The sound? Well fundamentally it is as the name implies, any form of music that makes you want to tear off your shirt and shake your titties, spinning the nipple tassels you are naturally wearing underneath your garments like the blades on a helicopter. Typically you will be grinding to the frantic beat doing the ‘Monkey’ or the ‘Dog' or the 'Shing-a-ling' or the 'Push and Pull' ... whatever dance steps that takes you really.

The term tittyshaker is not representative of the contemporary culture of strippers and pole dancers, even if the two do obviously share origins. The pathways taken were very different and today when we talk about tittyshaker we acknowledge that contemporary shaker tracks are most likely recorded by artists of the Missey Elliot variety. The roots of tittyshaker can be traced back to 50's America where in major cities through to backwater shacks and pit-stop bars the juke box would be wailing out sleazy, lo-down and dirty rock n' roll or equally gritty Jazz music to provide the rhythm for a neighbourhood girl to get up on stage to entertain the locals by performing a striptease, commonly she would only go down to her lingerie, the emphasis was on the dance and the tease. As the fifties twisted into the swinging sixties a new craze emerged called Go-Go, it is this craze that today sits at the heart of tittyshaker - but confusingly is not the sum total, as I previously touched upon, tittyshaker is a term that can be appropriated to numerous genres, for example the Rockabilly scene is a haven for some of the most raucous shaker music I have ever heard.

The term ‘Go-Go Dancer’ originates from the legendary music venue 'Whiskey A Go Go' where in 1964 at a concert performed by Johnny Rivers (who incidentally was the act that opened the Go Go) a female DJ playing in a gilded cage that was suspended from the ceiling over the dance floor started shakin’ her stuff to the grooves she was spinning, she was performing all the current dance steps of the era and was quite literally shakin'! One can only imagine the type of sounds she was grinding to, but it must have been a significant sight to behold for the management made it standard practice to fill suspended cages with grinding dancers from that moment on. The girls in the cages initially wore mini skirts with kitten shoes, the Go-Go boots, a fashion based around the fascination for all things space age came a little later and indeed were not referred to as Go-Go boots until they had become so commonly associated with the caged dancers of the ‘Whisky a Go Go’ that they took on the name by association.

The mainstream was fairly swift in picking up on Go-Go dancing, helped through a TV show called Hulabaloo which had a special segment called ‘Hulabaloo A Go Go’ with dancers performing alongside the performer in all their shaker glory. It soon became commonplace for major artists to perform alongside Go-Go girls in venues and on television. Firmly established as a 'craze' when it eventually found it’s way onto family variety shows as a staple feature. The craze was enormous in its scale. Go-Go boots became one of the most desired items in a girls wardrobe next to the ever shrinking mini skirt. It was natural that such provocative dress and dancing styles coupled with the sexual elements present in the music played would eventually find their way to Mr Hefner of Playboy magazine. As you will read a few lines on, it was in Mr Hefner’s New York Playboy club that one of the greatest shakers was developed by legendary Jazz man Kai Winding.

So, tittyshaker has been around for a long time then, and it has never really disappeared, for years people have been reviving the essence of what it’s all about, there were numerous psychedelic dance parties in the late 80’s early 90’s around the midlands that had Go-Go girls coupled with explosive psychedelic visuals, and for the last few years Mr Finewine and DJ Franco have been hosting the sex-a-delic dance party “Vampyros Lesbos’ in New York City with dancing from the incredible Jaiko Suzuki and Viva Knievel. DJ Franco having now left NYC took the spirit of this scene with him back to his homeland of Berlin where he hosts one of the biggest nights in Europe playing rare funk, soul, beat shakers to a new breed of enlightened europeans. Activity in the UK has been pretty poor of recent years, partly due to lack of a dancers network that is so well established in the States and for some reason, Scotland aside here, we don’t seem to be as enthusiastic and supportive of something a little bit different as our friends in distant shores, even if it is, in truth, the answer to all the world's problems. Only through shaking can you be happy..

Kai Winding @ The Playboy Club NYC

	1. Kai Winding "Dirty Dog" Verve [LP] A jazz band leader and trombonist by the name of Kai Winding recorded for me what must truly be one of the most timeless 'shaker songs, titled "Dirty Dog" it's a full on raucous jazz RnB thang full of grinding sexual innuendo and blaring horns. Kai was the musical director of the Playboy Club in New York City when in 1966 he cut this killer 'shaker with none other than Herbie Hancock at Piano as well as three other trombonists to create his legendary four trombone line up, giving this song one of the raunchiest sounds to come out of the mid sixties Jazz scene. Kai was concerned that the far-reaching hand of rock was killing off Jazz music so he decided to experiment with a more raucous sound to create a sub genre that would appeal to the in-crowd; he called this "Jazz Rock". Hmmm?
	2. CECIL GARRETT & THE FASCINATIONS "BEARCAT" CALLA [45] Yep, I never stop talking about this 45 it seems, see them titties a shakin' like a bearcat when this growling bit of raw funky RnB is dropped! I see this 45 regularly at soul clubs, eBay, record fairs so you shouldn't have a problem getting hold of it. It sells for typically £5 but will sell for up to £20. I don't know anything at all about Cecil Garett, who he was, where he was from or even if he did anything else of worth. As this was put out on the New York Calla label I guess he was either from that state or was picked up by the label as he passed through. One can quite easily picture this track being a big hit in those big city clubs with the showgirls.
	3. JAZZ CRUSADERS "Aqua Dulce" Pacific [45] Whoa!!!! What the hell is going on here? Wayne Henderson and the boys blasting out a full on Latin tinged shaker? You better believe it. A fast yet very sleazy Jazz groover with stabbing horns and piano and a full-on shaking rhythm! The Jazz Crusaders recorded so much stuff over such a large period of time that they hit upon numerous styles, this track is found on a promo 45 taken from their 1965 classic 'Chile Con Soul' LP on which it also appears. Annoyingly this track isn't even recognised as the classic it is, but here at Soul Generation we put this amongst one of their greatest moments. Damn this is so good it makes me want to cross dress!
	4. RAY JOHNSON "FUNKY WAY" In Arts [45] Jiggy piano led shaker to get you jerking your ass and slapping your pork chops! It's worth noting that the flip side to this 45 is perhaps one of the freakiest cover versions of "I heard it through the grapevine" I have ever heard, but then come to think of it I am not sure I have actually heard too many covers of that track? If you are expecting this to be like the mod-ish Calvin Arnold original then think again, this sounds like chip monks on acid entertaining a gathering of frenzied monkeys. Yeah reasonably accurate I think. Before I die I would like to hear this played in a club with a ceiling full of Go-Go girls in cages doing back flips.
	5. FRANCIS LAI / NICOLE CROISILLE "I DON"T KNOW WHY" Disc AZ [ep] Oooooh those drums! Taken from the 1969 French pop film ‘La Lecon Particuliere’ this completely infectious French rocker has it all, I think the old-school category for this kind of thing is 'Jerk' or 'French Pop', here at Soul Generation we call it quite simply Tittyshaker. Sung by Nicole Croisille and composed by leading French soundtrack man Francis Lai this has just enough balls to empty your wallet onto the stage. Quite an easy French EP to come by or the song can be found on a lovely compilation by those lovely people at Crippled Dick Hot Wax called ‘Shake Sauvage’ that is most definitely an essential. If you like this track you may want to try to find the Doris 45 'Beatmaker' / 'Don't' that came out a year or two ago, of a similar style and energy.
	6. THE VILLAGE CALLERS "HECTOR" Rampart [45] Woooooooooo Hooooooooo, now pretty much everyone reading this will be aware of this slippery boogaloo organ shaker, prices on this 45 fluctuate frequently, from obscene to (more commonly) next to nothing, so my advice is to play it cool and be sharp. This is a 45 everybody needs, there comes a time in most 45 collectors life when you might find yourself wearing Anne Summers lingerie reaching into the salad tray of your fridge. When this happens make sure you have the right record on otherwise the moment may be totally ruined. I have not experienced this syndrome yet but hear that it is quite common... This 45 should get the tassels spinning like the blades on a helicopter.
	7. MARTINIS "HUNG OVER" BAR [45] Some slow moody RnB grooves from Memphis for that late night grind, I think this might have been on Mr Finewine’s compilation 'Vital Organs' if that's still around to buy - I know I missed getting hold of one, if not expect to pay around £40 for an original or less if you're lucky. The song is built around a sleazy guitar riff conjuring images of late night fifties pulp trash, girls with guns watching the last go-go girl shake out her last dance. I don't know if this is Rock n' Roll, Jazz, Mod Beat or whatever and I don't think it really matters, just some good ol' music.
	8. Billy Joe Young "The Push" Jewel [45] From 1965 this proto-funk jerker is proof that only a fool buys from 67-74 missing great music like this. This has got to have one of the sauciest drum break openings ever with those gritty RnB stabbing horns and break beats. Picture a room full of shaking honeys reacting to Billy Joe’s instructions to "grab a hold of that back beat baby and let yourself go..." The only problem is that at just 2.25 minutes its all over before it's really begun. Neglected this over the last few years so probably time to start spinning it again.
	9. JC DAVIS "MONKEY" CHESS Woooo Woooo Wooo Wooo! Completely insane simian madness, graces only the wildest dance floors. This is a classic Tittyshaker sound, pounding and howling RnB with pant hooting all the way through only pausing for a moment for the chorus of... "Monkey, Monkey, Monkey "! No wonder Kai Winding was getting worried if this was typical of the competition! If there were ever to be a definitive tittyshaker all time top ten I wouldn't need to argue this a place within there and probably within the top 5. Enough mischief to get yourself arrested!
	10. JOHNNY BARFIELD & THE MEN OF S.O.U.L. "SOUL BUTTER" SSS Internation [45] Grinding RnB monster that kicks off with a dirty drum break big enough to take notice of, principally this is a tale of Johnny and his taste for Soul Butter that he and his friends all agree is the best. He walks us through his day from waking up and having it on his toast to going to a nightclub and being served it much to his delight. Quite frankly a strange one especially as he likes it in big chunks or is it hunks (?), but the backing track is full on grind and shake material with drums and organ in full frontal poses. This record must have been recorded especially for stripping or go-go dancing I refuse to believe that this was intended for a teenage market. Will this go big?
	11. BOOKER T. AVERHART & THE MUSTANGS[45] I think this was probably the first 45 I bought when I moved to the L city a few years ago and it still sounds as great now as it did then. Purchased in a state of wet pants having just heard Booker T. Averheart's Maxi-Midi on Soultex. Now does anyone reading this know if these are the same person, the surname is spelt slightly different on this to the 2 Soultex 45's I have seen. This funky mod classic is just sleazy enough to give it classic shaker status, throughout Booker calls for everyone to take off their shoes and jerk. Part 2 rolls out some background organ to replace the vocal while the guitar get just that little bit more playful.
	12. GOLDEN TOADSTOOLS "SILLY SAVAGE" Minaret[45] Killer organ stabs with a shaking rhythm tearing the tassels through the air... Chuck Berry, Strawberry, Cranberry, Needle berry Baby! Of a similar frenzied sound to the JC Davis mess. Nobody can say they weren't having fun when they cut this one. Only the bravest go-go dancer would take this on and win, amateurs beware. One of those wilder 45's from the mod scene, that’s gone huge in the funk scene thanks to repeated spins from all corners. Nice song but what a shame its on that awful looking label.
	13. THERESA TENG "SIDE 2/ TRACK 1"!!!! Life Records [LP] I think if I understand this correctly Theresa was an artist of Chinese origin who moved to Japan in the late sixties, and is a popular singer appearing on numerous mainstream soundtracks to this day. This particular sixties-sounding popster is heavily infused with a thrusting Jerk beat, although it's from 1973 it sounds more like mid sixties. I have no idea what the track is called nor the LP or film its taken from for that matter as the cover is in Japanese, the rest of the LP is quite bland, I picked this up for a fiver so if you are lucky and know what to ask for then this is a must have. If your nipples don’t stand on end for this one and demand to be shook then you should leave now because this is as good as they come. The intro is serious jerk action; I would love to know what she sings just before her long gasps, as they sound so satisfactory. Anyone want to translate for me?
	14. LES SLOW SLUSHY BOYS "SLUSH PUPPY"/"DAS WEISS DER TEUFEL" Butterfly Records [45] Wow, a brand new tittyshaker, and one of the highest calibre as well. I Just received this in the post today to review for the site but it turned out to be so f*cking hot that it found its way into this feature also. The A-side is a psych organ stomper with more than a hint of sixties euro pop jerk, think Brigitte Bardot's 'St Tropez' re-recorded by Claude Bolling and you are almost there. However as good as that is the flip side is the one for me, a wild spazzed-out mod organ workout of equal frenzied pace to 'Shhhhhhhhhh for a little while' with just a tad of Allan Hawkshaw/ Keith Mansfield thrown in for good measure. ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDED FOR YOU HIPSHAKERS!
	15. CHIYO OKUMURA "SHOKO"[LP] I first heard this on DJ Marco's honey machine mix on soulstrut and had to have it. Proving that not all tittyshakers need to be raucous stomping pieces of filth, from the sound this is possibly a bittersweet love tale ( I really need to improve my language skills). As the back of the LP suggests this song captures Chiyo as so demure, so elegant, so Japanese, so womanly! But they fail to say that she sings on a bed of great big blaring horn riff's tearing through the song giving it just enough spice to justify its inclusion here.

CRUCIAL TITTYSHAKER PLAYLISTS

The world's leading expert of Tittyshaker: Mr Finewine
With the caveat that one man's tittyshaker is another man's asspounder, here are ten that currently make me quiver, and not just in the liver. Gynecomastia sufferers, beware!
1. SAXIE RUSSELL, EL MONKEY (RAN-DEE)
2. BLOCKBUSTERS, MUDDY PT. 1 (ROCKIN)
3. JACK LA FORGE, THE CLEOPATRA KICK (REGINA)
4. UNCLE FESTER'S BLUES (HOCTOR)
5. JON THOMAS, TIZZY (JUNIOR)
6. SIR STAN & THE COUNTS, SOULIN' (MAGNUM)
7. TWISTIN' KINGS, CONGO (MOTOWN)
8. GEORGE YOUNG, MECHANIC FROM HAMTRAMCK (PACESETTER)
9. SIMTEC SIMMONS, COOLING IT NOW/LIMBER UP (MAURCI)
10 ANDRE WILLIAMS, SWEET LITTLE PUSSYCAT (WINGATE)

Playboy at Large: Daddy Bones
1. BIG BO THOMAS & THE ARROWS "HOW ABOUT IT" (GAY SHEL)
The king of shakers. Seen that Woody Allen film "Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex"? The giant runaway tit? This record could make even that one shake.
2. BANGERS: BABY LET ME BANG YOUR BOX (R&B)
Every bit as good as the title suggests. Doug Clark version on Jubilee pale by comparison (literally, Gerald).
3. KEETIE & THE KATS: WAY OUT (HURON)
Fast-rolling scorcher not very well distributed by King Records. Great organ sound.
4. J C DAVIS: MONKEY (CHESS)
Doesn't just make me want to DO the "Monkey", it makes me want to BE one.
5. THE SOUNDS OF BOB LANE: MONKEY MASH (VISTONE)
Ah, the dance craze hybrid records. Lazy drum breaks for lazy titty shakes.
6. GEE CEES: BUZZ SAW TWIST (CREST)
Awesome early Glen Campbell 45. Violent twist action!
7. BIG WALTER & THE THUNDERBIRDS: WATUSIE FREEZE (GLOBAL)
Another hybrid. Hypnotic, spazzed out organ romp.
8. GAMMA GOOCHEE HIMSELF: THE GAMMA GOOCHEE (COLPIX)
This screaming weirdo turned down a job in The Monkees and his backing vocalists here are about six years old, it seems. Great!
9. BIG BOB DOUGHERTY: SQUEEZER (GOLDEN CREST)
Turn her loose, oh my. Kansas City grind-a-thon.
10. DUANE EDDY: CARAVAN (GREGMARK)
Thunderous version. Full on R&R blast.

Occasional Go-Go Dancer & DJ: Miss Shingaling
1. THE MONTCLAIRES – HAPPY FEET TIME (SUNBURST)
the b-side of a NS mid-tempo x-over classic “wait for me”, this is has to be one of the heaviest, most filthly produced & surely overlooked tittyshakers out there.
2. LOWELL FULSOM – THE THING (KENT)
an uptempo guitar instro that would make anyone’s nips stand on end.
3. THE ENTERTAINERS – (AT THE) GINZA PT. 2 (MOHAWK)
“the girls are good lookin’ & there’s chinese cookin’ at the ginza”...priceless lyrics w/ fake screams & shouts to boot. it sounds so mid-western, you’d never guess it was produced on broadway.
4. THE DARTELLS – WHERE DO WE STAND? (HBR)
it’s those crazy guys from oxnard, ca that brought you “hot pastrami” on d.o.t., doing a hammond organ infused instrumental dirge on the flipside of “clap your hands”.
5. SOUNDS OF LANE – SHINGALING (MICKEY MOUSE)
my rarest philly record & one of the only surf records you’ll ever hear me spin. the fuzz guitar cuts through the intro like a saber. only the most experienced go-go girls could keep their boots stomping to this tempo w/out falling off the box.
6. JOHNNY BARFIELD & THE MEN OF S.O.U.L. – SOUL BUTTER (SSS)
a silly r’n’b dancer w/ even sillier lyrics that always puts me in a good mood.
7. THE ALPHABETICAL ORDER – MISS BLUE EYES (RISING SONS)
a louisville, ky rocker wrongly acused of being uncool for having the pop club sound of ’68 in comparison to their harder 45 that came out a yr prior covering “little red book” on lemco.
8. THE WILD-CATS – GAZZCHSTAHAGEN (UA)
no clue on this one, except for the fact that it is BAD ASS! how or why it made it onto united artists is still a mystery to me.
9. THE SCARFS – THE JERK IS THE THING (ARC)
oh yes. this is the epitome of tittyshaker :: the band has a misspelled name, there is mention of a jerk & the r’n’b is on overdrive.
10. THE SOULJERS – POOCHUM (RAMPART)
an instrumental w/ great percussion & random outbursts.

The Jazzman: Gerald Short
It's 1966 and you're in a bar in the seedier section of Las Vegas. Scantilly-clad exotic 'dancers' are providing the evening's entertainment, but they only dance if you put a bill in their garter belt - and a dime in the jukebox. There were no DJs in those days you see. And because you just cleaned up in the casino, you're the only guy in the joint with a pocketful of loose change - so you're the 'jukebox DJ' for the night. Let's see what you have to choose from:
1. GARNELL COOPER & THE KINFOLKS 'LONG DISTANCE' JUBILEE
An knuckle-scraping blues that is filthy dirty and with no shame. Dancers cannot help but bounce along to the throbbing bass and the basic, raw beat!
2. KEN JONES 'CHICKEN POT PIE' ALMONT
An uptempo lip-smackin' tasty treat, something to munch on and no mistake!
3. THE PUNJABS 'SITAR BLUES' PRINCE
A taste of the Raj, exotic and eastern with the influence of the honky tonk. A strange combination, but a wriggler for sure!
4. THE INVICTAS 'SINGAPORE SLING' JERRLEN
Another taste of the orient, performed no doubt by ex-servicemen reminiscing upon their experiences in a filipino brothel!
5. JIMMY GORDON 'BUZZZZZZ' CHELLENGE
So dirty it's violent, rasping horns and a filthy dirty bass, get them titties a-shakin'!
6. AMBERTONES 'CRUISE' NEWMAN
Boy oh boy this is heavy, brings a whole new meaning to 'cruising the strip'!
7. DANNY BELL 'CHILI WITH HONEY' FRATERNITY
If there is one record that is gonna tempt you to climb on stage and shake it with the honeys...!
8. DAVE HAMILTON AND HIS PEPPERS 'GOOTER BUG' HI-Q
9. THE KASUALS 'PORT SAID' PEPPERMINT STICK
We've been tempted back east for treat of exotic belly dancing - Las Vagas style!
10. BOBBY SUMMERS 'PAD' CAPITOL
The ultimate slow groover with an infectious, crazy rhythm. Sleazy seduction at its finest!

So there you have it, was it really worth the wait? Still confused? Well keep checking back as I will update the tittyshaker top tens periodically. You got a shaker 45/LP you want to share, send a scan and mp3 to martin@soulgeneration.co.uk