Bo Diddley & Company

by Bruce EderThis album is almost worth owning just for the cover photo of Bo Diddley and the Duchess, aka Norma-Jean Wofford, each with their axe. What makes it really cool, though, is the music, which is among the best of Diddley's 1960s output. "Bo's a Lumberjack" is one of the most ferociously sexual and funny signature songs Diddley ever cut, "(Extra, Read All About It) Ben" is a sort of sideways version of "Say Man," with a rollicking beat and very effective use of piano in the backing band, with a grim subject matter handled in a humorous manner, and "Help Out" is one of Diddley's better guitar workouts, with the man getting lots of help from the Duchess. It was records like this that helped keep Diddley's reputation alive in England when Americans stopped buying his stuff. "Met You on a Saturday" is an unusual slow, romantic number for Diddley, very much in a late-'50s style that was probably a few years late to capture anyone's imagination. Other material, like "Diana" (a reworking of "Hey Bo Diddley") and "Little Girl" are less compelling but still solid rock & roll, as are "Gimme Gimme," "Same Old Thing," "Met You on a Saturday," "Put the Shoes on Willie" (written by Earl Hooker), and "Pretty Girl." The latter has a great chorus, and turned up in the repertories of several British Invasion bands.