The Return of the Red Baron
The Royal Guardsmen
Laurie LLP2039
1967
I first encountered The Royal Guardsmen in my teenage aunt's record collection when I was a kid. She was a Peanuts fanatic and I think she had at least three of their albums in her tiny collection of records. I liked Peanuts too, but I was too shy to ask her to play one of them for me. Eventually I heard "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" on an oldies radio station and I liked it. Not so much however that I made any effort to track down that album. However being a passionate crate digger it was only a matter of time before I stumbled across a copy of it and I decided to indulge my childhood passion. The record was okay, mostly novelty songs and bubble gum with a few rock songs sprinkled in the mix. I figured I was done with The Royal Guardsmen after that but then I came across "The Return of the Red Baron" which intrigued me with its covers of The Yardbirds, The Byrds and The Spencer Davis Group. I also dug the cover picture of the group so I bought it. It was a good choice. Trapped inside the commercial bubble gum group there was a real rock band trying to break out. The album opens with "Airplane Song (My Airplane)" which was written by Michael Murphey of "Wildfire" fame and Owens Castleman. It was released as a single and almost cracked the top 40. It is basically a bubble gum song, but I find it charming. It is followed by a cover of "I'm a Man" that blatantly and quite creditably imitates the version by The Yardbirds right down to Jeff Beck's manic guitar solo. It definitively shows that the band had some impressive chops. I read in an interview that the band used to cover Cream and Jimi Hendrix in their live shows and I totally believe they could do it. "Any Wednesday" was written by Charlie Souza and was a flop single. I actually like it better than any of their hit singles. It is ebullient sunshine pop with nice harmonies that pushes all my buttons. It is one of my favorite tracks on the album. "Shot Down" is fortunately not another Snoopy song, but rather a punchy rocker by Dick Holler and John McCullough. It reminds me of Paul Revere and the Raiders particularly in its raucous atmosphere. "I'm Not Gonna Stay" was written by Alice Heller and is a melodic soft rock song reminiscent of The Association. It is a bit sappy, but I dig the the harmonies. Side one concludes with an instrumental version of The Byrds' "So You Want to Be a Rock 'N Roll Star" which sounds so much like the original that it seems kind of pointless although I enjoy it anyway, particularly the guitar work. Side two opens with their hit single "The Return of the Red Baron" which is a shameless retread of "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron." If you liked the first one you will probably like this one too although it is not quite as catchy. "Gimme Some Lovin'" is of course the Steve Winwood song that was a big hit for The Spencer Davis Group. It sounds pretty much like the original except that lead singer Barry Winslow can't come close to matching Winwood's soulful vocal. "Om" was written by guitarist Tom Richards and organist Billy Taylor of the group and is a psychedelic instrumental driven by a hypnotic bass riff with some trippy guitar noodling on top of it. It is another one of my favorite tracks. "Searchin' for the Good Times" was written by prolific songwriter Bob Stone. It is a bit bubble gummy but it has some garage flavor and compelling raga flourishes. It reminds me of the Monkees. "I Need You Girl" unfortunately is pure bubble gum written by the master of the genre Artie Resnick and his wife Kris. It easily the weakest song on the album after the title track. The band saves the best song for last, Barry Winslow's "Leaving Me" which is pure fuzzed out garage bliss. It really makes me regret that the band didn't have more creative freedom and support. This is such a fine record that I'm sure the band had the potential to be a more significant group. Perhaps not in the same league as The Standells, The Electric Prunes and The Chocolate Watchband, but probably at least as good as The Count Five, The Leaves or The Shadows of Knight all of whom have received more attention and respect than these guys ever managed. I guess this falls a little short of being some lost garage classic, but it comes pretty close. I would not hesitate to suggest it to any one interested in the genre or the period. Recommended to fans of Paul Revere and the Raiders.
