Joey Levine, King of Bubblegum

[M.T. Wallet]

I haven't been able to find a comp dedicated to the guy (bootleg or official) so I gathered some of his 60s songs as lead singer (mainly from YT & Bubblegum MF series =>low quality sound)
I didn't include Third Rail's stuff and instrumental B-sides (or A-sides played backwards) and add some KKSuperCircus & Ohio Express stuff as fillers. They may be mistakes and missing tunes but his discography is a complete mess!
Like he said in this interview http://www.wfmu.org/LCD/22/bubblegum.html you can really hear him trying to sound like a black SOUL SINGER sometimes (Night Time Lady!), in spite of his Dylan-ish nasal vocals.

Mark, please let me know if I must use the Secret Society to share home-made comp.

QUICK JOEY SMALL - 30 tunes sung by Joey Levine, King of Bubblegum

01 - Kasenetz Katz Super Circus - Quick Joey Small
02 - Joey Vine - The Out Of Towner
03 - Bohanna - Central Park Sue
04 - Joey Edwards - How Big Is Big
05 - Ohio Express - Yummy Yummy Yummy
06 - Salt - Lucifer
07 - Gideon - Oh! Sweet Love
08 - Joey Levine - Come On My Baby
09 - Bohanna - Down To Mississippi
10 - Ohio Express - Down At LuLu's
11 - Jet Stream - Crazy Me
12 - Joey Vine - Down & Out
13 - Patty Flabbie's Coughed Engine - Billy's Got A Goat
14 - Joey Edwards - Trapped
15 - Ohio Express - Firebird
16 - Bohanna - Night Time Lady
17 - Joey Levine - Becky And Joe
18 - Jet Stream - Ready To Leave
19 - Onion - Hello
20 - Ohio Express - Chewy Chewy
21 - Christopher - Wonderful Love
22 - Captain Groovy And Bubblegum Army - ST
23 - Rock Candy MT - Sweet Magic
24 - Up N Adam - Time To Get It Together
25 - Kasenetz Katz Super Circus - I'm In Love With You
26 - Bohanna - Jamaica
27 - Ohio Express - Mercy
28 - Jet Stream - All's Quiet On West 23rd
29 - Banana Splits - I Enjoy Being A Boy
30 - Kingsmen - Just A B-Side

http://hiddenpage.free.fr/QuickJoeySmall.rar

 

[HarvestmanMan]

Good stuff! I never knew that Patty Flabbie's Coughed Engine record was Levine material.

Was he involved with Jerry and Jeff/Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus at all?

 

[M.T. Wallet]

I have to check that out. His discography is such a mess! Sometimes, he sings lead on a-side only, sometimes he does backing vocals or writes/produces + Lange Martin Jr. imitates him on Professor Morrison's Lollipop's records.

His single on Immediate Rds as Joey Vine, especially The Out of Towner sounds like a great garage r&r record.

A lot of information here:
http://home.comcast.net/~bubblegumusic/levine.htm
http://home.comcast.net/~bubblegumusic/levinefoffle.pdf

 

[jeffs11375]

Nice comp. Almost all of these are unknown to me. Thanks.

 

[depravedskippy66]

This should be an actual release! Given all of the projects that Joey Levine has been involved in - just in the '60s alone - an anthology of some sort is certainly warranted.

 

[M.T. Wallet]

MISTAKE! in the comp: track 21 by Christopher, Wonderful Love (1967 - Bell 667 or 679)
I was pretty sure he was not singing lead on the other side: Everybody Boy In The Crowd (M. Aiese / D. Scotti) ; now I'm sure he doesn't sing lead on Wonderful Love either, though he wrote it. SORRY! :oops:

I doubt it's him singing lead on Kasnat & Katz Fighter Squadron's Pickin' Up Sticks

Anyone?

According to a comment on YT, it's not him either on "Rock & Roll Dubble Bubble Trading Card Co. of Philadelphia-19141" - Bubble Gum Music

 

[legbarecords]

Joey is most certainly involved with the Singing orchestral circus. The real mystery to me is the band. i'd like to know who the regular crew of studio guys were that worked on these records. Joey was also responsible for the song "life is a rock but the radio rolled me" by Reunion where he name checks some of his own work ha,ha! Lots of cool jingles from my childhood too. I'm a pepper you're a pepper. Almond joys got nuts.... mounds don't.

 

[legbarecords]

Artie resnick was also responsible for "would I still be her big man" by the Brigands

 

[Frantic]

Back in 1989 I was DJing a oldies club in Old Sacramento and a guy comes in with a few of his fellow band members. He tells me that he's Joey Levine and that he used to sing in a lot of bands and that he's playing shows in the area for the next 2 weeks as the OHIO EXPRESS. So I played a bunch of their songs the next 2 weekends when he came in (after the OHIO EXPRESS shows) and he was signing autographs and getting free drinks. A few months later I found out that he was a fraud and even the band members thought he was the real deal. His name is Brock something or other. LOSER. One of these days I'll tell you my GARY PUCKETT story.

 

[M.T. Wallet]

Yep, I think he sings lead vocals on all of the KK Super Circus Lp (but none on the KK Singing Orchestral Circus Lp). He says in the previous interview that he was a guitar player then maybe he did play acoustic/rhythm guitar on that record? Some websites mention Professor Morrison's Lollipop (ex-Coachmen from Omaha, Nebraska) as the backing band ("Martine" credited on I Got it Bad sang lead vocals on various songs by PMLollipop). Anyone?

I love his performance in Reunion's Life is a Rock. According to the previous links, he also released two 7" as "U.S.1" and "Zoot Soot".

 

[Frantic]

I love his performance in Reunion's Life is a Rock.

Always in the top 20 worst songs ever made. and I have to agree...JUST AWFUL!

 

[HarvestmanMan]

Always in the top 20 worst songs ever made. and I have to agree...JUST AWFUL!

I used it to fill the rest of the space on a 90-minute cassette after a John Klemmer album was done - should I erase it?

 

[Frantic]

I used it to fill the rest of the space on a 90-minute cassette after a John Klemmer album was done - should I erase it?

who on earth would own a John Klemmer lp?

 

[depravedskippy66]

Nothing from the Third Rail?

 

[M.T. Wallet]

Always in the top 20 worst songs ever made. and I have to agree...JUST AWFUL!

it sounds like a school bus song! I'm sure the kid in you likes it

 

[sputnikrox]

I'm new here--need help acquiring Bubblegum MF--PUL-EEZE!!!!!

 

[Spirit of '66]

I was wondering if anyone knows if he's singing on the Magic Swirling Ship's He's Comin' Pt.II. Whattya think?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47RR0qAE1TU

 

[sputnikrox]

I was wondering if anyone knows if he's singing on the Magic Swirling Ship's He's Comin' Pt.II. Whattya think?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47RR0qAE1TU

MY ears say "no". Can you hook me up with any rare Joey or bubblegum downloads?