The Lollipop Shoppe - Just Colour Well Dead Moon fans, if you've picked up The Rats reissue out this year, dig a little further back to Fred Cole's first band. The rather unfortunately named Lollipop Shoppe cut this sole album in 1967 and its a pretty prime slice of
garage with a few forays into pop territory. The name actually was none of the band's doing, as they started out as The Weeds but upon getting signed to Uni were persuaded into the name change at the label's request. Given the time period in which this was recorded its no surprise that there are both hard tinged garage influences (a real glimpse of Cole's later path) and the occasional bout of psychedelia. There's certainly a softer side of Cole on display here but also the frantic punk we've come to love over the years. "You Must Be A Witch" is one of the era's most scathing and paranoid numbers and its presence on the album is probably the biggest insight into what would surface later in The Rats and Dead Moon. A sure necessity for fans of Cole but also not a bad little piece of the 60's garage puzzle. Download: [MP3] The Lollipop Shoppe - You Must Be A Witch [MP3] The Lollipop Shoppe - Don't Close The Door on Me Support the artist. Buy it: HERE