The Purple Gang – Granny Takes a Trip: Bring on the Kazoos!

March 9th, 2009

Bring on the kazoos, indeed!

Tis a sad fact in the affairs of all things musical that there isn’t enough use of the kazoo in songs, either nowadays or in times gone by (which is what we’re more interested in, no?).

the purple gang outside 'granny takes a trip' Image from: The Purple Gang website

There are pretenders to this coveted crown such as Jimi Hendrix playing the paper and comb on ‘Crosstown Traffic’, or the use of nose guitar on Jefferson Airplane’s hypnotic ‘Lather’; both emulating a kazoo-type sound, but sadly lacking when it comes to the actual kazoo litmus test.

As far as the real deal is concerned, I can think of only two songs off of the top of my head that feature real kazoo playing. One is the Bonzo Dog Doodah Band’s ‘Urban Spaceman’; the other is this rare gem – 1967′s ‘Granny Takes a Trip’ by The Purple Gang. 2.36 minutes of psychedelic, jug-band jauntiness from a Stockport band all but forgotten in these modern times.

If the essence of happiness could be captured, processed, bottled, trussed up with colourful ribbons and glitter, and smashed into the face of clown whose six numbers have just come up on the lottery, then this is what it would probably sound like. And even if it didn’t, it must come pretty damn close. Songs featuring kazoos can’t help but have a jaunty edge – another one I’ve just thought of is ‘Pennsylvania 6500′ on a Muppets record I once had, a veritable kazoo-fest – but this is quickly put into perspective when you listen to the lyrics, which are actually quite sad.

It is a tale of unfilled dreams, as the titular Granny makes her annual pilgrimage to Hollywood to get turned down by the casting producers en masse. If there’s a drug reference in here other than an ambiguous title, then I’m buggered if I can find it. Nevertheless, this didn’t stop the BBC banning the song when it was released in 1967, because of the LSD inference of the word ‘Trip’. The fact that the lead singer, Pete Walker, was also nicknamed ‘Lucifer’ prompted the BBC to announce that the group “would not be tolerated by any decent society”. A statement that now seems lost on an organisation that sees fit to foist Chris Moyles on its listenership each and every morning.

Overall, this is a perfect example of a very British brand of psychedelia. The proponents of which, such as The Kinks, Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, The Idle Race, and for a time The Beatles, dealt largely in whimsy as opposed to the more in-yer-face acid freakouts of their American counterparts.

And if a kazoo-solo isn’t enough to warrant your interest, then hell’s teeth! They’ve even thrown in a washboard for good measure!

‘Granny Takes a Trip’ appears on the album The Purple Gang Strikes, presently out of print. It can be found on the compilation, The Story of Transatlantic Records: the UK’s Pioneering Folk Label at Amazon.co.uk.