Mp3\121Mb***
The Royal Guardsmen from Ocala, FL — Bill Balough (bass), John Burdette (drums), Chris Nunley (vocals), Tom Richards (guitar), Billy Taylor (organ), and Barry Winslow (vocals/guitar) — enjoyed their brief reign of pop fame in 1966-1968 by recording a series of songs taking off from the Peanuts cartoon character Snoopy and his fantasy about aerial dog fighting with German World War I flying ace Baron Von Richthofen.
The million-selling "Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron" was the first and most successful of these novelty records in the fall of 1966, and its follow-up, "The Return of the Red Baron," also made the Top 40."Snoopy's Christmas" topped the seasonal charts at the end of 1967. After a few non-Snoopy singles were less successful, the Guardsmen released "Snoopy for President" in the summer of 1968, but the fad was over. The group scored a final Top 40 hit with its two-year-old, reissued debut single, "Baby Let's Wait," in the winter of 1968-1969. The original group split in 1969; a version with some replacement members continued for another year. (by William Ruhlmann)
*****
The Royal Guardsmen - The Best Of (2000)
1. Snoopy vs. the Red Baron 2. Return of the Red Baron 3. Airplane Song (My Airplane) 4. Any Wednesday 5. I Say Love 6. Snoopy for President 7. Baby Let's Wait 8. Leaving Me 9. It's Sopwith Camel Time 10. Biplane "Evermore" 11. Shot Down 12. Searching for the Good Times 13. Smallest Astronaut 14. Mother, Where's Your Daughter 15. Down Behind the Lines 16. Om 17. I'm a Man 18. So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star 19. As Tears Go By 20. Snoopy's Christmas
******
Of course, the heart of this hourlong, 20-track compilation is the series of Snoopy novelty hits enjoyed by the Royal Guardsmen in the mid-'60s, starting with the million-selling "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron." The group had a few other singles chart entries, all of which are here, sometimes making reference to aerial themes ("Airplane Song [My Airplane]"). Though cute and catchy with their martial drumming and banjo picking, the Snoopy songs have a trash-rock quality in the tradition of "Louie Louie" and "Hang On Sloopy." Elsewhere, the group veers from one mid-'60s style to another, sometimes re-creating the good-time sound of the Lovin' Spoonful, other times using harmonies that sound like the Association, then resorting to covers (an instrumental version of "So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star," "As Tears Go By"). Though they made four albums, this best-of is a little more than anyone really needs of the Royal Guardsmen.
****
No comments:
Post a Comment
RULES :
1. ANONYMOUS REQUESTS WITHOUT ANSWER ! If you take the time to write a message, take a few seconds to sign it with your name, please.
2. If you think that the post was made in violation of your copyright, just report it in the comments and we will delete the material.
3. You can report of about dead links, but please don't make more than one repost request per week.