Strange, squeaky bubblegum pop with faint glam leanings
Label: CBS
Year of Release: 1973
I've mentioned before that Cook and Greenaway were a songwriting force to be reckoned with in the sixties and seventies, writing a steady stream of hits for the likes of Cilla Black, The Hollies, Engelbert Humperdinck, Marmalade, and Cliff Richard. Much later on, Roger Greenaway would find fortune writing for commercial clients, penning jingles for British Gas and Allied Carpets.
Every successful songwriting career is littered with flops along the way, though, and "Cream and Bananas" here is one of the more bizarre leavings the pair dropped on the way to the bank. Squeaky lead vocals namedrop happening of-the-moment acts such as Sly and The Family Stone, and are backed with a jolly, trotting rhythm. It's the sound of a crew of children's puppets doing an impersonation of The Beach Boys while messed up on Hooch, suffering from a combination of drunkenness and a sugar high. Sales were, shall we say, disappointing, with the public clearly being unmoved by the noise.
The B-side is slightly more conventional and a marginally more glam-orientated listen, but still has the same helium-voiced, bubblegum feel.
2 comments:
I don't think the songwriters were responsible for it's lack of success. I could imagine it doing ok with a different vocalist.
There's another single under this name and label; it's a cover of Salt Water Taffy's "Finders Keepers" backed with an original tune called "Down In Mexico". No clue if it's the same group given the vocalist(s) sound totally different and the production credits don't match.
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