Chartbusters USA: Sunshine Pop

Liner Note Author: Tony Rounce.
Sunshine pop is one of those generic designations that came into use long after the music in question had fallen out of popularity. Featuring sweet, upbeat melodies topped with polished harmonies and frothy arrangements, sunshine pop described the sort of tunes that were a frequent presence on AM radio in the mid- to late '60s, and like the girl group era earlier in the decade, it was a medium dominated by songwriters and producers rather than artists, many of whom seemed anonymous and interchangeable (only the most obsessed music fan could tell the Lemon Pipers, the Peppermint Rainbow, and the Sunshine Company apart in dim light). But if sunshine pop was a medium for lightweight pop hits rather than contemplative musical statements, the best singles of the era are delightful stuff that still resonate today, and this collection from Ace Records' Chartbusters USA series (celebrating American pop singles of the 60s) is as good a primer on the subject as you're likely to find. Opening with the three minutes of pop perfection that is "Happy Together" by the Turtles, this disc features 26 songs that define both the style and the era, which often reflected a cheerful but benign parallel to the more sophisticated pleasures of psychedelic rock. While there are a number of self-contained groups that wrote and performed their own material on board -- including the Turtles, the Cowsills, the Rascals, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Beach Boys, and the Mamas & the Papas -- most of these acts were one- or two-hit wonders with experienced studio hands doing most of the work. But it's hard to argue with the results when this system produced singles as glorious as "98.6" by Keith, "Morning Girl" by the Neon Philharmonic, "Younger Girl" by the Critters, "Love (Can Make You Happy)" by Mercy, and "Time for Livin'" by the Association. Anyone who loved the optimistic side of AM radio in the '60s will remember most of these songs, and the relative obscurities sound like they should have been hits, too, while Tony Rounce's liner notes tell the stories behind the songs very well indeed. ~ Mark Deming