by Richie Unterberger
Aside from Ray Columbus & the Invaders, the La De Das were New Zealands most popular rock group of the 60s. As big fish in a very small pond, their work doesnt hold up to scrutiny in the company of the eras top American and English acts. But they did record some fine garage/pop numbers in the spirit of the Rolling Stones in the mid-60s. A few of these (How Is the Air Up There? and All Purpose Low) were big N.Z. hits, and they reached the Top Ten with covers of John Mayalls On Top of the World and a version of Bruce Channels Hey Baby. In 1968, they recorded a psychedelic-tinged childrens concept LP, The Happy Prince; which bears resemblance to modern twee. After a failed attempt to crack the British market, the group soldiered on for quite some time with pedestrian hard rock that — like even the best of their early work — was very derivative of overseas trends.