1969 Bubblegum/Pop/early Power Pop: Marshmallow Way - Marshmallow Way (1969 United Artists)

 

Marshmallow Way was a pet project for two well-known pop songwriters, Billy Carl (born Carlucci) and Reid Whitelaw, the men who wrote 1910 Fruitgum Company’s 1968 single, “Goody Goody Gumdrops.” After that song was a hit for bubblegum kingpins Kasenetz and Katz, Carl and Whitelaw sought to duplicate K&K’s success on their own and ultimately signed a production deal with United Artists Records. A band was picked from the New Jersey dancehall circuit, renamed Marshmallow Way and put to work recording a set of Carl/Whitelaw compositions. The resulting album, the self-titled Marshmallow Way, was released in 1969, just after the bubblegum craze was reaching its peak.

Beyond the songwriting and production team of Carl and Whitelaw, the personnel of Marshmallow Way is largely unknown. Only the lead singer, Tomm Nardi, is known by name, and this mostly due to his later success with garage hard rockers Sainte Anthony’s Fyre.

A glance at the album jacket—and even a quick read of the song titles—leave no doubt as to the type of music on Marshmallow Way. The front cover is a photo collage of the five band members trapped in a gumball machine that is dispensing marshmallows! The back cover depicts the band floating in the air on a giant marshmallow over a giant marshmallow pie. The song titles are similarly themed: “Michigan Mints,” “Sugar and Spices,” “Sweet Thing,” “C’mon Kitty Kitty.” Hardly subtle.

I first heard of Marshmallow Way through Leonard Los who described the album as “a less silly version of 1910 Fruitgum Company”—a description that is entirely accurate: this is not your little sister’s bubblegum.  “C’mon Kitty, Kitty” opens the album with a glammy drum fill and descending chord pattern that breaks into a power pop hook that reminds me of the material on Sloan’s Between the Bridges: pure pop, but with a definite edge.

 “Keep My Fingers Crossed” is a mix of bubblegum and Chi-Lites soul, with a great falsetto chorus and perhaps overly earnest romantic lyrics. “Michigan Mints” is a straightforward ode to a regional brand of candy set to a bouncy rhythm not unlike Bobby Sherman’s singles from about the same time. “Give and Take” opens with a Tradewinds-meets-Beach Boys vocal arrangement and displays hints of the early Rascals. “Sugar and Spices” is the most straight-ahead bubblegum track and features a ridiculous litany of sweet treats, including, finally, a girl’s kisses. “Good Day” is an acoustic folk-rock song similar to the cheerful approach of Alzo and Udine, though a little slicker in terms of production. The album closes with “Music, Music” and another commonplace of bubblegum: a vaguely soul-based song paying tribute to the powerful effects of “pretty music.” This is more watered-down than usual, but offers lovely changes and a solid vocal arrangement.

At least two singles were released from the album: “C’mon Kitty, Kitty”/“Sugar and Spices” and “Good Day”/“Music Music.” Neither single seems to have had made much of an impact on the charts and Marshmallow Way was unfortunately never heard from again.

Marshmallow Way is long out of print and has never been reissued on CD. Vinyl copies appear occasionally on second-market sites, but are fairly hard to find. (popgeekheaven.com)

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