Search - Various Artists :: Bubble Gum Classics 3

Pure pop at its finest

10/12/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is nothing more enjoyable than the guilty pleasures of bubblegum tunes. This is the purest of Pure Pop, and the tunes are all completely comprised of sunny hooks and melodies, and nothing else to get in the way. Unadulterated feel-good music of the first order. Nothing since has quite equalled the pure, timeless joy of these tunes.My only regret is that the Banana Splits' full album isn't available anywhere. This was my fave show when I was a little kid growing up in the sixties. Lest this sounds like a joke to you, or just a lame kiddie show with costumed actors, well you are mistaken. Sure, it was all of that, but like the Monkees, these guys really put out some GREAT tunes. I want the full album!!"

Another expertly picked volume of bubblegum classics

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 11/09/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's kind of amazing that it took Varese until Volume 3 to include the national anthem of the bubblegum world, "Sugar Sugar." The #1 single of its year, if not perhaps the entire decade, the Archies biggest hit is the definitive example of all that is great about bubblegum music: sterling production, chiming harmonies, throwaway lyrics that a child can learn in one pass, and a hook so big you could hang an entire cow on it.But the Archies tour de force is only the starting point for this excellent collection. In addition to some more well-known hits (Bobby Sherman's "Little Woman", The Monkees "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", The Ohio Express' "Chewy Chewy" and the Sweet's "Little Willy"), Varese has tracked down some terrific rarities.Complementing the cartoon-based Archies is "Sha-La Love You," from the Saturday morning simian group, Lancelot Link & The Evolution Revolution. Also included from the Saturday morning lineup is the Banana Splits "I Enjoy Being A Boy (In Love With You)." (Perhaps Varese will consider an entire CD for the 'Splits, bringing together their album and EP tracks!) From the UK comes the theme song to the live-action children's program/group, The Wombles, written by Mike Batt.Other tracks include some non-hits from Tony Burrows (the voice of 5 different one-hit wonders - such as Edison Lighthouse - and the focus of volume 5 of this series), and the hugely catchy "Ricky Ticky Ta Ta Ta" by Austin Roberts.The variety and programming makes this a very listenable release (as oppposed to just a catalog of songs), and the mastering and liner notes are top-notch."

Gimme more, more, more of that bubblegum music!

hyperbolium | 06/19/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As an afficianado of "Pure Pop" music, this collection was like dying and going to heaven...almost. While this disc ranks as my favorite of the "Bubblegum Classics" volumes, it still has it's weak links. The inclusion of the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar," (which stands as the heretofore unrivaled apex of "Pure Pop") automatically gives this compilation it's bubblegum street-cred, but gems like Lancelot Link and the Evolution Revolution's "Sha-la-Love You" and the Fun and Games' "Elephant Candy" make it worth it's weight in gold. My only complaint is that there seems to be a lot of mediocre filler among the gems and a few baffling choices, like why Tommy Roe's obscure chart-fizzler "Jack and Jill" is included rather than his brilliant hit "Sweet Pea." Overall a good, if sometimes uneven summer listen."