Various Artists - Best of the Bubble Gum Years (1988)

Here's the explanation, straight from the liner notes:

1967. Rock music had developed into a progressive art form, at least to some of the more "tuned-in" critics. Music began to reflect politics. The war in Vietnam raged. At home, racial unrest shook major cities. Psychedelic drugs were embraced by the counter-culture as the Woodstock Nation was about to become a reality.

The antithesis to this growing underground was AM Pop Radio. Energetic and innocent 2.5 minute pop singles existed well before producers Jeff Katz and Jerry Kasenetz proclaimed bubble gum as a new musical genre. It was really not until this "Super K" team hit with their production of "Little Bit of Soul" that bubble gum came into its own. These nonproblematical records sold millions of copies in the midst of the political and musical turmoil that was the 60's.

Buddah Records released a solid string of top ten hits...

...and there's your CD compilation. To be honest, all these tunes are catchy as hell, if not silly and/or politically incorrect by today's standards. I always enjoy when one comes up as I'm shuffling through my library. Good for an occasional treat but, like actual bubble gum, it's not much good for a healthy musical diet.

Your humble blogger being politically incorrect
around the time these songs were on the charts.

Peak on the US Billboard 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 14 tracks over a brief 34 minutes - such is the nature of the genre. I enjoy them all, but my top picks are indicated. We'll take a peek at Billboard pop chart peaks as well.

	Title	Artist	Year	Hot 100
1	Green Tambourine	The Lemon Pipers	1968	1	✔
2	Simon Says	1910 Fruitgum Co.	1968	4
3	Yummy Yummy Yummy	The Ohio Express	1968	4
4	Little Bit Of Soul	The Music Explosion	1967	2
5	1, 2, 3, Red Light	1910 Fruitgum Co.	1968	5
6	Chewy Chewy	The Ohio Express	1968	15
7	Indian Giver	1910 Fruitgum Co.	1969	5
8	The Rapper	The Jaggerz	1970	2	✔
9	Mercy	The Ohio Express	1969	30
10	Rice Is Nice	The Lemon Pipers	1968	46
11	Goody Goody Gumdrops	1910 Fruitgum Co.	1968	37
12	Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run)	Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus	1968	25
13	Down at Lulu's	The Ohio Express	1968	33
14	Special Delivery	1910 Fruitgum Co.	1969	38	✔

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None