1957 Lonnie Donegan: Putting On The Style/Gamblin' Man

It's probably a bit too convenient to say that this recorded live double A side showcases both sides of Lonnie Donegan, the joker and the rocker. It's true that 'Putting On The Style' is an amiable piece of music hall clatter that's been a perennial family favourite ever since, but Donegan (as we will find out) was prone to travel much further left than that in the blatant party singalong stakes, and not always with pleasant results. As it stands, 'Putting On The Style' keeps on the right side of George Formby corn with added lines by Donegan that update the original's period talk of horses, courting and dramshops to hot rod sports cars and the hellfire of Satan. Decent rather than essential; 'Gamblin' Man' is where most of my interest lies.

An almost straight cover of Woody Guthrie's song, the liberties Lonnie doesn't take with the lyrics he makes up for with a jacked to the max performance that hits the ground with an innocuous canter and then just gets wild until Donegan sounds like a man possessed, hurtling through the verses and looped fire and brimstone "He's a gamblin' man man man" chorus with the bug eyed ferocity of a revivalist preacher on judgement day. The joined to his hip band steam along with him until a drum and guitar solo lets breaths be caught before they're off again twice and fast and twice and loud as before.

'Gamblin' Man' is a primal blast of energy that shreds the rest of the chart around it like (to cite a personal point of comparison) The Jesus And Marychain's 'Upside Down' did to Wham!, Billy Ocean, and Duran Duran in the November 1984 top ten. Except of course 'Upside Down' didn't get to number one. Or even chart at all. Which makes Lonnie's achievement even more remarkable - were people more open minded in 1957 I wonder, or was this bought on the strength of 'Putting On The Style' while its evil twin never saw the light of day? Whatever, 'Putting On The Style/Gamblin' Man' was the last UK single to be issued solely on 78rpm. I'd like to think that Lonnie's tune played no small part in the realisation that the old guard had had its day.