Cookie & The Cupcakes, "Close Up The Back Door" c/w "Until Then," Lyric 1012 (1964; reissue of a 1959 single by Judd Records)
We're swamped today in a good way by the earthy grinding glory of Cookie and The Cupcakes, the supreme bayou r&b combo. This group of Black Lousianians made some of the best records of their style and era, and remain big favorites 'round here. When one of their singles showed up in the recent epic dig--and, better, their most rockin' side--I was delighted.
Their usual fare were churning ballads, like "Mathilda" and the B of this single. It's a pleasure to hear them take a faster pace. On "Close Up the Back Door" they come close to the sound of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters, with lead vocalist Shelton Dunaway at his best in a shoutin' performance with a defiant tone--a far cry from the group's usual collective vulnerability and heartbreak.
This 12-bar blues gets a bonus two-chorus guitar solo--a rarity for this combo. Marshal Joseph LeDee outdoes himself on this furious performance. While I love their epic ballads, Cookie and group were excellent rockers, and I wish we had more performances like this one from them. They played what their audience liked, and they liked the likes of "Mathilda."
First issued on the Atlanta-based Judd label as a follow-up to their first version of "Mathilda," this single got a home-turf release on Lake Charles, LA label Lyric, perhaps in response to fan requests, since the original 1959 single wasn't a hit and was long-unavailable.
Their usual fare were churning ballads, like "Mathilda" and the B of this single. It's a pleasure to hear them take a faster pace. On "Close Up the Back Door" they come close to the sound of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters, with lead vocalist Shelton Dunaway at his best in a shoutin' performance with a defiant tone--a far cry from the group's usual collective vulnerability and heartbreak.
This 12-bar blues gets a bonus two-chorus guitar solo--a rarity for this combo. Marshal Joseph LeDee outdoes himself on this furious performance. While I love their epic ballads, Cookie and group were excellent rockers, and I wish we had more performances like this one from them. They played what their audience liked, and they liked the likes of "Mathilda."
First issued on the Atlanta-based Judd label as a follow-up to their first version of "Mathilda," this single got a home-turf release on Lake Charles, LA label Lyric, perhaps in response to fan requests, since the original 1959 single wasn't a hit and was long-unavailable.
In their review of the first issue of this record, Cash Box favored the up-tempo side, as do we. "Until Then" is one of the group's signature ballads, and is also tops.
"Until Then" has some of the feel of "Sea of Love," another swamp-pop classic which Phil Phillips took to #2 on the pop charts. (Cookie & co. do an excellent rendition of that song on another single.) This is a primo specimen of swamp pop: the churning rhythm, yearning melody, unusual chord changes, a touch of doo-wop and the passionate voice of Shelton Dunaway, whose nasal, yearning approach sounds like heaven to these ears. May it please yours too!
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Tomorrow: we stay in vocal group mode with a wild, inventive 1959 release by The Memos on...wait for it...Memo Records. Two fab sides to brighten your Monday!
Two nice tracks! While Chuck Berry-esque, that guitar work in "Close Up The Back Door" has a prescient surf rock sound for 1959. "Until Then" has a gentle doo-wopping harmony that harkens back to a 1940s Inkspots sort-of sound.
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