The Swinging Blue Jeans

 

Ray Ennis - guitar/vocals (born May 26th 1942, Liverpool)

Ralph Ellis - guitar (born March 8th 1942, Liverpool)

Les Braid - bass guitar (born September 15th 1941, Liverpool)

Norman Kuhlke - drums (born June `12th 1942, Liverpool)

  

 

Best remembered for one of the wildest rock rave-ups of the era, a cover of Chan Romero's "The Hippy Hippy Shake", which was only kept from the No. 1 spot by The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand".

The group was formed during the late 50's as The Bluegenes, playing music that was closer to traditional jazz than rock 'n' roll. They had switched to an all-out rock approach by 1962 when, like many of the Liverpool bands, they began working the clubs of Hamburg, Germany.

After residencies in Hamburg and Liverpool's famed Cavern Club, the group signed to HMV in the wake of Beatles hysteria. Their first single, "It's Too Late Now" was only a minor it and the follow-up flopped altogether, but their revival of Romero's "Hippy Hippy Shake" set the pattern for their subsequent releases - revivals of black hits. These included Little Richard's Good Golly Miss Molly", Betty Everett's "You're No Good" and Dionne Warwick's "Don't Make Me Over". That record saw them attempting a more sophisticated sound with which they continued when Terry Sylvester from The Escorts, replaced Ellis in February 1966. However, the lack of original material and their old-fashioned image ("smart" blue jeans and matching leather waistcoats) told against the group and in 1968 after Sylvester left to join The Hollies, they retreated to the cabaret circuit.

Unfortunately, like so many of their contemporaries, they were unable to consistently reproduce the intensity of their live performances on record.

 

Singles

Jun '63

It's Too Late Now/Think Of Me

HMV POP 1170

UK#30

Sep '63

Do You Know/Angie

HMV POP 1206

-

Dec '63

Hippy Hippy Shake/Now I Must Go

HMV POP 1242

UK#2

Mar '64

Good Golly Miss Molly/Shakin' Feelin'

HMV POP 1273

UK#11

Jun '64

You're No Good/Don't You Worry About Me

HMV POP 1304

UK#3

Aug '64

Promise You'll Tell Her/It's So Right

HMV POP 1327

-

Dec '64

It Isn't There/One Of These Days

HMV POP 1375

-

Mar '65

Make Me Know You're Mine/I've Got A Girl

HMV POP 1409

-

Oct '65

Crazy 'Bout My Baby/Good Lovin'

HMV POP 1477

-

Jan '66

Don't Make Me Over/What Can I Do Today

HMV POP 1501

UK#31

Jun '66

Sandy/I'm Gonna Have You

HMV POP 1533

-

Nov '66

Rumours, Gossip, Words Untrue/Now The Summer's Gone

HMV POP 1564

-

 

E.P.s

May '64

Shake With The Swinging Blue Jeans- The Hippy Hippy Shake/Shakin' All Over/Shake, Rattle And Roll/Shakin' Feeling

HMV 7EG 8850

Aug '64

You're No Good, Miss Molly - You're No Good/Don't You Worry 'Bout Me/Good Golly Miss Molly/Angie

HMV 7EG 8868

 

L.P.

Oct '64

Blue Jeans A-Swinging - Ol' Man Moses/Save The Last Dance For Me/That's The Way It Goes/Around And Around/It's All Over Now/Long Tall Sally/Lawdy Miss Clawdy/Some Sweet Day/It's So Right/Don't It Make You Feel Good/All I Want Is You/Tutti Frutti

HMV CLP 1802

 

Re-issue

1996

Hippy Hippy Shake - The Definitive Collection - It's Too Late Now/Do You Know/Hippy Hippy Shake/Now I Must Go/Good Golly Miss Molly/Shakin' All Over/You've Got Love/Shakin' Feelin'/You're No Good/Don't You Worry About Me/Promise You'll Tell Her/It Isn't There/Get Rid Of Her/It's True/What Can I Do Today/Don't Make Me Over/Sandy/Nobody But Me/Now The Summer's Gone/Rumours, Gossip, Words Untrue/Gotta Draw The Line/Tremblin'/Sonething's Coming Along/Don't Go Into The Rain/What Have They Done To Hazel/Now That You've Got Me