Chartbusters USA: Sunshine Pop

by N/A

Overview

Sunshine pop is one of those generic designations that came into use long after the music in question had fallen out of popularity. Featuring sweet, upbeat melodies topped with polished harmonies and frothy arrangements, sunshine pop described the sort of tunes that were a frequent presence on AM radio in the mid- to late '60s, and like the girl group era earlier in the decade, it was a medium dominated by songwriters and producers rather than artists, many of whom seemed anonymous and interchangeable (only the most obsessed music fan could tell the Lemon Pipers, the Peppermint Rainbow, and the Sunshine Company apart in dim light). But if sunshine pop was a medium for lightweight pop hits rather than contemplative musical statements, the best singles of the era are delightful stuff that still resonate today, and this collection from Ace Records' Chartbusters USA series (celebrating American pop singles of the 60s) is as good a primer on the subject as you're likely to find. Opening with the three minutes of pop perfection that is "Happy Together" by the Turtles, this disc features 26 songs that define both the style and the era, which often reflected a cheerful but benign parallel to the more sophisticated pleasures of psychedelic rock. While there are a number of self-contained groups that wrote and performed their own material on board -- including the Turtles, the Cowsills, the Rascals, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Beach Boys, and the Mamas & the Papas -- most of these acts were one- or two-hit wonders with experienced studio hands doing most of the work. But it's hard to argue with the results when this system produced singles as glorious as "98.6" by Keith, "Morning Girl" by the Neon Philharmonic, "Younger Girl" by the Critters, "Love (Can Make You Happy)" by Mercy, and "Time for Livin'" by the Association. Anyone who loved the optimistic side of AM radio in the '60s will remember most of these songs, and the relative obscurities sound like they should have been hits, too, while Tony Rounce's liner notes tell the stories behind the songs very well indeed. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	07/21/2009
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667037129
Rank:	70421

Tracks

1. Happy Together  - Garry Bonner  - Alan Gordon  -  Turtles
2. Younger Girl  -  Critters  - John Sebastian
3. I Could Be So Good to You  -  Don & the Goodtimes  - Jack Nitzsche
4. 98.6  - George Fischoff  -  Keith  -  Keith  - Tony Powers
5. It's Getting Better  - Cass Elliot  - Barry Mann
6. Crystal Blue Persuasion  - Tommy James  -  James  - Mike Vale
7. If You Don't Want My Love  - Michael Gately  - Robert John  - Robert John Pedrick  - Lou Stallman
8. Darlin'  -  Beach Boys  - Mike Love
9. Wear Your Love Like Heaven  -  Donovan  - Donovan Leitch
10. Don't Wake Me Up in the Morning, Michael  - Al Kasha  -  Peppermint Rainbow
11. Green Tambourine  - Paul Leka  -  Lemon Pipers  - Shelley Pinz
12. A Girl Like You  - Felix Cavaliere  -  Rascals  -  Young Rascals
13. Workin' on a Groovy Thing  - Roger Atkins  -  Fifth Dimension  - Neil Sedaka
14. She Lets Her Hair Down  - Leon Carr  -  Tokens  - Paul Vance
15. Grazing in the Grass  - Harry Elston  -  Friends of Distinction  - Philemon Hou
16. Back on the Street Again  - Steve Gillette  -  Sunshine Company
17. Morning Girl  -  Neon Philharmonic  - Tupper Saussy
18. Time for Livin'  - Dick Addrisi  - Don Addrisi  -  Association
19. Look At Me Girl  -  Vee
20. I Saw Her Again  - Denny Doherty  -  Mamas & the Papas  - John Phillips
21. She Is Still a Mystery  -  Lovin' Spoonful  - John Sebastian
22. Lazy Day  - George Fischoff  - Tony Powers  -  Spanky & Our Gang
23. The River Is Wide  -  Forum  - Gary Knight
24. Anything Goes  -  Harpers Bizarre  - Cole Porter
25. Love (Can Make You Happy)  -  Mercy
26. The Rain, the Park and Other Things  -  Cowsills  - Steve Duboff  - Artie Kornfeld

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Beach Boys   Primary Artist
The 5th Dimension   Primary Artist
The Mamas & the Papas   Primary Artist
The Friends of Distinction   Primary Artist
The Lemon Pipers   Primary Artist
The Critters   Primary Artist
Don & the Goodtimes   Primary Artist
Cass Elliot   Primary Artist
Robert John   Primary Artist
The Neon Philharmonic   Primary Artist
The Rascals   Primary Artist
Tommy James & the Shondells   Primary Artist
Harpers Bizarre   Primary Artist
The Turtles   Primary Artist
The Association   Primary Artist
Forum   Primary Artist
The Cowsills   Primary Artist
Donovan   Primary Artist
The Peppermint Rainbow   Primary Artist
The Sunshine Company   Primary Artist
The Tokens   Primary Artist
The Young Rascals   Primary Artist
Keith   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Bobby Vee & the Strangers   Primary Artist
Mercy   Primary Artist
Spanky & Our Gang   Primary Artist
The Lovin' Spoonful   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Steve Gillette   Composer
Jack Nitzsche   Composer
Cole Porter   Composer
Tony Rounce   Liner Notes,Memorabilia,Photo Courtesy
Felix Cavaliere   Composer
Don Addrisi   Composer
Garry Bonner   Composer
Tupper Saussy   Composer
Denny Doherty   Composer
John Phillips   Composer
Leon Carr   Composer
Dick Addrisi   Composer
Lou Stallman   Composer
Neil Sedaka   Composer
Philemon Hou   Composer
Nick Robbins   Mastering
Mike Love   Composer
Artie Kornfeld   Composer
Michael Gately   Composer
Harry Elston   Composer
Al Kasha   Composer
Tommy James   Composer
George Fischoff   Composer
Rob Shread   Audio Restoration
Paul Leka   Composer
Steve Duboff   Composer
Barry Mann   Composer
John Sebastian   Composer
Roger Atkins   Composer
Mike Vale   Composer
Alan Gordon   Composer
Robert John Pedrick   Composer
Vicki Fox   Photo Courtesy
Jools DeVere   Package Design
Gary Knight   Composer
Tony Powers   Composer
Donovan Leitch   Composer
Shelley Pinz   Composer
Paul Vance   Composer