''Playin' Possum'' is the 1982 debut solo album by Moe Tucker, who was the drummer in the Velvet Underground. The album includes a number of renditions of classic rock and roll songs, (such as the 1955 standard " Louie Louie", Bo Diddley's title song from his 1958 self-titled album and the

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

hit " Slippin' and Slidin'"), as well as renditions of more modern rock songs (including Bob Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" and The Velvet Underground's own "

Heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

"). Tucker performs every instrument on the album and recorded it in her living room, dubbed "Trash Records". "Ellas" was dedicated to Bo Diddley.

Track listing

Side 1 #" Bo Diddley" ( Ellas McDaniel) – 3:56 #"

" (

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

) – 8:49 #" Slippin' and Slidin'" ( Richard Penniman,

Edwin Bocage Edwin Joseph Bocage (September 20, 1930 – March 18, 2009), known as Eddie Bo, was an American singer and pianist from New Orleans. Schooled in jazz, he was known for his blues, soul and funk recordings, compositions, productions and a ...

, Al Collins, James Smith) – 3:18 #" I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" ( Bob Dylan) – 3:18 Side 2 #" Louie Louie" ( Richard Berry) – 2:42 #"Slippin' and Slidin'" (Penniman, Bocage, Collins, Smith) – 4:30 #"Concerto in D Major" (

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

) – 3:47 #" Around and Around" ( Chuck Berry) – 3:42 #"Ellas" ( Moe Tucker) – 6:01

Personnel

*Moe Tucker – vocals,

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, lead guitar,

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

, tambourine, claves,

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, gato drums, arrangements ;Technical *Stephen Mikulka - recording engineer, front cover artwork and photography

Release history

*Trash TLP 1001 (Original vinyl LP release) *M.T.-1441 (white jacket German reissue)

References

{{Authority control 1982 debut albums Maureen Tucker albums Rough Trade Records albums Albums produced by Maureen Tucker