Take Bubble Gum Music Underground
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Album Summary
Released in 1969 on Buddah Records, 'Take Bubble Gum Music Underground' by The Zig Zag People arrived at a peculiar and beautiful crossroads in pop culture — when the bubblegum sound that had been bubbling up through AM radio was ripe for a little underground treatment. The album was produced in the spirit of the Buddah Records stable, which had become the home of that sweet, hook-driven pop sound, packaging familiar chart hits with a psychedelic garage energy that gave the whole affair a slightly rawer, more freewheeling feel than the polished originals. The record was essentially a covers collection, pulling together some of the biggest bubblegum and novelty hits of the era and running them through The Zig Zag People's own groovy sensibility, offering listeners a taste of the underground scene's take on mainstream radio gold.
Reception
- The album never made a significant dent in the major charts, as it was positioned more as a budget-line curiosity than a mainstream release, finding its audience among bargain bin browsers and bubblegum devotees.
- Critical reception at the time was minimal — the music press of 1969 had its eyes fixed on Woodstock and the heavier sounds of the era, leaving a playful covers album like this one largely without a spotlight.
- The record found quiet appreciation among fans who loved hearing familiar hits like 'Yummy, Yummy, Yummy' and 'Hanky Panky' delivered with a little more grit and garage charm than the polished originals.
Significance
- The album stands as a fascinating artifact of the late-1960s bubblegum era, capturing the moment when the sugar-sweet pop sound was at its commercial peak and underground artists were beginning to engage with — and gently subvert — that mainstream energy.
- As a covers collection released on Buddah Records, the spiritual home of bubblegum pop, the album offers a unique window into how the genre's aesthetic was being interpreted and repackaged for different corners of the record-buying public.
- The record documents the breadth and cultural saturation of the bubblegum movement, bringing together hits from artists like the 1910 Fruitgum Company, Ohio Express, and Tommy James into one gloriously sticky snapshot of the era.
Tracklist
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A1 Little Bit Of Soul —
3:11
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A2 Hanky Panky —
3:58
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A3 Simon Says —
3:17
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A4 Yummy, Yummy, Yummy —
3:45
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A5 Sally Goes To The Dentist (Available In 8 & 16 Mm) —
3:25
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B1 1 2 3 Red Light —
3:48
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B2 Chewy Chewy —
5:34
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B3 Indian Giver —
4:06
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B4 Peel It Off Your Face —
3:16
Artist Details
The Zig Zag People were one of those gloriously mysterious late-1960s studio outfits that lived in the grooves of budget-line records and Buddah Records releases, lending their name and their energy to the bubblegum and garage pop sounds that were lighting up AM radio across America. Not much is known about who exactly made up this merry band of musical souls, as was the tradition with many of the era's anonymous studio collectives, but what they left behind carries all the warmth and swing of a generation in love with a good hook and a carefree melody. They were the kind of act that reminds you that some of the most joyful music ever made came from folks who just showed up, plugged in, and played their hearts out without needing their names in lights.
