New Orleans outfit the Dixie Cups first scored hits on Red Bird with classic early 60s girl group records. In early 1965 they released ‘Iko Iko’ which was another hit, but one which utilised the music and feel of the New Orleans Madi Gras celebration of native Americans. Their final single flopped and they were taken by producer Joe Jones to sign for the bigger ABC label. Their first release, later that year, was another Mardi Gras-styled song ‘Two-Way-Poc-A-Way’. This was even more influenced by the native rhythms of the Crescent City, but was deemed too way-out by the group’s fans and also failed to chart. The ensuing years saw its captivating deep rhythms and echoing vocals picked up on by collectors and DJs until “classic” status was achieved. It crosses over all genres and is aurally unputdownable once heard.
The flip featured here, ‘What Kind Of Fool’ (not the Tams song), is a lovely, mid-tempo, straight soul song. Oddly it was only released in the UK as an HMV 45; it didn’t even make the ABC LP.
