Willie Joe and His Unitar: Unitar Rock/Bob Lenarde with Willie Joe: Cherokee Dance (Specialty SP-576-45)

If you've ever heard Rene Hall's "Twitchy" (see "July's Hot Hits") and wondered what that weird lowdown twang is, that's the work of one Willie Joe with his one-stringed instrument he called the Unitar. Thus it is with "Unitar Rock" that he lets that string fly for the course of 2:20 minutes. So, what does it sound like? Think "Twitchy" jacked up a couple notches on the speedometer. Think full throttle and full tilt. Think wild instro. Get it? Good. Willie's back on the flip, but this time it's a vocal number by Bob Lenarde. As Willie and the band twang and thump away, Mr. Lenarde growls in a low voice something about a new dance you can do with your squaw ("Grab your chick and spin her 'round/Take six steps back and then squat down) while a vocal group sings out something that sounds like "Hey wop chick chick, chick-a-boom" or a reasonable fascimilie thereof. Then, it's time for that Unitar solo and the whole thing goes out into the stratosphere for a bit before Bob brings it back down to earth for some more of this Cherokee Dance craze. The sad fact that records this wild and this crazy aren't made anymore ought to be enough to make you pick up the nearest available weapon and fight political correctness wherever you may see it. As for myself, I'll just turn this one up and bask in the coolness it permeates.