Lemon Twigst

The Lemon Pipers were somewhat of an anomaly in the 1960s bubblegum community because the group actually had creative aspirations. Unfortunately, their high-water mark came with their first single, the infectious "Green Tambourine" (written by the team of Paul Leka and Shelley Pinz), which hit the number one spot on the pop charts in 1968. The follow-up singles (also written by Leka and Pinz) "Rice Is Nice" and "Jelly Jungle" added in interesting orchestrated Baroque pop elements, but ultimately failed to attract much attention. This compilation from Camden Records includes the Lemon Pipers' only two albums, Green Tambourine and Jungle Marmalade, and is the most complete single-disc collection of the group available (the Lemon Pipers recorded 26 tracks in their short history, and 20 of them are here).

Unlike the majority of bubblegum bands, the Lemon Pipers' albums are actually quite good, not least because they were one of the few bubblegum bands who were a proper band with their own songwriters (although outside writer/producers did provide the two hits, the inescapable "Green Tambourine" and the actually even better "Rice Is Nice," a sweet, harp-laden depiction of a wedding day). Even the album tracks are pretty groovy, like the Cat Stevens-like character sketches "Shoeshine Boy" and "The Shoemaker of Leatherwood Square," which effectively use trippy string sections and playful harmonies. The snottier folk-rock of "Ask Me if I Care" and the far-out "Fifty Year Void," to say nothing of the nine-minute freakout "Through With You," give Green Tambourine a harder edge than most bubblegum albums, though it's still closer to, say, the Cyrkle than Cream. Seek it out, bubblegum snobs: you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised.

Capturing all the intimacy and the amp-hum in its unfussy, impromptu recording sessions, Lemon Law is dripping with atmosphere. The buzzing of that cable, that weird phase-y sound from the un-gated mic. It's all here. The lack of overdubs might even make Neil Young jealous. The complexities and the intricate arrangements feel easy and natural, and naturally nostalgic. It's all vaguely familiar and new at the same time.

On Everything Harmony, the fourth full-length studio release from New York’s The Lemon Twigs, the prodigiously talented brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario offer 13 original servings of beauty that showcase an emotional depth and musical sophistication far beyond their years as a band, let alone as young men.

Snce the release of their debut studio album Do Hollywood (on 4AD) in 2016, The Lemon Twigs—the New York City rock band fronted by brothers Brian (27) and Michael D’Addario (25)—have waved the same revivalist torch as Alex Chilton and his Big Star crew, working to prove that archaic music from the ‘60s and ‘70s can still be relevant in digital world. Alongside peers like Foxygen and Drugdealer, The Lemon Twigs have explicitly documented a synchronistic blend of contemporary narrative motifs, old-school recording techniques, and flawless, consistent attitudes collaged from various crucial stages of rock ’n’ roll. After a whirlwind 2023, the D’Addarios are continuing the momentum of their own evolving vision and voice, distilling a history lesson of baroque and power pop into A Dream Is All We Know out on Captured Tracks.

The D’Addario brothers return with their third Lemon Twigs album, Songs For The General Public - written, recorded and produced by the D’Addarios at their home studio in Long Island, Sonora Studios in Los Angeles and Electric Lady in New York City.

The Lemon Pipers' Golden Classics is a mid-priced collection spotlighting several of the bubblegum band's late-'60 tracks, including "Rice Is Nice," "Jelly Jungle (Of Orange Marmalade)," and their number one hit from 1967, "Green Tambourine." This Collectables compilation alongside Buddah's Best of the Lemon Pipers: Green Tambourine are just about equal in sound quality and definitive track listing.