The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus was a bubblegum "supergroup

Supergroup (music)

In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....

" created by record producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

s Jerry Kasenetz

Jerry Kasenetz

Jerry Kasenetz is an American bubblegum pop producer who worked with Jeff Katz, the two working together as the Super K production company, to manufacture and produce bands like The Music Explosion, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Crazy Elephant, and The Ohio Express....

 and Jeff Katz

Jeff Katz

Jeffrey Katz is an American music producer, one of the first exponents of bubblegum pop.-Music career:He is one half of a hitmaking duo with Jerry Kasenetz, the two working together as the Super K production company...

, consisting of various Super K Production groups

Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...

.

Original cast recording

For the first album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

, the fictitious concept was to take eight Kasenetz-Katz produced groups and bring them together for a "live" performance at Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....

 on 7 June 1968. The roster included:

• 1910 Fruitgum Company
  1910 Fruitgum Company
  The 1910 Fruitgum Company is an American bubblegum pop band of the 1960s. The group's biggest hits included "Simon Says," "1, 2, 3, Red Light," "May I Take A Giant Step," "Special Delivery," "Goody Goody Gumdrops," and "Indian Giver." Guitarist Frank Jeckell claimed to have adopted the name from a...
  
  
• Ohio Express
• Music Explosion
• Lt. Garcia's Magic Music Box
• Teri Nelson Group
• 1989 Musical Marching Zoo
• J.C.W. Rat Finks
• St. Louis Invisible Marching Band

According to the inner gatefold cover's liner notes, the "supergroup" consisted of 46 members. However, the album cover

Album cover

An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...

 itself only shows 33 members (plus Kasenetz and Katz in tuxedos) while the individual inner cover photos

Photograph

A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...

 total 37 (excluding the non-existent St. Louis Invisible Marching Band, whose photo is represented by a white block).

Of the 10 studio

Recording studio

A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...

 tracks

Song

In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...

 used for this LP

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

 (not including the dialogue tracks), live audiences were dubbed into two: "Little Bit Of Soul" and "Simon Says".

Members

To add to the confusion of the actual number of participants, the LP package came with a page of stamps with each member of the "supergroup", including their names and the individual group he or she represents. The members of The Teri Nelson Group (except Teri Nelson herself) are shown as INVISIBLE BAND on the stamps.

Side 2 opens up with Music Explosion leader Jamie Lyons announcing the individual members of the newer or lesser-known groups. Some of the names mentioned do not coincide with the members shown on the stamps.

Second album

For Super K's second effort (renamed "Kasenetz-Katz Super Circus"), the roster was reduced to five groups. Remaining were The 1910 Fruitgum Company, Ohio Express and Music Explosion, with the other groups replaced by Shadows Of Knight

Shadows of Knight

The Shadows of Knight are an American rock band from the Chicago suburbs, formed in the 1960s, who play a form of British blues mixed with influences from their native city. At the time they first started recording, the band's self-description was as follows: "The Stones, Animals and Yardbirds...

 (who had just been acquired by Super K and signed to Buddah's Team label) and White Whale label group Professor Morrison's Lollipop. Despite these representations, the tracks were actually recorded by studio musicians

Session musician

Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...

 with lead vocals by Ohio Express lead vocalist Joey Levine

Joey Levine

Joey Levine is an American singer, songwriter and record producer of pop music, who has been active since 1966.-Career:...

.

Unlike the first album, this was more of a straightforward studio album without the "concept" theme. It yielded the Top 25 hit "Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run)". Also included were the Shadows Of Knight's minor hit "Shake", but with Levine's vocals replacing Jim Sohns' original vocal track.

1969 and beyond

After a failed attempt to combine bubblegum music with the likes of composers Beethoven, Mozart and others with the album Classical Smoke (as "Kasenetz-Katz Orchestral Circus"), the K-K concept popped up occasionally in the 1970s but came to an end with a final single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

in 1977.

2009

Kasenetz and Katz are releasing their brand new album in 2009, calling themselves Kasenetz and Katz Allstarz Band, featuring Jaymee Lynn Frankel, Lianne Frankel, Lisa Ganz, Kiirstin Calister-Kuhi, Donna & Laura Macaluso, Don Chaffin and more.

Singles

• "Down In Tennessee" (#124) / "Mrs. Green" -- Buddah 52—7/68
• "Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run)" (#25) / "(Poor Old) Mr. Jensen" -- Buddah 64—10/68
• "I'm In Love With You" (#105) / "To You, With Love" -- Buddah 82—1/69

Shown as by "Kasenetz-Katz Super Cirkus"; B-side is an excerpt of the A-side recorded backwards and slowed down to 16 RPM speed!

• "Embrasez-Moi" / "Mrs. Green" -- Buddah 90—1969
• "When He Comes" / "Ah-La" -- Bell 966—1970

Shown as by "Kasenetz-Katz Fighter Squadron"

• "Bubblegum March" / "Dong-Dong-Diki-Di-Ki-Dong" -- Super K 109—1970
• "Symphony #9" / "Blue Danube Waltz" -- Super K (# unknown) -- 1971

Shown as by "Kasenetz-Katz Orchestral Circus"

• "Mama Lu" / "Collide" -- MagnaGlide 329—1975

Shown as by "Kasenetz-Katz Super Cirkus"

• "Heart Get Ready For Love" / "Jungle Junk" -- Epic 50443—1977

Shown as by "K & K Super Cirkus"

Albums

• Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus -- Buddah BDS-5020—1968

Intro / We Can Work It Out/Count Dracula / Place In The Sun/Jamie Lyons Intro. / You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling / (Poor Old) Mr. Jensen / Down In Tennessee / Intro (Jamie Lyons introduces the new groups) / Little Bit Of Soul / Simon Says / Latin Shake / Mrs. Green / Hey Joe / Yesterday/All Gone ("Taps")

• Kasenetz-Katz Super Circus -- Buddah BDS-5028—1968

Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run) / Let Me Introduce You (To The Kasenetz-Katz Orchestral Circus) / Easy To Love / Log On Fire / Shake / I'm In Love With You / New York Woman / Up In The Air / I Got It Bad Your You / Down At Lulu's / The Super Circus

• Classical Smoke (Kasenetz-Katz Orchestral Circus) -- Super K SKS-6001—1969

Symphony #9 /G Minor Symphony / Evening Star / Fugue / La Traviata / New World Symphony / Bouree / Nocturne / Blue Danube Waltz / Orgy Of Lust / String Quartet