Psychedelic Relics: Psychedelic Lollipop
Psychedelic Relics: Psychedelic Lollipop
“Whatever you got on that record is real. There’s nothing phony. There’s nothing pretentious– just a bunch of kids having a good time and thrilled to be there”.
Peppy Castro lives up to his name, a fact he was quick to point out. “I definitely live up to the name ‘Peppy’. I’m rockin’ and rollin’ while everyone else is doing the waltz”.
Interviewing the iconic singer/guitarist/songwriter is a blast. You just sit back and listen to him tell one great story after another. He may be in his 70s now, but he’s still got the fire and energy that helped propel his band to the top of the charts as a teenager in the 60’s.
We talked about his entire career, which is impressive, to say the least, with a focus on his band The Blues Magoos’ debut 1966 album Psychedelic Lollipop (one of the first albums to feature the “P” word, by the way).
Like many musicians, it seems, his path to rock and roll was a chance one. He got talked into performing at a church play where he had to mimic playing guitar. He thought that he would look foolish doing so, and when he found out one of the other kids in the production actually knew how to play, Peppy asked him to teach him a couple of rudimentary chords. “He showed me an E minor and the minute I played that chord, it was like the heavens opened up. Nothing else in my life mattered. By the time I was 14 I left home, I left school, and I never went to high school”. From there, music became his life and he spent his days practicing and jamming.
Before long he was asked to join The Trenchcoats and they started playing around Greenwich Village. The Village had been known as folk-scene central, but by this time it was transitioning into a decidedly more folk-rock sound, a by-product of the British Invasion influence.
Rechristened as “The Bloos Magoos”, they secured a deal to cut a single released in early 1966. That single didn’t garner much attention and they were back trying to land another deal.
During this time, the band lived together in the now-famous Albert Hotel where they could practice in the basement. During one session, they landed on a riff that would become ubiquitous in 60’s American rock. Simply put, it was one of the greatest two minutes ever cut to wax. “This thing had a vibration”, Peppy said. “To this day I’ve never heard anything like it, I was just mesmerized by it”.
Re-christened again, the band, this time known as “The Blues Magoos”, landed a record deal, and cut its first single– a more-than-5-minute version of the garage-rock staple “Tobacco Road”. It seemed every band had a go at this standard but, of them all, The Magoos’ version took the top spot. Radio stations at the time loved it but wouldn’t play it. A song five minutes long?? Not happening in 1966. “Our managers said ‘Let’s be ballsy, let’s put out Tobacco Road and freak everybody out’ and radio said ‘This is f-ing incredible, but no way can we play it, it’s five minutes long, you guys don’t even stand a chance. But if you give us something that’s two to three minutes, we’ll play it”.
Tobacco Road planted the seed that allowed that song with a “vibration” to grow. Their next single, “(We Ain’t Got) Nothing Yet”, was released in October of 1966 and started its ascent up the charts. The accompanying album came out a month later and suddenly the teenaged group was appearing on every television program and touring the country. Listening to it today, that single still sounds fresh and exciting. It’s aged well.
The album, Psychedelic Lollipop consists of a mix of garage rock, folk rock, and psych. As good as “(We Ain’t Got) Nothing Yet” is, there are other tracks that jostle for the title of ‘best song’ on this album. The full version of “Tobacco Road” is here, as well as a catchy number called “Gotta Get Away”, easily the best song I’ve ever heard that features syncopated “heys!”. “Sometimes I Think About” is another fantastic track that is an impressively written song for teenagers. A few other originals and choice covers make up the balance of the record.
If you can find a mono copy, put it on the turntable and listen to this thing explode out of the speakers.
With the success of the debut, the label was quick to release a follow-up, Electric Comic Book. Unfortunately, the lead single “Pipe Dream” was banned for its reported drug reference, even though Peppy said it was actually anti-drug. The song’s ban stalled their progress and all the momentum they had going for them. It should be said, however, that in addition to “Pipe Dream”, Electric Comic Book has some other solid tunes on there and, though it doesn’t hit the heights of their debut, it sits beside it nicely and comes recommended.
A year later however they released what I and many others consider their best overall effort. It didn’t have the monster hit but, as an album, Basic Blues Magoos is very strong, showing the band maturing as songwriters and musicians. Sadly it would be the last one they released during their “classic” lineup. Shortly after, Peppy was unceremoniously dismissed by his bandmates. “I was crushed. It took all these years later because of fans of the Magoos to bury the hatchet and not hold a grudge”.
The remaining four members of the Magoos relocated to California intending to continue recording. They were only able to muster one single before disbanding.
Meanwhile, Peppy had decided to form a new band and delve into his Latin roots. When the former Blues Magoos managers heard his new sound, they offered Peppy a deal he regrets making. They told him they owned the rights to the Magoos name, and that he could continue using it. At the grand old age of 19, with mounting IRS bills and knowing that trying to land another record deal was no easy task, he took them up on their offer. He recorded his Latin-influenced record, but his former bandmates sued to try and stop its release. By the time that was all sorted out, Santana was on the scene, and the new version of the Magoos was unfairly characterized as a copycat band.
A couple of albums later, the Magoos name was retired until a reunion album, appropriately titled Psychedelic Ressurection, was released in 2014.
After the Magoos, Peppy moved on to several other projects. Bands came and went – Barnaby Bye, Wiggy Bits, and Balance to name a few. He worked and wrote songs for major stars like Kiss and Cher. He wrote famous commercial jingles “…get your skis shined up, grab a stick of Juicy Fruit, the taste the taste the taste is gonna move ya!”
Peppy joked that he “sits on the beach and waits until someone sends up the bat signal.” He is still active in the music industry and currently working on his memoir.
He’s had a fascinating career, and it all started with Psychedelic Lollipop, an album that, without question, belongs in your collection, preferably in mono.
Farmer John is a musician and host of the audio podcast “Psychedelic Relics & Other Vinyl Treasures“. Each epysode (the “y” is on purpose) of the show features an under-the-radar album and includes interviews with artists and musicians connected with the project. The full story of the Blues Magoos and their album “Psychedelic Lollipop” is featured in the most recent epysode #19, and includes commentary from the Magoos’ Peppy Castro. This epysode will be available on all podcast platforms on Dec. 2/2024. Tune in, turn on, and drop by to listen.
Related: The 100 Best Psychedelic Rock Albums of the Golden Age
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