I went into Bubblerock is Here to Stay! The British Pop Explosion 1970-73 thinking that the Cherry Red Records compilation was going to chronicle the Brit equivalent of the bubblegum pop of my early youth. It sort of does, but it does much more. There's a wide range of styles here, with so much of this being great pop, that a listener is surprised at how resilient and good these years were for music. While the seriousness of prog and the force of glam, forms prevalent in the United Kingdom in the years covered here, are not evident on the three discs of this set, we've got instead gem after gem of melodic, bright, silly, and heartfelt stuff. Of course, the liners tell the story of the personalites who made bubblerock a genre, and who were wizards behind the scenes orchestrating some of these acts. Godley & Creme, and Graham Gouldman, are behind a few of these offerings, so there's some history here for those interested in it, and eager to read the liners. However, the majority of the selections stand on their own still as light pop souvenirs from an era caught between the waves of changing tastes and genres.
Disc 1 succeeds on the strength of material like "That Same Old Feeling" by Pickettywitch, a number penned by Tony Macaulay (The Foundations), and "Sunday Girl" by Dunno, a song that's very nearly a Wizzard number recast for daytime radio. Those tracks are light and catchy, even as a few other selections here, like, "Neanderthal Man" by Hotlegs reveal some real talent at work. Featuring members of 10cc, Hotlegs turned something silly into a complex bit of business, even as "Pollution" by Gingerbread offers up one of the biggest singalong hooks on this whole set. These are the standouts here on the first disc, as is the surging "Alexandra Park" by Fumble, a brash rewriting of "Palisades Park" by Freddy Cannon.
On the second disc of Bubblerock is Here to Stay! The British Pop Explosion 1970-73 we veer into glam thanks to the inclusion of the familiar "Wig-Wam Bam" by The Sweet, even as "I Like It That Way" by The Tremeloes feels accessible too. However, what's unsettling here makes for the best tunes: the surreal "Johnny Reggae" by the Piglets is odd and funny, while "Loop Di Love" by Shag is a proto-electronic oddity that lingers in the head. A cover of the David Gates-penned "Popsicles and Icicles" from The Angelettes reminded me of The Rubettes more than any American girl group, even as "Come into My Heart" by Rusty Harness sounds like some weird British spin on Bobby Sherman and Freddy Cannon. There are a few covers here, but the best tracks on disc two are the ones that are nearly impossible to classify, and there are many of those, including a superb reworking of Nick Drake by Millie (Millie Small of "My Boy Lollipop" fame), whose "Mayfair" is obviously linked to her disrobing in the magazine of the same name.
The third disc of this set reveals the most variety within the genre of bubblegum pop: a cover of "Suspicion" by Vivian Stanshall of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, with half of The Who as backing band, is a head-spinner, as is "I Can't Hide" by the legendary Bill Fay. This one sounds almost like a parody of doo wop but it's a nice tune nonetheless, as is the affecting "I Want to Go Back There Again" by B.J. Arnau (Brenda Arnau of The Benny Hill Show). "Hello Blinkers" by a pre-10cc Lol Creme and Kevin Godley, billed as Kev & Lol, is a decent stomper, and it sits nicely next to fairly routine stuff from names of the era like David Essex, Mungo Jerry, and Bay City Rollers. Still, for all that's conventional here, a real surprise was "Our Jackie's Getting Married" by Peter Skellern. The singer, composer of "You're A Lady", a hit for Tony Orlando and Dawn here in the States, has a nice way with the sweetly funny tune, and comparisons to Nilsson and Gilbert O'Sullivan would seem appropriate. There's other stuff on this set like this one, but far too few with a hook this glorious and lovely.
Bubblerock is Here to Stay! The British Pop Explosion 1970-73 offered up the most enjoyable four hours of listening I've had in 2020. Not everything here is a lost treasure, but so much of this surprises and pleases, and earns a laugh or a smile from a listener, that it's hard not to rave about this set. For someone who grew up during the American bubblegum pop boom, when AM radio was a joy to listen to, this set delivered the same kind of pleasure. While I barely knew any of the tunes here, and had only read about a dozen of these acts, probably, there's so much invention at work here, and so much that sounds utterly unlike the more famous musical trends of years in question, that the set is an essential purchase. Without the pomposity of prog, or the noise of glam, the pop collected here revealed how the single could be an art-form, one capable of pulling at the heart for three minutes, or humorously tweaking the conventions of the era. Believe me, there's nothing boring here, and you've got about two dozens styles represented, with generous liner notes providing a back-story for every little nugget on this massive set.
Bubblerock is Here to Stay! The British Pop Explosion 1970-73 is out now via Cherry Red Records.