I use music as a memory jogger. I’m always surprised (and occasionally delighted!) to hear a song I haven’t heard in over 50 years. With the BEST OF THE BUBBLE GUM YEARS (1988) includes some classics like “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy” by Ohio Express and a “Little Bit of Soul” by the Music Explosion. Of course, there’s a lot of dreck on this CD, too. “Green Tambourine” by Lemon Pipers remains annoying after all these years. The same with “The Rapper” by The Jagger Z.
Oldies But Goodies, Volume 5 (1986)is somewhat better. I love The Shirelles’ “Mama Said” and “Tossin’ and Turnin’ by Bobby Lewis. I enjoy Dion’s “The Wanderer” but prefer “Teenager in Love.”
How many of these songs do you remember? Any favorites here? GRADE: C for Best of the Bubble Gum Years; B- for Oldies But Goodies, Volume 5
Track Listings
| 1 | Green Tambourine – Lemon Pipers |
| 2 | Simon Says – 1910 Fruitgum Co. |
| 3 | Yummy, Yummy, Yummy – Ohio Express |
| 4 | Little Bit Of Soul – Music Explosion |
| 5 | 1, 2, 3 Red Light – 1910 Fruitgum Co. |
| 6 | Chewy, Chewy – Ohio Express |
| 7 | Indian Giver – 1910 Fruitgum Co. |
| 8 | The Rapper – The Jagger Z |
| 9 | Mercy – Ohio Express |
| 10 | Rice Is Nice – Lemon Pipers |
| 11 | Goody Goody Gumdrops – 1910 Fruitgum Co. |
| 12 | Quick Joey Small – Kasenetz Katz Singing Orchestral Circus |
| 13 | Down At Lu Lu’s – Ohio Express |
| 14 | Special Delivery – 1910 Fruitgum Co. |
TRACK LIST:
1 Since I Don’t Have You — James Beaumont / Joseph Rock / The Skyliners 02:36
2 Angel Baby — Rosie “Rosalie” Hamlin / Rosie & the Originals 03:36
3 Little Star — Vito Picone / Manuel Ponce / Arthur Venosa / The Elegants 02:42
4 A Thousand Stars — Kathy Young 03:12
5 When We Get Married — The Dreamlovers 02:29
6 Daddy’s Home — Shep & the Limelites 02:47
7 Diamonds and Pearls — The Paradons 02:20
8 Harlem Shuffle — Bob & Earl 02:53
9 Mr. Big Stuff — Jean Knight 02:45
10 The Wanderer — Dion 02:42
11 Mama Said — The Shirelles 02:11
12 Who’s Making Love? — Johnnie Taylor 02:49
13 Tossin’ and Turnin’ — Bobby Lewis 02:21
14 Rockin’ Robin — Bobby Day 02:36
15 Sixty Minute Man — The Dominoes 02:31
16 Alley Oop — The Hollywood Argyles. 02:43
Bubblegum rock sucks bigtime! The other one has a number of good songs, especially Since I Don’t Have You! It’s credited to James Beaumont but as Jimmy Beaumont he fronted The Skyliners! I think B- is too low a grade!
Bob, I’ll consider bumping the grade of OLDIES BUT GOODIES, VOLUME 5 up to a “B.”
Numbers 9 through 14 on the first album appear to just be filler; at least, I’m not familiar with any of them. Unlike you, I do like “Green Tambourine”. “A Little Bit of Soul” seems to have wandered in from another record. “The Rapper” seems to have been too late to be called bubble gum: that songs sounds like 1970/71 to me and not bubble-gummy at all. On the whole, I prefer the second CD which features some real gems (“The Wanderer”, “Mama Said”). Again, there are some songs here that seem to be from another era: “Mr. Big Stuff” and “Who’s Making Love” are definitely late-1960s/early-1970s, everything else has a decidedly pre-Beatles vibe—but my perceptions could be askew.
Deb, your perceptions are right on the money. OLDIES BUT GOODIES, VOLUME 5 includes a variety of songs from various years. But BEST OF THE BUBBLE GUM YEARS lacks the iconic “Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies!
I’m with Deb on “Green Tambourine,” although I don’t regard it as Bubble Gum, more the hippy-trippy stuff from the Summer of Love 1967-68 era. Also with Deb on “The Rappe,” and “Little Bit of Soul,” definitely not BG. I’d give the first album a B- for nostalgia, but for a better, larger BG collection, I’d go with “25 All Time Greatest Bubblegum Hits” from Varese Sarabande. Some good cuts on the second CD.
Fred, I’ll have to track down a copy of 25 All Time Greatest Bubblegum Hits.” Thanks for the recommendation!
There were session players in both England and America who churned out track after track which they sent to the bubble gum labels — who then randomly plastered one of the group names onto them and released them. One label hired a local band to change their name to Ohio Express so they could go on tour and play “their” hits. They had never even heard of “Chewy Chewy” until it came on the radio and fans asked for it in concert.
Jeff, thanks for those insights into the Bubble Gum market. Clearly, driven by profits and not artistic excellence.
This comes as a surprise?
The Best of Bubblegum is an oxymoron. Ptah! Curse all teenyboppers. I say.
There is some hope for the second album, though.
Jerry, I’m sure oldies but goodies will always triumph over Bubble Gum songs.
OLDIES BUT GOODIES was probably one of the first LP repackage series of such hits…I know those compilations have been around close to forever. I have one or two on vinyl in my stacks.
Never was too fond of most bublegum, but Steam was credited with a number of the least bad items.
The first vinyl album version of V. 5 was released (with the same cover format) in ’63, as per Discogs (one wonders if rights were temporary, more expensive in some cases as time went on, etc.):
1 The Elegants– Little Star
Written-By – Venosa*, Picone*
2:37
A2 Rosie And The Originals*– Angel Baby
Written-By – Ponci*
2:45
A3 The Skyliners– Since I Don’t Have You
Written-By – Rock*, Skyliners*
2:36
A4 The Paradons– Diamonds And Pearls
Written-By – West Tyler
2:15
A5 Shep And The Limelites*– Daddy’s Home
Written-By – Baskerville*, Basset*, Sheppard*
2:47
A6 The Channels– The Closer You Are
Written-By – Robertson*, Lewis*
3:00
B1 The Hollywood Argyles*– Alley-Oop
Written-By – D. Frazier*
2:36
B2 Maurice Williams– Stay
Written-By – Williams*
1:37
B3 The Dominoes– Sixty-Minute Man
Written-By – Ward*, Marks*
2:25
B4 Bobby Day– Rockin’ Robin
Written-By – Thomas*
2:25
B5 Preston Epps– Bongo Bongo Bongo
Written-By – Egnoian*, Nitzsche*
2:08
B6 The Jewels (6)– Hearts Of Stone
Written-By – Ray*, Jackson*
2:29
Liner Notes – Art Laboe
Matrix / Runout (Side A label): #or-5563
Matrix / Runout (Side B label): #or-5564
Title (Format) Label Cat# Country Year
Oldies But Goodies Vol. 5 (LP, Album, Compilation, Stereo) Original Sound OSR-LPS-8855 US 1963
Oldies But Goodies Vol. 5 (LP, Album, Compilation, Mono, Scranton Pressing) Original Sound OSR-LPM-5007 US 1963
Oldies But Goodies Vol. 5 (LP, Album, Compilation, Mono) Original Sound OSR-LPM-5007 US 1963
Oldies But Goodies Vol. 5 (LP, Album, Compilation, Stereo) Original Sound OSR-LPS-8855 US 1970
Oldies But Goodies, Vol. 5 (LP, Compilation, Reissue, Stereo, Rechanneled) Original Sound OSR-8855 US 1982
Todd, thanks for the info on the vinyl version of OLDIES BUT GOODIES, VOLUME 5.
I don’t agree. I like “Green Tambourine” more than anything else on that Bubble Gum record, except “Little Bit O’ Soul.” I had 45s of both of them. We’ve been listening to the 60s Channel on Sirius in the car, and they play the odd Bubble Gum song there. Most are pretty bad.
The Oldies But Goodies album is exactly what Jackie and I were talking about yesterday! I had one with the classic novelty song, “Stranded in the Jungle” by The Cadets. Jackie remembers “Image of a Girl” on hers, but she had three that I remember. This is clearly a reissue, as the originals only had 10 songs, and this throws in ’70s stuff like “Mr. Big Stuff.” Overall, I know them all and like a lot of them. Glad to seer the classic “Sixty Minute Man,” which we saw the late Ed Bradley sing at a Jimmy Buffett concert after 9/11.
Jeff, I might have a couple more OLDIES BUT GOODIES CDs around here somewhere. I’ll take a look.
By coincidence, in the car just now, they played the original bubble gum song that led to all the others, “Simon Says, ” and like it or not, it was a very catchy song. Jackie says she used it in her classroom for aerobic breaks. Also coincidentally, this was followed by the Paul Simon-written “Red Rubber Ball,” which also has a bubble gum sound.
“Simon Says” looked even better when it was followed by the egregious “Yummy Yummy Yummy (I’ve Got Love in My Tummy)” by the so-called Ohio Express.
Jeff, I love “Red Rubber Ball” written byBruce Woodley of The Seekers and Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel, recorded by The Cyrkle, whose version reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and in South Africa and New Zealand. In Canada, the song reached No. 1. Catchy and sadly a “One Hit Wonder” for The Cyrkle.
I don’t remember most of those Bubble Gum titles, yummy yummy yummy is the exception, liked that.
On the second CD of course Dion’s Wanderer is my favourite.
And now:
Dion was active again in the last years, invited by my favourite Joe Bonamassa – and he’s over 80 years old!
Couldn’t believe it was the same guy.
You’ll find detailshere:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Bonamassa#Keeping_the_Blues_Alive_Records
Wolf, thanks for the link. I’m also searching for Fred’s recommendation for the ultimate in Bubble Gum songs.