Midsummer Mix.

Midsummer Mix

1. "In the Heat of the Morning" - David Bowie
2. "Sunshine Rock" - the Upsetters
3. "Cumbia Tropical" - Marimba Orquesta Gallito
4. "Tropical Heat-Paseo" - Codallo's Top Hatters
5. "Sunshine" - the Archies
6. "Beach Bash" - Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band
7. "The Ice Cream Man" - the Tornados
8. "Sun" - Margo Guryan
9. "Summer Samba" - Brother Jack McDuff
10. "Breezin'" - Mickie Chung
11. "Virgenes Del Sol" - Orquesta de Juancho Vargas
12. "Summertime" - the Free Design
13. "Cool Ade" - Preston Love
14. "Come and Take a Ride in my Boat" - the Rare Breed
15. "Mar y Sol" - Lemaire y su Klan
16. "Tequila" - Jimmy McGriff
17. "Calor" - Afrosound
18. "Sand and Foam" - Donovan
19. "The Enchanted Sea" - Martin Denny
20. "By the Sea" - Wendy & Bonnie
21. "Fat Old Sun" - Pink Floyd

(An m3u is included in the .zip file.)

Live, damn it! Live!

Most of the tracks compiled on the seemingly infinite volumes of Bubblegum Motherf***er are ridiculously obscure. Nearly all are digitized from vinyl - and somewhere out there is an incredibly obsessive collector with an unbelievably extensive collection of rare bubblegum 45s. Buried towards the end of BM Vol. 13, however, I noticed a somewhat out-of-place cover: the Merry-Go-Round's classic "Live" as recorded by fellow Californians the E-Types. Both bands were included on the Nuggets box set in 1998 and to this day are known mostly for those selections - "Live" and "Put the Clock Back on the Wall," respectively.

I know the garage/bubblegum divide can get pretty hazy, but I wouldn't really classify "Live" (in either version) as sickly sweet - at least not in the same way as, say, an Ohio Express track. It's really just a great example of mid-60s pop songcraft.

Here's the Merry-Go-Round's hit version (by way of a cheesy Youtube video):

"Live" - the Merry-Go-Round

And here's the E-Types' cover:

"Live" - the E-Types

As you'll hear, the E-Types drop the song's trademark jangling guitar and add a heavier backbeat. It isn't a huge departure from the original, but the cover definitely differentiates itself just enough to stand out.

Enjoy.

Naming Names, Part 1: Females

One of the grand traditions of pop songcraft is the "direct address" lyric: songs dramatically emoted to a specific person, whose name is typically found in the title of the piece. Although the following selections are from a wide variety of genres, they share an overwhelming sense of affective urgency. Love songs on the verge of obsession, they plead with the addressee (us, by means of interpellation) to come around to the speaker's point of view. Enjoy:

"Sadie" - the Fun & Games

A surprisingly minor-keyed, slightly creepy track from the folks who brought you "Elephant Candy" and "The Grooviest Girl in the World."

"Jennifer" - Junior Soul

Jennifer, darling Jennifer/Please don't leave. Beautifully plaintive reggae from the future Junior Murvin.

"Cathy, Come Home" - the Twilights

An everything-but-the-kitchen-sink production from the year of same, 1967.

"Alison, Please" - Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band

Geno's recorded output is uneven, to say the least, but this lovely piece of bubblegum-soul deserved a greater hearing back in 1971.

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Stay tuned for our next installment.

Josie vs. Jackson

There have been quite a few twee funk compilations released lately and most of them contain a fair share of glorious Jackson 5 rip-offs. The artists included are kids, of course, so these comps tend to miss out on some of the J5 facsimiles created by adults.

One group that straddles the kiddie/adult line is Josie and the Pussycats. (No, seriously.) In 1970, "they" released a full-length album of excellent pop-soul directed at the animated series' pre-teen audience. The "group" was fronted by the very adult Patrice Holloway, sister of steamy soul chanteuse Brenda Holloway. The album contains a faithful cover of "I'll Be There," but the influence of the J5 is felt throughout. "You've Come A Long Way Baby" obviously uses "The Love You Save" as a blueprint, while "Stop, Look and Listen" is based around the the main riff of "ABC." Far from being mere copies, though, these tracks are fantastic in their own right. Indeed, the Josie and Pussycats record is without a doubt one of the most enjoyable releases of the bubblegum era. The pre-fab genre was big on singles, of course, but bubblegum albums were often cluttered with filler. In contrast, the Pussycats' album is lean--a mere 10 tracks--but all are quite good. Track it down if you can. In the meantime, enjoy these:

"You've Come A Long Way Baby" - Josie & the Pussycats

"Stop, Look and Listen" - Josie & the Pussycats

Fuzzy Bubblegum Goodness.

And now - the versatility of the fuzz pedal, as demonstrated by three bands that only existed inside the teevee:

"Melody Hill" - The Archies (Tastefully utilized in a pop format.)

"I'm Gonna Find a Cave" - The Banana Splits (No one raves-up like four anthropomorphic animals.)

"Dark Part of My Mind (Part 1)" - Captain Groovy & His Bubblegum Army (Alright, so this group never quite made it to TV - perhaps the depravity of this cut explains why.)

Incidentally, "Part 2" ended up on the b-side of Crazy Elephant's "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'." You can hear it here.

Yeah, I'm doing research for a paper. Still awesome.

Pre-fabricated awesomeness.

Here's a surprisingly funky tune from the kings of late 60s bubblegum:

"Creations of Simon" - the 1910 Fruitgum Company

(Well, at least until 1:55 or so.) Love the 6/8 breaks.

Also, because it's awesome: