Who – Shout and Shimmy

If this song doesn’t get you up nothing will! I’ve probably covered The Who more than any other band but I’ve missed this excellent cover they did back in 1965. In this post, we will look at the song and the original drummer of The Who. 

This is a cover of a lively James Brown original from 1962. The Who recorded in 1965, it was on their My Generation album. It was also part of their appearance on the music show Ready, Steady, Go! alongside the song Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere. Shout and Shimmy did not achieve widespread fame, it reflects the band’s devotion to R&B and soul, influences that heavily shaped their early sound. They also covered the Marvelettes song Heat Wave which was a part of the Mod culture. James Brown wrote and released Shout and Shimmy in 1962.

The Who’s rendition captures the raw energy of their early sound. Keith Moon in the live cut of this is a blur on drums. He was 19 years old and joined The Who the year before replacing The Who’s original drummer Doug Sandom.

Sandom was a good guy and a solid drummer but he was 34 in 1964 and considered far too old for The Who by the record company. Pete Townshend wrote a moving forward to Sandom’s book in 2014: Had we continued together back in 1964 with Doug on drums we may never have become as successful as we are today. Keith Moon was a born publicist as well as a highly eccentric performer. But I have no doubt that personally, I would have been happier as a young man. Partly because I think we would have continued to put music and friendship first in our band because that was Doug’s way. With Doug as my friend, I believe I could have been a better man.

Doug drummed for them as The Detours and The Who. He had this to say about The Detours changing to The Who: “We were setting up our gear when the Ox arrived and told us there was another band called The Detours and they’d already been on TV so we had to change our name. That night we all went back to a friend of Pete’s – a wonderful chap called Richard Barnes (an author and has worked with the Who for decades), or Barnsy, to try to find a new name.

Barnsy initially suggested The Group and Pete favoured The Hair. Someone else suggested No One until we imagined a compere on stage saying: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome No One.’ We’d have been a laughing stock. It was Barnsy who came up with The Who. Pete tried to compromise by suggesting The Hair And The Who until it was pointed out that it made us sound like a pub. Anyway, Roger came round to mine the next day and said it was to be The Who.”

On one of their recording dates, Townshend and Sandom were not in good moods and Sandom retold it: “He had a terrible go at me, snarling, ‘What’s wrong with you? If you can’t get it right then you’re out.’ I just got up from my stool and said, ‘That’s it, I quit.’ It was the biggest mistake of my life.

Sandom stayed in touch with the band until he passed in 2019 at the age of 89 years old. 

I always try to give a studio and live version…but in this case…live is the way to go. Around 1:29 is where Moon kicks in. 

Shout and Shimmy

Do you feel alright? Well do you feel alright children? Do you feel alright?You know you make me want to shout shimmy, oh yeah you gonna shout shimmy,Oh yeah you gonna shout shimmy, oh yeah you gonna shout shimmy,Oh yeah you know I walk up to the front, I try to do the flop,I walk up to the back, and I move on side to side,Then I stop, oh yeah and then I drop,Oh yeah and then I drop, oh yeah and then I do a little thing ?????,Do you feel alright? Do you feel so good? Do you feel so good?Do you feel alright? Do you feel alright? Tell me now, tell me now,Do you feel alright? Do you feel alright? Everybody do you feel so good?You know I feel alright, you know you make me want to shout shimmy,Oh yeah you gonna shout shimmy, oh yeah you gonna shout shimmy,Oh yeah you gonna shout a little bit soft, shout a little bit quieter,Shout a little bit soft, come on soft, shout a little bit soft,A little bit soft, cool down, cool down, come on, cool it down,I feel so good, I feel alright, drum on, drum on, drum on drummer,Everybody everybody everybody clap your hands, come on clap your hands,Clap your hands, a little bit harder, a little bit louder,A little bit harder, a little bit louder, a little bit louder,Come on and shout, everybody, come on and shout, come on and shout baby,Come on and shout baby, do you feel alright? Do I feel so good?Do you feel alright? Do I feel so good? Call a doctor, call a doctor,Do you feel alright? Do you feel alright? Do you feel alright?Do you feel alright? Do you feel alright?You know I feel so good I’m gonna shout and shimmy all night,I feel all, you know I feel alright.

 

 

 

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

44 thoughts on “Who – Shout and Shimmy”

    1. I know…now it doesn’t seem out of place at all…Lennon was interviewed at the time saying at 25 he thought he would be through…people don’t do this at the age of 25 or older.

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      3. Funny about McCartney. I specifically asked Richard about his bass playing and he made a face. I guess though he liked him he wasn’t as impressed with his playing. Maybe I should counter with the more specific question about Paul’s melodies. Good point, Max!
        Oh, and I love Geddy Lee’s voice and bass playing.

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      4. Oh I just have to listen to Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and I’m floored…it sounds like he was playing a bass with 100 frets lol…a slow bass line that lasted forever…and his bass in Something with the counter melodies.

        Gedy Lee has got that down with playing and singing…thats hard.

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      6. I played bass until I was around 23 and switched to guitar because our singer quit. It’s really hard because it’s like playing a solo and singing….that is playing bass and singing.
        I mastered singing and playing bass on Brown Eyed Girl…I thought I won the lottery lol.

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  6. Interesting! I never knew they began with a different drummer. Interesting to see Pete’s take on that and leads to an ‘alternate universe’ kind of game where you wonder what the path would’ve been had they kept him and not recruited Moon.
    A new tune to me, certainly energetic! Another example of why you so seldom see The Who on lists of ‘bands most often mistaken for the Cowboy Junkies’!

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    1. I don’t think they would have made it to tell you the truth…or not as big…because Moon changed the dynamic of that band. Sandom stayed friends with them. Daltrey said he talked to him on most Sundays on the phone and they invited him to see them and other things. He seeded like a really good guy.

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      1. I’ve been watching some drum solo’s, mostly jazz guys. Moon was given some top shelf talent for sure. Impressive. Like the Knks (Dave Davies) , The Who were about the bands sound but once in a while the individuals flew out of the cage.

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      2. I will say something about them…Entwistle admitted that the reason he played like he did was because of Moon. I can’t imagine the job he had following him around on bass…but they locked.

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  11. Good one. I think I first heard the studio version on the Who’s Missing compilation. Then I think it was on the remastered My Generation with bonus tracks. Haven’t watched The Kids Are Alright in a few years, not sure if I remember it on that.

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      2. I saw it at a cousin’s house when I didn’t have cable. He taped it off on a VHS for me until the DVD came out. I’ve probably watched it more than any other.

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  12. Man, this is a fun rendition! While “Shout and Shimmy” or I should say the nearly identical “Shout” has been covered by many, I had no idea The Who did it as well. I like their studio version as well but agree it’s even more fun to watch the live footage!

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  13. Interesting that their first drummer was 34. That would have been an interesting dynamic – a sort of father figure – but they probably wouldn’t have had the same success. Not sure My Generation would have worked with a drummer from a different generation…

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  14. Keith Moon was an animal! I always loved his drumming. I can’t remember which famous drummer it was, but his little boy wanted to be a drummer, too. When someone asked if he was going to take lessons from his dad, the kid replied “No! I want Uncle Keith to teach me!” Fun story.
    I don’t know what it is about Roger Daltry but I never really liked him that much. I preferred Townshend’s music over Daltry’s and still do.
    That was a great backstory you provided, Max; Townshend’s forward written in Sandom’s book was very touching.

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    1. Moon is my favorite Rock Star of them all…he had the ability to never be embarassed…that is a dangerous trait to have but could be really funny.
      Oh that boy was Zak Starkey…Ringo’s son who who ended up taking Moon’s place. Moon was his Godfather. Keith gave him one of his own drums sets.
      I thought that was nice of Townshend

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