 Jack Wild Beautiful World is a sobering experience to those who daydream selectively about bubblegum pop; picking out the cherry and lime flavors, and leaving the white and black jelly beans for the foolhardy. Though the potential is high (an early 70s Buddah release produced by Biddu), especially considering the Sid & Marty Krofft revival of '96, the album even intially gives off the aura of an older sibling ready to play an all-day game of kickball. However, it rapidly digresses into a stepmother's prime example of "tough love." The 2-chord song structures don't allow us to laugh at them; they mock us instead. Rarely are the dizzying highs of the Archies "Sugar Sugar" reached, or even really attempted. "The Lord" (penned by the Brothers Gibb) is a clear highlight, as Biddu and Jack keep their version faithful to the Cucumber Castle original. "Bunny Bunny"s chords may have blazed the way for OMC's "How Bizarre," but the Move had them all beat with "Do Ya," although never in his career could Jeff Lynne effectively pull off the lyric "I'm gonna be just like a rabbit tonight" like Master Wild. Sure, the hidden innuendos are all there: the paper-thin double entendres, the phrases that make parents gasp and their children shrug. Ultimately, though, the record merely serves to remind the listener to stop looking at the world of bubblegum pop through rose-colored glasses.
Review by Quinzio |