The Balloon Farm was an American musical group. Originally from New Jersey, the group took its name from a New York City nightclub. It is best known for its sole hit song, "A Question of Temperature," which made the Billboard charts in February 1968, peaking in the top 40.
History
Two members of the band, Don Henny and Ed Schnug, first played together in a band called Adam, which made one single for the Mala label entitled "Eve" in 1966. Adam's gimmick was that all four members of the group adopted the first name "Adam". "A Question of Temperature" has appeared on numerous thematic compilations, including the Rhino box set Nuggets and Acid Dreams.
The follow-up single "Hurry Up Sundown" flopped, and the Balloon Farm was dropped by Laurie before it was able to record an entire album. However, one of the band's unreleased songs, "Sunshine Rides on a Trolley" (also known as "Sunshine Rides on a Trolley Car"), was recorded in Australia by Robbie Snowden, who had a moderate hit with it in 1967.
Band members
- Mike Appel – guitar, vocals
- Ed Schnug – guitar
- Jay David Saks – bass
- Don Henny – drums
- John Castinovo – keyboards (recordings only)
Notable covers
"A Question of Temperature" was recorded by Brownsville Station on its 1973 album Yeah! the same LP on which "Smokin' in the Boy's Room" appears. It was recorded in 1974 by TNT, a Harrisburg PA area garage band led by Erik Lindgren, and appears on their CD "Mod Psych Power Pop from Central PA." It was recorded by several artists in the 1980s, including The Lords of the New Church on their debut album, Mindflux, Human Sexual Response, Julian Cope as a B-side to "Charlotte Anne" in 1988, and the Vancouver-based punk band The Young Canadians.