“Through My Window” taken from the LP ‘Just Color’ (Big Beat Records WIK 36) 1985
The Lollipop Shoppe | Through My Window | (UNI) 1968 | People, dreams, fulfilment. Ambition, hope, understanding. Trying, searching, eventually giving through the spectrum of sound. The ten years before Elvis came with hope the Colonel holding the rein.
Movement hard, the sound of a Southern knight. Frustration driving the people on, the King was born. His knaves followed on. The glimmering, shimmering pursuit of a rock and roll stardom. Twisting the night away, the shining ball of silver moved the world. The high priest of the year gave the new idol Chubby Checker.
The influence of American music was being heard in cellars and clubs from the Gigolo to the Cafes des Artistes off the Kings Road, Chelsea. Mary Quant was just opening up the windows of the Young Set with the frills and spills of colour of the debutante’s whirls end, Mr. Carnaby Street opened his first shoppe — John Michael was the King that year in the fashion world and the Kenya Coffee House was full of people — let’s just call them ‘Future’.
Terry Stamp, Michael Caine, Samantha Eggar, Andrew Loog Oldham, Susanna York, George Hamilton, Peter Fonda, David Hemmings, Peter Rackman, Mandy Rice-Davies, Christine Keeler and everybody was talking French movies and the paintings of William Morris were the “In” things to talk about and the only thoughts were of how to stay in the Kenya Coffee House on one coffee from four until seven.
The Lollipop Shoppe | Through My Window | (UNI) 1968
The birds, the dollies came flying home from the country and hot from the office, the Rolls Royce maroon in colour, those who read will remember Who and how the games were played.
And so the world of twist was left in darkness and from the Flamingo in the Soho West End an answer was being given by Georgie Fame, in that little town, in that fog wet north of England, he was the innest of the “In” and the year was 1962.
Dudley Moore and Peter Cooke brought down the Establishment and pulled back the curtains of time — it was the beginning of the generation of “Let’s laugh at ourselves and be human and bring the nations closer together”.
The time had come for television to bring into the grey and faded homes of millions the hope of climbing up to win the battle of the preparatory school, the public school and the varsity.
And out of the smoke and darkness of the unspoken part of the Island of Hope came four, Irish-faced, Riddle and rhyme young men, Young of age, old of mind.
The love of the life and the freedom of speech they gave to this age was the greatest cultural revolution since the reign of the first Elizabeth. Opened up the dreams of future hope for every ambition non-conformist who was sick of the drab and faded existence of the past 300 years.
Faded idols
The Beatles, or John, Paul, George and Ringo as I wish to remember them will be to history synonymous with the Drakes and Raleighs of the Golden Age.
To the millions in this now-small world music will be synonymous with their name (let’s call their name ‘Legend). But many young, ambitious-minded creatures gained acceptance in every field of enterprise and those coloured gates of dreams opened up.
The Byrds began to fly The Hermits came out into the light of day. And the Stones rolled out of Richmond. Faded idols were restored to their past glory — Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins.
A mode of life had begun in the watered darkness of a dockside town of Liverpool. The image of this, the Now Generation, swept the world and the voice of the avant-garde was the reason to get up and thank the Sky for life.
The Lollipop Shoppe | Through My Window | (UNI) 1968
Images were being made in England. Dylan came and conquered. James Brown motivated the blood to rush to the mind and asked “Try me!” And the world of music was becoming one vast playground.
Money was made, minds were blown, but music became the #1 attraction in the world and the new stars were identified with their audience. The amateur became the professional. The movies began to tell the real story of the life. The motion picture idol, the box office attraction became a type of non-performing singing, playing star on cellophane.
Flower Power and hippies had some trouble and gave (the Blues) some strife. Millions of words, pictures, talked of the problems of this generation.
Understanding the hope of the future and the good will of the past. Let’s give the colour of this moment the complete answer. And sit up and say, “It was a great time to be young and be aware of the tremendous talents and gifts that the world has seen through these performers.
The Lollipop Shoppe are young — they’re bright, they are enthusiastic. Their average age is only 18 — the heroes of today’s music are their heroes, they don’t compare themselves with their idols, they just hope that one day they may give a little bit of colour to tomorrow . . . . (Lord Tim Hudson)
The Lollipop Shoppe | Through My Window | (UNI) 1968
A message from your sponsors . . . Contained herein are the complete recordings made for the UNI label by the Lollipop Shoppe. Twelve of the songs formed their only album, ‘Just Colour’, which was released early in 1968, and the remaining two, ‘Someone I Know’ & ‘Through My Window’ were issued as a single later in the year.
Rather than ignore their existence, those latter songs have been included on this album, slotted in at the end of each side. That apart, the running order here follows that of the original.
The different style of the newer songs indicated a change of direction, one which stayed sadly unfulfilled as the Lollipop Shoppe split up soon after their recording.
These are what remain; a sound that’s pure Los Angeles. the mixture of folk-rock, punk & the Summer of Love which made the style so fascinating.
There are several highlights, the crunch of “She Must Be A Witch”, the sprawl of “Underground Railroad”, the lilt of “Baby Don’t Go”. And those are only the beginning.
Imagine if Love had made an album somewhere between their debut & ‘Da Capo; or think of the Seeds but with a shade more overdrive, that is the Lollipop Shoppe.
Indeed the Seeds are somewhat close comparison; both groups were managed by Lord Tim Hudson, an L.A. d.j. / scene-maker; both groups had superbly idiosyncratic vocalists in Sky Saxon & Fred Cole, and those last Shoppe sessions seemed to follow the same orchestrated pattern as on the Seeds’ third album, ‘Future’.
If those combinations seem of interest, stop & listen. (Brian Hogg. April 1985)
Trade magazine
“Just Color” – The Lollipop Shoppe (UNI 73019)
The Lollipop Shoppe sets out on a hard rock excursion which is likely to result in heaps of sales for the male quintet.
Funky, hard-driving outings fill the set, and the Shoppe is loaded with tasty tunes such as “You Must Be A Witch,” “Who’ll Read The Will,” “Look Back,” and “You Don’t Give Me No More.”
The group could garner a considerable following with this LP. (Cash Box, April 1968)
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