SUGAR 'N SPICE, "EASY SQUEEZIN'" C/W "I GOT A MAN," GROOVE 0050 (REL. 10/1964)

Here’s a real Saturday record for ya. Two tuff teens from Nutley, New Jersey made this one-off platter for RCA’s Groove imprint, which they revived in the early 1960s and which introduced the evil styrene to RCA’s formerly-impeccable discography. By decade’s end, due to corporate cost-cutting, all their singles would appear in styrene versions, with the occasional vinyl copy (often a DJ pressing). Along with their “innovation” (add sarcasm to those air-quotes) of Dynagroove, a process that made records half as thick as they once were, and which resulted in the easiest-warping LPs ever made, RCA shit-canned quality to please the Mr. Krabses of their boardroom (money-money-money). This tragic trajectory of money above all has led to the horrific mess America is in right now—a morass that may require a reenactment of the French Revolution to repair. I hope it doesn’t go there, but that outcome seems more likely with each assault on civility the Mango Menace and his boorish Botoxed toadies unleash on a public that wants none of it.

Back to today’s record. Adeline and Josephine Casarrubea were Jersey girls who began to write songs in the early 1960s. From 1962 on, the sisters copyrighted their efforts with the Library of Congress. This record is the entirety of their musical career, aside from a French-language cover of its B-side on a 1965 EP by Lucille (no last name), a 17-year-old chanteuse who later found success singing Greek-language covers of contemporary hits for that country’s musical audience.

These sisters were members of their high school chorale, which made a stereo LP in 1963 as The Choralettes. This private-press album had two press runs, the last which appeared with the brief time of today’s single. There are 1,000 copies of this album in thrift stores of New Jersey, for those in that region to ferret out.

Via the making of these recordings, the Casarrubeas met Curtis Knight, an early associate of godlike guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Knight appears to have made the connections to RCA-Victor which resulted in this single. The A-side is one of Knight’s songs, under his real surname of McNear. Jim Fogelsong, RCA staff producer, helmed the two-song session and the results are like an alternate-universe version of The Shangri-las, that most wonderful of New York girl groups.

“Easy Squeezin’,” Knight’s contribution, is a far cry from the Christmas songs the sibs sang on that Choralettes album. To a New Orleans rhythm, with saucy electric organ and a solid band behind them, the girls deliver a low-down user’s guide to heavy petting that might lead to an unplanned pregnancy if both participants aren’t careful.

These high school gals sing as if from personal experience. They sound like they could fend for themselves in any situation; I’d fear crossing them sidewise. Whew!

>>> Hear it HERE! <<<

A curt, dismissive Cash Box notice.

“I Got a Man” is the sisters’ answer song to Ray Charles” “I Got a Woman,” done with a touch of popcorn in its minor-key melody. (The tempo is far too fast for that Belgian musical sect; they would slow this record down to half-speed, which would sound…weird.)

Josephine and Adeline shout this fast-paced show-tune rocker and they describe their dream man (shared?) with lustful joy. The key changes come fast ‘n’ furious on this out-of-nowhere song that teems with hormonal intensity. It was too much for the pop scene of late 1964; Cash Box condemned it to their B+ reviews section, where a few dismissive words were all it received. Most existing copies are styrene DJ editions: a sure sign that RCA saw no viability in this one-shot affair. One small run of retail copies on vinyl exist; I hope to upgrade to one in due time.

>>> Hear it HERE! <<<

Adeline Casarrubea graduated Nutley High School in 1967 and married her high school sweetheart, guitar-player John Cinquino in ’68. One wonders if they’re still with us. Neither sisters’ high school yearbook captions mention their moment as Sugar ‘n’ Spice. The duo performed live in local shows, including one for The American Beetles, a group that will appear on Saturday Club one of these days. Now there’s a story…

Thanks to the website earlyhendrix.com for info on this record. A fuller account can be read here:

http://www.earlyhendrix.com/knight1-menu-intro#sugarnspice

Tomorrow: Lavern Baker offers a feminist answer to a 1961 Elvis hit, with new lyrics penned by that song’s composers, backed with her most notorious track, recorded in ’58 and thrown away on the B-side. I wish I owned the original pressing; we’ll hear a well-made bootleg.