Shindig!’s 10 Of The Best: Balloons
Hey, why the hell not?
Welcome to the first in an ad-hoc, offbeat and topsy-turvy series of themed Youtube playlists from the lunatics in the Shindig! basement.
It might be sugar; it might be sheep; it might be shadows but it’ll always be Shindig!
This time round, it’s balloons – those squeaky beacons (squeacons?) of sunshine-pop and summery psychedelia.
Enjoy the tunes and careful with that pin!
1. The Yellow Balloon – Yellow Balloon (1967)
Consummate US sunshine-pop. Where else could we start? Take it away, Casey…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbLLebXQ4kE
2. The Pretty Things – Balloon Burning (1968)
Kinetic centrepiece of the Pretties’ SF Sorrow opus. Still sounds like the future.
3. Rick Nelson – Red Balloon (1969)
Much-covered Tim Hardin song given a country-rock makeover by Rick and The Stone Canyon Band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2nGXfh2wU0
4. The Balloon Busters – Alcock And Brown (1969)
Preposterous yet perfect slice of bubblegum nonsense penned by the hit-making (although not on this occasion) team of Barry Mason and Howard Blaikley.
5. Kaleidoscope – Balloon (1969)
Much-derided (by its creators at least) stab at chart success from everyone’s favourite UK pop-psych minstrels.
6. Icarus – Yellow Balloon (1969)
No relation to selection #1 above, this near-perfect chunk of British psychedelic rock went unreleased until 2007. Criminal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khtahMNqoQ8
7. Rainbow Ffolly – Montgolfier (1968)
Quaint and vaguely unsettling ode to the French inventors of the hot air variety. The balloon we mean.
8. The Swampseeds – Can I Carry Your Balloon? (1968)
Not a great deal known about this New Jersey act, other than their garage-bubblegum credentials are well and truly intact on this stomping Epic 45.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMMzhXa-unk
9. Peter Pan & The Good Fairies – Balloons (1967)
Slow-burning, hypnotic instrumental penned by Jim Gordon (the Jim Gordon?) that should have soundtracked a US TV drama of the day.
10. The 5th Dimension – Up, Up And Away (1967)
Ha! You thought we’d forgotten didn’t you? Jimmy Webb may as well have been a balloon, such was his lightness of touch.
