Label: Decca
Year of Release: 1967
I really don't think I need to write much of an introduction here - but hopefully those of you who haven't heard this track already will be well aware, just from the title alone, that it's a satirical stab from Pete and Dud at the psychedelic scene.
It wasn't their only attempt, naturally. "Bedazzled" - from the film of the same name - parodied the "new and exciting sounds" which were coming out of London town with such effectiveness that the platter still gets played at psychedelic club nights to this day. The shimmering production techniques and attention to detail on that single sounded suspiciously like the work of two people who secretly wouldn't have minded in on at all, whereas "LS Bumble Bee" is a much more direct piss-take, supposedly inspired by The Beach Boys. It's a cornucopia of layered sound effects, ridiculous lyrics ("Freak out baby, the bee is coming!"), ludicrous puns and childish melodies. If you weren't aware of its origins, "Bedazzled" could easily be mistaken for the real deal, whereas this is just complete silliness. The bootleggers who put it on compilations of lost Beatle tunes in the seventies really do need their ears syringing.
The B-side is probably of equal interest to Pete and Dud enthusiasts, being a five minute lecture about the perils of drug taking. It's also included in the download.
Download here
3 comments:
Dave, wondered if you've ever seen 'Smashing time'? It's pretty dumb but good fun all the same and does a better job than 'Bedazzled' of satirizing Swinging London.
Although this great Gainsbourg Eurovision song was two years earlier and is saying pretty much the same thing.
I've never seen "Smashing Time", I must admit. I'll put it on my "to watch" list (although I've a sneaking suspicion that somebody I cohabit with may not share the same enthusiasm for its contents).
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