Baby, Please Don't Go by Them

Classic 45's Jukebox

Label: Parrot 9727
Year: 1965
Condition: M-
Last Price: $30.00. Not currently available for sale.
Yes, Rolling Stone magazine (#211) and Dave Marsh (#69) are spot-on in adding this great single to their respective "best of" lists. Overshadowed (in the U.S.) by its more famous A side, however, is another essential rocker that's one of the best versions of the traditional blues classic, "Baby, Please Don't Go." In the U.K., "Baby" was the hit, with "Gloria" clearly the B side.

In the States, "Baby" started out as the A side, and as early as January 1965 it was being mentioned as a "regional breakout" in Billboard magazine. However, the song never generated enough airplay and sales to register on the Billboard singles chart (though it did "bubble under" as high as #102 starting in March). Finally, in May, after radio programmers had determined that the "B" side had more potential, the sheer genius of "Gloria" managed to crack the Hot 100, reaching #93 for one short week. After the U.S. rock band Shadows of Knight released their cover of "Gloria" in March the following year, Parrot re-released Them's version, at which point "Gloria" was obviously the A side and climbed to #71.

According to Wikipedia, "Baby, Please Don't Go" wasn't written by Delta Bluesman Big Joe Williams (though that's who's credited on this 45), but he popularized it first, back in 1935. However, Williams' original acoustic blues bears no resemblance to what Van Morrison and his mates cooked up for the blistering version on this single. (I can't believe I just put in "Wooly Bully," which has the similar-sounding early garage/blues rocker "Ain't Gonna Move" on the B side. What you call serendipity!) It would take me more time than I have to determine who exactly came up with this arrangement of "Baby, Please Don't Go" first, because if you check out the song in iTunes you find it's been covered by everyone from Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker to Bob Dylan, the Amboy Dukes, Aerosmith and AC/DC. If the Muddy Waters version is one he recorded for Chess in the 1950s, I think that's probably where Van Morrison got his inspiration, but again, that's an "if" statement. Whatever, Them scored a clear 2-star (essential) recording with their rendition! (Wish I had time to make an mp3 snippet of the track... it's awesome!)

Note: This beautiful copy comes in a vintage Parrot Records factory sleeve. The labels have some storage wear, but the vinyl (styrene) looks almost untouched, and the audio sounds pristine Mint.