During the late '60s -- a period forever distinguished as rock's most
radical, innovative, and far-reaching -- Gary Puckett and the Union
Gap forged a series of massive chart ballads almost otherworldly in
their sheer earnestness and melodrama. Likely the only pop band of the
era to play two nightly shows in the Catskills -- the early gig for
their younger fans, the later appearance for the fans' parents -- the
group pioneered the hip-to-be-square concept two decades before
spiritual descendants Huey Lewis and the News; clad in Civil War-era
get-ups (complete with fictitious military ranks) and bizarre lyrics,
Puckett and the Union Gap were in their own way as far-out and
singular as any other act of the period. In the spring of 1968, the
Union Gap scored their biggest hit, "Young Girl," written by Fuller in
the style of "Woman, Woman," but exchanging the age-old theme of
infidelity for the age-old theme of the temptation of underage
romance: "My love for you is way out of line / you better run, girl,
you're much too young, girl," an anguished Puckett wailed. The
juggernaut rolled on, and the group continued rattling off hits --
"Lady Willpower," "Over You," and "Don't Give in to Him" among them --
and also headlined at the White House and Disneyland.
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19/11/2015 Last update