B

1910 Fruitgum Company

Band members Related acts

- Jimmy Casazza - drums, percussion, vocals (1969)
- Don Christopher - guitar, vocals (1969)
- Ralph Cohen - trumpet, percussion, vocals (1969)
- Richie Gomez - guitar, vocals (1969)
- Mark Gutkowski - vocals, keyboards
- Frank Jeckell - vocals, rhythm guitar (1967-)
- Pat Karwan - vocals, guitar (1967-)
- Floyd Marcus - vocals, drums (1967-)
- Mark Gutkowski (aka Joey Levine) - vocals, keyboards

(1967-)
- Steve Mortkowitz - bass (1967-)
- Rusty Oppenheimer - drums, backing vocals (1968-)
- Larry Ripley - bass, backing vocals (1968-)
- Jerry Roth - sax, woodwinds, vocals (1969)
- Bruce Shay - percussion, vocals (1968-)
- Pat Soriano - vocals, keyboards

- none known

Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Simon Says Company: Buddah Catalog: BDS 5010 Year: 1968 Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear; gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Price: $15.00	Ah !!! New Jersey's contribution to the short-lived bubblegum rock phenomenon. The 1910 Fruitgum Company actually started as a studio entity built around the talents of writers/producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz. With help from hired gun/vocalist Joey Levine (billed as "Mark Gutkowski"), drummer Rusty Oppenheimer, bassist Larry Ripley and guitarists Bruce Shay and Chuck Travis, Kasenetz and Katz set about crafting a highly commercial styled of pop for the band. Co-produced by Kasenetz, Katz and Elliott Chirput (who penned the majority of the album), the outfit (credited as keyboardist Mark Gutkowski, rhythm guitarist Frank Jeckell, guitarist Pat Karwan, drummer Floyd Marcus and bassist Steve Mortkowski) debuted with 1968's "Simon Says". Plain and simple, nursery rhyme inspired material such as the title track, "Pop Goes the Weasel", "May I Take a Giant Step (Into Your Heart)" and "Bubble Gum World" was clearly intended as commercial product. While the results abandonned all pretense of art, there was a certain attraction to the low-tech, exceedingSoul Struttin'ly radio friendly enterprise. Elsewhere, perhaps because it was so different from most of the LP, the blue-eyed soul Archie Bell ripoff "Soul Struttin'" was our personal favorite. Released as a single, the title track provided the band with a top-10 hit, while the follow up "May I Take A Giant Step (Into Your Heart)" went top-100. Propelled by the hit singles the parent album reached #162. (The album was originally released with a gatefold sleeve.) "Simon Says" track listing: 1.) Pop Goes the Weasel (Elliott Chirput) - 1:55 2.) Keep Your Thoughts On the Bright Side (Floyd Marcus) - 2:20 3.) Magic Windmill (Frank Jeckell) - 2:17 4.) The Year 2001 (Floyd Marcus) - 1:51 5.) Soul Struttin' (Tony Orlando - M. Thau) - 2:41 The Story of Flipper 6.) Simon Says (Elliott Chirput) - 2:41 7.) May I Take a Giant Step (Into Your Heart) (Elliott Chirput) - 2:24 8.) Bubble Gum World (Floyd Marcus) - 2:18 9.) Happy Little Teardrops (Elliott Chirput) - 2:16 10.) The Story of Flipper (Pat Karwan) - 4:29 11.) (Poor Old) Mr. Jensen (D. Taxin - Jerry Kasenetz - Jeff Katz) - 2:15

Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: 1, 2, 3 Red Light Company: Buddah Catalog: BDS 5022 Year: 1968 Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+ Comments: minor age staining; tear on back cover; minor click on 1st track side 2 Available: 1 Price: $12.00	Another Katz and Kasenetz production, for the most part "1, 2, 3 Red Light" did nothing to tamper with the group's established formula. If anything, material such as "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy" (this song may well qualify as one of rock's most annoying), "The Song Song" and "9, 10 Let's Do It Again" came off as even more disposable (was it possible to have something like bubblegum lite?). Elsewhere, a rote cover of Dylan's "Mighty Quinn" added nothing to the better known Manfred Mann version. While the "A" side was devoted to top-40 fare, the flip side was actually rather inventive and enjoyable. Highlights included "Take Away"; the band taking a capable stab at blue-eyed soul, "Sister John" sporting a folk-rock sound, while "Blue Eyes and Orange Skies" found the band opting for a mildly psych influenced attack. With the title track going top-10, the parent album managed to hit #163. (Special kudos to Buddah for the imaginative cover art ...) "1, 2, 3 Red Light" track listing: 1.) 1, 2, 3 Red Light (S. Trimachi - B. Trimachi) - 1:55 2.) The Song Song (G. Willet - S. Dworkin) - 2:30 3.) Shirley Applegate (Mark Gutkowski - T. Gutkowsi) - 2:04 4.) The Mighty Quinn (Bob Dylan) - 3:06 5.) Yummy, Yummy, Yummy (Artie Resnick - Joey Levine) - 2:18 6.) 9, 10 Let's Do It Again (S. Trimachi) - 2:05 7.) The Book (F. Marcus) -2:26 8.) Sister John (Mark Gutkowski - T. Gutkowsi) - 2:10 9.) Take Away (F. Marcus) - 2:22 10.) Lookin' Back (P. Karwan) - 2:26 11.) Blue Eyes and Orange Skies (Frank Jeckel) - 2:00

Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Goody Goody Gumdrops Company: Buddah Catalog: BDS 5027 Year: 1969 Grade (cover/record): VG/VG Comments: -- Available: 1 Price: $12.00

Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Indian Giver Company: Buddah Catalog: BDS 5036 Year: 1969 Grade (cover/record): G/VG Comments: some hiss, taped bottom seam Available: 1 Price: $6.00	Hardly the most politically correct offering (hard to imagine the title or album cover passing muster today), "Indian Giver" underscored the feeling this fad had about run it's course. While these guys were never the most original outfit, here several tracks sounded like outright copies of one another (the title track and "Special Delivery" were virtual carbon copies of one another). Again, in small doses this wasn't bad; but taken in at one sitting, these eleven tracks poised a danger to diabetics - be particularly careful to watch your blood sugar around "1910 Cotton Candy Castle"... One of their better sellers, the set hit#147. "Indian Giver" track listing: 1.) Indian Giver (Barry Bloom - B. Gentry - Ritchie Cordell) - 2:30 2.) No Good Annie (Mark Gutkowski - Jerry Kasenetz - Jeff Katz - T. Gutkowsi) - 2:21 3.) I've Got To Have Your Love (Mark Gutkowski - Jerry Kasenetz - Jeff Katz - T. Gutkowsi) - 2:20 4.) Good Good Lovin' (Mark Gutkowski - Jerry Kasenetz - Jeff Katz - T. Gutkowsi) - 2:08 5.) Candy (Mark Gutkowski - Jerry Kasenetz - Jeff Katz - T. Gutkowsi) - 1:52 6.) Special Delivery (Barry Bloom - B. Gentry) - 2:40 7.) Game of Love (Mark Gutkowski - Jerry Kasenetz - Jeff Katz - T. Gutkowsi) - 2:00 8.) Let's Make Love (Mark Gutkowski - Jerry Kasenetz - Jeff Katz - T. Gutkowsi) - 1:58 9.) Groovy Groovy (Mark Gutkowski - R. Oppenheimer - T. Gutkowsi) -2:20 10.) Sweet Lovin' (Mark Gutkowski - Jerry Kasenetz - Jeff Katz - T. Gutkowsi) - 2:20 11.) 1910 Cotton Candy Castle (S. Trimachi) - 2:30

Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Hard Ride Company: Buddah Catalog: BDS 5043 Year: 1969 Grade (cover/record): VG/VG Comments: bullet hole; minor ring wear; original inner sleeve Available: 1 Price: $15.00	1969 saw another personnel shift resulting in a completely different lineup consisting of drummer Jimmy Casazza, guitarist Don Christopher, trumpet player Ralph Cohen, guitarist Richie Gomez, sax player Jerry Roth and keyboardist Pat Soriano. Sporting one of the year's ugliest covers (where'd they dig up the butt ugly motorcycle club on the front cover?), "Hard Ride" found Kasenetz and Katz finally giving the reconstituted band an opportunity to showcase their own material. With the exception of Kasenetz and Katz's "The Train" (the band's final chart single), the majority of the set featured original material. Abandoning their bubblegum roots with a vengence, material such as "Don't Have To Run and Hide", "All These Things", the instrumental "Creations of Simon" and the electronic freak out "The Thing" opted for a far harder sound. All over the place in terms of consistency, the set had it's moments, including the hysterical "Eulogy" and the hard blues "Seulb". Unfortunately, by the time it was released, the band had all but lost it's audience. The set vanished without a trace, followed in short order by the band. "Hard Ride" track listing: 1.) Don't Have To Run and Hide (Mark Gutkowski - T. Gutkowsi) - 2:58 2.) All These Things (Richie Gomez) - 2:38 3.) Beggar's Epitaph (Mark Gutkowski - T. Gutkowsi) - 3:50 a.) Eulogy (1910 Fruitgum Company) - 2:00 b.) Seulb (T. Gutkowsi - Don Christopher) - 7:21 4.) The Train (Jerry Kasenetz - Jeff Katz - Ritchie Cordell) - 2:30 5.) Creations of Simon (instrumental) (Jerry Roth - Richie Gomez - T. Gutkowsi) - 3:40 6.) Collections of Thoughts (Don Christopher) - 5:08 a.) In the Beginning (1910 Fruitgum Company) - 1:30 b.) The Thing (instrumental) (Mark Gutkowski - T. Gutkowsi) - 3:40 7.) Togetherly Alone (5 Movements) (Jerry Roth - T. Gutkowsi) - 5:30

Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Juiciest Fruitgum Company: Buddah Catalog: BDS Year: 1970 Grade (cover/record): VG/VG Comments: -- Available: 1 Price: $12.00	Released posthumously, 1970's "Juiciest Fruitgum" served as a decent retrospective (though there were few liner notes). Compiling a mixture of the band's biggest radio hits and misses, the focus was clearly on the front end of the group's career; half of the ten tracks pulled from the first two collections. For anyone other than hardcore bubblegum fans, the ten tracks were more than enough aural cotton candy. "Juiciest Fruitgum" track listing: 1.) When We Get Married (Ritchie Cordell - J.J. Woods) - 3:57 2.) Indian Giver (Bobby Bloom - B. Gentry - Ritchie Cordell) - 2:30 3.) Special Delivery (Bobby Bloom - B. Gentry) - 2:40 4.) The Train (Ritchie Cordell - Jerry Kasenetz - Jeff Katz) - 2:30 5.) Mighty Quinn (Bob Dylan) - 3:04 6.) Simon Says (Elliott Chiprut) - 2:16 7.) 1, 2, 3 Red Light (S. Trimachi - B. Trimachi) - 1:55 8.) May I Take a Giant Step (Into Your Heart) (Elliott Chiprut) - 2:24 9.) Goody Goody Gumdrops (B. Carl - R. Whitelaw - Jerry Kasenetz - Jeff Katz) - 10.) 1910 Cotton Candy Castle (S. Trimachi) - 2:30

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