Customer Reviews

Bubblegum Classics, Volume Two

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An excellent followup volume, carrying on the same quality of track selection, mastering and presentation that made Volume 1 such a good buy. Volume two continues with the mixture of well-known hit singles, lesser known one-hit-wonder followups, a few good tracks that scrathed the lower reaches of the top-100, and a few surprises.

Big hits this time out include The Monkees "I'm a Believer", Crazy Elephant's "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'", Tommy James & The Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now", White Plains' "My Baby Loves Lovin'", 1910 Fruitgum Company's "Simon Says", Tommy Roe's "Dizzy", Bobby Bloom's "Montego Bay", The Five Amerian's "Western Union", Bobby Sherman's "Easy Come, Easy Go", Lou Christie's "I'm Gonna Make You Mine", and The Flying Machine's "Smile a Little Smile For Me".

The lineup of hits is a formidable listening experience, especially the one-hit wonders. The appearance and immediate disapperance of many of these acts capture a great slice of top-40 history: "groups" that were studio fabrications from top to bottom. In actuality, a lot of these "bands" were temporary aggregations and re-aggregations of the same people. The liner notes do a good job of fleshing out who some of the "unknown" performers are. I was really surprised to find out that the lead vocalist on Crazy Elephant's 1969 hit was Robert Spencer, who sang lead on the Cadillac's 1956 hit "Speedo". I also enjoyed finding out that the memorable string arrangement of Tommy Roe's "Dizzy" was written by space-age bachelor pad denizen Jimmie Haskell. It's also interesting to trace the threads of a songwriter such as Tony Romeo ("I'm Gonna Make You Mine" "Indian Lake" "I Think I Love You") through different musical acts.

The variety of sounds - even in the somewhat limited sphere of "bubblegum" - is also surprising. Thinking of these all being played together on a single radio station points out how fragmented music radio has become. From the poppy rock 'n' roll of The Monkees and Tommy Roe to the soulful sounds of Crazy Elephant to the show tunes of Bobby Sherman to the faux Jamaican Pop of Bobby Bloom.

Followup singles (that didn't quite cut it) include The Cuff Links "When Julie Comes Around" (backing up their #9 smash "Tracy"), with Ron "Archie Andrews" Dante handling lead vocals again. Edison Lighthouse's second single, "Its Up To You, Petula" doesn't even come close to capturing the magic of "Love Grows". Not too surprising, considering that the producer/writer and lead vocalist both left after the first hit. The followup is a pleasant enough piece of bubblegum, but not particularly memorable.

The Kids From The Brady Bunch (featuring the actual vocals of four of the six performers from the TV show) make an appearance with a funky little tune called "Candy (Sugar Shoppe)." Double-tracked vocals from both Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick do much to obscure their mediocre vocal talents. Rare Breed, who appeared on volume one with their original version of "Come and Take a Ride in My Boat", turn up here with the original version of "Beg, Borrow and Steal" - later recorded as the debut single for fellow Kasnetz-Katz artist The Ohio Express. A polished garage sound with a mid-60s punk sound makes this a real winner. The Rock and Roll Dubble Bubble Trading Card Company of Philadelphia 19141 turns in "Bubble Gum Music", their bubble-gum version of Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music". While Conley's ode reached (or surpassed) the same plateau of beat and soul that he was singing about, this one doesn't quite reach the same level as the classics of bubble gum. Nice try, though.

Perhaps my favorite discovery on this disc is Shawn's "With Every Beat of My Heart", which went absolutely nowhere on the charts. Shawn was the 11-year-old daughter of a Capitol Records VP, and put out this cover of a Josie & The Pussycats single (talk about the root of a great trivia question!) on Kapp at the same time the Pussycat's version came out on Capitol. Neither charted, but this teenybopper love song from the pen of Danny Janssen (Partridge Family, Bobby Sherman) is a real winner.

Overall, the compilers, Cary Mansfield and Bill Pitzonka, have once again demonstrated their Golden Ears in selecting tracks - an ability that is a rarity in the record industry these days. Bill Inglot's mastering is sharp, and though I sometimes yearn to hear these tracks compressed through an AM radio signal and squeezed through a buzzing car-dash monophonic speaker, it's quite an eductaion to hear how well some of these tracks were actually produced in the first place. My only complaint is that it seems as if the loudness is inconsistent from track-to-track. This may be purely subjective, as I haven't actually measured it.

For anyone who lived through this golden age of AM pop radio, this disc is an instant walk down memory lane. For those who didn't, it's a great introduction.

Varese Vintage rolls out a second volume of tunes in this generous collection of hits and misses exemplifing the good fun bubblegum music of the era. While many so-called bubblegum compilations are heavy on the Buddah groups such as the 1910 Fruitgum Co. and Ohio Express, here a wider net is cast yielding a more diversified gathering of tunes but still loosely falling under the "bubblegum" umbrella.

In amongst the major and familiar hits here are a number of lesser-known tunes that add interest beyond what's heard on the same old oldies playlists. Thrown in are a few total misses that illustrate how some record companies were willing to try to make a buck on just about anything that may have ridden the coattails of popular hits. Among the rarities found here are the Cuff Links' (actually Ron Dante overdubbed) "Tracy" followup, "When Julie Comes Around", a tune just missing the top 40 domestically but making top 10 in the U.K., Thee Prophets' only chart appearance "Playgirl" and "Grooviest Girl In The World", a minor hit from The Fun And Games.

Beyond the music itself, part of the fun here is discovering the amazing stories behind some of these tunes and the people who sang, wrote and produced them as detailed in the liner notes booklet. Production-wise the sound quality is very good overall with all tracks in stereo except 12,14,16,17 and 20. Interestingly, while the rare stereo version of Tommy James and the Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now" is included here, "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" from Lou Christie is the mono single version.

For bubblegum fans, this piece provides an interesting mix of hits and rarities representing some of the best of the genre as well as a few examples of "what were they thinking?" wanna-bes.

Prompt delivery, great merchandise. I highly recommend this seller!
P.P. I love my new CD! Thanks!

Bubblegum Classics, Volume 2 is 52 minutes 23 seconds and was released on May 9, 1995. Of the twenty songs on the CD, sixteen of them charted and of those sixteen, three reached the #1 spot. Two in the Hot 100 and one in the Easy Listening charts. The music is great to listen to. Most of the songs you can listen on a sixties oldies radio station. This volume did not dust the cobwebs from my brain since I have heard them on the radio one time or another. Still I think the listener would be very happy with this compilation CD. Bubblegum Classics, Volume 2 gets an AA++.

I'm A Believer-The Monkees
The single went Gold
#1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles (7 seven weeks at #1)
#1 Cashbox
Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'-Crazy Elephant
#12 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
I Think We're Alone Now-Tommy James & The Shondells
#4 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
When Julie Comes Around-The Cuff Links
#41 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Candy (Sugar Shoppe)- The Kids from the Brady Bunch
My Baby Loves Lovin'-White Plains
#13 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Simon Says-1910 Fruitgum Company
#4 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Playgirl-Thee Prophets
#49 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Dizzy-Tommy Roe
#1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles (4 weeks at #1)
Beg, Borrow and Steal-Rare Breed
It's Up to You, Petula-Edison Lighthouse
#72 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Western Union-The Five Americans
#5 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
#7 Cashbox
The Grooviest Girl in the World-The Fun & Games
#78 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Easy Come, Easy Go-Bobby Sherman
#9 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
With Every Beat Of My Heart-Shawn
I'm Gonna Make You Mine-Lou Christie
#10 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Smile a Little Smile for Me-The Flying Machine
#5 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Save Your Kisses for Me-Brotherhood of Man
#27 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
#1 U.S. Billboard Easy Listening
Bubble Gum Music-The Rock and Roll Dubble Bubble Trading Card Company of Philadephia, 1914
#74 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles

This CD describes itself as "the ultimate collection of pure pop music". That description is more accurate than the title "Bubblegum Classics". The compilers of this collection seem to have catagorized any lightweight pop song as "bubblegum". To me, "bubblegum" specifically refers to the productions of Jerry Kasenetz & Jeff Katz, plus a few other songs that imitate their signature sound. Having said that, this is a good collection of lightweight pop songs. There are some big hits and some real rarities. Some of the songs are great and some of the songs stink. It's a mixed bag, but it's my bag, baby. Recommended for fans of pure pop music.

Or Nsync, or Britney Spears, Or Hanson, Or any other boy/girl bands. This is a testimony that those bands are nothing new! Whether these bands furnished their own material and play they're own instruments is IRRELAVENT! People who harp about the Backstreet Boys and similiar bands COULD CARE LESS if they wrote any of their songs or played their instruments. Some people assumed that Backstreet do not play thier music. For the most, they don't but they did play instruments in concert for a couple songs!

This is a compilation of music which is yesteryear's equal to today's boybands. The last song sings the praises to a type of music that while reviled by many like Disco was in the '70's but yet has endured and florished.