Yum Yum Dynasty A Taste of Bubblegum Pop Vol. 1: Meet Joey Levine - "The Bubblegum King"

 Alabaster Charm - Yum Yum Dynasty 

Hello to you.

My name is Alabaster Charm.

I am leader of Yum Yum Dynasty, a group of young Chinese,

Thai and Korean women brought to life in artwork and used

on the covers of YA romance novels. We were hand picked

by Shady's Place CEO Shady Del Knight to host our own

show here on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio. Pop music is

big in our countries. My friends and I also love U.S. pop,

especially Bubblegum and Nursery Rhyme Rock, styles

that were most popular from the mid 60s to mid 70s.

We are here today to bring you a special report on a

man who was responsible for many hit recordings

in those two American music categories.

 IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO MEET 

 THE KING OF BUBBLEGUM POP 

 J O E Y  L E V I N E !  

 REUNION 

Memories of Myrtle Beach, SC, fill
Shady's mind whenever he hears the
novelty 45 "Life Is a Rock (But The
Radio Rolled Me)." The single is
credited to a group called Reunion,
but it was actually performed by
Joey Levine aka "The Bubble-
gum King" accompanied by
studio session musicians
and backup singers.

"Life is a Rock” is one of the most unique

recordings ever produced. By means of

a rapid fire monotone that makes him

sound very much like an auctioneer,

Joey rattles off a seemingly endless

list of the who’s who and what’s

what of popular music and

cultural phenomena.

Heeeeeeeeeeer's

Joey!

 "Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" 
 Reunion  (Oct./Nov. 1974, highest chart 

 position #7 Cash Box/#8 Hot 100) 

 Cyan Lime - Yum Yum Dynasty 

Joey Levine is a prolific songwriter, producer and performer. He sang lead

on singles released by several groups, some of them real, others merely
kiddie pop fabrications that existed only in the studio. Here are some
of Joey's bubblegum pop and nursery rhyme rock hits of the late 60s.

 THE 
 THIRD RAIL 

The Third Rail consisted of Brill Building
pop veteran Artie Resnick, his wife Kris
and Joey Levine backed by session
musicians. A one hit wonder group,
The Third Rail is remembered for
the 1967 single "Run, Run, Run"
which offered social commentary
on the hectic pace of the
modern rat race.

 "Run, Run, Run" - The Third Rail 

 (Aug./Sept. 1967, highest chart pos. 

 #53 Hot 100/#54 Cash Box) 

 Zing Zest - Yum Yum Dynasty 

 THE 
 OHIO EXPRESS 

The following year, Joey Levine fronted the

latest incarnation of The Ohio Express, one

of the groups established by producers

Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffrey Katz and their

Bubblegum factory Super K Productions.

Levine gave The Ohio Express its biggest hit  

with the top 5 single "Yummy Yummy Yummy," 

a recording that, over the years, found its way 

onto lists of greatest bad songs of all time 

and has been used as commercial jingles.

 "Yummy Yummy Yummy" - The Ohio Express 

 (June 1968, highest chart pos. #4 Hot 100 & Cash Box) 

 KASENETZ-KATZ 
 SINGING 

 ORCHESTRAL CIRCUS 

 Wind Chime - 

 Yum Yum 

 Dynasty 

A few months after he hit big with

"Yummy Yummy Yummy," Joey Levine

was back on the chart as lead vocalist

of a pseudo group called Kasenetz-Katz

Singing Orchestral Circus. The Super K

act made the top 20 on Cash Box with

this gummy goody- "Quick Joey Small."

 "Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run)" 

 Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus 

 (Nov. 1968, highest chart pos. #18 Cash Box/#25 Hot 100) 

 Indigo Pink - Yum Yum Dynasty 

 OHIO  EXPRESS 

In November 1968 Joey Levine staged a
one man battle of the bands. While his
Kasenetz-Katz "Quick Joey Small"
single was climbing the chart, Joey
put another Ohio Express record
in play. "Chewy Chewy" enjoyed
a substantial 13 week chart run
and reached the top 10 on

Cash Box in December.

 "Chewy Chewy" - Ohio Express 

 (Nov./Dec. 1968, highest chart pos. 

 #8 Cash Box/#15 Hot 100) 

  Panda Silk - Yum Yum Dynasty 

 THE BANANA SPLITS 

In 1969, Joey Levine lent his voice to The Banana Splits,

(Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snorky), a Hanna-Barbera

creation that became a kids TV sensation.  Levine sang

two Banana Splits songs, "It's a Good Day For A Parade"

and "I Enjoy Being a Boy (In Love With You)," both

issued on an EP 45 by series sponsor Kellogg's.

 "I Enjoy Being a Boy (In Love With You)" 

 The Banana Splits (winter/spring 1969) 

 OHIO EXPRESS 

  Coco Been - 

 Yum Yum   Dynasty 

Now, I have for you a third song

by Joey Levine and his studio

band Ohio Express. Session

musicians played on the

group's recordings, but an

entirely different lineup was

used for live performances.

Here is a rare video of Joey

and his Ohio Express touring

band appearing live on the

German music TV show

Beat-Club and begging

for-- "Mercy!"

 "Mercy" - Ohio Express 

 (Apr./May 1969, highest chart pos. #26 Cash Box, 

 #30 Hot 100/#24 Canada/#23 Australia, 

 live perf. on German TV show Beat-Club) 

 SHADOWS OF KNIGHT 

When he wasn't singing lead or background vocals on bubblegum

records, Joey Levine was busy writing and producing them.

 Joy Luck - Yum Yum Dynasty 

Joey wrote "Shake" and "From Way Out To Way Under," the two

songs on a psychedelic rock single by the Chicago-based band

Shadows Of Knight.  Led by the late great Jim Sohns,

SOK made the top 40 with the A side-- "Shake!"

 "Shake" - Shadows Of Knight" 

 (Nov./Dec. 1968, highest chart pos. 

 #39 Cash Box/#46 Hot 100) 

 CRAZY ELEPHANT 

Another hit on Joey Levine's list of credits is the infectious

"Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" by Crazy Elephant,

a song he co-wrote with Ritchie Cordell.

 Zenith Zodiac - 

 Yum Yum Dynasty 

The peppy pachyderm platter approached the

top 5 spot on Cash Box in the spring of 1969.

 "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" - Crazy Elephant 
(Apr. 1969, highest chart pos. #6 Cash Box/#12 Hot 100) 

 Ming Song - Yum Yum Dynasty 

Bubblegum pop recordings, along with those in the related nursery rhyme rock
category, were innocent, family friendly ditties that served as an antidote to
the harder and heavier styles of music that became popular in the 60s.

Taken as directed (in moderation), these sugar sweet sing-alongs
put a smile on your face and a bounce in your step, but beware
of an overdose! Get "Yummy Yummy Yummy" or one of
these other sappy Simple Simon songs stuck in your

head and it'll take the jaws of life to pry it out.

Alabaster Charm back with you.

If you liked what you saw and

heard today, I hope you will

join us next time for more

classic sounds of bubblegum

pop, nursery rhyme rock,

sunshine pop and soft rock

of the 60s and early 70s

when we return with

the next edition of

our series

 Yum Yum Dynasty: 

 A Taste of Bubblegum Pop 

 

here on S-P-M-M Retro Radio... the station with personality!

 "The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)" 

 - The Banana Splits (Dec. 1968/Jan. 1969, 

 highest chart pos. #96 Hot 100/#96 Canada), 

 theme  of TV series The Banana Splits based 

 on the melody of  "Shortnin' Bread") 

 Bunny Snow - Yum Yum Dynasty