+1/2 -- Definitive collection of mid-60s one-hit wonders
hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 02/05/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Like so many '60s garage bands, Ohio's Music Explosion had but one song who's catchiness and timing intersected with the whims of the American Top-40. But unlike many other one-hit wonders, the Explosion actually managed to record several other fine singles, as well as an entire album that was fleshed out with more than the usual filler.The band's rock and soul roots were amply expressed through lead-singer Jamie Lyons, supplemented by both the band's line-up, and on several of the album tracks, polished studio hands. What makes the Music Explosion's music so unique is the intersection of their garage origin with the production talent of Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz. The combination resulted in music with DIY grit, but manicured to a higher polish than some of the Explosion's Nuggets and Pebbles-memorialized contemporaries.Kasenetz and Katz ("Super K") would move on to bubblegum glory (notably, The Ohio Express' iconic, "Yummy Yummy Yummy," first offered to the Music Explosion, and whose intro is shared by the Explosion's latter-day single "Yes Sir"), but they clearly polished up their production techniques with the Music Explosion. In particular, many of the album's backing tracks were recorded by studio musicians while the band was on tour. Tracks such as Bo Gentry and Ritchie Cordell's "We Gotta Go Home" are virtual prototypes for Super K's bubblegum run, and though fluffy fun, aren't nearly as compelling as the harder-edged work.Leading off the collection is the band's indelible hit single, "Little Bit O' Soul." Having peaked at #2, it's intro riff, repeated throughout the song, is supported by a moving bass line, thrashing drum work and a hook-filled lyric. They add up to the very essence of a top-40 pop hit. Listener's may be a bit disconcerted by the full, balanced stereo production, but a flick of the stereo/mono switch will help recreate your car's dashboard speaker. The song's original A-side, "I See the Light" follows with a top-notch slice of garage soul, fully realized with an emotional tough-but-tender vocal, and subtle guitar and backing vocals.Elsewhere the band shows off influences of The Who ("Everybody" borrows liberally from "Can't Explain"), The Lovin' Spoonful's jug-band sound ("Good Time Feeling"), and The Rolling Stones (Kasenetz-Katz's "Let Yourself Go," filtering "Tobacco Road" through the Stones impression of The Isley Brothers). The band covered contemporary garage tunes such as The Nightcrawlers' "Little Black Egg" (as well as a lyric rewrite, "One Potato Two," that's nearly as enigmatic) and ? and the Mysterians "96 Tears."Other Kasenetz-Katz tunes, like "Can't Stop Now" and "(Hey) La, La, La" show off what a great dance sound the band (and its studio hands) could produce. The Stax-like rhythms, horns, fuzz guitars and background vocals provided terrific backing for Lyons' impassioned vocals. If only for the right promotion or adventurous radio programmer, many of these songs could have struck chart gold. The lone original, "Stay By My Side," combines a folky edge with fuzz guitar for a Beau Brummels like sound.Sundazed's collection adds three B-side instrumentals to the CD world, including Kasenetz-Katz's neo-psychedelic "Road Runner" (with pseudo-Indian noodlings that bring to mind early Red Crayola), and the organ and guitar buzz of "Hearts and Flowers" and "Dazzling." Glenn Barton's liner notes, including interviews with original band members, are superbly detailed and informative, and photos and graphics from the band's archives help flesh out their visual image. Though the charts called them one-hit wonders, The Music Explosion' s catalog is deeper than "Little Bit O' Soul," and this collection is the definitive recitation."
Like an explosion, a big bang, then gone
Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 04/18/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"It was inescapable - to listen to a.m. radio in the summer of '67 and not be hit with that oh-so-identifiable intro to "Little Bit O' Soul". Though a follow-up single managed to scrape the lower reaches of the top-100, the Music Explosion is by necessity dubbed a one-hit wonder. Not unusually, a group, the Music Explosion included, achieves commercial success only when they veer from their innate style and accept performing what the music-buying public of the time will purchase. Hooking up with the bubblegum music kings Kasenetz and Katz proved to provide ME that fame, if only temporary. Ironically, with little follow-up success to "...Soul", the group declined to accept a song they felt was over-the-top novelty fare. That song, "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy" was to put the Ohio Express on the map big time in '68. Personnel changes contributed to the lack of continuity and further success for the Music Explosion and they were gone from the music-buying public's radar as quickly as they had appeared. This collection gathers up their Laurie recordings and while it contains their signature "Little Bit O' Soul", the vast majority of these tracks reflect their garage/punk style in contrast to their visible commercial, quasi bubblegum-styled success on the charts. This generous 24-track compilation contains their hit and failed singles along with several album cuts. Excellently produced with mastering by Bob Irwin at Sundazed, the sound quality is as good as could be expected with the "Little Bit O' Soul" lp tracks (1-12) in stereo, the remainder in mono. This piece replaces the One Way "Music Explosion" Anthology piece, now out of print, from the 90's. With the title cut found on compilations elsewhere, and little else familiar to the casual listener, this piece is basically for the more intent collector."
