This Is Huey Piano Smith

• Artist: Huey "Piano" Smith
• Rating:
• Release Date: April 21, 1998
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rhythm & Blues

Review

For years, Huey "Piano" Smith lacked a comprehensive overview of his recording career, and no compilation ever appeared on CD in the United States. The budget-line label Music Club rectified that situation in 1998 with the release of This is Huey Piano Smith, an 18-track collection that features all of his hit singles for Ace plus several failed singles and New Orleans staples. Smith's hits and standards -- "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie-Woogie Flu," "Don't You Just Know It," "High Blood Pressure," "Pop-Eye," the original version of "Sea Cruise," with his vocals instead of Frankie Ford's -- are so good that it's an inevitable disappointment to find many of the songs here are blatant attempts to get back on the charts ("Tu-Ber-Cu-Lucas and the Sinus Blues," "Would You Believe It (I Have a Cold)"). These fall flat, as do a couple of the other cuts, but unfortunately, that's an accurate portrait of Smith's career -- he had a handful of wonderful, essential songs and was a hell of a performer, but he wasn't a consistent hitmaker. Nevertheless, the strong stuff is so good -- even essential -- that this is still highly recommended for New Orleans R&B fans and R&B fans in general.~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu, Pt. 1	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:18)
Li'l Liza Jane	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:11)
Everybody's Whalin'	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:42)
Just a Lonely Clown	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:13)
Free, Single and Disengaged	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:11)
Don't You Just Know It	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:34)
High Blood Pressure	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:48)
We Like Birdland	Huey "Piano" Smith, Johnny Vincent	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:32)
Havin' a Good Time	Huey "Piano" Smith, Johnny Vincent	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:35)
Don't You Know Yockomo	Huey "Piano" Smith, Johnny Vincent	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:22)
Well I'll Be John Brown	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:29)
Little Chickee Wah Wah	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:10)
Would You Believe It (I Have a Cold)	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:21)
Genevieve	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:30)
Tu-Ber-Cu-Lucas and the Sinus Blues	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:30)
Beatnik Blues	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:21)
Pop-Eye	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:55)
Sea Cruise	Huey "Piano" Smith	Huey "Piano" Smith	(2:38)

Credits

Huey "Piano" Smith (Piano), Huey "Piano" Smith (Main Performer), Bill Dahl (Liner Notes)