On February 29, I reviewed Best of the Bubblegum Years (you can read my review here). In a comment, Fred Blosser suggested I check out 25 ALL-TIME GREATEST BUBBLEGUM HITS: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION from 2000. It took a bit of searching on-line but I finally found a copy and bought it. Now that I’ve listened to 25 ALL-TIME GREATEST BUBBLEGUM HITS: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION I have to agree with Fred. It is vastly better than Best of the Bubblegum Years. And, it includes my favorite Bubblegum Hit, “Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies!
“Bubblegum Hit” can be loosely defined. I don’t really consider “I’m a Believer” by The Monkees a Bubblegum Hit but it was certainly a hit song : the single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number-one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966, and remained there for seven weeks, becoming the last number-one hit of 1966 and the biggest-selling single for all of 1967.
Many of these Bubblegum Hits are One-Hit Wonders. What ever happened to The Cuff Links and The Banana Splits? Do you remember these songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: A
TRACK LIST:
1 | Ohio Express– | Yummy, Yummy, Yummy Producer – Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz Written-By, Lead Vocals, Producer – Joey Levine Written-By, Producer – Artie Resnick* | |
| 2 | The Cuff Links– | Tracy Lead Vocals – Ron Dante Written-By, Producer – Paul J. Vance*Written-By, Producer, Arranged By, Conductor – Lee Pockriss | 2:11 |
| 3 | The Monkees– | I’m A Believer Lead Vocals – Micky Dolenz Producer, Arranged By – Jeff Barry Supervised By – Don Kirshner Written-By – Neil Diamond | 2:46 |
| 4 | Crazy Elephant– | Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’ Executive-Producer – Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz Lead Vocals – Robert Spencer Producer – Artie Resnick*Written-By – Ritchie Cordel lWritten-By, Producer, Arranged By – Joey Levine | 2:02 |
| 5 | The Fun And Games– | The Grooviest Girl In The World Lead Vocals – Rock Romano, Sam Irwin Written-By – Michael Bottler*Written-By, Producer – Gary Zekley | 2:51 |
| 6 | Tommy Roe– | Jam Up And Jelly Tight Producer – Steve Barri Written-By – Freddy Weller, Tommy Roe | 2:20 |
| 7 | 1910 Fruitgum Company– | Indian Giver Lead Vocals – Mark Gutkowski Written-By, Producer – Bo Gentry, Bobby Bloom, Ritchie Cordell | 2:42 |
| 8 | The Banana Splits– | Wait Till Tomorrow Producer – David Mook Written-By – Mark Barkan Written-By, Lead Vocals – Ritchie Adams | 2:34 |
| 9 | Bobby Sherman– | Easy Come, Easy Go Arranged By – Al Capps Producer – Jackie Mills Written-By – Diane Hildebrand, Jack Keller | 2:40 |
| 10 | Dawn (5)– | Knock Three Times Arranged By – Norman Bergen Lead Vocals – Tony Orlando Producer – Dave Appell, The Tokens Written-By – Irwin Levine, L. Russell Brown | 2:58 |
| 11 | The Flying Machine– | Smile A Little Smile For Me Lead Vocals – Tony Newman (3) Written-By – Geoff Stephens Written-By, Producer, Arranged By – Tony Macaulay | 2:52 |
| 12 | Josie And The Pussycats (2)– | Every Beat Of My Heart Lead Vocals – Patrice Holloway Producer – Bobby Young Written-By – Bobby Hart Written-By, Producer – Danny Janssen | 2:12 |
| 13 | Tommy James & The Shondells– | I Think We’re Alone Now Arranged By – Jimmy “Wiz” Wisner*Producer – Bo Gentry Written-By, Producer – Ritchie Cordell | 2:09 |
| 14 | The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus– | Quick Joey Small (Run, Joey, Run)E xecutive-Producer – Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz Producer – Artie Resnick*Written-By – Kris ResnickWritten-By, Lead Vocals, Producer, Arranged By – Joey Levine | 2:24 |
| 15 | Salt Water Taffy– | Finders Keepers Lead Vocals – Tommy West Written-By, Producer – John Giametta, Rod McBrien | 2:45 |
| 16 | Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart*– | Alice Long (You’re Still My Favorite Girlfriend) Arranged By – Artie Butler Written-By, Producer – Bobby Hart, Tommy Boyce | 2:50 |
| 17 | Street People (3)– | Jennifer Tomkins Written-By – Gerard Florio Written-By, Lead Vocals – Rupert Holmes Written-By, Producer – Paul Vance | 1:55 |
| 18 | Edison Lighthouse– | Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) Lead Vocals – Tony Burrows Written-By – John Barry Mason*Written-By, Producer – Tony Macaulay | 2:53 |
| 19 | Capt. Groovy & His Bubblegum Army*– | Captain Groovy And His Bubblegum Army Lead Vocals – Bobby Bloom Written-By – Sal Trimachi Written-By, Executive-Producer – Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz Written-By, Producer – Ritchie Cordell | 3:07 |
| 20 | Robin McNamara– | Lay A Little Lovin’ On Me Written-By – Jim Cretecos, Robin McNamara Written-By, Producer – Jeff Barry | 3:04 |
| 21 | The Rock & Roll Dubble Bubble Trading Card Co. Of Philadelphia– | Bubble Gum Music Arranged By, Conductor – Bassett Hand Lead Vocals, Producer – Jerry Goldstein Written-By – Bob Feldman, Gerald Goldstein | 2:44 |
| 22 | White Plains– | My Baby Loves Lovin’ Lead Vocals – Rick Wolff, Tony Burrows Written-By, Producer – Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway | 2:59 |
| 23 | The Sweet– | Funny, Funny Lead Vocals – Brian Connolly Producer – Phil Wainman Written-By – Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn | 2:46 |
| 24 | Barry Blue– | Dancin’ (On A Saturday Night) Producer, Arranged By – Gerry Shury Written-By – Lindsey DePaul *Written-By, Producer, Arranged By – Barry Blue | 3:07 |
| 25 | The Archies– | Sugar, Sugar Lead Vocals – Ron Dante, Toni Wine Written-By – Andy Kim Written-By, Producer – Jeff Barry | 2:44 |
I agree that this CD is vastly superior to the previous bubblegum CD you reviewed—although, admittedly, that’s a somewhat low bar. However, in what universe is “Gimme Gimme Good Loving” or “Lay A Little Loving on Me” considered bubblegum, even with the most flexible definition of the term? But I do love “Sugar, Sugar”, a song that shows how even the most maligned musical genre has some value.
Deb, I love “Sugar, Sugar” too! Some of the song choices are dubious, but Fred was right about this compilation of Bubblegum Hits! Way better than BEST OF THE BUBBLEGUM YEARS.
What Deb said. Some definitely NOT bubblegum hits here. “Sugar, Sugar” defined bubblegum music to me, and was definitely it’s biggest hit. They made great use of it in the Apollo 12 episode ( “That’s All THere Is”) episode of HBO’s FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON.
To me, bubblegum music is:
1910 Fruitgum Company – Simon Says,; 1, 2, 3 Red Light, Indian Giver
Ohio Express – Yummy, Yummy, Yummy and Chewy Chewy
Tommy James has said he “inadvertently” invented bubblegum music with “I Think We’re Alone Now,” a song I always liked (ans still do).
Tony Burrows is England, and had four huge hits in England (and, mostly, here) the same year with four “different” groups (all stuio creations) –
Edison Lighthouse – Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
White Plainns – My Baby Loves Lovin’
The Brotherhood of Man – United We Stand
The First Class – Beach Baby
(in England) The Pipkins – Gimme Dat Ding
I don’t consider Tracy bubblegum, or the classic Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’, or Knock THree Times for that matter.
Jeff, I agree on your categorization. Clearly, the folks that put this compilation CD together included some “filler” songs.
Well that track list could be the soundtrack to a couple of years of my childhood, heard from the back of the family Ford station wagon on the way to and from catholic school. I can vividly recall the place (the station wagon, heading home down Michigan Ave) and time (early evening) when I first heard “Sugar, Sugar.”
This wouldn’t be a bad disc to have but I’d only play it a few times a year and only in the summer.
Byron, that’s my listening plan: just play Bubblegum music during the Summer when it fits the mood.
Imagine if you will: You are on a conveyor belt, relentlessly moving forward. For some reason it is impossible to turn back. Suddenly the belt stops and in front of you there are three doors and you MUST choose one. They are labeled HEAVY METAL, GANGSTER RAP, and BUBBLEGUM MUSIC, My idea of Hell.
Jerry, your idea of Hell is totally different from mine. My three doors are labeled TRUMP, PUTIN, and MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE.
George, I have to admit your Hell is w-a-a-a-ay scarier than mine!
Jerry, both Hells are not appealing. We just have to keep hanging in there…
Lots of stuff I didn’t recognize here.
I came to album rock early here, where metro Milwaukee had WQFM and played good stuff so I (thankfully?) missed some of these gems.
Beth, you’d like plenty of the songs on 25 ALL-TIME GREATEST BUBBLEGUM HITS. Plenty of listenable songs here.
Agree, some of the songs stretch the definition of “bubblegum.” A case might be made that only the Ohio Express, Archies, Boyce&Hart, and Fruitgum Company tunes are hardcore BG, the others are associational soft-pop. David Cassidy and the Partridge Family are missing from the mix, perhaps a licensing or royalty issue? But all of the selections on the CD have a bouncy vibe perfect for the 13-year-olds of 1966-1977 whom the Beatles had outgrown. If someone were to suggest that “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” are proto-bubblegum, I wouldn’t argue.
Fred, thanks for the recommendation of 25 ALL-TIME GREATEST BUBBLEGUM HITS! I had fun listening to it and it will go into Summer rotation!
I also measnt to mention thast Ron Dante, lead singer of The Archies and the Cuff Links, has replaced the retired (due to health reasons) Howard Kaylan as one of The Turtles on the Happy Together tour. On “Sugar, Sugar” he sang with Toni Wine (who sang “I’m gonna make your life so sweet”), who was the co-writer of “A Groovy Kind of Love” and “Candida” and worked with Phil Spector.
Jeff, Toni Wine’s “I’m gonna make your life so sweet!” really makes The Archies “Sugar Sugar” a classic!
Hate this stuff. The only exceptions are I’m A Believer and I Think We’re Alone Now.
As many have said, some of these are not Bubble Gum! Of those non-BG songs, I like a few! Sugar, Sugar reminds me of one evening I was driving somewhere listening to an oldies station out of Seattle! A woman called up and said she and her friends were going out to paint the town and wanted to get in the mood, so would the DJ please play Sugar, Sugar? Holy jumping catfish, thinks I, what kind of dorks need an Archies song to get in a town painting mood!?
Bob, the kind of people who want a little sweetness in their Lives!