Bubblegum Music Is the Naked Truth: The Dark History of Prepubescent Pop, from the Banana Splits to Britney Spears

Bought this as a gift for my 64 year old father in law who loves to read and an avid music fan...He is also very hard to buy for!! I was delighted when he told me it was an enjoyable and informative read.

This book is a must read for any fan of Bubble Gum music or music in general. It is packed with articles from a number of different writers about bands, the music industry, and pop culture, which shed light and informs even the most hard-core music fan. After reading this book I realized how much I didn't know about this genre of music. A book that is worth reading over and over again because there is so much information here it is impossible to take it all in, in one reading.

I'm a big fan of bubblegum music (it's not often someone will openly admit that), and I thought this book was going to be interesting. It was, to an extent. All of my favorite bands were listed (1910 Fruitgum Company, Ohio Express, and my personal faves, The Monkees), and a lot of the cartoon rock bands were talked about, too (mostly from Hanna-Barbera Studios, such as The Impossibles, Josie and the Pussycats, and the Banana Splits, just to name a few). Another one of the book's best moments was the "100 Greatest Moments of Bubblegum" list in the beginning (or something like that) However, there were some drawbacks to this book. When they were talking about the producers and record labels, the essays got kind of long, and sort of boring. I got bored with this section very quickly. Another downside to the book was when the authors were talking about the Backstreet Boys, 'NSync, Britney Spears and the like (which in my opinion are NOT bubblegum) and then comparing them to The Monkees (which is totally bogus, becuase the Monkees DID play their own music after the first 2 albums, and 'NSync and the rest have yet to actually pick up a guitar, but I digress). Other than the drawbacks listed, I think you'll get a bang out of this book. It's the perfect thing for those who grew up with the Partridge Family and the Monkees, or those of you who are new fans, and want to know more about the subject of bubblegum music.

A beautiful, informative read about a much maligned but enjoyable genre

Delving into the pop culture roots of my eclectic childhood I thought this book might offer up some clues. What a blast of nostalgic fun! (And, yet, disturbing in that the songs were marketed to such a young audience, hmmm. It's all explained inside.) Highly recommend it for anyone, especially researchers, who is interested in the Bubble Gum pop music machine. Plenty of names, dates, references, insights and interviews to support or inspire related research. Probably won't find this much info on bubble gum music in one easy access form.