The Lemon Drops – Sunshower Flower Power (2009) review
The Lemon Drops “Sunshower Flower Power” (Cicadelic Records, 2009)
This little gem winged onto my stereo like a half forgotten
dream, turning the calendar pages backwards to 1967 and the Summer of Love,
when for a brief moment, all things seemed possible, change was in the air,
colours were brighter, laughter was genuine, tiny satellites blinked across the
midnight sky, and AM radio was about to become part of history.
dream, turning the calendar pages backwards to 1967 and the Summer of Love,
when for a brief moment, all things seemed possible, change was in the air,
colours were brighter, laughter was genuine, tiny satellites blinked across the
midnight sky, and AM radio was about to become part of history.
During that year Chicago gave birth to The Lemon Drops, a
band who rode the psychedelic wave onto the AM charts, though stayed together
for a mere 12 months, then were lost to the ether. The group, who were mere teens had a lot
going for them, and against them, never sure of their footing, whether they
wanted to be the reincarnation of The Byrds, some sort of Donovan hybrid, or
psychedelic acid drenched mystic wanders.
The Lemon Drops splashed down at just the wrong time, achieving nominal
success on the AM charts, and even though they were young and full of energy,
they just didn’t have the sophistication or cachet to make the cut when it came
to the fledgling late night FM progressive radio shows that were springing up
across the country. Other great bands
like The Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Vanilla Fudge, The Troggs, and The Litter
also never made the cut, washed aside by the likes of The Jefferson Airplane,
The Grateful Dead, Traffic, Love, and The Blues Breakers.
band who rode the psychedelic wave onto the AM charts, though stayed together
for a mere 12 months, then were lost to the ether. The group, who were mere teens had a lot
going for them, and against them, never sure of their footing, whether they
wanted to be the reincarnation of The Byrds, some sort of Donovan hybrid, or
psychedelic acid drenched mystic wanders.
The Lemon Drops splashed down at just the wrong time, achieving nominal
success on the AM charts, and even though they were young and full of energy,
they just didn’t have the sophistication or cachet to make the cut when it came
to the fledgling late night FM progressive radio shows that were springing up
across the country. Other great bands
like The Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Vanilla Fudge, The Troggs, and The Litter
also never made the cut, washed aside by the likes of The Jefferson Airplane,
The Grateful Dead, Traffic, Love, and The Blues Breakers.
No longer was music just about fun, even The Beatles had
taken on a more reverent side, a more serious nature, where listeners were
demanding a bit more, wanting to express cryptic messages, and bring a sense of
intelligence to the game. I’m not going
to argue whether this was right or wrong, certainly when a song like “I Live In
The Springtime” floated from speakers, laden with delicious reverb and feedback,
people were happy to tap their feet, do a little dance, smile from ear to ear,
and in the same breath, more than deny that bands like The Lemon Drops [who
might have just as well have been The Monkess] had any place on the music
scene. Sonically their music is
brilliant, tight, fluid, and right up there with what The Black Angels, their
splinter group The UFO Club, and certainly The Vacant Lots are doing
today. Most of the material The Lemon
Drops’ produced never saw the light of day until gathered together here, where
a time trip of sorts, will shine a little light on a year of discontent,
searching, change, and great pleasure.
taken on a more reverent side, a more serious nature, where listeners were
demanding a bit more, wanting to express cryptic messages, and bring a sense of
intelligence to the game. I’m not going
to argue whether this was right or wrong, certainly when a song like “I Live In
The Springtime” floated from speakers, laden with delicious reverb and feedback,
people were happy to tap their feet, do a little dance, smile from ear to ear,
and in the same breath, more than deny that bands like The Lemon Drops [who
might have just as well have been The Monkess] had any place on the music
scene. Sonically their music is
brilliant, tight, fluid, and right up there with what The Black Angels, their
splinter group The UFO Club, and certainly The Vacant Lots are doing
today. Most of the material The Lemon
Drops’ produced never saw the light of day until gathered together here, where
a time trip of sorts, will shine a little light on a year of discontent,
searching, change, and great pleasure.
Review made by Jenell Kesler/2014
© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2014
