The Lemon Drops

The Lemon Drops were an American psychedelic pop band from Chicago, Illinois that formed in 1966. The band, originally established by high school students, produced one single in their heyday that reached regional success, but also recorded several other unreleased material that garnered the group's re-interest in the 1980s. During their existence, the band was an essential piece in the development of psychedelic pop in Illinois.^[1]

History

In 1966, students of McHenry High School, Danny Smola (lead vocals), Eddy Weiss (rhythm guitar), Gary Weiss (drums), Jeff Brandht (bass guitar), George Sorrenson (lead guitar), and Bonny Lumak (acoustic guitar) formed The Lemon Drops in the midst of the developing Chicago music scene. The band gained a local following in the area as they constructed their own individual sound. By the end of the year, brother of Eddy and Gary Weiss, Reggie Weiss, formed his own recording company called Rembrandt Records. Upon hearing the band in rehearsal, Reggie Weiss signed the band to record in RCA Studios in Southern Illinois.^[2]

Reggie Weiss wrote and recorded the band's debut single. The single included as the A-side "I Live in the Springtime" and the other featuring, "Listen Girl". Sorenson left the band a few days before recording, so Ricky Ericksen is the guitarist the band added for the sessions on May 11, 1967. The band first 500 pressing were released, but recalled when Reggie Weiss discovered the drum track was not included. The drumless track was not totally recalled, and even made an appearance on the 1998 reissue of the Nuggets compilation.^[3] The second pressing of 1,000 copies featured the drums, and they were quickly bought out. AM Chicago radio station, WLS, wanted to distribute more copies, but Reggie Weiss could not afford to press more, so the single could not reach the charts nationally. The Lemon Drops gained notoriety from their debut, and performed all across Illinois. For their next proposed single, the band established themselves as a psychedelic band. To bolster their new sound, the band hired Dick Sidman as their lead singer. From October to December 1967, the band recorded numerous demos as they caught the attention of RCA Records. As Reggie Weiss recalled, "RCA was more interested in the $1,200 bill we ran up and I didn't have the money to pay for the sessions".^[4]

In 1968, in an effort to intrigue a record label the band recorded two live albums from the Weiss home. Uni Records appeared to show interest, but the band declined after negotiations were considered unfavorably to them. As the band continued its search for a record deal, they performed live and continued recording as they still held a following in Chicago. The Bueno Vista label also expressed interest, however before the band could complete a deal, the owner unexpectedly died and the company folded. One last final attempt was also dashed when the band was involved in an acid party on the night before contract signing. The band would disband in the summer of 1969 as a result.^[2] Recordings of the Lemon Drops survived through the 1970s thanks to Reggie Weiss's management of several other bands. They, too, performed the Lemon Drops' songs and achieved substantial airplay in Illinois. The band's popularity was sustained enough for the returning interest in psychedelic music in the late 1980s. In 1985, the band received an official album release with their album, Crystal Pure, and a followup the year after called Second Album!. The albums included nearly all of the band's home recordings and the demos produced in RCA Studios.^[5]

References