Doctor Dolittle presents The Grasshoppers LP REVIEW!

I MUST ADMIT when i saw this LP in a Salvation Army in Trenton, i passed it over. It took me two more visits to actually shell out the .99 cents for it. There were three main reasons my compulsive record buying sense didn't tingle with this and I will enumerate them for you right now (what bad sentence structure; it doesn't quite capture the audience)
REASON NUMBER 1: The first time i saw this disc was also the first time I had been to this particular shop in about three weeks and in that time, there were a number of other more worthy records to concentrate on--including the Spiderman LP by the Webspinners and a Hammer era Christopher Lee-covered Dracula LP from the early 70's. So when I saw a group of cartoon grasshoppers in bell bottoms playing instruments on the cover, it didn't quite make the hair on my back stand on end. Which leads neatly into:
REASON NUMBER 2: I thought it was that other "The Grasshoppers" that covered the Chipmunks songs in the 60's. Their LP's are pretty well distributed throughout collections across thrift stores like Eagles records. Although these grasshoppers looked a bit more hip than the older ones that i think dressed like a barbershop quartet or something, I thought maybe they had been reinvented to cash in on the Archies and other cartoon bands.
REASON NUMBER 3: It was wedged in a stack of dozens of other childrens records--the typical Disney/Wacky Songs with covers of 1910 Fruitgum Co. songs on it--and to find a cool childrens record has been a rare occurance for me (the Wombles are good).
SO WHEN I took a third look at it, I first noticed it was distributed by Bell Records in 1970 (through Carousel Records) which had some cool sounds at that point (Partridge Family, Crazy Elephant, Davy Jones almost). That intrigued me. But when i read that the songs were from "DOCTOR DOLITTLE", as featured on the NBC Television network series" that was the clincher. This was an indication it wasn't just going to be a cheapo all covers children record--there might actually be some substance to it. And I was right.
THIS LP HAS a sound that is a creepy combination of cartoon/childrens/christian/fake TV show background music. All tracks are written by Doug Goodwin who has done tons of cartoon soundtracks. There seem to be a male lead (maybe two) and a female lead as well as a number of background vocalists. The production is very sparse and rely mostly on vocals and the occasional organ and fuzzy guitar. No credit is given to any musicians or vocalists on the album so anyone with any info on that please drop a message!
TO SAY IT is like the Archies, which would be a natural comparison to make, is not quite accurate. Most of the songs are either sung as a group or by the female lead with background accompaniment as opposed to the predominantly male vocals on the Archies tunes. Also, whereas the Archies were written and produced for hitmaking purposes, well crafted tunes by some of the greatest writers in pop history, the songs on "The Grasshoppers" are quite schizophrenic. While most of the tunes sound like an anemic Free Design with antennae (they are real grasshoppers, right?) one track specifically sounds Nilsson-esque (On a Train Goin' West is sort of a "I Guess the Lord Must be in New York City" with a broken compass). Aside from that one song which is really kind of low key, the album has a strange energy that keeps the listener hypnotized (three times in a row last night).
MOST OF THE tracks are lyrically child-oriented, nothing too sophisticated. But all the lyrics are quite positive and perfect for a quick cheer-up, which is essential to sunshine pop.

The Grasshoppers "On a Train Goin' West" 1970


THERE ARE ENOUGH touches of stylish vocal harmonies to make this something to seek out for anyone who is getting worried that they've found all the great sunshine pop/bubblegum/feelgood records ever produced, which is where I was until recently. I've realized I've had to branch out as a fan and collector. Some of the best pop vocal LP's i've ever heard are Christian "message" records. Maybe there is an untapped vein of childrens records out there also.