"Bubblerock Is Here To Stay! The British Pop Explosion 1970-1973" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – featuring David Essex, The Sweet, Middle Of The Road, Bay City Rollers, Mungo Jerry, Lieutenant Pigeon, White Plains, Harmony Grass, Terry Dactyl & The Dinosaurs, Blue Mink, Marmalade, Kenny, Bill Fay, Peter Skellern, Millie, pre 10cc groups with Kevin Godley - Graham Gouldman and Lol Crème - Hotlegs - Festival - Grumble and more, The Tremeloes, Pickettywitch, Fumble, Paintbox, Piglets, Sparky, Pluto, Jonathan King – Pseudonym Acts and UK Records, Fickle Pickle, Design, Pete Dello, Flanelcat and more (October 2020 UK Grapefruit Records 3CD Capacity Wallet with Card Sleeve Artwork and Booklet – Simon Murphy Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Don't Stick Stickers On My Paper Knickers..."

Fab 208, Pan's People, Ray Dorset's humungous sideburns, British DJs Dave Lee Travis and Kid Jensen with equally bulbous headphones grinning like Marty Feldman as they plug the latest 45-hitmaker, The Sweet in a wigwam bam, Lead Vocalist Sally Car of Middle Of The Hot in her Hot Pants (oh yes), The Bay City Rollers dreaming of shortbread, midriffs and tartan scarves and those earnest Strawberry Studios geezers in 10cc pre Rubber Bullets and The Wall Street Shuffle - God bless em all!

My fellow-sufferer/reviewer of all things Pop and Rock – The Punk Panther - has called this fascinating October 2020 3CD 85-Track trawl through the whiffy lavatories of English bubblegum rock (and other suchlike horrors) both appalling and thrilling at one and the same time. And you know what, I think the erudite lad has it nailed. I was kind of dreading this 1970 to 1973 pop-light listen (and I was right too in some cases), but then something weird happened – tune discoveries, an open mind and several bottles of paint-stripping Grappa convinced me otherwise. 

Grapefruit Records has built up a rep amongst bonkers-collectors and ancient aficionados like moi and "Bubblerock Is Here To Stay! The British Pop Explosion 1970-1973" is surely a good example as to why. Having said that, I can't in all honesty say that everything here is going tickle many fancies. But it will make anyone who was there for those first four astonishing years of the Seventies smile and occasionally even move them. The 1971 original of Mungo Jerry's "Lady Rose" on that Dawn Records EP for instance is quite rightly featured because it isn't dismissive cack – "Lady Rose" is perfectly lovely melodic harmonica-shuffling Pop that crosses over into the Rock genre (a nugget you overlooked). And I found quite a few more similar veins like that (the wickedly good pre 10cc band called Festival and the Northern Soul vibe of Brenda Arnau). 

So let's get to the Neanderthal Man, Groove with Mr. Bloe and lay it on Johnny Reggae (Reggae) - you big girl's blouse...

UK released Friday, 30 October 2020 - "Bubblerock Is Here To Stay! The British Pop Explosion 1970-1973" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Grapefruit Records CRSEG080T (Barcode 5013929188020) is a 3CD Capacity Wallet set of 85 Remastered Tracks and plays out as follows: 

CD1 (79:14 minutes):
1. Groovin' With Mr. Bloe - MR. BLOE (March 1970 UK 45-single on DJM Records DJS 216, A)
2. It's The Same Old Song - THE WEATHERMEN (December 1970 UK 45-single on B&C Records CB 139, A)
3. The Banner Man - BLUE MINK (June 1971 UK 45-single on Regal Zonophone RZ 3034, A)
4. Come On Around - PAINTBOX (October 1972 UK 45-single on President PT 384, A)
5. 17 - SIMON TURNER (November 1972 UK 45-single on UK Records UK 20, A)
6. That Same Old Feeling - PICKETTYWITCH (January 1970 UK 45-single on Pye 7N 17887, A)
7. Friend Of Mine - Dr. MARIGOLD'S (April 1972 UK 45-single on CBS Records 7986, A)
8. Feedback - MAJORITY ONE (from the July 1971 Italian LP "Majority One" on Jolly LPJ 5109) 
9. Pollution - GINGERBREAD (April 1971 UK 45-single on Pye 7N 45054, A)
10. Neanderthal Man - HOTLEGS (June 1970 UK 45-single on Fontana 6007 019, A)
11. I Fought The Law - POSSE (November 1973 UK 45-single on Santa Ponsa PNS 9, A)
12. Alexander Park (Palisades Park) - FUMBLE (July 1973 UK 45-single on Sovereign SDV 121, A)
13. Emma Louise - STUD LEATHER (February 1973 UK 45-single on Dart ART 2024, A)
14. Circus Girl - CLIFFORD T. WARD (from the September 1972 UK LP "Singer Songwriter" on Dandelion 2310 216)
15. My Little One - THE MARMALADE (February 1971 UK 45-single on Decca F 13135, A)
16. Gay Girl - JONATHAN KING (August 1970 UK 45-single on Decca F 13069, B-side of "Cherry, Cherry")
17. Dirty Old Man - LIEUTENANT PIGEON (from the February 1973 UK LP "Mouldy Old Music" on Decca SKL 5154)
18. Summer Feeling - PAUL GABRIEL (June 1972 UK 45-single on UK Records UK 3, A)
19. Tawny Wood - THE ANSWERS (January 1972 UK 45-single on Spark Records SRL 1058, B-side to "Give Me All That I Need")
20. My Little Girl - AUTUMN (August 1971 UK 45-single on Pye 7N 45090, A, a Harmony Grass cover version)
21. Hello, Hello, Hello - STORMY PETREL (June 1971 UK 45-single on CBS Records 7271, A)
22. Turn Me On - THE MATCHMAKERS (from the April 1971 UK LP "Bubblegum A-Go-Go" on Chapter One CMS-R 1004)
23. Sha La Ley - THE SECRETS (November 1972 UK 45-single on Spark SRL 1083, A)
24. Hello Goodbye - SPARROW [featuring Elaine Paige] (April 1971 UK 45-single on Spark SRL 1052, A)
25. Travellin' Man - TRISTAR AIRBUS (January 1972 UK 45-single on RCA Victor RCA 2170, B-side to "Willie Morgan" - B-side "Travellin' Man" written by Graham Gouldman and features most of 10cc as the backing band)
26. Sunday Girl - DUNNO (November 1971 UK 45-single on M and M Records FFMS 10013, A)
27. Top Ten Record - RICK PRICE (January 1971 UK 45-single on Gemini GMS 017, A)
28. Leap Up And Down - ST. CECELIA (April 1971 UK 45-single on Polydor 2058 104, A)

CD2 (79:41 minutes):
1. Johnny Reggae - THE PIGLETS (October 1971 UK 45-single on Bell BLL 1180, A)
2. Dreams Are Ten A Penny - KINCADE (September 1972 UK 45-singl eon Penny Farthing PEN 796, A)
3. Wig-Wam Bam - THE SWEET (September 1972 UK 45-single on RCA Victor RCA 2260, A)
4. I Like It That Way - THE TREMELOES (May 1972 UK 45-single on CBS Records CBS 8048, A)
5. It Ain't Easy - THE SAD (November 1971 UK 45-single on Phoenix NIX 124, A)
6. Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow? - TINA HARVEY (September 1973 US 45-single on UK Records 45-49016, A - a Rolling Stones cover)
7. Baby Walk Back - GUMM (November 1970 UK 45-single on M and M Records FFM 10001, A)
8. Popsicles And Icicles - THE ANGELETTES (August 1972 UK 45-single on UK Records UK 11, A)
9. Da Doo Ron Ron - GRUMBLE (June 1973 UK 45-single on RCA Victor RCA 2384, A - a Crystals cover)
10. Big Fat Oranguman - JUNGLE JIM (August 1971 UK 45-single on Pye 7N 45092, A)
11. Loop Of Love - SHAG (August 1972 UK 45-single on UK Records UK 7, A)
12. Don't Stick Stickers On My Paper Knickers - X-CERTIFICATE (September 1973 UK 45-single on Spark SRL 1096, A)
13. Mayfair - MILLIE (March 1970 UK 45-single Trojan TR 7744, A)
14. On The Dole - ARTHUR'S MOTHER (March 1971 UK 45-single on Polydor 2058 093, A)
15. When You Are A King - WHITE PLAINS (May 1971 UK 45-single on Deram DM 333, A)
16. Cowboy Convention - CALIFORNIA BREAKMEN (April 1972 UK 45-single on M and M Records FFMS 10016, A)
17. Lady Rose - MUNGO JERRY (May 1971 UK 45-single 4-Track EP on Dawn DNX 2510, Track 1, Side A)
18. Sweet Water - JEFF ASTLE (November 1971 UK 45-single on RCA Victor RCA 2147, A)
19. Cecilia - HARMONY GRASS (February 1970 UK 45-single on RCA Records RCA 1932, A - a Simon & Garfunkel cover)
20. It's My Party - BUBBLEROCK (from the August 1972 UK LP "Bubblerock Is Here To Stay!" on UK Records UKA 1 – a Leslie Gore cover)
21. Rupert - JACKIE LEE (November 1970 UK 45-single on Pye 7N 45003, A)
22. Crickets - PETER COWAP (July 1970 UK 45-single on Pye 7N 17976, A)
23. Rag-A-Bone Joe - PLUTO (October 1971 UK 45-single on Dawn DNS 1017, A)
24. Round And Round - RICKY WILDE (February 1973 UK 45-single on UK Records UK 28, a Marty Wilde song and B-side of "April Love")
25. Come Into My Heart - RUSTY HARNESS (November 1970 UK 45-single on Ember EMBS 295, A)
26. Warm Me - FESTIVAL (October 1972 UK 45-single on RCA Victor RCA 2275, A)
27. She Left I Died - TERRY DACTYL & THE DINOSAURS (May 1973 UK 45-single on UK Records UK R 39, A)
28. Hang On Sloopy - SAKKARIN - (July 1971 UK 45-single on RCA Victor RCA 2107, A - a McCoys cover)

CD3 (79:46 minutes):
1. Suspicion - VIVIAN STANSHALL and GARGANTUAN CHUMS (December 1970 UK 45-single on Fly Records BUG 4, A - an Elvis Presley cover - 'chums' included Keith Moon and John Entwistle of The Who)
2. Golden Oldie Show - STARDUST (August 1973 UK 45-single on Sonet 2036, A)
3. I Can't Hide - BILL FAY - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (Recorded 1972)
4. Harry The Earwig - PETE DELLO & FRIENDS (from the July 1971 UK LP "Into Your Eyes” on Nepantha 6437 001)
5. The Rolly Pole Coaster - BUGGY (February 1970 UK 45-single on Parlophone R 5832, A)
6. I Want To Go Back There Again - (BRENDA) B.J. ARNAU (January 1972 UK 45-single on Mojo 2092 028, A - Berry Gordy song, Chris Clark cover)
7. The Jet Song (When The Weekend's Over) - DESIGN (April 1971 UK 45-single on Epic EPC S 7119, A)
8. Lamplight - DAVID ESSEX (November 1973 UK 45-single on CBS Records S 1902, A)
9. California Calling - FICKLE PICKLE (November 1971 Dutch 45-single on Negram DEX 03, A)
10. My Sweet Potato - BUTTERWICK (February 1972 UK 45-single on MAM Records MAM 63, A)
11. You Got A Good Thing - TOUCHWOOD (March 1972 UK 45-single on Ember EMBS 314, A)
12. Jennifer Please - GARY WARREN (August 1971 UK 45-single on President PT 344, A)
13. Keep On Dancing - BAY CITY ROLLERS (June 1971 UK 45-single on Bell Records BLL 1164, A)
14. Hello Blinkers - KEV and LOL (Original 1970 Release, Uncredited Promo-Only 45 on Inter City/Strawberry Studios IC 1215)
15. Our Jackie's Getting Married - PETER SKELLERN (November 1972 UK 45-single on Decca F 13360, A)
16. Nursery Lane - CHRISTYAN (November 1972 UK 45-single on Decca F 13275, A - featuring David Paton and Billy Lyall pre formation of Pilot)
17. Today - RICH TEA (September 1972 UK 45-single on Dart ART 2014, B-side of "Sing Me, Swing Me")
18. Samson And Delilah - MIDDLE OF THE ROAD (June 1972 UK 45-single on RCA Victor RCA 2237, A)
19. You Gotta Have It Sometime - SPARKY (October 1972 UK 45-single on UK Records UK 16, B-side of "(Do You Remember That) Summertime Woman?")
20. Who Is The Doctor? - JON PERTWEE (November 1972 UK 45-single on Purple Records PUR 111, A - features Rupert Hine)
21. Timothy Jones - ROD THOMAS (May 1972 UK 45-single on Cube records BUG 19, A)
22. Today's A Tomorrow - CRUSH (June 1973 UK 45-single on Santa Ponsa PNS 3, A)
23. Don't You Know (She Said Hello) - BUTTERSCOTCH (March 1970 UK 45-single on RCA Victor RCA 1937, A)
24. Heart Of Stone - KENNY (January 1973 UK 45-single on RAK Records RAK 144, A)
25. Living Right Next Door To An Angel - SUMMER WINE (March 1973 UK 45-single on Philips 6006 238, A)
26. Beep Beep - THE BUMBLES (June 1972 UK 45-single on Purple Records PUR 107, A - featuring David Curtiss of Curtiss Maldoon and John Cann of Atomic Rooster and Hard Stuff)
27. Drivin' Drivin' - HIGH NOON (May 1970 UK 45-single on CBS Records S 4972, A)
28. Yer Big Girl's Blouse - FLANELCAT (March 1973 UK 45-single on UK Records UK 33, A - by Mike Hugg of Manfred Mann)
29. Bubblerock Is Here To Stay - BUBBLEROCK (September 1972 UK 45-single on UK Records UK 14, B-side of "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock") - Jonathan King using a Pseudonym

Some have decried Grapefruit for abandoning the glossy 'clamshell mini box set' format and instead lumbering us with what is now called a 'capacity wallet' - a sort of thin card slipcase housing (in this case) individual card sleeves (generous playing times too in all three cases, a snip below 80-minutes) and a 40-page booklet (see photos provided). I'm easy one-way or the other, but for sure the clamshell box is sturdier and feels more substantial. Still, let's deal with what we do have. 

DAVID WELLS has done stunning liner notes before, packed with info and titbits that amaze and make you giggle into the bargain. Here DW digs deeper still, providing individual entries for each song sat alongside the photo displays that are both awesome. Speaking of displays in the booklet. As you can see from the listings above, each CD is largely made up of UK 7" singles and as anyone knows, most only came with label bags - UK Records, CBS, Decca, RCA Victor and so on. In order to provide visuals, someone has sought out those rare 'Euro' variants almost all of which came with exclusive pic sleeves of the bands/artists – the kind of shots collectors love. On top of that you are treated to period photos of 'Look In' magazine, sheet music for "Neanderthal Man" by Hotlegs (pre 10cc) and snaps of both the ladies in the audience of 'Top Of The Pops' and Pan's People as a trio posing in gold lame on its stage (Louise Clark, Babs Lord and Dee Dee Wilde looking hotter than a pepper sprout).  

Some of this stuff is funny and even plain weird. Little will prepare you for the shot of both The Who's Keith Moon and The Bonzo's Vivian Stanshall dressed up in Nazi uniforms to promote a Christmas single in 1970 (well of course they were) or the cherubic nice-tie and haircut teen Gary Warren sat straight-faced by the demonically-bearded Catweazle from the popular British TV show (Warren was literally one of The Railway Children in that Jennifer Agutter film) about to sing a B-side penned by the writer of Psych classics for City Smoke and Orange Seaweed. 
And if that wasn't enough, on disc 2, the playlist veers into rude innuendo and Benny Hill smut when X Certificate urges you to "Don't Stick Stickers On My Paper Knickers" while "My Boy Lollipop" Millie poses literally in the buff for her "Mayfair" 45. Disappointingly (and I know many will weep over this) - St. Cecilia's loose undergarments tune "Leap Up And Down" on CD1 where the picture sleeve is them literally in oversized underpants (apparently knickers was a very funny word in the early 70ts) – have been denied their topical follow-up "C'mon Ma (Burn Your Bra)" on this naughty clotheshorse of a compilation - a devastating blow I think you'll agree. What japes indeed! 

The 40-page booklet to "Bubblerock Is Here To Stay! The British Pop Explosion 1970-1973" is a fantastic and varied read, absolutely crammed to the gunnels with factoids that throw light onto artists and their tangled career trees. The SIMON MURPHY masters are a mixed bag of the good, the great and the just so-so. But I was so busy enjoying myself (or not) to notice audio compromises in such a huge number of acts. To the music...

CD1 opens strongly with the crowd-pleasing instrumental "Groovin' With Mr. Bloe" – the kind of cool tune that ends up in movies. But there are horrors lurking too – The Weathermen doing an insipid cover of The Four Tops Motown hit "It's The Same Old Song", the teen mulch that is "17" by Simon Turner and Jonathan King doing "Gay Girl" (oh dear). Discoveries and clever inclusions include a European LP-only track from Majority One and cracking songs from Stormy Petrel and Paintbox. Great Pop too from The Secrets and the lovely "Tawny Wood" by an obscure group called The Answers. And it still amazes me to think that the pre 10cc half-hearted seaside shuffle of "Neanderthal man" shifted over two million copies. 

We enter the world of the musically bizarre with Disc 2 where Nick Drake fans will find out that an unissued song of his called "Mayfair" was brought by his ace arranger Robert Kirby to Millie (of My Boy Lollipop fame) who then Reggae-fied it into a surprisingly dull effort on Trojan Records (God this is wrong on so many levels). With regard to the fab unsung hero that is Robert Kirby - see my review for the Ace Records CD compilation "When The Day Is Done - The Orchestrations Of Robert Kirby" (use Barcode 029667088022 to locate it). 

Jonathan King, his pseudonym bands and the UK Records label in general appear across all the discs - Shag, Sakkarin, Bubblerock and opening CD2 is the right tasty geezer Mavis of "Johnny Reggae" – a great deal more fun than I remember it. Productions values jump leaps and bounds for The Hollies meets The Moody Blues acoustic Rock of Kincade and their excellent "Dreams Are Ten A Penny". Discoveries include a creepy re-working of the Stones drug-tune "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?" by Tina Harvey, the wife who finds it hard to live with her bisexual husband in "It Ain't Easy" by The Sad (the BBC banned it for a while), and again the voices and productions of Gouldman and Crème in "Crickets" by Peter Cowap. Speaking of that band – the Festival tune "Warm Me" is such a hit but again didn’t make it. Neither here nor there looms large too in the West Bromwich Albion centre-forward come singer Jeff Astle or the awful "Rupert" by Jackie Lee. 

By the time we get to Disc 3, a case of diminishing returns and patience testing kicks in big time with tripe like Buggy or Pete Dello or Butterwick or Touchwood. But there is fun in the guitar pop of the Rich Tea B-side, the second 45 from David Essex "Lamplight" is welcome too (even if it borrows from a Leon Russell tune), and the lovely cover of the Berry Gordy-written Chris Clark tune "I Want To Go Back There Again" by B. J. Arnau – is a surprisingly sweet Northern Soul vibe in a compilation a million miles away from such things. Jon Pertwee tells Dr. Who fans "...through the cosmic waste, the Tardis flies..." in his distinctive and cool voice on "Who Is The Doctor?” while Design has those, Rotary Connection meets The Association harmonies on the go in a rather good tune called "The Jet Song..."

For sure, Grapefruit could be accused of trying to hold-in the fat belly of Seventies pop-light detritus with "Bubblerock Is Here To Stay! The British Pop Explosion 1970-1973", when they should lock it all up in a nuclear bunker and never let it out again for fear of contamination of vulnerable younger minds. But isn't that half the fun?

Where is a musical Playtex Girdle when you need one – right here baby...in a Capacity Wallet...