Psychedelic Lollipop is the debut album by the American rock band the Blues Magoos, and is one of the first records to have the word “psychedelic” on the sleeve. Their single “(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet” was their most successful effort, rising into the Top 10 on many national charts. Guitarist Emil “Peppy” Thielhelm was 16 years old at the time of the single’s release. The band recorded five more albums with various lineups, none reaching the success of Psychedelic Lollipop.[2]
| Psychedelic Lollipop | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1966 | |||
| Recorded | 1966 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 31:37 | |||
| Label |  Mercury Fontana (original release)Repertoire (2005 CD reissue)  Repertoire (1991 CD reissue) | |||
| Producer | Bob Wyld, Art Polhemus | |||
| Blues Magoos chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Psychedelic Lollipop | ||||
| ||||
"Sometimes I Think About" is credited to members of the band, but is actually a traditional folk song.
Reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
AllMusic critic Mark Deming felt that Blues Magoos sounded more like a solid garage band than a psychedelic band. He especially praised their version of "Tobacco Road". He wrote in his review "Psychedelic Lollipop rarely sounds like a classic, but it's solid stuff — the covers are chosen and played well... Psychedelic Lollipop doesn't sound like the work of a great band, but certainly like one who were better than average, and considering how many bands who cranked out a single like "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet" ended up making albums clogged with filler, it says a lot that even the weakest tracks here show this group had talent, ideas, and the know-how to make them work in the studio."[3]
Track listing edit
- "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet" (Mike Esposito, Ron Gilbert, Ralph Scala) – 2:10
- "Love Seems Doomed" (Esposito, Gilbert, Scala) – 3:02
- "Tobacco Road" (John D. Loudermilk) – 4:30
- "Queen of My Nights" (David Blue) – 2:52
- "I’ll Go Crazy" (James Brown) – 1:58
- "Gotta Get Away" (Ritchie Adams, Alan Gordon) – 2:35
- "Sometimes I Think About" (Esposito, Gilbert, Scala) – 3:35
- "One by One" (Gilbert, Emil Theilhelm) – 2:45
- "Worried Life Blues" (Big Maceo Merriweather) – 3:45
- "She’s Coming Home" (Roger Atkins, Helen Miller) – 2:36
Personnel edit
Blues Magoos edit
- Ralph Scala – keyboards, vocals
- Emil “Peppy” Theilhelm – guitar, vocals
- Ron Gilbert – bass guitar, vocals
- Mike Esposito – guitar
- Geoff Daking – drums, percussion
Technical edit
- Art Polhemus – producer, engineer
- Bob Wyld – producer, liner notes
- Shelby S Singleton Jr. – executive producer
Charts edit
Album - Billboard (USA)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Pop Albums | 21 |
Album – RPM (Canada)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | TOP LPs[4] | 15 |
Singles - Billboard (USA)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet" | Pop Singles | 5 |
| 1967 | "One By One" | Pop Singles | 71 |
Singles – RPM (Canada)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet"[5] | Canada RPM 100 | 4 |
| 1967 | "One By One"[6] | 56 |
References edit
- ^ Fleming, Colin (June 3, 2016). "10 Wild LPs From Garage Rock's Greatest Year". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- ^ "Blues Magoos 1966-1968 Pops Psychedelic Pioneers". elsewhere.co.nz. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
- ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Psychedelic Lollipop > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
- ^ "RPM Top 25 LPs - April 8, 1967" (PDF).
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 11, 1967" (PDF).
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 8, 1969" (PDF).
External links edit
- Blues Magoos on classicbands.com
- Blues Magoos on allmusic.com (Reference)
- Psychedelic Lollipop at Discogs (list of releases)