#1 for weeks of January 27, and February 3 and 10th, 1962.
First off, if you are wondering what happened in the first weeks of 1962, those spots are taken up by one more week of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and two weeks of "The Twist". Yep, the classic 1960 hit made a unique repeat entry to the chart over a year later. If you want to know how I feel about that song, check out review #35. So following "The Twist", we had the "Peppermint Twist". Hmm...
Well, I initially did not have high standards for this song. I was expecting a "Twist" ripoff musically, with the usual lyrical cliches of early 1960's dance songs. Well, it turns out I was half right. Lyrically, this song is just as banal as "Pony Time" or any other similar songs from the time period. There's the tried and tired "Well we got a new dance and it goes like this", and the chorus is entirely devoted to how exactly you do the dance.
So much for good lyrics, (Not that I was expecting a masterpiece), the real surprise is the music. This isn't a twist ripoff at all, but a fast rock and roll number complete with organ and saxophone. Even better, there's a killer guitar solo in it! Finally, the lead vocalist was David Brigati who is none other than future Rascal Eddie Brigati's brother. In fact, this song has a few similarities to the latter group's 1966 hit "Good Lovin'", so the brotherly connection is more than just a coincidence.
However, when all is said in done, this is neither a masterpiece which deserves critical acclaim, nor a total dud which can be forgotten. I found during my first listen when I only concentrated on the lyrics I didn't enjoy the tune. However, when I paid attention to just the music, I found myself entertained. The song's a product of its time, but it certainly is one of the more well done examples of an early 1960's dance-specific song.
Final Verdict - A great rock and roll music melody, which is marred by run-of-the-mill lyrics and subject matter. Still, it's worth the price of admission for that guitar solo alone so give it a whirl...er...a twist.
Coming Up Next - "Duke Of Earl" by Gene Chandler.
Until Next Time - I'm Dr. Rock, and I'm always in mint condition.
No comments:
Post a Comment