The Kingsmen ‎ – Louie Louie/Haunted Castle (Wand ‎ – 143, USA, 1963).
"Louie Louie" is the song by Richard Berri written to them in 1955 and released in April, 1957 on the party B singles "Rock Rock Rock". Pesnya written and executed in style of the Jamaican ballad, in a simple kupletny form from the first person tells a story about the Jamaican seaman who returns to the island to the beloved. The song received the greatest popularity performed by the The Kingsmen group which published the version in 1963 which became the standard in bottoms - both to rock music and object of investigation of FBI on imaginary obscenities in the text, ended without the brought charges. In 1985, the comedy actor Ross Sheyfer conducted a campaign making "Louie Louie" the anthem of the State of Washington which, however, failed. In the list of 500 greatest songs of all times according to the Rolling Stone magazine, "Louie Louie" performed by The Kingsmen took the 54th place.
In the musical industry of the USA 1950 — the 1960th years, white actors often executed cover versions of songs of black actors. On April 6, 1963 the The Kingsmen group from Portland, Oregon, chose "Louie Louie" as their second record ("Peter Gunn Rock" was the first). Record of a song took place in the Portland studio Northwestern and cost group 50 dollars. Ken Chase who was a famous person on AM-radio 91 KISN acted as the producer of a session and also owned night club in which The Kingsmen often acted. The owner of studio Robert Lindal became the sound engineer of a session. Jack Elie, The Kingsmen lead vocalist, based the version on the record The Wailers. At night before a sound recording session, during the concert in local club the group executed the 90-minute version of a song. The studio version was written down for only one double. Also, in quality a bi-pollack the group wrote down own composition, tool "Haunted Castle".
After guitar the considerable mistake was solo made. As the version of The Wailers in which before the third couplet the main guitar riff repeated two times formed a basis for a cover of The Kingsmen, it was expected that Elie will make the same. However the vocalist started singing too early, and having understood it stopped while the group did not understand it. Ne having become puzzled, the drummer Lynn Easton filled a pause with small loss, but before the termination of a couplet other group began to play a refrain slightly earlier. After they quickly oriented. This mistake was so remembered to some groups that they purposely began to do it during performance of the song.
Also exists a story that Elies microphone was located too highly therefore to sing it had to reject strongly the head back therefore a little unusual vocal turned out. According to Elie: "In studio there was no professional, except, likely, Lindal. We supplied all our equipment to a circle, the person to each other under the microphone attached to a ceiling in which I sang/shouted the text". Besides it was reported that in the afternoon before Elies record put briquettes on teeth that influenced pronunciation.
Release of a song took place in May, 1963 in a single format on a small label of Jerden Records, and in October — on larger label of Wand Records. On December 7 the song was included in the top ten songs in charts of Billboard Hot 100, and a week later ranked second on it; the song remained in Top-10 till February, 1964. As a result, the version of The Kingsmen spent 16 weeks to Hot 100. "Louie Louie" won first place in bottoms - and a rhythm and blues Cashbox magazine charts. Pesnya quickly became the standard at youth parties in the USA in the 1960th.
Blamed almost in perfect tune. Standard white cover.