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Title - Cookie Crew: Pick Up On This [1987-1992] (4CD)
Artist - Cookie Crew

For those unaware, Cookie Crew: Pick Up On This - 1987-1992 is a wondrous 4CD Box-Set and is the first career overview of Britain’s most celebrated female rap act, Cookie Crew.

One of the first and most significant British female hip-hop acts, South London duo Cookie Crew were equally skilled at making club-oriented pop-rap and more socially conscious hardcore rap. They broke through with 1987’s Rok da House, a collaboration with the Beatmasters which was arguably the first hip-house track, and certainly the style’s first major hit.

While Cookie Crew incorporated elements of house and electro into their music, they were never interested in being pigeonholed as a dance act. Their two albums, 1989’s Born This Way and 1991’s Fade to Black, featured production by members of Stetsasonic, Black Sheep, and Gang Starr, as well as collaborations with vibraphonist Roy Ayers and funk legend Edwin Starr.

Following a pair of 1992 singles which respectively concentrated on the duo’s house and hardcore sides, Cookie Crew sadly disbanded.

Their entire discography is now brought forth here in this new Box-Set and contains both their albums - Born This Way and Fade To Black - and all of the singles, plus an abundance of remixes with 20 of the tracks being issued here on CD for the first time.

Disc One: Born This Way (1989)
1. Yo! What’s Up
2. From The South
3. Come On And Get Some
4. Pick Up On This
5. Feelin’ Proud
6. Bad Girls (Rock The Spot)
7. Got To Keep On
8. Born This Way
9. Black Is The Word
10. Places And Spaces For Your Mind
11. Rhymes And Careers
12. Dazzle’s Theme
13. Got To Keep On (B-Boy Mix)
14. Places And Spaces (Mellow Mix)
15. Rok Da House 12” [Bonus Track]
16. Rok Da House (Remix)* [Bonus Track]
17. Females (Get On Up) 12” [Bonus Track]

The first disc features their Born This Way album, as well as Cookie Crew’s first appearance on record when they joined Beatmasters for their hit single Rok Da House, alongside a remix of the single that’s not been available on CD before. It also features their debut single in their own right, Females.

After signing with London Records, Cookie Crew took on the US, and soon they were working with the likes of Stetsasonic and Gang Starr. But through all of this, they stuck to their truth, and to their British identity, and did all they could to represent the burgeoning scene at home.

Thus songs from their debut album Born This Way make direct reference to their home town and to their journey (“We’ve got a message to all who said we couldn’t do it / take a look at us now, take your words and chew it”); Black is the Word captures their pride in their Black British identity and From the South is a homage to their home.

Indeed, their subject matters overall were very, very British, with their references actually coming from their parents, themselves from the Windrush era. Hip-hop in a way introduced them to what was happening in America, but it didn’t introduce them to wider issues they faced as Black people. Hence why their music/lyrics dive into these topics in a way that is brightly bold, in my humble opinion.

Disc Two: Fade To Black (1991)
1. Secrets (Of Success)
2. Love Will Bring Us Together
3. Fade To Black
4. Mysteries
5. The Powers Of Positive Thinking
6. Mental Maniac
7. Watch The Cookies Crumble ’Em
8. Going Freestyle
9. A Word To The Conscious
10. How Long (Has This Been Going On)
11. Here We Go
12. Like Brother Like Sister
13. Time 2b What We Wanna Be
14. Secrets (Of Success) (Cooks Mix)
15. Secrets (Of Success) (Live At The Bar-b-que Mix) [Bonus Track]
16. Mental Maniac (Broadmoor version) [Bonus Track]

The second disc features Fade To Black as well as bonus tracks, where tracks such as The Powers of Positive Thinking and A Word to the Conscious laid bare their thoughts and feelings on vital issues of the day - including the incarceration of Mandela, the causes of racism and oppression, and gun control.

Of course, they must have also known that these tracks would never be chosen as radio play singles, but they still wanted to make them, to satisfy themselves, to show they had a voice on the subjects.

They came from a very tomboyish image and so for them to try and be like, say, Salt-N-Pepa, well, it just was not going to work and I think that it was their demise in the end. Female rappers were getting more and more sexual, and they were going more and more the other way. They did not want to compete, and perhaps, just couldn’t.

Female rappers are all about the lyrics and delivering and showing that they are better than the guys, in regards to the UK scene at that time, and Cookie Crew felt like that when they first started in 1985, their whole point was to be better than the boys. Because they were the ones that were popular.

The third disc contains remixes, eight of which have never been issued on CD before and the fourth, and final disc, is comprised of remixes, eleven of which have never been issued before!

Disc Three: Remixes
1. Come On & Get Some (Cookapella)* 2. Females (Get On Up) (Remix Cut)* 3. Got To Keep On (Danny D’s HipHouse Remix)* 4. Love Will Bring Us Back Together (Biznizz Beats)* 5. Born This Way (Let’s Dance) (12” Version) 6. Come On & Get Some (Super Fly Mix) 7. (Secrets (Of Success) (Club Mix)* 8. Love Will Bring Us Back Together (Feel The Vibe) 9. Mental Maniac (Psychotropic Version)* 10. Brother, Like Sister (Sure Is Pure Mix) 11. Crew’s Gone Mad (Lyrics)* 12. Born This Way (Let’s Dance) (Prince Paul Dope Mix) 13. Secrets (Of Success) (Cooks Instrumental)*

Disc Four: Remixes
1. Born This Way (Sue’s Favourite Mix) 2. Females (Get On Up) (The Godmother)* 3. Come On & Get Some (Drum & Bass Mix) 4. Secrets (Of Success) (Two Step Style)* 5. Brother Like Sister (Full On Mix) 6. Crew’s Gone Mad (Acapella)* 7. Love Will Bring Us Back Together (Cooks Mix)* 8. Born This Way (Prince Paul Instrumental)* 9. Come On & Get Some (Jack Swing Mix) 10. Secrets (Of Success) (Acapella)* 11. Love Will Bring Us Back Together (Louis Louis Mix)* 12. Brother Like Sister (Deep Club Mix)* 13. Crew’s Gone Mad (Beats)* 14. Come On & Get Some (Raga Mix)* 15. Love Will Bring Us Back Together (Acapella)

* PREVIOUSLY UNAVAILABLE ON CD

Both members, Cookie Pryce and Susan Banfield, have been interviewed exclusively for the sleeve notes and have also opened their photo archive, providing a wealth of rare images.

Cookie Crew - Pick Up On This - 1987-1992 4CD [Official Trailer]

Official Purchase Link

www.cherryred.co.uk





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