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Mike Keneally
With Screamin' Jay Hawkins

BLACK MUSIC FOR WHITE PEOPLE (Rhino/Bizarre) released 1991

CD song list:

1. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby 2:54
2. I Feel Allright 3:30
3. I Put A Spell On You (Dance Version) 3:33
4. I Hear You Knockin' 3:11
5. Heart Attack and Vine 4:22
6. Ignant and Shit 6:00
7. Swamp Gas 4:37*
8. Voodoo Priestess 3:49*
9. Ice Cream Man 3:22
10. I Want Your Body 4:07
11. Ol' Man River 5:56
12. Strokin' 5:18

* co-written by Keneally

MK involvement:
Aside from writing the above-mentioned tunes, played guitar, piano and background vocals, did vocal arrangements and the sax arrangement on "Is You Is."

Comments:
I've got the album playing as I write, and it sounds better than it sounded in my memory, but it's still something of a missed opportunity- at the time I was very taken with the sound of a Stratocaster direct into the board, but the final result is far too antiseptic for what should have been a very gritty album. There's some good playing but it's largely too polite on my part.

Anyone who knows their FZ history will have a sense of how odd it was for me to be working for the reactivated Bizarre label, helmed by Herb Cohen, on an album produced by Robert Duffey (whose pants are mentioned on the "Dub Room Special" video). Duffey and I "co-wrote" two of the songs...in the case of "Voodoo Priestess" this literally meant he suggested a title to me, I went off and wrote the song, and we split the publishing 50/50. This is called "the music business". For some odd reason, never explained to my satisfaction, the CD's liner notes contained no songwriting credits of any kind (the British vinyl version, of which approximately thirteen were distributed, contains full credits on the label). The high point of the album is definitely "Ignant and Shit", a totally crazed Jay improv rap with some actually inspired playing, all off the cuff. Tied for high point: Jay's twisted spoken segues, captured and inserted throughout the album without his knowledge (such as a dissertation from Jay to his then- wife on "holy rolly" religious rites: "the shouting and the typing"). Low point: Ill- advised "dance version" of Jay's classic "I Put A Spell On You", the one song on the album, I'm proud to say, with which I'm completely uninvolved. Major point of shame: after Jay left the studio for the evening, Duffey would have me re- record his piano parts and smooth out all the rough edges. When Jay heard them later, Duffey tried to convince him that his parts had simply been run through a very sophisticated computer device. (At this point I became known as "The Keneally Correctizer" behind Jay's back. I feel no small amount of guilt at being party to deceiving a genuine musical legend, but work was work.)

"Heart Attack and Vine", a Tom Waits song, subsequently was used throughout Europe in a Levi's advertisement, and when I was in Europe a couple of weeks ago I saw that the song is included in a compilation of songs from Levi's ads over the years.

(available from Bizarre/Planet records 740 N. La Brea Ave. Hollywood, CA 90038)

Naturally this desecration of "Spell" was chosen to target radio airplay. "Is You Is" is actually one of the neater tunes from the "Black Music" album; sax player Dana Garrett improvised some single lines, I then fashioned harmonies on the spot and he played them as well, resulting in a fairly nice (if slightly out of tune) horn arrangement.

Columbia-UK version

Epic-Holland version

In 1993 this song was used in Levi's advertisements, and these two different cover designs were issued. Both versions contained another song written by me and Duffey, written as "Feline" but issued as "On The Job", again for reasons never fully explained to my satisfaction. At least both of these releases contained proper songwriting credits.

CD song list:

1. Strange 3:15
2. I Don't Know 3:17
3. Who's Been Talkin' 2:38
4. I Believe 2:25
5. Stone Crazy 2:35
6. Last Saturday Night 4:20
7. Call The Plumber 3:10
8. I Wanna Know 5:48
9. Sherilyn Fenn 4:55
10. Late Night Hawkins 1:35
11. On The Job 3:30 *
12. I Am The Queen 2:36

* co-written by Keneally

MK involvement:
Basically the same as BLACK MUSIC FOR WHITE PEOPLE, although I didn't have as much to do with the background vocal arrangements.

Comments:
This album is made up entirely of outtakes from BLACK MUSIC FOR WHITE PEOPLE, and is consequently somewhat rougher and arguably more entertaining. Jay's performance is frequently priceless. "Sherilyn Fenn" is an improvised ode to Jay's "Two Moon Junction" co-star. A brief snippet of the original jam is included on BLACK MUSIC; on this album we placed overdubs upon the complete jam, which was originally just vocal and Bo Diddley, Jr. (no relation) on rhythm guitar. It's truly offensive and very funny. "Late Night Hawkins" is one of the greatest things ever---check out Rik Shannon's heroic drum overdub, hewing closely to Jay's peculiar rhythm changes, and Jay's spectacular punchline. "On The Job" is the song which was on the European "Heart Attack & Vine" CD single. I was told that having a song co-written by me on that single would result in untold riches for me. Heh heh. Right now I'm listening to "Who's Been Talkin'" and my guitar and piano parts are actually kind of entertaining. "Stone Crazy" has some pretty ridiculous wah-wah guitar in the right channel. I haven't listened to these albums for ages; at the moment I'm enjoying them, but it's tempered by contrition at my complicity in the acts of deception perpetrated on Jay. I hereby apologize. I apologize also for the absurdly inappropriate guitar solo in "I Wanna Know". I was a callow youth.

(available from Bizarre/Planet records 740 N. La Brea Ave. Hollywood, CA 90038)

1. Somethin' Funny Goin' On
2. I Am The Cool *
3. Whistling Past The Graveyard
4. Rock The House
5. Scream The Blues
6. Brujo
7. You Make Me Sick
8. Give it a Break
9. When You Walked Out The Door *
10. Fourteen Wives

* co-written by Keneally

MK involvement:
Some writing, played guitar and did some uncredited background vocals.

Comments:
This album is somewhat more true to Jay's legacy than the first two: for one thing, I played a Tele through a malfunctioning Twin which resulted in more authentic tone; more importantly, also on guitar was Buddy Blue, who has spent many more hours than I researching authentic blues and roots music. The result is certainly much greasier than, if not as funny as, the other two albums. Also, the songs I co-wrote with Robert Duffey are actual collaborations this time, as opposed to him suggesting a title and me writing the song from scratch. Sessions with Jay are always fascinating and fun, and the sessions for this album were especially relaxed and enjoyable, surprisingly so since Jay did the album under pressure (he wanted out of his contract and was forced to deliver this recording). Jay is a true eccentric and a true original---whatever one may think of the results, and my feelings on the matter are mixed, I really enjoyed working with him.

(available from Bizarre/Planet records 740 N. La Brea Ave. Hollywood, CA 90038)