The success of the TV show featuring The Monkees in 1966 led to an onslaught of other promoters jumping on the bandwagon and trying their luck at manufacturing bands to appeal to the Tweenagers, those pre-teen fans. In New York Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz coined the term Bubblegum for the sound of their bands like Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus. Meanwhile inspired by the success of The Monkees Don Kirshner decided that a cartoon band would be less of a problem to manage, and created The Archies. A new 3 CD collection of tracks from the period has been released called Pour A Little Sugar On It - The Chewy Chewy Sounds Of American Bubblegum 1966 - 1971. Quite a mouthful!
Those of you familiar with the genre will be expecting the usual suspects. Among the 91 tracks on the collection are bands like The 1910 Fruit Gum Company, The Lemon Pipers, Ohio Express, The Archies and, of course, Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus. These hit makers from that period are joined by lesser known acts like Bonnie & The Clydes, The Goggles, Lt. Garcias Magic Music Box and The Pineapple Heard. But what is surprising is the inclusion of acts like Melanie, Neil Diamond, Mama Cass, Lou Christie and The Beach Boys.
If you are a fan of Bubblegum then this compilation will give you something to get your teeth into. If you love the sound of happy pop music that is not meant to stretch the brain then this is for you.
You can hear some tracks from the collection in The Groove Yard visit 136
For a full track listing and other information go to the Cherry Red Records website.