Thursday, June 15, 2006

The Sugar Bears and what they mean to me....

Damn.....as this screen was popping up, there was a clock and I could've changed the time so that it wouldn't look like I'm posting three hours later than I actually am...(Does that make sense? Look at the time for this post and add three hours.0

But that's not why I'm writing....

I pulled out my Sugar Bears album and put it on a few minutes ago. As I mentioned previously I heard several of these songs on records that came with Sugar Crisp boxes back when I was, oh, five or six years old. Now these songs sound like bubblegum music (maybe the Monkees) if it was created by one of those we'll-put-your-lyrics-to-music scam jobs. With a little Up With People thrown in for good measure. I mean look at these lyrics:

I just want to be friends with you
We can do the kinds of things
that good friends do
(From the song "Kinda Friendly Things")

Yet the songwriters weren't no names. Baker Knight was a Nashville songwriter. Mitch Murray wrote "How Do You Do" which Gerry and the Pacemakers did after the Beatles rejected it in favor of "Please Please Me."

At the same time, when the insipid "Happiness Train" started, with the baritone sax implying a train whistle over a Keith Moon-y drum roll, it made me feel all warm inside. When "Feather Balloon" came on, sung by pre-rasp Kim Carnes.....it transported me. Nothing dirty. Even though the song PROBABLY has an underlying sexual meaning to it, she sounds more like the kindergarten teacher that you kind of have a crush on even though you don't know what a crush is.

I wish I could put mp3s of these songs up. But I only have it on vinyl.

I've been thinking of auctioning off my copy of the album. Thank God I bought another copy of this at a yard sale. WHY WOULD I EVER WANT TO GET OF IT? HOW COULD I LIVE?

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