Monday, July 28, 2008

Please help me find a record!!

I'm looking for a copy of a record I had many years ago.

Here's what I remember about it:

It was the size of a 45 (with the large hole in the middle) but I think it played at 78 speed.

It had a blue label (was probably an older Golden Record).

It had songs based on and sung by comic strip characters. There was a song by Beetle Bailey and Sgt. Snorkel, Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse, and Barney Google and Snuffy Smith. There may have been another one (Blondie?), but I don't remember for sure. I even know some of the words of the songs. I'll put the lyrics I know in case it rings a bell with you:

Beetle Bailey and Sgt. Snorkel - “Police It”

If it don’t walk
And it don’t talk
Police it!
Police it!
If it don’t run
When it sees you come
Police it!
Police it!

Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse – “It’s the Conk that Means He Cares”

My Ignatz is stupendous.
He just knocks me out!
<…>
And every brick
He hits me with
Just makes my love for him grow.

It’s the conk that means he cares.
It means more than flowers or candy.
It’s the conk that means he cares
So I always make sure there’s a brick
That’s handy.

Barney Google and Snuffy Smith – “Plain Folks”

Snuffy: We’re plain folks
Just plain folks
We’re happy in the mountains.
<…>
And we like our home just the way that it is.

Barney: Sorry, but I thought I’d make us rich
But I’ll be rich you’ll see
And if’n you stick with me
You won’t be a-livin’ in a shack no more
Gonna get us a house with a bell on the door!

Snuffy repeats his part.

Even if I found my copy of it it's so worn out I'd be hard pressed to get a good recording of it. If anybody knows where I could find this, please let me know. Thanks!

Rock Goes Folk - The Topsiders


Here's another unusual mash-up of sorts. The Topsiders took what were popular songs at the time and reimagined them as traditional folk songs. Does it work? I don't know. It almost sounds like they knew a few chords and were bound and determined to make each song have only those chords in it, whether they really fit or not. It's an interesting experiment though.

Here's the track list:
  1. Let the Good Times Roll
  2. The Wayward Wind
  3. Come Go With Me
  4. Ain't That a Shame
  5. Tammy
  6. Diana
  7. Heartbreak Hotel
  8. Unchained Melody
  9. Bye Bye Love
  10. Venus
  11. Devil or Angel
  12. Dream Lover
NOTES: In the comments section, Guav found a nice little article about the band here. Also, I found out that this is now available on Amazon (with a couple of songs added) under the title "The Topsiders." You can get it by clicking on the link below:

Friday, July 25, 2008

Ode to Joy

It's time once again for me to bring a little culture to the proceedings:

Thursday, July 24, 2008

The Peter Pan Chorus Sings Songs from Sesame Street Vol. II


The Peter Pan Chorus takes a stab at some classic songs from Sesame Street. I think they're better off when they just sing the songs normally. When they try to do funny voices it doesn't work as well. Take a listen and see what you think!

Here's the track list:
  1. Rubber Duckie
  2. I Love Trash
  3. J Jump
  4. Up and Down
  5. What Are Kids Called
  6. Sesame Street
  7. Somebody Come and Play
  8. Number Five
  9. I've Got Two
  10. Green
Click here or here to download!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Alley Cat and Chicken Fat: An Album of Fun Dances- Irwin the Disco Duck and the Wibble Wabble Singers



Here's a different "Alley Cat and Chicken Fat" album, this one tied in with Irwin the Disco Duck. I have no idea why, since none of these songs come close to replicating disco! We do get Irwin's original Donald-like voice though, so it sounds like he's introducing the Wheelbarrow Polka. Another interesting thing which I've included with the file: apparently there was a comic story of sorts on the back covers of the albums. This one features the unusual conclusion to it.

Anyway, sorry for the long absence, and I hope you like the album!

Here's the track list:
  1. Alley Cat
  2. Chicken Fat
  3. Limbo Rock
  4. The Twist
  5. Mashed Potatoes
  6. Hully Gully
  7. The Monkey
  8. Beer Barrel Polka
  9. Mexican Hat Dance
  10. Turkey in the Straw (Square Dance)
Click here or here to download!

Friday, July 18, 2008

The Adventures of Batman & Rubin (the Jewish Boy Wonder) - Allen & Rossi

I thought this would be a good one to put up to tie in with the opening of "The Dark Knight". I went record shopping a couple of months ago and scored a sealed copy of this. Marty Allen and Steve Rossi were a popular comedy duo at the time, and this is the story of a comic book reading boy named Rubin (Allen), and his dream of joining Batman and battling the Penguin, the Catwoman, and the Riddler.

The most interesting thing about this record is listed at the top of the cover: "Created and Written by Bob Kane (Creator of Batman & Robin)". Yup, supposedly this album was written by Bob Kane himself. He even wrote the liner notes on the back cover. (However, considering how much has later been discovered about Kane's "sole" creatorship of Batman, I have some doubts about this.)

I know a lot of you are going to want to know if this album is funny. To be honest, I didn't get many laughs from it. (Maybe if you're Jewish some of the references might be funnier.) But regardless of that, I thought it would be good to put up for the historical significance of it. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:
  1. Rubin's Dream
  2. Enter Batman
  3. Enter Commissioner Gordon
  4. Enter the Penguin
  5. At the Discotheque
  6. Enter the Catwoman
  7. Enter the Riddler
  8. A Clue
  9. Batman and Rubin Meet the Riddler
  10. Rubin Awakes
Click here or here to download!

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Happy 4th of July from Me and the Muppets!

I found this online and wanted to share it with you guys. This is a new video clip from the Muppets in honor of Independence Day. Enjoy!!

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

OGF Wisdom for July


(click on the picture to make it bigger)

Here's your words of wisdom for July, courtesy of Prof. Otis G. Firefly. Enjoy!