Today, a St. Louis record show find, "Let's Stomp" by The Rotten Kids. This song, as well as the record's flipside, a version of "Twelve Months Later" were both written by the songwriting team of Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer, perhaps better known collectively as the Strangeloves. Both tunes have previous histories. Bobby Comstock's excellent version of "Let's Stomp" was a hit in 1963, while FG&G's pre-Strangeloves outfit, The Sheep, released "Twelve Months Later" as a single on the Boom label. FG&G also produced today's disc.
The real question here is what about The Rotten Kids? Here we have a record with known songwriters and producers, on a major label but nothing seems to be known about the group. Were they indeed a real band or a mere studio concoction, perhaps yet another guise for the Strangeloves? And for such a good record, there's nearly nothing on the net about it. "Let's Stomp" turns up a scant few hits, solely because it's appeared on a compilation disc. The flipside produces nada.
Anyone?
8 comments:
The Rotten Kids were real, I know, I was one of them, we actually recorded Let's Stomp, Twelve months Later,Yakety Yak, and Sweets for my Sweet, all produced by FG&G Production on Mercury.....Joe .
Ah, great to see a member of the Rotten Kids post here! If you see this, maybe you'd like to fill us in on band members, where you guys were from, what kind of gigs you played, etc., etc.
Thanks for the info.
The Rotten Kids 1965
I too was one of the Rotten Kids. The band members were Billy & Danny Spencer, Joe Valessio, Kevin Lawless, and Bryan Gorman. Our manager was Lou Spencer the boys’ father. After doing the Tonight Show in 1965 and thee Merv Griffin Show in 1966 the band dissolved. The brothers went on to become bands called Horatio, The Bad Seeds, The Fabulous Fakes and finally The Bubble Gum Machine. I am Bryan.
THE BUBBLE GUM MACHINE
On first listen, the "Machine" sounds like a Sunshine Pop group simply covering Top 40 songs. Dig it a bit deeper and play A Song That Never Changes, Do You Really Love Me, I Wouldn't Be Lonely Anymore, The Love Of A Woman, Wha'cha Gonna Do For Me Now, and You Make Everything Right alongside other "official" bubblegum artists such as Austin Roberts, Cufflinks, Hardy Boys, and Lt. Garcia's Magic Music Box, then it all make gum sense. True to their name, the group (Wes Farrell producing and Wes and Tony Romeo writing the originals) takes Sunshine Pop songs and puts them through the, well, bubblegum machine. It's not K&K gum by any means, but rather that sophisticated sound that lead the genre away from the tikes all-the-way to Tony Burrows. I highly recommend the album regardless of where they fit. It was certainly good enough to order a follow-up release but the rumor circulating is that "they" died during a USO trip to Vietnam.
ALBUM:
THE BUBBLE GUM MACHINE
(Senate 21002, S-21002) 1968
SIDE ONE
Wha'Cha Gonna Do For Me Now
To Love Somebody
A Song That Never Changes
For What It's Worth
The Love Of A Woman
SIDE TWO
I Wouldn't Want To Be Lonely Anymore
You Make Everything Right
I Wonder
No Love To Be Found
Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart's Club Band
SINGLES:
I Wouldn't Want To Be Lonely Anymore/You Make Everything Right (Senate 2107) 1968
Wha'Cha Gonna Do For Me Now/The Love Of A Woman (Senate 2110) 1968
Do You Really Love Me/One More Mountain To Climb (?) (Senate 2114
I forgot to post that if anyone would like the total history of this band, including records, pictures, album art, recording contracts,film,copy of the Tonight Show audio etc. etc. I have it all. Love to share it with you.
i would love to have this Bubblegum Machine album
Hey Zorro, I am Kevin Lawless, the Bass player, from the Rottin Kids. If you have the "only" copy of our Tonight Show performance; could you please post it on YouTube so me and my Bandmates can see it. Thanks. deland_kev@earthlink.net. Get in touch with me please as I am trying to get the Band into the "Long Island Music Hall of Fame" and need everything I can get to present. Peace.
Was one of the band mothers named Billie? I was a menber of another Long Island band of the Era, The Gremmies.
Bryan Gorman
I remember the Gremmies from the club circuit. Beach Boys and surf sounds. I think you played at Dean's in Long Beach as did I when I was in the Realms cira 1966. I played organ. I also played with Billie Spencer when I was in The Rottin Kids before the Realms.
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