Led by singer Fred Cole, who had formerly been in the Northwest punk band the Weeds, the Lollipop Shoppe's sole album (from 1968) ranks as one of the better psych-punk LPs, and also as one of the better one-shot rock records of the late '60s. Featuring Cole's choked, bitter phrasing, the group staked out the middle ground between the Seeds (who shared the same manager) and Love, with a bit of fellow L.A. psych-punkers the Music Machine thrown in. If comparisons must be made, they were definitely closer in tone to Love than the Seeds, with a mixture of raunch and reflection in the spirit of Arthur Lee. Cole was one of the few psychedelic performers to make a contribution during the punk era, surfacing in the Portland punk band the Rats in the late '70s.
The bands only album, 'Just Colour' is a good document of 'psychedelic rock' from that era. Rocking out hard, yet with a gentle and beautiful song like 'Only A Reflection' as well, it's no surprise that some of the Lollipop Shoppe songs (like 'Don't Look Back' and 'You Must Be A Witch') easily fit in with the Dead Moon set list, even today.
After the Lollipop Shoppe broke up in 1969, Fred played in a couple of local bands but was generally fed up with the rock'n'roll business (including the 'necessity' of keeping their marriage a secret). However, the band made a short re-appearance as Underground Railroad after all (for a couple of gigs) and even called themselves The Weeds again for a 1971 single, recorded as a threepiece with Ed Bowen and newcomer drummer Dominic Davis. The name of the Lollipop Shoppe however will not easily be forgotten, since countless cover versions of 'You Must Be A Witch' surfaced in the eighties garage rock boom, and lots of garage punk bands of today also pick this song for their set list.
01 - You Must Be A Witch - 2.43
02 - Underground Railroad - 7.39
03 - Baby Donīt Go - 2.35
04 - Who'll Read The Will - 2.28
05 - Itīs Only A Reflection - 3.04
06 - Someone I Know - 4.05
07 - Donīt Look Back - 2.30
08 - Donīt Close The Door On Me - 4.21
09 - It Ainīt How Long - 2.41
10 - Itīs Makin' It - 2.27
11 - I'm Gonna Be There - 2.41
12 - You Donīt Give Me No More - 2.13
13 - Sin - 2.23
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