘Fats Domino’ precedent named him ‘Chubby Checker.’ The rest, as they say, is pure embarrassment.

 

2.“TWIST & SHOUT” by The Beatles.

Tough one but John Lennon’s got the edge on the Isleys’ lead vocals and the whole track still sounds incredibly exciting. (Jenny LeCoat thought first line was “Shaking the baby, now!”) So much for HER mothering skills.

 

3.“TWIST & SHOUT” by The Isley Bros.

More controlled with tight production by writer / producer Bert Burns. Latino-style trumpets are a blast and the brothers’ voices blend brilliantly.

 

4.”SOUL TWIST” by King Curtis.

The greatest saxophone player of his time on classic instrumental and it still kicks major arse.

 

5.“TWISTIN’ THE NIGHT AWAY” by Sam Cooke.

One of the greatest intros in pop music straight into one of the purest voices in Gospel and Soul. We’ve (“Ronnie & The Rex”) closed HUNDREDS of shows with this piece of gorgeousness.

 

6.”BO’S TWIST” by Bo Diddley.

Final track on the great but somewhat unimaginatively titled “Bo Diddley” album. Mad scratching and scrubbing and thumping and listening to this it’s small wonder I turned out this way.

 

7.”THE LOSE-YOUR-INHIBITIONS-TWIST” by Chubby Checker.

More than “Let’s Twist Again” this song illustrates the marginalized renegade side of Ernest and his eternal scream for self-expression.

 

8.”PEPPERMINT TWIST” by Joey Dee & The Starlighters.

Direct from New York’s “Peppermint Lounge” small and tightly buttoned-up Italian men snap their fingers, croon and shimmy in their sharkskin suits. Later to hire dual guitar skills of Jimmy Hendricks and Joe Pesci. True!!

 

9.”TWIST TWIST SENORA” by Gary (U.S.) Bonds.

Someone left all the controls on “11.” Peaking like it’s spinning out to the stars Gene Barge turns the controls up to ‘11’ and points out the mic to Gary and we get yet another incredible New Orleans rug-cutter. Job done.

 

10.”DON’T STOP – TWIST!” by Frankie Vaughan.

No blatant careerism here then.

 

Please come back and learn more stuff you didn’t even know you wanted to know!

Next stop: The GOLDEN TOP TEN of SURF & HOT ROD.