Album: Bummer Road (The Original Chess Masters CHD 9324)
Original Release as part of 'Chess Vintage Series'
LP 1536 October 1969
Little Village 1/9/57 (TAKES 1-11), BR 1/9/57 (EDITED), TESBW
MUSICIANS: Fred Below (drums) Willie Dixon (bass)
Lafayette Leake (piano) Robert Jr. Lockwood (guitar)
Eddie King Milton (guitar) Otis Spann (piano) Luther Tucker
(guitar)
With comments by Leonard Chess
Transcription: Awcantor@aol.com
Track begins - Sonnny Boy instructs backing musicians:
Sonny Boy: Take your top down
Bom-bom, bom, bom-bom-bom
Bom-bom, bom-bom-bom
Bom-Bom
<Track begins Intro Instrumental and harp>
Sonny The little village is too small to be a
village
Not large enough to be a town
Too small to be a -
<tape stops abruptly>
Leonard: Go ahead we're rolling, Take 1
What's the name-a this?
Sonny Boy: Little Village <pause>
A Little Village, Muther Fucker! A Little
Village!
Leonard There's isn't a mother fuckin' thing there
about a village
You son-of-a-bitch!
Leonard: Nothin' in the song has got anything to do
with a village
Sonny: Well, a small town
Leonard I know what a village is!
Sonny: Well alright, goddamn it!
You know, you don't need no title
You name it up, you, I got-get through
with it, son-of-a-bitch
You name it what you wanna
You name it your mammy, if ya wanna
Leonard: Ha-ha
Leonard: Take 1 roll it!
<count off> 1, 2, 1-2-3-4
Sonny: Hm-um, that's too fast, baby!
Leonard: Take 2, slow it up
<count off> 1, 2, 1-2-3 music starts
Sonny: Talkin' 'bout your little town
Small little place, you know
It's not large enough to be no
city
Couldn't be no town
Small little place
Small little village couldn't be a
town
It's too small to be a
village
And not large enough to be a
town
But I fell in love with a swell
little chick
That's why I can be stickin'
around
She's just about so tall
And she's about so wide
'Bout so tall
And she's just about so wide
When it come down to lovin'
She strictly satisfy
<harp & instrumental>
When I first dropped in the
little small place
For three weeks wasn't a soul
around
When I first dropped in the
little place
For three long weeks wasn't a
soul around
The first chick I met was on the
village tonight
An' she strictlly taken me
down
She got a pad like a
palace
Ev'rything was cruisin'
kind
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
She take me to her pad
An' ev'rything was cruisin'
kind
She started talkin' that d.d.
talk
And ya know that changed my
mind
Yea-aay
<Instrumental &
harp>
She started talkin' that d.d.
talk
And that changed my mind
<end of song>
Leonard: We're rollin' (will take two)
Take 4
DT, Deep, Deep Theme Blues
<Instrumental begins slowly and stops>
Leonard: Take 5, hold it, Take 5
<Back up musicians discussion>
Sonny: ..ames, C'mon
<harp begins>
Leonard: Alright, this is it, take, Take
6
<music & song begin> 1, 2, 3, 4
Sonny: Just a little small place
I couldn't call it no city
either no town
Leonard: Alright, Take 7
Sonny Boy 'at's right
Leonard: Sonny Boy, you came in a little
too fast, man
Take 7
<count off> 1, 2, 3, 4
Sonny: You know it's just a small
little town
Leonard: Hold it
<song stops but tape continues to record background
argument>
Unk#1: Why does it take five people, to
start with?
Sonny Say, look, look, ya-ya-ya, ya
only got three
Ya only got one chorus
Bom-bom-bom-bom-bom
<tape cuts>
<Begins again while argument continues>
Sonny Boy: ..get up there, you'll pick it
up
Leonard: Take 8, watch it!
Unk #1 'God all Mighty, the people can
tell'
Unk #2 'Oh, well'
Unk #1 Aaand they know!
Unk #3 Ain't playin' that, I don't know
but one chord
Unk #1 'You playin, B12'
Sonny: See, I'm not playin' I-I-I touch
it off
And then I come around with
you, c'mon
Unk#4 You can play it anyway you all
wanna
Unk#1 You got an opinion aaand
Unk#2 Just do what you want..
<more musician discussion/argument inaudible>
Leonard: Take 9 Watch it!
<Music and Sonny begin again>
Sonny: You know I was in a small
little place
It's too small to be a place
or a town
Leonard: Hold it! Hold it! Take 10
<long pause silence>
Leonard: Take 10
Sonny: Just a small place
Not large enough to be no
city
Not lar- big enough to be no
town
Leonard: Hold it!
Hold it! I wanna get you
clear, man
Sonny Boy, don't blow, don't
blow
between place an-an town, you
know what I mean?
Sonny: Just sing an' no blow 'till,
'till I move from the mike?
Leonard: Don't blow that part, just sing
it
Sonny: Okay, alright
Leonard: Okay, go ahead, Take 11
Sonny Boy: You know I dropped into this
place
An' it's too small to be a
village
Not large enough to be a
town
But I fell in love after hours
that night
And I had to stick around
Well, this place is a small
little village
And not large enough to be a
town
Yeah, it's not small enough to
be a village
And not large enough to be a
town
<Leonard: stops song>
Sonny: Because, I'm just doin' me a
test run
<Sonny begins harp>
Leonard: Alright, hold it, hold it, hold
it, hold it,
Take 11
Sonny: Already started
Leonard: Take 11
Sonny: Yeah
<song begins again>
Sonny: You know I stopped in a little
place
Too small to be a
village
An' not large enough to be a
town
Yeah, it's a little
place
Too small to be a
village
An' too large enough to be a
town
Yeah, now it's large
enough to be a village
An-a too small to be a
town
But I fell in love with a
small little chick
That one night she'd taken me
down
She had a cruise, crude
apartment
And she invited me
around
She had a cruise crude' lil
apartment
An' she invited me
around
After the night was
over
I just had to stick
around
Well, alright
<Instrumental & harp>
I trust my baby
An' I know somethin'
fine
Yes I know, the little girl
is nice and kind
She had a swell li'l
apartment
That's when she'd invite me
down
Her nice disposition
An' I couldn't turn her
down
Her nice cool
'position
And I could not turn her
down
I know li'l place too small
to be a village
Not large enough to be a
town
Yeah! yeah! yeah!
<Instrumental & harp>
Goodbye, baby
I would just like to stick
around
Goodbye, baby
I would just like to stick
around
But I got to leave you
now
'Cause tomorrow I'm Chicago
bound.
Bom-Bom.