THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
2,082) The Yellow Balloon — “Stained Glass Window”
Talk about stained glass windows, here is a baroque pop/sunshine pop triumph that deserves to be performed in a cathedral. This “[p]sychedelic feelgood bubblegum-sunshine pop fused with classical music” is a “rather croony, fairytalish yet interesting piece of fluff.” (Nostalgipalatset, https://www.nostalgipalatset.com/en/vinyl-records/rock-pop/1960-s-singles-ep-s/the-yellow-ballon-stained-glass-window-uk-45-1967.html) Not that there’s anything wrong with that! It “rank[s] high in the sky as [a] blue ribbon pop confection[]” (Beverly Paterson, https://somethingelsereviews.com/2014/01/23/forgotten-series-the-yellow-balloon-the-yellow-balloon-1967/) and is “the standout” track (PROGROCKASAURUS, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-yellow-balloon/the-yellow-balloon/) on the Yellow Balloon’s sole LP.
Beverly Paterson lauds the Yellow Balloon LP:
Spring 1967 saw the Yellow Balloon net a nationwide Top 25 hit single with “Yellow Balloon,” which appeared on the band’s only album . . . . Coated with a bright and breezy sing-a-long chorus, supported by a dizzy psychedelic-buttered break, a carefree gallop, and a parade of cranium-bobbing hooks, the tirelessly catchy tune announced an ardent devotion to the Beach Boys [see #667, 1,825]. In fact, the entire Yellow Balloon album could actually be viewed as a valentine to the Hawthorne heavyweights. From the concentrated song structuring to the sweet and sophisticated harmonies to the sparkling gold textures, each track on the disc apes the Beach Boys in a direct and convincing manner. Aside from the standard pop rock setting consisting of electric guitars and drums, The Yellow Balloon is pockmarked with a variety of cool instruments like a glockenspiel, harpsichords, violins, cellos, trombones, a washboard, and banjos. A chair and an ashtray are even employed in the mix! The record was clearly inspired by Pet Sounds . . . but . . . the tunes never really go off the deep end and are wholly accessible. . . . Radiant vocals are tattooed across the grooves, aided by stabbing melodies, infectious rhythms and pristine padding. . . . Driven by a playful and cheery vibe, alive with color and form, the album is a classic of its genre.
As to Yellow Balloon, the band, Paterson notes that “[c]onceived by producer Gary Zekley, the Yellow Balloon featured an interesting cast of characters, most notably Dick St. John of Dick and Dee Dee, actor Don Grady from My Three Sons, and Daryl Dragon, who later soared to success as one-half of the Captain and Tennille.” Cub Koda writes that Zekley “could grab a bunch of musicians and — filling in the needed holes with his own talent — produce sessions that rivaled Phil Spector or Brian Wilson for big sound and teen spirit.” (https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-yellow-balloon-mw0000036994)
Linda Seida tells us about the Balloon:
In addition to Grady and Dragon, who both played drums, [the Yellow Balloon’s] membership included lead singer Alex Valdez, keyboardist Frosty Green, bassist Don Braught, and guitarist Paul Canella. Grady . . . played previously with the Palace Guard, a folk-rock band. Yellow Balloon formed during the ’60s when he joined forces in Los Angeles with Gary Zekley, a songwriter and producer who had initially written the single “Yellow Balloon” for surf duo Jan & Dean [see #376, 479]. Zekley also released a version of the song, and when it skipped into the Top 30, he and Grady pulled together a band for live performances and put out an album. Grady culled Braught and Green from a band called Rising Sons in Oregon, and drew Canella and Valdez from Five of Us, an Arizona group. Grady had previously recorded their names in a list he kept of musicians whose skill impressed him when he saw them play . . . . When the time came to pull together the band that would be Yellow Balloon, he gave them a call. After failing to score on the charts again, the group disbanded. Grady went solo for a while . . . . Braught, Canella, Green, and Valdez reformed under the name the Popcorn Explosion. Zekley continued to write hits, among them “Sooner or Later” and “I’d Wait a Million Years” for the Grass Roots.
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