Cam-Pact - Zoom Zoom Zoom (1969)

(Bernard de Cesare - Pasquale [Pat] Zompa)
Australia
#38 Melbourne

Power pop single on Festival by Melbourne band with soul and psychedelic inclinations, popular as a live act.

The band’s name was a modification of the original concept, ‘Camp-Act’.

The band went through numerous line-up changes 1967-1970 (listed at Milesago). Founding member Keith Glass had left the band to appear in Hair in Sydney by the time Zoom Zoom Zoom was recorded. He was at the Sydney session for the song though, and recalls that he “did something (bashed a tamborine or made some sort of noise)”. Quoted at Milesago from liner notes, Glass has the line-up for the session as Trevor Courtney (drums) and Greg Cook (guitar) Bill Blisset (keyboards) Chris Lofven (bass).

Our Patch Of Blue - Zoom Zoom Zoom (1969)

(Bernard de Cesare - Pasquale [Pat] Zompa)
USA
Original version

Single on Warner Brothers, produced by Vini Poncia.

Our Patch of Blue was a popular 60s Rhode Island bar band, also known as The Patch. Zoom Zoom Zoom was written by Patch singer and guitarist Bernie de Cesare (also Decesare or DeCesare) with his writing partner Pat Zompa (probably in the band as well).

In Mexico, under the name Los Parches Azules, the band released a Warner Bros-Gamma EP (1969) that included Zoom Zoom Zoom and its B-side Lily White, along with two other songs that were also released on a USA Map City single (1971), Little Lady Lollipop and Asian Queen.

All four songs are de Cesare–Pat Zompa compositions. On the Mexican EP, Zoom Zoom Zoom retained its title but the other songs were retitled as Blanca nieves, La niña de dulce, and La Reina Asiatica.

Fats Domino recorded three de Cesare–Zompa compositions for his album Fats Is Back (1968) one of which, Honest Papas Love Their Mamas Better, was released as a single on Reprise (1968).

Tiny Tim released one of their songs, Neighborhood Children, on Tiny Tim’s 2nd Album (1968) and as a B-side on Reprise (1969).

De Cesare’s name is spelt as de Caesar on the record, but he is listed at BMI as Bernard de Cesare Jnr. His surname does seem prone to variations, including Decesare and DeCesare. Discogs.com lists a few more.

Songwriter-producer-musician Vini Poncia is often associated with fellow Rhode Islander Peter Anders (Andreoli), especially on record as The Videls (Mr Lonely), The Trade Winds (New York’s A Lonely Town, Mind Excursion), The Innocence (There’s Got To Be A Word) and Anders and Poncia (self-titled album on Warner Bros, 1969).

The label of Zoom Zoom Zoom shows A Map City Production. Map City was a production company and label formed in 1968, named from the surnames of company president Frank Mell and vice-presidents Anders and Poncia.

Poncia later worked, for example, with Kiss and Ringo Starr as a songwriter and producer.

Further reading, listening: 1. My Anders & Poncia playlist at Spotify has many examples of their work as writers, performers and producers. 2. Anders & Poncia and their groups at Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame. 3. Anders & Poncia timeline at peteranders.net. 4. Wikipedia entries: Anders (archived) and Poncia.