Albuquerque, New Mexico's Strawberry Zots were a goofy send-up of the psych-rock movement, or more genuinely, psych revivalists to the nth degree, with profound garage and power pop leanings to boot. Tellingly, they commence their lone album (to my knowledge) Cars, Flowers, Strawberries, with a run through of The Electric Prunes classic "Get Me to the World on Time." Equally appropriate is yet another '60s redux of The Troggs "I Can't Control Myself." See where we're going with this? Lots of Farfisa organ percolating throughout their originals as well, adding to the fun quotient in a big way. "Cold," "Hey, Hey, Hey," and the "Little Red Telephone" triptych sound like genuine artifacts from a bygone era - one that the Zots were completely content to revel in. BTW, The trippy sleeve font makes the credits a bitch to discern, but I digress.
Cars, Flowers... was independently released in 1989 and picked up by a major a year later (with slightly refurbished artwork) where it was to die a lonesome and miserable death. I also remember an ep release at the same time of the reissue.
01. Get Me to the World on Time
02. And You (Drive Your Pretty Car)
03. Working Girl
04. Little Latin Lupe Lu
05. Waster of Time
06. Cold
07. Tiny Town
08. Pretty Flowers
09. Hey, Hey, Hey
10. I Can't Control Myself
11-13 Little Red Telephone Opera:
11. Keep Me Hangin
12. Little Red Telephone'
13.Doin' It All for You
10 comments:
Actually, they did do another album, which I bought, on cassette. I can't remember what the name of it was, but it had a parody-image of the Michelangelo David on it.
I've been looking for their Cars, Flowers, Telephones for years, first hearing their song on KLLK,
Willits, California. Something about a girl that "combed her pretty hair" and "drove around, and around, and around" in her car.
My my Internet skills are bad and even if I found it, I'd hesitate to buy it, even though I'd like to have it, because I've very cheap.
Cars Flowers Telephones (1989, Acid Test, 1990 RCA)
Untitled (1990, RCA shelved)
Love Operation (1991, Continuum)
Friends Forever (1993, But!)
Special Happy (Forthcoming...)
Oh...
and Bend Me Shape Me (EP, 1994, But!)
i bought this cd today! (found your blog when googling to get the album art)
one of my best friends in high school used to play this cassette in her car at lunch, so when i saw the cd i had to pick it up for her.
Izzy! I got your autograph at the Live 105 Listener Appreciation Party in S.F. back in '90. I asked everyone to write something about a turtle.
Rock on.
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Hey Izzy, I was there when it happened...worked really hard on your records for BNM (RCA) and Continuum...you guys were awesome and your record came out on RCA so consider yourself lucky, you made the top .05 percentile of bands that got a real shot and their 15 minutes of fame...long live the Strawberry Zots!
I would love to see this as a future re up
thanks for all!
Would you please repost this album. Thank you for your wonderful blog. All the best!
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