Vinyl-a-Day 30: The Peppermint Rainbow - Will You Be Staying After Sunday? (Decca, 1969)
Baltimore’s The Peppermint Rainbow are right in the same groove as The Association, Harper’s Bizarre, The Brooklyn Bridge and The Mamas and the Papas - but if I had to more accurately describe their sound it would be Spanky & Our Gang meets The Lemon Pipers. And that would make a lot of sense as they were produced by Paul Leka who also produced The Lemon Pipers. The Spanky & Our Gang analogy comes from the fact that the group’s two lead singers, Bonnie and Patty Lamdin, when harmonizing, sound a lot like a double-tracked Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane. The Peppermint Rainbow can be an inconsistent album at times, but when it’s good, it’s REALLY good. The highlights are its two singles "Will You Be Staying After Sunday", which peaked at no. 32, and "Don't Wake Me Up in the Morning, Michael,” which peaked at no. 54. Both are exploding euphonies of sunshine-pop replete with rich harmonies, lush strings and epic horn arrangements. “Pink Lemonade” is a pleasant piece of psych-pop which, unsurprisingly, sounds like a lost Lemon Pipers track. “Walking in Different Circles” is just as catchy as the album’s two singles. My only criticism of the album is the uninspired cover of “Green Tambourine” for which Paul Leka opted to use the same backing track from the Lemon Pipers’ version. That’s easy to forgive, however, and this album will certainly stay with you after Sunday and beyond!
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