Have Guitar, Will Travel

VINYL FORMAT. Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1959. Have Guitar, Will Travel opens with a super-charged version of "She's Alright" that leaps right out of the grooves. It has some of the flavor and excitement that marks the work of Ray Charles, yet is unmistakably Bo Diddley. Proceeding through the aforementioned "Cops and Robbers," with its funny monologue, and "Run Diddley Daddy," whose beat suggests a calypso, you'll hear "Mumblin' Guitar" next. The spoken introduction precedes Bo's unique "talking guitar" that is backed by the typical Bo Diddley rhythm pattern that is based on the old 'shave and a haircut, six bits' phrase. On "Say Man, Back Again," Bo and maracas player Jerome Green echo the success of their "Say Man" conversation between two cats standing on the corner. Bo's vocals highlight the remainder of the album, save for the instrumental "Spanish Guitar" on which his guitar again takes over in front of Green's maracas.