BOOK OF THE MONTH

I'm Gonna Make Your Life So Sweet:

"BUBBLEGUM MUSIC IS THE NAKED TRUTH"
Edited by David Smay/Kim Cooper (Feral House)

"When Buddah Records was formed two years ago,most songs were about crime and war and depression. At the time we felt there was a place for a new kind of music that would make people feel happy. So we got together with two talented producers called Jerry Kasenetz & Jeff Katz who had an idea for music that would make you smile. It was called 'Bubblegum music'...."
(Sleeve notes to the Buddah 1969 Sampler album)

Yummy Yummy Yummy! For anyone who ever loved pop music, who ever danced to, and revelled in the sheer exuberant joy of 'Sugar Sugar', 'Quick Joey Small', 'I Want Candy' or 'Spice Up Your Life', this collection of articles, fan pieces, opinions and interviews musing on all aspects of mass packaged pop from the mid 60's to the present day is an essential and riveting life-affirmer, if not a manifesto for all that is great in pop music indeed! Taking it's stance

against the long fashionable view of bubblegum as the lowest common denominator in the old art vs comerciality chestnut, it revels and celebrates in the direct hits of the immediate beats, catchy hook lines, sweet as sugar harmonies, and innuendo laden lyrics of pre-packaged POP! music, of music that doesn't care whether it's your soul or your feet that it reaches, as long as you buy the single, not to mention the hastily packaged album, comic, cartoon series, cereal box, teen magazines and lunch boxes that accompany it.
     We get a great (and fascinating) history of bubblegum's early days, its roots in Spector-pop and the Brill Building, Tamla, The Beatles and Stones. Of the scamsters and moguls (the brilliant effrontery of Kirschner), the producers and writers,(Jeff Barry, Andy Kim,Kasenatz-Katz,Boyce & Hart,Gary Usher, Richard Gottehrer) the performers and session players (Ron Dante, Jerry Levine, Toni Wine),and the hapless rock bands humping the brand name round on tour whilst their spanking new ultra pop singles were produced in a studio miles away. (The story of Ohio Express first hearing 'Chewy Chewy' on a car radio on tour is worth the cover price itself) And this of course before being unceremoniously replaced by cartoon or TV bands with no need of payment, pampering or artistic pandering : anyone for Lancelot Link & The Evolution Revolution?. The Banana Splits?
     As well as the many great pieces on the likes of the Cowsills, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Shadows Of Knight and many more, the collections real strength is in its analyses of bubblegum theory : What defines Bubblegum. Producers? Pre-Packaging? Marketing? The appearance of outside players and writers? When does a band either become, or stop being Bubblegum? If the critical rules of authentic/inauthentic remain, then where do we stand with the Animals, Manfred Mann, the Yardbirds, or Them, all of whom fall at some time into one bubblegum category or another. It's where the boundaries become blurred that it gets really interesting. With a starting point of a list that amongst others namechecks The Archies, The Ramones, The Spice Girls, The Bay City Rollers, The Brady Bunch, Abba, Bow Wow Wow and Bananarama, what comes across most strongly is how incestuous the links are between 'pop' music and it's critically lauded counter culture cousins, co-dependent on each other for their inspiration. Punk, garage, psychedelia, glam, new wave and bubblegum are all intrinsically intertwined. And as for pre-packaging svengali's, what do we make of Malcolm McLaren?
     Mostly what this book achieves is to redress the balance of anti-plastic pop theory,and gives us a joyous and enthralling ride through some of the more brilliant and bizarre elements of popular culture. And if it helps to redefine the finding of quality pop music in some places where we are led to believe not to expect it, then all the better.I'm out looking for Hanna-Barbera soundtracks.
     But what this collection is really about is the sheer joy of pop! and all that goes with it. Devour this fabulous book, then get out your copies of 'Goody Goody Gumdrops', 'Baby Now That I've Found You', 'ABC', 'Candy Girl', 'Yummy Yummy Yummy', 'Mmm-Bop', 'C'est La Vie' ,'Shake', 'Wannabe', 'Blockbuster' and get naked!
     Pour A Little Sugar On Me. And give my love to The Daisy Bang.
Slav Tabernacle