Once thought of as Britain's answer to Booker T and the MG's, the oddly-named band Wynder K. Frog released three albums of smoking soul-jazz for the Island and United Artists labels between 1966 and 1970, led by Mick Weaver's mod organ with distinguished support from musicians on both sides of the Atlantic.  Now, Cherry Red's RPM imprint has rounded up those original LPs plus bonus singles and previously unreleased tracks for the 3-CD box Shook, Shimmy and Shake: The Complete Recordings 1966-1970.

The first disc of this collection comprises the amusingly titled Sunshine Super Frog, originally released by Island Records in 1966.  Naturally, the album began with a cover of Donovan's "Sunshine Superman" rendered in mod instrumental fashion.  Also featuring such familiar tunes as Sam and Dave's "Hold On, I'm Coming" and Fats Domino's "Walking to New Orleans," Sunshine Super Frog showed the British group's mastery of the American R&B idiom.  The album was culled from sessions produced by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, arranger-composer Syd Dale, and Jimmy Miller (The Rolling Stones, The Spencer Davis Group); Miller had also helmed the band's first single of Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Turn On Your Lovelight" b/w Weaver's own "Zooming."  It was one of the very first non-Jamaican releases to be issued on Chris Blackwell's Island label.  Both sides of the 45 are appended here, along with two 1967 non-LP single sides ("Green Door" and the Miller co-write "I'm a Man"), a rare track which only appeared on a flexidisc ("Henry's Panter") and a BBC performance of "Wade in the Water."

Early in 1967, Weaver split with his touring band, having become somewhat spoiled by the fine musicianship of the session players called in by Miller and Blackwell to play on Wynder K. Frog's records.  Late in the year or early in 1968, the newly-assembled group entered the studio under the supervision of Muff Winwood to record a second LP.  Though nine tracks were pressed on an acetate, most of these songs (including covers of The Beatles, The Four Tops, and The Who) were never released until their appearance on the third disc of this collection.  One Winwood-helmed track, "Baldy," found its way out as a single B-side.  Young engineer-turned-producer Gus Dudgeon was dispatched to produce Out of the Frying Pan, released in summer 1968.  Weaver's cool style remained on an eclectic array of tunes ranging from "Alexander's Ragtime Band" to "Jumpin' Jack Flash."  Four bonus tracks have been added to this LP: two singles and two tracks which Blackwell placed on the Island soundtrack to director Robert Freeman's film The Touchables.

Good fortune seemed to elude Weaver's band at every turn.  An eight-month stint working onstage with reggae artist Jimmy Cliff didn't yield any studio recordings, and later, Joe Cocker purloined two members of the group, Bruce Rowland and Alan Spenner, to join him.  Weaver was left with just the Wynder K. Frog name.  At Blackwell and Miller's instigation, he joined with Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood as Wooden Frog, or Mason, Capaldi, Wood & Frog.  The group debuted in January 1969 and disbanded before March was out, leaving behind some demo recordings and not memorable live stints including one supporting The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Weaver released his final album under the Wynder K. Frog name, Into the Fire, in 1970 on the American United Artists label.  He was backed by Spenner and Rowland as well as old bandmate Neil Hubbard plus Nigerian drummer Remi Kabaka and American singer-guitarist Shawn Phillips.  Though recorded for Island, it never saw U.K. release.  (Apparently, the UA team suggested the title as a cheeky follow-up to Out of the Frying Pan!)  Emphasizing original songs with just a couple of covers, Into the Fire reflected the shift to a funkier sound but still remained within a southern soul/Memphis bag.  Soon after its release, Wynder K. Frog croaked, though Mick Weaver happily remained active as a session musician backing such artists as Taj Mahal, Eric Burdon, David Gilmour, Buddy Guy, his old pal Shawn Phillips, and others.

RPM's set is handsomely packaged within a clamshell box, with each disc housed in a mini-LP sleeve based on the original artwork for the three albums.  The box also includes a 28-page full color booklet with an exhaustive chronicle of the band's history written by Nick Rossi.  Simon Murphy has remastered.  In a nice touch, each of the three discs bears an Island or UA replica-style label.  Look for Shook, Shimmy and Shake at the links below, available now from Cherry Red and RPM Records!

Wynder K. Frog, Shook, Shimmy and Shake: The Complete Recordings 1966-1970 (RPM/Cherry Red RPMBX540, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Sunshine Super Frog (Island ILP 944 (Mono), 1966) and bonus tracks

1. Sunshine Superman
2. I Feel So Bad
3. Oh Mary
4. Blues for a Frog
5. Somebody Help Me
6. Mercy
7. Hold On, I'm Coming
8. Shook, Shimmy and Shake
9. Incense
10. Walking to New Orleans
11. (Don't Fight It) Feel It
12. Dancin' Pain (Dancing Frog)
13. Turn On Your Lovelight (Island single WI 280, 1966)
14. Zooming (Island single WI 280, 1966)
15. Green Door (Island single WIP 6006, 1967)
16. I'm a Man (Island single WIP 6014, 1967)
17. Henry's Panter (Lynotone flexidisc LYN 1109, 1966)
18. Wade in the Water (BBC Version) (Saturday Club, October 15, 1966) (previously unreleased)

CD 2: Out of the Frying Pan (Island ILPS 9082, 1968) and bonus tracks

1. Jumping Jack Flash
2. Gasoline Alley
3. Willie and the Hand Jive
4. Harpsichord Shuffle
5. Baby I Love You
6. This Here
7. Green Door
8. Bad Eye
9. Alexander's Ragtime Band
10. Tequila
11. The House That Jack Built
12. Hymn to Freedom
13. Hi-Heel Sneakers
14. Jumping Jack Flash (Mono Version) (Island single WIP 6044, 1968)
15. Baldy (Island single WIP 6044, 1968)
16. Dancing Frog (Stereo Version) (from The Touchables, Stateside SSL 10271, 1968)
17. Blues for a Frog (Stereo Version) (from The Touchables, Stateside SSL 10271, 1968)

CD 3: Into the Fire (United Artists UAS 6740, 1970) and bonus tracks

1. Into the Fire
2. Howl in Wolf's Clothing
3. F in Blues
4. Cool Hand Stanley
5. Eddie's Tune
6. Why Am I Treated So Bad
7. Hot Salt Beef
8. Warm and Tender Love
9. Happy Jack
10. We Can Work It Out
11. Funky Broadway
12. Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever
13. A Memory of Bruce
14. The House That Jack Built
15. I'll Go Crazy
16. Tequila
17. Baldy

Tracks 9-17 previously unreleased tracks from acetate, 1968