Elephant Candy cover

Elephant Candy

Released

The Fun & Games were signed to Uni Records by Gary Zekley, a West Coast songwriter known by his work for The Mamas & The Papas, The Grass Roots, The Clique, Jan & Dean, Spanky & Our Gang… it’s quite a resumé. He also wrote the lion’s share of the songs on Elephant Candy, one of the better albums from the nexus of bubblegum and sunshine pop. The group came closest to a hit with “The Grooviest Girl In The World,” whose rambunctious energy and sass is pure bubblegum, but if anything, The Fun & Games excelled at the gentler, more pop-sike side of things: “Topanga Canyon Road,” the album’s highlight, is lusciously toothsome in its arrangement and the generosity of its languorous melody. If you’re a sucker for this sound, Zekley’s other sunshine pop protégés, The Yellow Balloon, are well worth hearing, too.

Jon Dale

Suggestions
Martha's Vineyard cover

Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard
Ask Me No Questions cover

Ask Me No Questions

Bridget St. John
Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc cover

Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc

Nikki Sudden, Rowland S. Howard
Unhalfbricking cover

Unhalfbricking

Fairport Convention
Ship to Shore cover

Ship to Shore

Richard Thompson
Tango cover

Tango

Tanguito
Green Tambourine cover

Green Tambourine

The Lemon Pipers