Happy Lovin' Time: Sunshine Pop from the Garpax Vaults

by N/A

Overview

One of the great eccentric pop producers of the '60s, Gary S. Paxton first scored with the early-'60s novelty singles "Alley Oop" and "Monster Mash," and a decade later he decamped for Nashville, where he got straight and found religion. In between those two extremes, he scored smash hits with the Association and Tommy Roe, and those singles are the touchstones for Happy Lovin' Time: Sunshine Pop from the Garpax Vaults, a spectacular collection of 24 Paxton-produced rarities from the late '70s. Most of these recordings -- a good chunk of which are unreleased; 13 of the 24, to be exact -- were made in 1966 and 1967, which is when Paxton headquartered his Garpax Studios in Hollywood, instructing the Four Freshmen on how to sing harmonies as he foraged a fruitful partnership with Curt Boettcher. "Nowhere to Go," that Four Freshmen 45, is here, as are the unreleased Boettcher numbers "Stay" and "Christina, In My Dreams," along with other collaborations with Curt. Boettcher was a good match for Paxton, ratcheting up his majestic instincts, but what's striking about Happy Lovin' Time is the extent of the producer's quirks, how he'd throw everything into the mix, balancing freaked-out fuzz guitars with blaring horns, undercutting a soul groove with harpsichords, and sliding harmonies into a bath of liquid echoes. All this studio flair is very trippy and very Southern Californian; the sides Paxton recorded in Bakersfield prior to leaving for Nashville aren't of a piece with this lush studio craft, there's not a bit of prescient country-rock. That ingenious use of the studio -- colorful and willful without being self-consciously strange -- is what makes Happy Lovin' Time such a delight. Sure, some of the songs are tightly written or boast hooks that carve their way into the cranium, but it's those sounds, softly swirling yet slyly insistent, that make this collection such a blast and such a valuable document of the swinging '60s L.A. underbelly. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	07/10/2015
Label:	Big Beat
UPC:	0029667432825
Rank:	91115

Tracks

1. Make Up Your Mind  - Kenny Johnson  - Augie Moreno
2. Dandelion Wine [Stereo Mix of Mercury]  - Jerry Scheff  -  Whatt Four
3. The Thinking Animal  - Bob Hopps  - Kenny Johnson  -  New Wing  - Jerry Ritchey
4. Christina, In My Dreams  - Curt Boettcher  - Gene Parsons  - Jan Paxton
5. Happy Lovin' Time  - Dave Antrell  -  Black Box
6. Ostrich People [Stereo Mix of In-Sound 403/Era 3185]  -  Chocolate Tunnel  - Kenny Johnson  - Jerry Ritchey
7. She Loves Me  - Dave Antrell
8. How Many Times  - Jim Gordon  - Jim Gordon
9. Games  -  Bogart Cult  - Kenny Johnson
10. Bad Sign [Stereo Mix of Columbia 2750 (Canada)]  -  Jaybees  - Kenny Johnson
11. Am I Wastin' My Time  - Johnny Apollo
12. Clean Up Your Own Backyard  -  Bakersfield Poppy Pickers  - Kenny Johnson
13. Nowhere to Go [Stereo Mix of Decca 32070]  - Bill Comstock  -  Four Freshmen
14. Is It Love  -  Willie & the Walkers
15. Savin' (Everything for You Girl) [Stereo Mix of Pace 16-867 (Canada)]  - Kenny Johnson  -  Lords  -  Lords
16. Stay  - Curt Boettcher  - Gene DiNovi
17. You Take Things Lightly Babe  - Dave Antrell
18. The Highly Successful Young Rupert White [Stereo Mix of Capitol 72530 (Cananda)]  - Bob Hopps  - Kenny Johnson  -  Privilege  - Jerry Ritchey
19. Is It Better to Live or to Die [Stereo Mix of Pace 18-1166 (Canada)]  -  Saxton
20. Don't Put Me Down  -  Lords  -  Lords
21. It's Written All Over My Face  -  Bakersfield Poppy Pickers  - Kenny Johnson
22. Who Do You Think You Are [Stereo Mix of Columbia 2750 (Canada)]  -  Jaybees  - Kenny Johnson
23. Dirt Beneath My Feet  -  Homogenized Dirt  - Kenny Johnson
24. I Never Wanna Hurt You  - Dave Antrell

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Four Freshmen   Primary Artist
Augie Moreno   Primary Artist
Johnny Apollo   Primary Artist
The Whatt Four   Primary Artist
The Jaybees   Primary Artist
Willie & the Walkers   Primary Artist
Chocolate Tunnel   Primary Artist
Jim Gordon   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Mary Saxton   Primary Artist
Dave Antrell   Primary Artist
New Wing   Primary Artist
Privilege   Primary Artist
The Lords   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
The Bogart Cult   Primary Artist
The Black Box   Primary Artist
The Bakersfield Poppy Pickers   Primary Artist
Homogenized Dirt   Primary Artist
Curt Boettcher   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Alec Palao   Archive Research,Liner Notes
Paul Jeffrey   Package Design
Nick Robbins   Mastering
Kenny Johnson   Composer
Jerry Ritchey   Composer
Bob Hopps   Composer
Jan Paxton   Composer
Jim Gordon   Composer
Fred Lammers   Cover Design
Bill Comstock   Composer
Dave Antrell   Composer
Gary S. Paxton   Original Recording Producer,Engineer
Jerry Scheff   Composer
Gene Parsons   Composer
Gene DiNovi   Composer