The Peppermint Rainbow: “Pink Lemonade” | The Monocled Alchemist Podcast #73

“Will You Be Staying After Sunday” Hit-Makers

The Peppermint Rainbow, pink lemonade: I’ve had this 1969 LP by The Peppermint Rainbow for twenty years, I bought a sealed copy from a dealer in USA back in 2004, played it once, then filed it away on the shelf.

That was until I got interested in everything about the Lemon Pipers, their song-writers and even their production team. This led me to spending hours of online research, including famed arranger, producer and song-writer Paul Leka.

After the Lemon Pipers became last years news he teamed up with a new Decca signing calling themselves the Peppermint Rainbow. This Baltimore, Maryland group looked quite a square middle-of-the-road lounge outfit, the mustashed lads looked ancient compared to the two lasses wearing their powder-blue outfits and white go go boots.

I’m thinking that guitarist Doug Lewis looked like he’d been around the block a few times and sure enough he had previously been a member of (as far as I know) non-recording groups, including The Inner Cyrkle and The Phoenix Admirals. They may have been whacked-out garage punk combos, I’d like to think so.

The Peppermint Rainbow, pink lemonade:

The material The Peppermint Rainbow excelled in was commercial, radio-friendly pop. Don’t expect any underground freak-out acid guitar or fuzz moments, their bag is adult-orientated harmony pop with orchestration. They also have room for sleepy love ballads.

If they were dropping acid and smoking weed in 1969 the fellas hid it well by having shortish hair and wearing smart clobber bought from a commercial enterprise and not some trendy swinging gear boutique.

What about the music?

The stand-out tracks include “Pink Lemonade”, a bubble-gummy pop gem that was the B-side of “Walking In Different Circles”, released during the summer of 1968. A year before the LP hit the market!

By the way, “Walking In Different Circles” is also very good and I like their version more than the recorded versions by Ronnie Dio & the Prophets and Goldie & the Gingerbreads.

Paul Leka’s number “Rosemary” is also a stand-out and strangely their cover of “Green Tambourine” is also a success. For some unknown reason the Lemon Pipers original backing was used!!

The Peppermint Rainbow, pink lemonade:

Line-up:

Bonnie Lamdin (keyboards / vocals)
Pat Lamdin (vocals)
Anton Corey (drums)
Skip Harris (bass / vocals)
Doug Lewis (guitar / vocals)

UK Discography:

“Walking In Different Circles” / “Pink Lemonade” (MCA MU 1034) August 1968
“Will You Be Staying After Sunday” / “And I’ll Be There” (MCA MU 1076) April 1969
“Don’t Wake Me Up In The Morning, Michael” / “Rosemary” (MCA MU 1091) July 1969

60s Press Reviews:

“Walking In Different Circles”

The Peppermint Rainbow get a compact and imaginative sound going on “Walking In Different Circles” (MCA MU 1034), but really there’s nothing different about these musical circles. (Record Mirror, 17/08/68)

A very, very nice record is Peppermint Rainbow’s “Walking In Different Circles” which has a Fifth Dimension feel about it and is really pretty. (Disc & Music Echo, 17/08/68)

Something rather horrid seems to have happened to the drum kit on this session.

From the introduction one might deduce that cement has been poured inside the snare drum and that the hi-hat cymbals have been beaten out of shape by a posse of rampaging music lovers.

This is Pop Music Book one, designed presumably to keep record company executives happy. One can imagine them 17,000 feet up in a crystal palace built on some Swiss mountain covered in eternal snow, surrounded by naked secretaries and flowing Scotch.

They haven’t been outside the great, grey world for ten years, but have all their products lowered by the monthly helicopter.

“Ha,” says Franz Ogre. “Dis is an nice record. I could play this to my grandmother if I hadn’t had her shot in 1943. Diss is vot I call goot music. Now then Melinda, just smash that priceless Ming vase, and play me der next hit!” (Melody Maker, 17/08/68)

“Don’t Wake Me Up In The Morning, Michael”

Young ladies singing rather nicely with what sounds like the Top Of The Pops orchestra backing between tea breaks.

“What’s the session today, Bert?” “Dunno – usual crap. Coming fishing, Sunday? Listen, I’ve got this fantastic new technique with worms . . . ” (Melody Maker, 19/07/69)