Baby, You Ain’t Right to Stop Me

Speaking of calculated trash-pop, here’s the archetypal bubblegum record (well, one of them, anyway), and it’s about that rock & roll subject that keeps on giving, sexual frustration. It’s a punchy little tune – I like how the vocal lines seem to slalom apart & together – but it could have been a lot better in tougher hands, a real classic Nugget, even. Instead, the wet-noodle treatment here lets us all down: that organ should be on a game show or something, and the vocals simper when they should snarl.

Ah well. I still feel like there’s a great cover version just waiting to be made, but it hasn’t been yet that I know of. (Yeah, the Talking Heads used to do it live back in their early early days, but the bootlegs I’ve heard just sound kinda confused.)

• 1910 Fruitgum Company, “1, 2, 3 Red Light”

(Learn a tad more about the “band” here and buy a comp here.)