[.ca] The Return of the Red Baron/Snoopy for President

Life beyond Snoopy.:
Whereas the first pair of Royal Guardsmen albums ("Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron / Snoopy & His Friends") had mostly cute singalong songs for preteens, this second pair of albums was much more focused on bubblegum cover tunes from the 1967-1968 era. Their albums became a bit more serious at this point: along with remakes of cheerful bubblegum hits like "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy," there was an original song with distorted guitars ("Leaving Me"), a sad ballad ("Honey"), and intense dance music more appropriate for adults ("Gimme Some Lovin'"). The band seemed to be going through an identity crisis here. Until now they had been the de facto official Snoopy songs band, but the Snoopy theme must have been starting to get old. "Snoopy For President" here was a (very) minor hit in 1968, and every album still had a Snoopy song and Snoopy reference in the title, but the references seem more like an acknowledgement of their roots rather than a primary theme. It looks as if the band never found its niche after the Snoopy theme wore out; the band broke up not long after releasing these two albums. From listening to these songs, one can see why: there was too much emphasis on copying other bands' hits *exactly*, right down to the exact guitar riffs of the Yardbirds' "I'm A Man" and the riff and dubbed fanfare of the Byrds' "So You Want To Be A Rock 'N Roll Star." Such lack of creativity doesn't go over well in the competetive pop/rock world. Despite this lack of originality, these songs still sound quite good: "Come On Down To My Boat" (originally by Every Mothers Son, 1967) is a great song that sounds good no matter who does it, "Airplane Song" was a minor hit for the Royal Guardsmen in 1967 (though it sounds suspiciously like the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" to me), "Biplane 'Evermore'" is a cute original song, "Gimme Some Lovin'" adds a cowbell and sounds great, and so on. Note that "Airplane Song" and "The Return Of The Red Baron" on this album also appeared on their previous album, totally unchanged. I suppose this was done to perpetuate the Snoopy theme and to give each album a guaranteed hit, but it's an odd practice that reminds me of the earliest Donovan albums. In summary: It's a decent CD, just different in style than from their Snoopy era.

• Airplane Song (My Airplane)
• I'm a Man
• Any Wednesday
• Shot Down
• I'm Not Gonna Stay
• So You Want to Be a Rock 'N Roll Star
• Return of the Red Baron
• Gimme Some Lovin'
• Om
• Searchin' for the Good Times
• I Need You Girl
• Leaving Me
• Snoopy for President
• Cry Like a Baby/The Letter
• Bonnie and Clyde
• By the Time I Get to Phoenix
• Bottle of Wine
• Biplane "Evermore"
• Come on Down to My Boat
• Simon Says
• Honey
• Yummy, Yummy, Yummy