Customer Reviews

Yellow Balloon

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Those of you who enjoy The Association or Harpers Bizarre and dig the west-coast sound of the late 60s, will enjoy The Yellow Balloon. The song Yellow Balloon was a mild hit in 1967 and I remember hearing it on KFRC in San Francisco. I recently re-discovered the song when it appeared on a various artists compilation entitled Sunshine Days (which I highly recommend), released by Varese Sarabande. I liked the song so much that I took a chance and bought the The Yellow Balloon CD. It is beautiful and upbeat with complex harmonies, light-hearted lyrics and wonderful musicianship. One particular song on the album entitled Follow The Sunshine teases your brain and beckons you to follow the melodic and rhythmic shifts occurring throughout it. Follow The Sunshine sounded odd and awkward during the first couple listens, but since has become my favorite track. The album is especially entertaining when listened to with stereo headphones. I am giving this CD five stars because I enjoy it immensely and to commend Sundazed Music for packaging it so nicely with wonderful liner notes and bonus tracks. Speaking of bonus tracks, it features nine of them including the B side of the Yellow Balloon single, which is the song played backwards!

Originally released in 1967, The Yellow Balloon's sole LP fell into the Sunshine Pop category that bridged more substantial rock sounds to the lighter bubblegum that would follow. The melodies and harmonies shimmer with the sort of gloss that would later power the Kanetz-Katz and Don Kirshner stables, but at the budding of the psychedelic revolution, were still owned by The Turtles, Left Banke, Association and others.

The band's principals were drummer Don Grady (TV's Robbie Douglas from "My Three Sons") and producer/songwriter Gary Zekley. Grady had musical bona fides, having played with his own group for a number of years, and Zekley had been observing sessions by Spector and Brian Wilson, and penning songs for Jan & Dean, among others. Zekley's "Yellow Balloon" was a self-produced hit in need of a touring band, hence the formation of The Yellow Balloon. Together with Grady they picked players the latter had spotted in his touring and promotional travels.

For the most part, the assembled "band" provided vocals - many of the album's tracks were recorded by the West Coast A-team (Carole Kaye, Don Randi, Al Casey, Jim Gordon, et al.) in the famed studios of Los Angeles (Sound Recorders, Western Recorders, etc.). The productions are certainly more Brian Wilson (or even Gary Usher, really) than Phil Spector: light instrumentals that underline and reflect complex vocal arrangements and harmonies. The songs are at once light-and-airy in their atmosphere, and masterfully complex in their construction.

Zekley wrote most of the album's eleven tracks, with one credited to Agrati (Don Grady's real last name), and a pair to Byrne/Ferrell. While not as purposefully simple (that is, not as pointedly directed at 8-year-old girls) as the follow-on bubblegum sound, there is a lot of semi-stoned gazing at shiny, colorful objects. The real story is to be heard in the interplay of voices, rather than the lyrics. The multilayered vocals of "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" is a perfect example - strong enough to have the instrumental backing drop out mid-track, leaving the choral-like arrangement to carry the middle.

Sundazed's CD reissue adds a generous nine tracks to the original eleven, including the hit single's original B-side, a backward version of the A-side! Also included are a quartet of tracks from Don Grady (including his pre-Yellow Balloon regional hit, "The Children of St. Monica"), different mixes (single, alternate mix, demo) of album tracks, and an interview with Gary Zekley. Domenic Priore's liner notes are incredibly detailed, providing an introduction to Gary Zekley's career and a blow-by-blow creation, success and fizzle arc of the band that's illuminated by numerous first-person quotes.

This is a superb document of the West Coast sunshine sound - the rich vein of music that bubbled just under the well-known successes of The Beach Boys and others.

Gary Zekley recorded a demo for a song called "Yellow Balloon" that he was sure would be a smash hit. The demo found it's way to Dean Torrence (of Jan & Dean) who decided to record it as Jan & Dean's next single. Zekley showed up at Dean's recording session for the song and he was dismayed by what he heard. In his mind, they were performing the song the wrong way and there was no way it would be a hit. So, Zekley recorded his own version of "Yellow Balloon" the "right" way. Zekley's version was released under the group name "The Yellow Balloon" and became a #25 hit. Jan & Dean's version flopped. So, The Yellow Balloon had a hit song, but there was no actual group. A group was quickly assembled to tour in support of the song. It should be noted that none of the members of the Yellow Balloon band actually performed on "Yellow Balloon" the song. However, all the subsequent songs released under the Yellow Balloon group name did feature the band members (one of whom was Don Grady of My Three Sons fame). There was actually a Yellow Balloon album released, which is what we have here. It is fun, California style "sunshine pop" which is quite enjoyable if you like this sort of thing. There are several bonus tracks. "noollaB wolleY" is the original b-side of "Yellow Balloon", which is "Yellow Balloon" played backwards. Then we have the a-sides and b-sides of two Don Grady solo singles. The single version of "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" is included, and it's 45 seconds shorter than the album version. There is an alternate mono mix of "Follow the Sunshine". The demo version of "How Can I Be Down" features Gary Zekley singing alone (double tracked at times) and accompanied only by acoustic guitar. The CD winds up with a seven minute interview with Zekley about the making of "Yellow Balloon". It's fairly interesting, but I don't think too many people will want to listen to the interview more than once. Recommended to fans of the 1960s California scene.

Yellow Balloon,Yellow Balloon this brilliant compilation from Sundazed records features this american harmony pop group of the mid sixties at their best.A cross between the Association and the Beach Boys.The Yellow Balloon Who for some strange reason never made any real impact on the british or american charts.This cd named after their small us hit Yellow Balloon which myself I think is Brilliant.Also features their other 45s they waxed including b sides,plus alternative tracks and pre Yellow Balloon stuff.This cd has a very informative inlay which tells the history of this underated pop group.It also has some good photographs as well.This cd bought out by Sundazed records in memory of Gary Zekely, the chief songwriter who never sang with them but wrote most or all of their songs has truly left behind some pop gems on this compilation.

As a huge fan of mid to late 60s california pop, I heard this album was something of a missing link between the sunshine pop of '65 era Beach Boys and the psychedelic explosion of the Summer of Love. And essentially, thats exactly what this album is. A poor man's Pet Sounds per-se. Most of these songs are derived from the structure and feel of the early beach boys more experimental singles, (Little Girl I Once Knew, Calfornia Girls, maybe even Wouldn't It Be Nice, mostly the style of light breezy verses that explode into a huge, shimmering chorus with more Ba-Ba-Ba's than you can shake a stick at), drizzled with faux-Wilsonian harmonies, most lifted directly from the more upbeat Pet Sounds songs. Unlike the amazon review suggests, there really is no hint whatsoever at psychedelia. The only reasonable claim to psych this band has is the way the lead singers sing such child-like lyrics with a twisted, almost perverse wide eyed innocence ('you turned me on and oh WOW!' - How Can I Be Down?) that leads one to think he may have been incidentally slipped a tab of LSD. The songs themselves are competently written, especially the Don Grady tracks (to my surprise). 'Baby its You' is a perfectly exucasable rip off of the aforementioned 'Little Girl I Once Knew', with an (almost) equally euphoric, catchy chorus. 'Stained Glass Window' benefits from nice strings and some lush backing vocals that casacade in to a shouty chorus of Ba-Ba's propelled by the most 60s of handclaps. 'Good Feelin Time' is a Grady penned tune, a nice little lilting pop tune, with an utterly unique rotating organ sound, that carries the song nicely. The lead off single and the enire basis for this album, 'Yellow Balloon, is just as lighthearted and silly a romp as the rest of the album.
Obviously, there are some subpar tracks. 'Follow the Sunshine' is guilty of some of the plain dumbest sounding backing harmonies I've ever heard, (Yodel-ee-eye?). 'Can't Get Enough of Your Love' sounds hastily written and performed with a very mediocre melody and lazy vocals. Bottom line, this album works like a lo-fi, bubblegum Pet Sounds. Take that anyway you'd like. Although on first listen you might be taken aback by the cheeriness, simple lyrics and sparse production, but more spins will reveal the record to be a carefully constructed slice of sunshine pop with maybe, just maybe, the faintest wisp of studio experimentation and 60s psychedelia.

By the way, I'm sorry for all the Beach Boys comparisons, but Christ! Just listen to the album and they're inevitable...

Originally hit the shops in 1967, as this was the 'sunshine pop' band's only ever album they did. I thought they played this genre a bit better than others from that same era did. Tunes here that sort of grabbed my attention were "Baby Baby It's You", "I've Got A Feeling For You", the band's namesake "Yellow Balloon", "Can't Get Enough" and maybe "Follow The Sunshine". Line-up: Alex Valdez-vocals, Paul Canella - guitar, Mark Andes - bass, Frosty Green - keyboards and Don Grady (My Three Son's Robbie Douglas) - drums. Should, without a doubt draw in fans of the Monkees, Lovin' Spoonful, Jan & Dean, Mamas & The Papas and Sagittarius.

The Yellow Balloon is one of my favorite albums. Not because of it's Beach Boy vocals. Not for it's whimsical lyrics and starcrossed music. The album has a strange feel to it, almost as if an angel was at the 5 hour session and made sure that this splendorous music found it's way to our eardrums. The lead and harmony parts have to be some of the greatest examples on record. "How can I be down?" and "Follow the Sunshine" are prime examples as to what this band was all about. To not own this and call yourself a music fan is a travesty.

For all of it's expenses and drawbacks, the internet can be a great place. A prime example is how somewhat obscure music that appeals to you can be can be suddenly accessible in pristine condition. As a long time fan of music by the likes of Yes, Chicago, Van Halen, and Steely Dan, the Yellow Balloon might not jump out at you as a natural fit. If you have forgotten why you liked songs such as Yellow Balloon, Good Feelin' Time, or my personal far and away favorite, Stained Glass Window, one listen will send a clear message; these guys sound good. At a time when too much top 40 sounded like the vocalists had clothespins on their noses, and too much progressive music brought to mind someone turning up their amp with their axe next to it to generate as much feedback as possible, the musicians and songwriters here found a way to conjure up images of upbeat, fun-loving folks putting you in a good mood while tapping your feet to something that will run through your head all day. Isn't that what most of us really enjoy the most about music? There are plenty of gems on this one.
Springtime Girl, How can I be Down, and The Children of St. Monica are a few of the pleasantly catchy tunes that will tickle your musical tastebuds.
If you remember this band, get out your reading glasses and learn how Mattel, My Three Sons, and the atmosphere of Southern California shaped an era for a very talented group of individuals who seem to have no bitterness, regrets or sad stories that would make a typical VH1 story complete. If you're considering a flash from the past that won't disappoint, put this one on the top of your cart.

A great mellow 60's album. Notice Don Grady on the album cover in sun glasses. It is very hard to find this album. It sounds great on CD.

The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean were by no means the only groups in the Sixties who were purveyors of the surf/sunshine/West Coast sound. "Yellow Balloon" was a Top 40 hit in the spring of 1967, and great songs such as "How Can I Be Down", "Follow the Sunshine", and the should-have-been-huge "Springtime Girl" would more than justify the purchase of this CD for hardcore surf/sunshine rock fans. The best half-dozen songs on the CD are so happy and upbeat that they simply evoke the joy of being alive, and one wonders when listening to the disc how this group managed to crack the Top 40 on only a single occasion.