Ex-boxer
Screamin' Jay Hawkins' live show, full of on-stage coffins, skulls, and toilets, prefigured the extravagant concert productions of later artists like
Alice Cooper and
George Clinton, and
Hawkins' full awareness of the visual aspect of rock music extended even to his lyrics, which were purposefully graphic and surreal. In essence,
Hawkins was a one- or two-trick pony, but boy, those ponies could run. His masterpiece was "I Put a Spell on You," which he originally recorded for OKeh Records (supposedly while extremely drunk) in 1956, and while
Hawkins' version was never even close to being a commercial hit, the song has been covered so many times (most notably by
Nina Simone) that it has deservedly been certified as a rock and R&B classic. "Spell" is here, of course, on this so-so collection of 1950s and 1960s tracks, and it's clearly the high point, although
Hawkins' gives "Little Bitty Pretty One,"
Fats Domino's "Please Don't Leave Me," and
Little Willie Mabon's "I Don't Know" nice workouts. This same set, with different cover art, has also been issued as Essential Recordings by Golden in 2000 and under the same title, I Put a Spell on You, by Charly in 1999. ~ Steve Leggett