Rockabilly Psychosis ... The Phantom & Show # 404

The Phantom was a 50’s Rockabilly artist that is best known for his song “Love Me”. While being initially a Country musician, it was the music of Elvis Presley that changed Jerry Lott’s style. The song is a rare, but frantic, explosive song caught in the moment. It is a song that could never be replicated twice, although it was the second take of the song that was released, the song that pre dates Punk falling under the Proto Punk category with enough attitude and energy that it sounds almost like The Cramps. From the first moments of the opening banshee wail, the listener is drawn into a wild Rock and Roll moment. It was recorded in 1958 by Jerry Lott and his band at Gulf Coast Studio in Mobile, Alabama, there were only two takes ever recorded of the song. Jerry Lott had this to say of the recording of “Love Me” in an interview with Derek Glenister in 1980:

"I'd worked three months on the other side of the record", he told Derek Glenister. "Somebody said, 'what you gonna put on the flip-side' I hadn't even thought about it. Someone suggested I wrote something like Elvis 'cause he was just a little on the wane and everybody was beginning to turn against rock 'n' roll. They said, 'See if you spark rock 'n' roll a little bit'... so that's when I put all the fire and fury I could utter into it. I was satisfied with the first take, but everybody said, 'let's try it one more time'. I didn't yell on the first take, but I yelled on the second, and blew one of the controls off the wall."

After recording the song, Jerry took the master tapes to Pat Boone, who was at the time on his way to church, Jerry convinced him to listen to the tape and Pat suggested Jerry change his name to The Phantom and agreed to release the song through his own label Cooga Mooga, but after signing a contract with Dot it was released in 1960. Much later an LP titled The Phantom Jamie Coe (that mislabeled Jerry Lott as Nick Todd) was compiled by Revival Records compiling nine songs by The Phantom and ten songs by Jamie Coe a 1950’s Rock musician from Detroit, Michigan.

Unfortunately Jerry would not make anymore recordings after 1966, when he fell off a 600 foot mountain side while driving in South Carolina that left him paralyzed, he passed away in 1983. But Rockabilly enthusiasts will always remember The Phantom from the mesmerizing “Love Me” song and the mysterious photograph that is featured on the singles cover. “Love Me” was later covered by The Cramps on their album Songs The Lord Taught Us and countless other artists since then. Jerry had this to say of the songs wildness that was captured on tape from the same interview with Derek Glenister from 1980:

"I'm telling ya", Lott continued, "it was wild. The drummer lost one of his sticks, the piano player screamed and knocked his stool over, the guitar player's glasses were hanging sideways over his eyes."

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This week I Filled in for Some Folks Get The Blues (from 9-10:30 AM), which I will be doing for the next two weeks until the end of May. The show will be Folk, Country and Blues centric, but will also include glimpses of other Rock and Roll forms. Revolution Rock will follow this program from 10:30 to Noon featuring my usual blend of Garage, 70s Punk/New Wave, and Indie Rock.


Part One
Revolution Blues (Some Folks Get The Blues Fill In) Play List:

1. Lee Hazelwood – Run Boy Run
2. Dan Sartain – I Don't Want To Go To The Party
3. Dan Sartain - Love Is Crimosn
4. James OL & The Villains – Late Night Drive (Demo)
5. Johnny West – The Son Is A Red Ball Of Lies Tonight
6. The Lonesome Weekends - Wheels
7. Andre Williams & The Sadies - One Eyed Jack
8. Magnificent Bastards – White Noize
9. Johnny Cash – I Like The 309
10. Diamond Rugs – Out On My Own
11. John Mayal’s Bluesbreakers – Double Crossing Time
12. The Yardbirds – Psycho Daises
13. Tay Falco’s Panther Burns – Dateless Night
14. Jamie Coe – How Low Is Low
15. The Phantom – Tiger
16. Permanent Collection – It’s Alright
17. Ty Segall & White Fence – I Am Not A Game
18. The Spooky But Nice – Through The Night
19. Lost Patrol – You Just Care About Looks
20. Pointed Sticks – All That Matters (Stiff Sessions Version)
21. Hot Nasties – Lookin’ 4 U (Live)
22. The Meteors – Radioactive Kid
23. Visions – The Ghost
24. The Ride Theory – Devil In My Heart

Download part one here!

Part Two
Revolution Rock Play List:

25. The Phantom – Love Me
26. The Cramps – Mystery Plane
27. Modernettes – Won’t Have To Worry
28. The Black Angels – I’d Rather Be Lonely
29. The Kinks – Naggin’ Woman
30. The Gruesomes – Three Men One Coffin (Live)
31. Ramblin’ Ambassadors – Standoff At Calf Rrobe Bridge
32. The Space Plan – Trail The Rails
33. The Features – City Scenes
34. The Carbonas – Hate You
35. Actual Water – Pencil Legged
36. The Cigarettes – All They Want Is Your Money
37. The Laughing Clowns – Laughing Clowns
38. Rotten Tropics – Nightmare Index
39. The Strokes – Life Is Simple In The Moonlight
40. Light Bulb Alley – Tonight
41. Seven Story Redhead - There's A Time To Get Down
42. The Locusts Have No King - Come One, Come All
43. Dirty Pretty Things - Plasttk Hearts
44. The Damned – She’s So Messed Up (Live)
45. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers – London Boys
46. Xena Zerox - Seconds
47. Jam – Billy Hunt
48. The Adverts - Safety In Numbers
49. True Lovers – Love and Affection

Download part two (Revolution Rock) here!

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