Jerry Williams Jr has enjoyed a career spanning some six decades now, but it wasn’t until he assumed the moniker Swamp Dogg in 1970 that he really got himself noticed – albeit not always for the right reasons, with the cover of his second Swamp Dogg album, 1971’s ‘Rat On!’ being ranked as one of the worst album covers of all time. It’s reproduced in all its absurd glory on this CD reissue, and yes, it’s pretty fucking terrible.
But the music it houses, well, that’s another matter. It’s robust, groovesome, and, above all, soul with soul. We’re not talking smooth, slick and overly produced: this is music to get down and work up a sweat to. Dogg’s cover of the Bee Gee’s ‘Got to Get a Message to You’ frankly pisses all over the original, and as a whole, ‘Rat On!’ is solid soul gold of a clear vintage. By the same token, there’s nothing ordinary or even remotely conventional about it.
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The same is true of Dogg’s debut album: ‘Total Destruction to Your Mind’ varies between the laid back and the frenzied, extending far beyond any standard template. He’s not really reigned to any one genre, either: ‘Mama’s baby, Daddy’s Maybe’ is a classy blues stroller, and elsewhere there are some country leanings woven into the mix.
Taken together, these two albums give a clear indication of why Swamp Dogg has become a touchstone for those in the know and why his music’s been so heavily sampled, while raising the question ‘why is this guy not huge in commercial terms?’ Way cool, way ahead of his time, and a true (rare) groove sensation.
Swamp Dogg Online
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