In this little run of Viper Label compilations, nearly all of this WHAT'S COOKIN'? album could have been included on the RISQUÉ SONGS set. In the late night world of juke joints, bars and dance halls of urban America food provided a rich substitute vocabulary to express the limited number of sexual delights anticipated or expected by the clientele. The likelihood that is that good nutrition isn't the main lyrical theme here. Given the context, songs that could be about food and nothing else, sound as they probably aren't – we just need a bit of imagination. Joe Houston's 1928 "Cornbread and Cabbage Greens" might be require a bit of obscure erotic knowledge, But Memphis Minnie's "Selling My Pork Chops" is a lot less euphemistic. And she's giving the gravy away.
There are some significant names on the roster. Louis Jordan, Hank Williams, Leadbelly, Memphis Minnie and Bill Haley are as big as you can get in the roots of rock and story. They get good tunes as well with plenty of obscurities among the obvious choices.
Eddie Davis (with the Bill Doggett Trio) does a raucous, loose and louche "Mountain Oysters" that sings of the joys of eating pig's testicles, with (am I just imagining?) more than a hint of Little Richard campness. Great stuff. "The meat that ain't got no bone". It's definitely on a par with The Swallows singing "It ain't the meat, it's the motion ..."
It's good to see the 1920s represented, with four tasty little crackers included. If you listen through something that lets you re-sort the tracks, it's nice to line them all up by year of recording and listen to both continuity and development in the Devil's own music.
The exception to all this is the Leadbelly track. It's a work song, probably from the prison chain gang era. And that could be The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet providing the muscle? It's a dark reminder that a lot of our best music comes from the worst places. An outstanding track.
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On the other side altogether, there's Johnny Hicks' Hamburger Hop from 1950. Who would have known that such innocent enthusiasm for griddled beef in a bun with onion and a pickle would end up playing such a major part in Rock 'n' Roll dietary morbidity?
The full listing is:
1) Hey, Good Lookin' - Hank Williams I951
2) Beans and Cornbread - Louis Jordan 1949
3) Hot Dog, Buddy, Buddy - Bill Haley 1956
4) It Ain't The Meat - The Swallows 1951
5) Hamburger Hop - Johnny Hicks 1950
6) Kitchen Man - Bessie Smith 1929
7) Ham Hocks - Cecil Payne 1949
8) Hot Dog - Pico Pete 1956
9) Mountain Oysters - Eddie Davis with the Bill Doggett Trio 1949
l0) Fried Eggs - The Intruders 1959
11) Jambalaya - Titus Turner 1952
12) Lemon Squeezing Daddy - The Sultans l95l
13) How Many Biscuits Can You Eat - Dr Humphrey & his Possum Hunters 1928
14) Ham An' Eggs - Leadbelly 1940
15) Selling My Pork Chops - Memphis Minnie 1935
16) Sugar Diet - Charlie Adams 1956
17) I Heard The Voice Of A Porkchop - Jim Jackson 1928
18) Cornbread And Cabbage Greens - Joe Houston 1952
19) Sam - The Hot Dog Man - Lil Johnson 1936
20) Sugar Pudding- Memphis Jug Band 1928
www.the-viper-label.co.uk
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