Sunny Goodge Street - If My Name Was Oscar/ Just Ain't Right

 

Label: Fraternity

Year of Release: 1974

It's been said so often that I'm reluctant to repeat it, but the idea that "toytown" psychedelic pop evaporated out of existence on New Years Eve in 1969 is fanciful. Unfashionable styles and genres never disappear from music completely; they just become gradually less commonly sighted in any given week's new release pile. Why, you could argue that some of They Might Be Giants' work is essentially toytown psychedelia or popsike and I might not completely disagree with you. 

The stylistic origins of bouncy, merry-happy sixties tunes about cobblers, market stall owners, watch makers and eccentric tramps were obviously in The Beatles and The Kinks more music-hall orientated work, and the former group had such a colossal influence on pop music that simply stamping it out was going to be impossible.

Certainly, the Dayton, Ohio group Sunny Goodge Street - named after the superb Donovan song - seemed in thrall to that side of the Fabs, as the A-side to this single proves. It's rude and lazy to describe the work of others by referring to their obvious influences, but in this case I almost have no choice. "If My Name Was Oscar" is almost exactly what you'd get if "When I'm 64" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" bred and had a baby song of their own. It's a jaunty, japey minute and forty seconds of music hall styled self-doubt, only delivered with an American accent. "If I had a beard/ would you think that I was weird/ would you tell me I had to shave?" they ask. Yes we would. Get busy with the blades and foam, hairies. 

Somewhat more oddly, they also sing "If my name was Oscar/ would you love me just the same/ would I have to change my name/ who would be to blame?" which doesn't make an awful lot of sense to me - was the name Oscar spectacularly unhip and undesirable by 1974, to the extent that men were adopting pseudonyms to avoid romantic embarrassment? It all seems a bit much to me.

Side B of this single is an entirely different proposition, though, as Sunny Goodge Street rock out in a much more seventies-friendly fashion, sounding almost like a completely different band. People who feel uncomfortable around twee sixties styled pop may therefore find more to enjoy away from the plug side.

According to the "Buck Eye Beat" website, Sunny Goodge Street had their origins in the group The Shillings, who issued two singles on "Dayton Band Company" ("Yesterday's Dawn" and "Forgive Me My Love"). By the point of this release, the group consisted of Rick Bashore on vocals and guitar, Cliff Young on bass, Denny Thomas on piano and Don Adams on drums. 

Confusingly, they had three singles out in the seventies, two of them incorrectly credited in different ways. Their debut single "By And By" was credited to Sunnygoode Street, whereas on the follow-up "Just Another Dream" they were known as Sunny Goode Street - at least by single three (this one) somebody was professional enough to get their name right and honour Donovan in the spirit intended.

If the previews below aren't working properly, please go right to the source.