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Sex and the Single

Dave Marsh, Rolling Stone, 26 August 1976

TEN YEARS ago, the Kingsmen used to launch, full tilt, into their biggest hit, 'Louie Louie', then stop. "Hey, these guys never heard this song played fast" they'd leer as they marched into a creeping version of the classic garage-rock riff. For those who missed the era, some explanation may be in order. Slowed down from 45 to 33⅓ rpm — this was before the commercial dominance of the LP, if that doesn't date one right out of the Aerosmith era — 'Louie Louie' was said to reveal a variety of naughty gems. The most memorable of these was "She had a rag on," which is not so much titillating as vulgar and stupid — but it definitely appealed to puerile prurient listeners.

Total word count of piece: 860

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