On The Cobblestone

Stewart Lupton “Three Chord Mansion”

In a better timeline, Stewart Lupton would have at least been able to complete the comeback he started with the one EP he released under the band name Childballads in the middle of the 2000s. He was in the process of reinventing himself as a sort of mid-60s Dylan figure, and I think he was doing it convincingly. Obviously, a lot of people aim for that, but he genuinely possessed the raw charisma and skewed poeticism to pull it off. A few more songs trickled out, including a couple from a radio session I produced for a public radio show in 2008 and another EP with a backing band called The Beatins in 2009, and after that he went totally silent until his death in 2018. It’s unclear how much music he made in the last decade of his life, but a 5 song compilation of lost Lupton songs has surfaced on Bandcamp and the most recent track is from 2010.

“Three Chord Mansion” is from his Childballads phase, and I dimly recall it being played when I saw them live a couple times back then. It’s a loose and groovy number featuring Betsy Wright on vocals and keyboard, and it sounds like it was recorded live to tape with the exception of Lupton’s vocal overdubs, in which he doubles his part in a lower register. The live feel suits Lupton well – it captures his ragged spirit without any studio dilution, and the recording centers the raw chemistry he had with Wright. She sings a backup vocal part that tips over into a lead if just by virtue of the strength and confidence of her voice, like she’s there to provide this traditional passionate country rock vocal while he plays it cool. It’s lucky to have this recording now, but also so frustrating – they sound like they’re just starting to figure out this dynamic. I’m sure whatever volatility that resulted in things falling apart is also what makes this sound so vital and present, but it’s hard to get around the “what if?” of it all.

Buy it from Bandcamp.