Pour A Little Sugar On It - The Chewy, Chewy Sounds Of American Bubblegum 1966-1971

60年代後半のUSバブルガム・ポップ名曲を集積した4時間、3CD、91トラックのアンソロジー!アーチーズ、モンキーズ、オハイオ・エクスプレス、1910フルーツガム・カンパニー、レモン・パイパーズ、クレイジー・エレファント他による、ヒットシングル、カルト的なアルバム曲を網羅!48ページのブックレットには貴重な写真と全91トラックの背後にあるストーリーを詳細に掲載!

There are few types of music as purely dedicated to good times and sweetness as bubblegum. It can be childlike, simple to the point to dumb, and melodically about as challenging as a commuter crossword puzzle. Its also completely fun, insanely catchy, and just in case one feels inclined to write it off as purely frivolous and unimportant -- as far too many have since its inception -- it was one of the building blocks of punk, thanks to the Ramones love of the genre. There have been attempts to collect the best bubblegum tracks on CD, and some of these comps have done a pretty decent job, but it took until 2024 for an exhaustive survey of the form to be released. The three-CD set Pour a Little Sugar on It: The Chewy Chewy Sounds of American Bubblegum 1966-1971 does a really nice job of gathering up the hits and misses, ranging from the Archies to the Third Rail, with quite a few side trips along the way. Due to licensing issues, some important artists like the Partridge Family and the Osmonds arent included, and the compliers didnt cross over into soul music at all, so no Jackson 5 or Jackson Sisters. The initial quibbles aside, its hard to argue with the snappy, bubbly, and handclap-heavy songs that are included. The Archies are of course well represented, as are bands from the Kasenetz-Katz stable of artists like the Ohio Express, 1910 Fruitgum Co., and the Lemon Pipers; originators (the Monkees, Neil Diamond) show why they were so important to establishing the sound; and tons of off-brand bubblegummers best efforts are showcased. Some of the names might be new to even the most hardcore genre aficionados -- the Rasberry Pirates, Cartoon Candy Carnival, the Puddle, and Culver Street Playground are a few that fit the bill, and their contributions are all key. Also important are the one-offs that had quite a bit of chart success. Melanies "Brand New Key," Lobos "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo," Bobby Blooms "Montego Bay," and John Fred & His Playboy Bands "Judy in Disguise" were all huge hits that had all the hallmarks of bubblegum, even if they dont follow the template of frothy garage rock-meets-extra bright sunshine pop exactly. The set isnt afraid to expand the boundaries of the genre, making room for the Velvet Underground and the "ba-ba-ba"-filled "Who Loves the Sun" or Halfnelsons (aka Sparks) proto-new wave "Fa La Fa Lee," the cloudy sunshine pop of Rick Nelsons "Suzanne on a Sunday Morning" or the showband glitz of the Mama Cass song "Move in a Little Closer, Baby." These stylistic detours help make the case that bubblegum music was one of the most interesting and rewarding strains to blossom during the late 60s. With so much music getting serious or important, it was good to have some sounds that harkened back to the origins of rock & roll without getting bogged down in mere revivalism. Hopefully Pour a Little Sugar on It will go some distance toward rehabbing a misunderstood and overlooked style, but even if it doesnt convince the doubters, there is plenty of joy to be had for the true believers who were waiting for a collection as wide-ranging and definitive as this. ~ Tim Sendra