Way Out Junk

Announcements - PLEASE READ!

2011-09-30T20:27:00.000-05:00

Hey Guys!

I'm not officially back yet; I'm sort of in a transitional phase. I'm trying to clean up some of the links here. If there's something you want that doesn't have a working link right now, let me know and I'll try to fix it ASAP.

Thanks!
Tony
Way Out Junkmeister

Soupy Sales Sez Do the Mouse and Other Teen Hits

2011-04-18T07:13:00.001-05:00

Soupy Sales was a popular kid's show in the 1950s and 60s. He also had a minor hit with the song "The Mouse," which also had an accompanying dance. On this album, he not only performs that hit and the follow-up "Mouse Trap," he also sings a number of popular songs at the time, as well as some fun novelty hits and original songs. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

The Mouse
Name Game
Sad Sack
Speedy Gonzales
Hey Pearl
The Nitty Gritty
Mouse Trap
Your Brains'll Fall Out
King Kong
Mighty Clem
Pachalafaka
Mr. Cab Driver

UPDATE: I'm afraid I was forced to remove the link for this album, but you can find these songs (and more) on the album featured below!

Music from Mary Poppins and Other Film Favorites

2011-04-08T07:13:00.001-05:00

Woo-hoo! I actually got another album in for this week! The first side of the record features songs from "Mary Poppins," but for some reason "Let's Go Fly a Kite" is simply referred to as the "Overture" and "Stay Awake" is called the "Finale." Also how they could have done a Mary Poppins album and left out "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is beyond me! The flip side features such film favorites as "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad". (Huh?) Anyway, I hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

Overture (Let's Go Fly a Kite)
Spoon Full of Sugar
Feed the Birds
Chimchimcheree
Finale (Stay Awake)
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
I've Been Working on the Railroad
Beautiful Dreamer
Billy Boy
Oh Dear What Can the Matter Be

Click here to download!

The New Zoo Revue

2011-04-04T07:13:00.001-05:00

Hey, I'm back again after too long an absence, with this fun album from the classic children's show. I think it was actually two short records put together because the opening and closing theme appear on both sides of the record. I changed it so the open starts the whole record and the closing theme finishes it. These sound like they might have been taken from actual episodes. Anyway, I hope to have at least one more album on here this week, so let's cross our fingers and hope for the best!

Here's the track list:

New Zoo Revue (Open)
School Daze
It's Lonely When You Don't Like School
We Need School
Stay in School
In the Arts
Colors
The Only Art in the World
Cheer Up
New Zoo Revue (Close)

Click here to download!

Kiddie Pops

2011-01-17T07:13:00.000-06:00

This album features an eclectic mix of songs for kids (i.e. probably stuff from numerous sources) like "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", "Frere Jacques", and "Sixteen Tons" (huh?). It also includes a somewhat freaky cover.

This record has the dubious distinction of being in my posting queue the longest. I put the initial post for this album in all the way on May 23, 2008! The problem is that I did some cleaning and misplaced the cover, and I didn't want to post (or upload) the album without it. I did some rearranging and found it, so here it is. Was it worth the wait? Probably not, but it does mean I've got something available here on the board for two weeks in a row, so it should get credit for that!

Here's the track list:

Sweetie Bear
Billy Boy
Tammy
Sixteen Tons
The Little Tin Soldier
Little Goldie Goldfish
Oh Dear What Can the Matter Be
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
A Hunting We Will Go
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
I've Been Working on the Railroad
Beautiful Dreamer
Cindy Oh Cindy
Frere Jacques

Click here or here to download!

Twist to the Oldies with Fats and the Chessmen

2011-01-13T07:13:00.000-06:00

Here's an album that tied into the dance craze at the time, the twist. It features a number of old songs fitted into a twist tempo. As with any album like this, it works better for some of these than with others. I prefer the ones that include singing by a cut-rate Chubby Checker sound-alike. Hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

Twistin' School Days
Bill Bailey, Please Come Home
Boogie Woogie Twist
The Camptown Twisters
Give My Regards to Broadway
Sweet Rosie O' Grady
Twistin' Through the Park
Ja-Da
And the Band Played On
Sweet Adeline Twist
Man on the Flying Trapeze
Yankee Doodle Twist
When the Saints Come Twistin' In

Click here or here to download!

Goldilocks - Bing Crosby

2011-01-10T07:13:00.000-06:00

Hey, I'm back! Here's an album that looks to have been based on a TV special about Goldilocks and the Three Bears, featuring the voices of Bing Crosby, his wife Kathryn, son Nathaniel, and Mary Frances Crosby as Goldilocks. Those bears better be careful. She shot J.R., so there's no telling what she'd do to bears! Also featured is Paul Winchell doing a variation of his Dick Dastardly voice. Enjoy!

Click here or here to download!

Mars Production Library Times Two!

2010-11-10T07:13:00.003-06:00

Here's an album a bit off the beaten track for me. When stores wanted to advertise on television or radio and couldn't afford to have a professional group write a jingle for them, stations could use a sort of "canned" jingle for them that they would get from a record like this (or actually, like these since I've combined two different albums here). You get a generic jingle about how great your barbershop, clothing store or furniture store is, and somewhere in there a local announcer would give the name of your store. It's sort of the best of both worlds here. I'm not exactly sure when this came out, but it has a very sixties feel. Anyway, I think this is a lot of fun, and I hope you do too!

Here's the track list:

Insects
Self Service Laundry
Car Sales
Money Loans
Phonograph Records
Car Service
Beauty Salon
Body & Fender Shop
Boating
Barber Shop
Bottled Gas
Drag Races
Butane Gas
Mens Clothing
Candy
Ride the Bus
Ride the Bus 2
Moving Trucks
Moving Trucks 2
Loans
Furniture
Portraits
Tire Company
Tire Company 2
New Homes
New Homes 2
Gardens
Gardens 2
Auto Road Service
Pizza

Click here to download!

Children Are People Featuring Tony Randall

2010-11-08T07:13:00.002-06:00

Hey, I'm back! (Yes, again.) Here's an odd little album featuring Tony Randall and a chorus teaching us that we (as kids) were people that deserved to be heard and paid attention to. This is another one of those albums that sounds well-intentioned, but doesn't sound like something I would have listened to more than once as a kid. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Here's the track list:

We Are People
No One Asks Me
We Learn From What They Do
Don't Talk to Strangers
They Don't Always Let Me Speak
Getting Even
Privacy
They Said It
There's Only One of Me
My Heredity
Children and Parents

Click here to download!

The Three Stooges and Six Funny Bone Stories [LINKS FIXED!]

2010-09-21T08:47:00.004-05:00

I'm back with an album from the Three Stooges (or at least what the current lineup of them was at the time) : Larry, Moe, and Curly Joe. They're performing in a series of stories that occur when they (as janitors) help to clean up a professor's Time Rocket. Wrong switches are hit (What do you expect when you get the Three Stooges to clean your stuff?), and they end up back in time. No, actually they end up in different fairy tales, so I'm not sure why this was referred to as a Time Rocket and not something like a Story Rocket. Oh well, I don't write this stuff!

Speaking of time, I'm not exactly sure when this album was recorded. This Stooge lineup came about when their old shorts were replayed on TV (which started in the late fifties - early sixties I believe), but this album looks newer than that. I'm guessing it's a reissue, but I can't say for certain. Anyway, enjoy!

Here's the track list:

The 3 Stooges and the Time Rocket
The Crash
The 3 Stooges Meet Cinderella
The 3 Stooges Meet the Ugly Duckling
The 3 Stooges Meet the Princess & the Pea
The 3 Stooges and the Magic Lamp

Click here to download!

Songs and Stories for Children - Ray Heatherton (The Merry Mailman)

2010-08-30T07:13:00.002-05:00

Here's an old album with familiar tales and songs performed by kid's show host Ray Heatherton, otherwise known as the Merry Mailman. He even stuck in some old songs like "I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard" and "Mommy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow-Wow". You can learn more about him here. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Three Little Pigs
School Days
Hansel and Gretel
Lazy Mary
A-Tisket, A-Tasket
Alice in Wonderland
I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard
Weevily Wheat
Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow-Wow
I'm a Little Teapot
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers

Click here to download!

Geoffrey's Talking Door Bell - The Wonderland Players, Singers and Orchestra

2010-08-09T07:13:00.002-05:00

This is the same Geoffrey Giraffe that's the mascot for Toys R Us, although here they just say that he works for a toy store. Geoffrey's also an inventor, with such great inventions as a doorbell that insults people and a car that runs on potato chips. (No, I don't understand that one either!)

Anyway, hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

Geoffrey's Talking Door Bell (Song: The Talking Door Bell)
Geoffrey Giraffe and the Balloon-Blowing Contest (Song: Come on Geoffrey)
Geoffrey Giraffe and His Dog Problem (Song: Doggie, Won't You Please Go Home)
Geoffrey Giraffe's New Job (Song: Geoffrey and the Toy Store)

Click here to download!

Bob McGrath Sings for All the Boys and Girls

2010-07-30T07:13:00.004-05:00

Our last album of "Almost Sesame" Week features the wonderfully talented Bob McGrath doing a variety of songs, a couple of Disney ones and some popular songs of the day. Nothing quite as crazy as the stuff in the other Bob McGrath album I featured here, but pretty snazzy stuff nonetheless.

Hope you enjoyed "Almost Sesame" Week. See you next time!

Here's the track list:

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing
Joy to the World
The Unbirthday Song
Everything Is Beautiful
Black and White
It's a Small World

Click here to download!

Songs from Sesame Street 2

2010-07-28T07:13:00.004-05:00

Here's our second album of "Almost Sesame" Week, and at least this one uses all songs from the show. They don't go too crazy trying to imitate the original singers here, and that's to their advantage. I always thought these songs were strong enough without trying to throw bad imitations on top of them.

Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Sesame Street

Everyone Makes Mistakes

High Middle Low

Sing

I'm Pretty

Someday Little Children

Sesame Street (Reprise)

Click here to download!

Sesame Street, Rubber Duckie and Other Favorites - The Rocking Horse Orchestra and Chorus

2010-07-26T07:13:00.003-05:00

This is the first post of what I'm calling "Almost Sesame" Week. I'll be featuring two different albums of songs from "Sesame Street" done by other artists, and a third album of non-Sesame Street music by an artist best known for the show.

Here's the Rocking Horse Orchestra and Chorus with their versions of these now classic songs although, technically speaking, the only Sesame Street songs here are the theme and "Rubber Duckie". The rest are various kid's songs, including a few about the alphabet. Apparently the show was pretty new when this album came out because there's a very extensive write-up about the show on the back cover. ("No. 123 is an aged brownstone around which the show is based. This is where Gordon and Susan and Bob live. Gordon and Susan are married and they are black. Gordon is a high school science teacher. Bob is also a high school teacher and he is white.")

Anyway, enjoy the first album of "Almost Sesame" Week!

Here's the track list:

Rubber Duckie
It's Simple as A-B-C
Ozzie the Ostrich
A My Name Is
Sesame Street Theme
The Tail of Dickie Dragon
A Song for Each Letter of the Alphabet
Drag the Magic Puffin

UPDATE: Links deleted. I hope to have a working link soon!

Kiddies' Playtime Songs - The Hollywood Orchestra and Singers

2010-07-07T08:13:00.001-05:00

Once again, here's one of those albums that takes children's classic songs from a number of sources and puts them together on one record. And you've got to give them credit; there's almost 45 minutes worth of stuff here so you're getting lots of value for your dollar (or however much this record cost when it was new).

But to be honest, my favorite part of this whole album is the cover. Some little girl (or is it a boy?) playing with an old school Mr. Potato Head, back when you had to supply your own potato! And he/she just finished working on Mr. Pepper Head before that! Pretty cool!

Anyway enjoy the album (and the cover)!

Here's the track list:

Little Red Riding Hood
The Farmer in the Dell
Baa-Baa Black Sheep
Pop Goes the Weasel
Sing a Song of Sixpence
The Muffin Man
Jack and the Bean Stalk
A Visit to Central Park
Little Boy Blue
The Shoemaker and the Elves
Chicken-Licken
Humpty Dumpty
The Alphabet Song
Lullaby for Little Ones
Where Has My Little Dog Gone?
The Frog and the Ox
A Visit to France
Pat-A-Cake
Goldie Locks and the Three Bears
The Monkey Who Wanted to Fly
The Fisherman and the Flounder
Old Mother Hubbard
Fiddle-Dee-Dee
London Bridge Is Falling Down

UPDATE: Links deleted. I hope to have a working link soon!

The 1968 Six Flags Over Texas "Red, White & Blue Revue"

2010-07-03T15:13:00.001-05:00

This is the album I was working so hard to get on here before July 4th. If you've ever been to any large amusement park, you've probably seen a show with a similar format: a bunch of young people (mostly college aged) singing and doing their best to entertain you six times a day (more on weekends and holidays). That being said, these ladies and gentlemen do quite a nice job. The record itself, on the other hand, was giving me fits! I had a number of spots where I fought with stubborn skips, but I think I emerged triumphant for the most part thanks to some stubbornness on my part and a tube of Scratch-Off. (I don't know whether the Scratch-Off really helped that much, or if it just made me more determined to get this done.)

Anyway, most of these songs are medleys. I'm only listing the medley titles in the track list. If you want to know the individual songs, they're shown on the back cover (which is included with the download).

Finally, let me direct your eyes to that cover. Now these kids look like they're ready to do a show! You've got the ten in the front (including those Fabulous capes the ladies are wearing), a banjo player, an accordianist, a harpist, three violinist, a drummer, a bass player, and two guys who apparently play large drums with their feet. How can a show like that miss??

Enjoy, and Happy Independence Day!

Here's the track list:

Overture
American Music Medley
Spiritual Medley
Tin Pan Alley Medley
Songs of the South
Music of the American West
Music of the Broadway Theatre
Tara's Theme
Music of Our Land

Click here to download!

Songs of America - The Bubble Gum Singers and Orchestra

2010-07-02T07:13:00.001-05:00

Well, here's one of the patriotic records I was going to put up in honor of Independence Day (the holiday, not the movie). I had another one I was working on, but the skips in it are proving to be quite frustrating. If I can clean it up in time, I'll get it up here. If not, I'll try again when I have more patience for it.

This is a pretty nice collection of American songs. I do like that fact that they even threw in "Aloha Oe" in honor of our 50th state. I don't know for sure when this album came out, but it probably wasn't too long after Hawaii was invited to join the party.

Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

America the Beautiful
The Glendy Burke
Pick a Bale of Cotton
Down the Ohio
Keemio Kimio
Down in a Coal Mine
Maple Sweet
The Yellow Rose of Texas
Peanut Picking Song
Aloha Oe
Arkansas Traveler
On Top of Old Smokey
Sidewalks of New York

Click here to download!

Songs from the Motion Picture "Doctor Dolittle" - Connie Zimet, Steve Clayton and the Golden Singers

2010-06-30T07:13:00.001-05:00

I'm back with an album of songs from the movie "Doctor Dolittle" (but I guess you figured that out from the title, huh?). As you can tell by looking at the tracks, that only applies to the first five songs here. The rest sound like they're from various sources. Now it's been a long time since I've seen the movie, so I don't know if there are more songs than that or not. Another thing I found interesting here is that this is the first time I remember specific singers out of the Golden Singers credited on the album. If you've heard very many of these (like I have), you will certainly recognize Zimet and Clayton's voices. It's nice that they got a little extra credit here.

Anyway, hope you like this!

Here's the track list:

Talk to the Animals
Doctor Dolittle
Like Animals
The Vegetarian
My Friend the Doctor
The Pokey Little Puppy
The Tortoise and the Hare
The Ugly Duckling
Animal Fair
Six Ducks

Click here to download!

Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows Present - For Children Only

2010-06-11T07:13:00.002-05:00

Here's an album geared to children written and performed by famous host and songwriter Steve Allan and his wife, actress Jayne Meadows. Also along for the ride is "Bill", who I assume is their son. The songs are nice enough, but I think they'd sound a bit too sophisticated for my taste as a young'un. "You're a Muggedy-Wump" is cute, but the song "Color Blind" (while well-intentioned) is about as subtle as a wiffle bat to the skull. Anyway, hope you enjoy this!

Here's the track list:

Why
Upside Down
You Never Get Tired of Love
Funny Raindrops
Furry Little Friend
The Lonely Little Boy
You're a Muggedy-Wump
Merry-Go-Round
Color Blind
Little Man
Strawberry Wine and Blueberry Candy
Down in Sleepy Hollow

Click here to download!

Der Wienerschnitzel Presents - Up-Up and Away in My Beautiful Balloon

2010-06-09T07:13:00.001-05:00

All right, maybe one of you can explain this to me. Why would the Der Wienerschnitzel restaurant put out an album by a mariachi band? (And this is the second one. The back cover mentions a previous one by this same nameless group as well.) This is an album of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass-lite type music. In fact, Alpert and his band probably already performed their own versions of these as well. Most of the songs work pretty well here, but "The Sound of Music" doesn't really fit this style, does it?

Also, I can't say I know my artists that well, but does this cover sort of look like it was illustrated by Jack Rickard of Mad Magazine fame?

Here's the track list:

Casino Royale
Chili, Mustard and Kraut
Sound of Music
Georgy Girl
Up-Up and Away
I've Got Rhythm
The More I See You
Somewhere My Love
Born Free
Music to Watch Girls By
Der Wiener Winner

Click here to download!

A Golden Treasury of Fairy Tales

2010-06-07T07:13:00.002-05:00

Here's a variety of fairy tales, told by all the people listed on the front of this album cover (and likely taken from various and sundry sources). Unfortunately the record doesn't say who does which one, so I'll leave that up to you. I'm pretty sure that's Art Carney doing "The Ugly Duckling" though. Some of the stories are a bit short: "Jack and the Beanstalk" ends when Jack first finds the beanstalk outside his bedroom window. OK, technically they covered both Jack and the beanstalk in the story, but that's it? And I think it was a losing battle to try to tell the story of "Heidi" in the 5 1/2 minutes allotted to it!

And I just now figured out that that blob at the bottom of the cover is an out of focus close-up of a book. I thought it was a big fluffy cloud or something.

And I apologize for not having more stuff here last week. I thought I had a couple more scheduled. That's all right. That just means that there are two more albums set for this week! (I know because I just scheduled them for sure!)

Here's the track list:

The Three Bears
The Ugly Duckling - Art Carney?
Hansel and Gretel
Jack and the Beanstalk
Little Red Riding Hood
The Owl and the Pussycat
Heidi
The Tortoise and the Hare

Click here to download!

Tupperware 1981 Big Country Jubilee

2010-06-01T07:13:00.002-05:00

Tupperware Tuesday concludes with this album from the 1981 Jubilee, my favorite of the three (or technically four if you count the circus themed Tupperware Jubilee album I posted a couple of years ago). I think this one is the best all-around show. It's the story of a Southern town, the good people there and the troubles caused by a money-hungry sheriff. In fact, if they ever did a "Dukes of Hazzard" musical, the song "Money Is the Root of All Evil" would be perfect for Boss Hogg.

Anyway, that's all the Tupperware Jubilee albums I've come across. I hope you've enjoyed them!

Here's the track list:

Overture
Country Music
Goodtime Not a Lifetime
Holdin' On to Love
Hey, Good Buddy
If You Do a Little Wrong
Money Is the Root of All Evil
We Can Never Be Friends
A Bright New Shade of Red
Big Country Jubilee

Click here to download!

The Pre-Schooler - Melvin Kaiser

2010-05-29T07:13:00.002-05:00

It's nearly the end of the school year, and if that means for you what it does for us, it's also dance recital season. Chances are you will have a child, sibling, grandchild, niece or nephew or friend (or maybe even yourself) involved. Many of the acts in these recitals are performed by young people (and sometimes adults) who work hard to produce some very good to excellent performances. But how are they best remembered? For the acts featuring small children who sometimes literally have to be pushed onstage, and are just as likely to cry or yell "Hi Mom!" as they are to do the steps they were taught. Yeah, they're cute (and their parents, grandparents, etc., help to guarantee a large audience), but I sometimes thought it wasn't really fair to the other people who busted their humps to perform the best they could.

Anyway, this record is one that would be used for those little rugrats. The album features six sung songs, and the same songs as instrumentals, all written by this guy...
This is Melvin Kaiser, and from what I read online, he was a famous dance school teacher and choreographer. When you're simply able to focus on the songs (without watching the kids dancing to them), you realize how silly these songs are. But, to be honest, they're no worse than most of the other ditties that get used for these occasions.

I had to go to a number of these dance recitals in my time and, for the record, my favorite act is still the women dressed as nuns who tap danced to the George Michael song "Faith". I haven't seen any other act nearly as entertaining as that.

Enjoy the record and, if you do end up going to any dance recitals coming up, be sure to acknowledge the hard work that the older kids and adults (and the teachers!) do as well.

Here's the track list:

I'm a Pre-School Child

Skinny the Scarecrow

I Can Count to Eight

The A.B.C.'s of Dance

Manda the Panda

The Five Basic Steps of Pre-School Tap

I'm a Pre-School Child (Instrumental)

Skinny the Scarecrow (Instrumental)

I Can Count to Eight (Instrumental)

The A.B.C.'s of Dance (Instrumental)

Manda the Panda (Instrumental)

The Five Basic Steps of Pre-School Tap (Instrumental)

Click here or here to download!

Playtime Songs and Activities - The Bubble Gum Singers and Orchestra

2010-05-27T07:13:00.002-05:00

This seems to be the same group who did this album and, like that one, I like the fact that they're not just doing the same kid's songs and that, at times, they really seem to be having a good time singing this stuff. I can tell you from experience that if you're having a good time performing, your audience tends to enjoy themselves as well. Hope you like the cover as well, even though that pirate kid has some serious gut action going on there!

Here's the track list:

How D'ya Do My Partner

Round the Village

Strawberry Jam

Shake My Hand

Jack Can I Ride

Skip to My Loo

I Wish I Were a Windmill

Rose Rose and Up She Rises

Come On and Join the Game

Clap Your Hands

Eency Weency Spider

Put Your Finger in the Air

Girls and Boys Come Out to Play

Ring Around the Rosy

Ten Little Farmer Boys

Paw Paw Patch

Click here or here to download!

Melodies from Tupperware's Star Spangled Jubilee '76

2010-05-25T07:13:00.001-05:00

Tupperware Tuesday continues with this album, using the theme of the founding of the United States. This was, of course, the Tupperware Jubilee for 1976 (when bicentennial fever was hot in this country). You'll find appearances by George Washington, Betsy Ross, Paul Revere and more. There's some halfway decent stuff here. I particularly like the song "Where Do You Find a Marching Band in Yorktown". I also like the fact that Tupperware is actually acknowledged in one of the songs. I have no idea what the Category numbers mean, but they were listed in the track listings on the back so I include them here hoping that somebody around here is a Tupperware person and can explain it to us.

I've got one more Tupperware Jubilee album, and I'll cover that one here next week (with hopefully another one or two non-Tupperware albums along the way). Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Independence Independence
Sugar, Spice, Tea
A Sale
Milkmaids (Category 2)
Circles & Stars
Milkmaids (Category 3)
If I Only Had a Horse
Tonight Tonight
Milkmaids (Category 4)
The Crown
Milkmaids (Category 5)
Pass & Stow
Where Do You Find a Marching Band in Yorktown (Category 6)
Fife & Drum
Milkmaids (Category 7)
Hello Dolly
Tupperware Spirit of '76
Milkmaids (Category 8)
We Can't Forget/New Birth of Freedom
America

Click here to download!

Once Upon a Time - Tupperware Jubilee '77

2010-05-18T20:29:00.001-05:00

For the next few weeks, I'm starting a new feature here. I call it:

TUPPERWARE TUESDAY!!

I'm doing it because, for some reason, in my travels I've picked up a few of these records that were supposed to be soundtracks for the annual Tupperware Jubilee. I don't know much about this event, other than it seems to be something special for people who sell a lot of Tupperware, I guess. Each show has a different theme, and this one seemed to be Mother Goose. These are odd little shows. Don't get me wrong; they seem to be pretty professionally done, but they just seem...odd to me. So did people in the audience dress like the characters too? And there's not even any mention of Tupperware in the show at all (at least, not in the songs)! The back cover (which is included in the download) has photographs of some of the cast. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Mother Goose (cast)
How Will I Know (Jack)
Stickin' to the City Life (Three Blind Mice)
I'm on My Way (Jack)
I Should of Stayed in Bed (Mother Hubbard)
Why Do I Love Him (Fair Maiden)
We're on Our Way (Jack and Fair Maiden)
Peter Peter
Little Bo Peep
Being an Egg (Humpty Dumpty)
We're on Our Way (Reprise) (Jack/Maiden/Peter Peter/Bo Peep/Humpty Dumpty/Jack & Jill
Why Do I Love Her/Him Duet (Jack and Fair Maiden)
Mother Goose (cast)

Click here to download!

Stories for Rainy Days - Frank Luther

2010-05-17T07:13:00.001-05:00

Hey, look! I'm on a roll for my second week in a row!!

Frank Luther is a great storyteller, even if he does change things around a bit. For instance, in this version of "Jack and the Beanstalk", the reason Jack and his mother were so poor was because the Giant stole their bag of gold, their magic harp, and their hen that laid golden eggs. So Jack was just getting his own stuff back! Uhhhh, right. Anyway, these are some fun stories and songs and I think you'll like them.

Here's the track list:

Jack and the Beanstalk
The Tick Tock Shop
The Raggleytaggletown Singers
The Ugly Duckling
Chicken Licken
Sleeping Beauty

Click here to download!

Some Great Stuff from Amazon.com!

2010-05-16T07:13:00.000-05:00

After a week of new content on the blog, I feel I'm due for some plugging!

If you like the albums on my blog, here's some others from Amazon.com that you should enjoy too! (Some of these are CD format and the rest are mp3 format.) And if you click on the link here and end up ordering the album, I'll even make a little bit off of it! And if there's nothing here that interests you, remember that clicking that link on the left means I'll make a little something off of anything you buy from Amazon! Thanks!!

Stay tuned for more music next week!

Songs from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and Other Sweet Songs

2010-05-14T07:13:00.001-05:00

The first half of this album features songs from "Willy Wonka". They even include "Cheer Up Charlie", the song that most kids will skip. They've also changed some of the words on the Oompa-Loompa song. I'm not sure why since the original was perfectly fine. The second half has songs with sort of a candy theme. They run out of candy songs by the end, and put in things like "Cindy" (the one from the "Songs That Tickle Your Funny Bone" album) and yet another version of "Big Rock Candy Mountain" (that doesn't mention cigarette trees, but does mention "al-kee-hol')

If I get the stuff written up soon enough, I'll have another two or three albums for next week. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Oompa-Loompa-Doompadee-Doo
The Candy Man
I've Got a Golden Ticket
Pure Imagination
Cheer Up Charlie
I Want It Now
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Candy Store Owner
You Turn for Sugar and Tea
Raisins and Almonds
Strawberry Jam
Cindy
Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake

Click here to download!

Song Stories for Little Cowboys & Cowgirls - Mother Goose Orchestra & Players

2010-05-12T07:13:00.001-05:00

This is an album that I actually grew up with. It's a two-record set of cowboy songs and stories. The first record is all done by the same guy (identified as Cowboy Joe), and he does a nice job. The second record is sort of a potpourri of people, and you can tell by the end that they've kind of run out of cowboy stuff, and resort to train songs like "Casey Jones" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad".

There's a lot of nice stuff here (especially on the first half). Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Cowboy Joe Rides Through the Night
Yipee-Ti-Yi-O (Get Along Little Dogies)
Make Me a Cowboy Again for a Day
Pony Boy/Cheyenne
The Legend of Crystal Rock
Whoa Mule Whoa
Red River Valley
Little Wahoo
The Strawberry Roan
A Cowboy's Prayer
Red River Valley
Old Chisholm Trail
Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie
Home on the Range
Clementine
Casey Jones
Ten Little Indians
I've Been Working on the Railroad
Big Rock Candy Mountain

Click here to download!

Star Wars - The Kid Stuff Repertory Company

2010-05-10T07:13:00.001-05:00

Here's another "classic" from the Kid Stuff Repertory Company. Looking at this cover, you might think it was the story of two little American kids who go up in a rocket and have an adventure on a strange planet with two robots, a Threepio and an Artoo ripoff. Except that just about everything on this cover is a lie. The only connection to "Star Wars" is that they play the theme song at the beginning of the record. After that, you get the story "Jack and the Flying Saucer", a sort-of "Jack and the Beanstalk" parallel. The difference is that Jack lives on the planet Boom Boom, a planet where everything makes a loud noise. He and his mother are poor, so she sends him to sell Pinky, their stuffem worm. Jack trades the worm for what he is told is a magic saucer. Mom is upset with Jack when he returns home and throws the saucer out the window. The next morning, it has turned into a flying saucer. He flies off into space, meets a space monster, and eventually lands on the planet Sshhhh which (as you might expect) is a very quiet planet. Jack goes to a castle, meets a giant and his wife, and you can pretty well guess how the story goes from here.

There are some interesting bits here. For example, for some reason the guy playing Jack does it with a Cockney accent. I have no idea why. Also, the story is narrated by Shadoe Stevens, a voice you might recognize from his radio work or from being the announcer on the latest version of the Hollywood Squares.

Anyway, this is a pretty odd one, and I hope you like it!

Click here to download!

Peter Cottontail and Other Easter and Springtime Favorites

2010-04-03T22:16:00.002-05:00

Here's an Easter themed album featuring songs from Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, the Sandpipers, and Mitch Miller and His Orchestra. Unfortunately, the album doesn't tell you who did which song. I'm pretty sure songs 6-8 below are Roy and Dale, but your guess is as good as mine on the rest of them. Oh well, enjoy it anyway, and have a Happy Easter!!!!

Here's the track list:

Peter Cottontail
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning
Funny Little Bunnies
The White Bunny and His Magic Nose
Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?
Easter is Loving Time
Let There Be Peace on Earth
Open Up Your Heart and Let the Sun Shine In
Easter Parade
Bunny Bunny Bunny
Eustace the Useless Rabbit
The Barnyard Song
Flippety Floppety Bunny
The Lively Little Rabbit
Pee Wee the Bunny
Easter Mornin'

Click here to download!

Happiness is a Peanuts Album! Songs from the Off-Broadway Musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"

2010-03-05T07:13:00.002-06:00

You've heard a few different versions of songs from "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown", on this blog, but this one is special to me because it's the first version of the songs I heard when I was a kid. You've only got two people doing the singing duties here, but they still do quite a nice job. Hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Little Known Facts
Suppertime
My Blanket and Me
Charlie Brown's Kite
The Baseball Game
Snoopy
Schroeder
Doctor Lucy
Happiness

Click here to download!

Bob Sings - Bob McGrath

2010-03-03T07:13:00.003-06:00

Most people know Bob McGrath from his regular gig on a certain street we all know (even though we constantly have to ask directions on how to get there), but this album has an entirely different lineup of songs. There's some old-timey classics, tunes from "The Sound of Music", and even a few Stevie Wonder songs to be found here. I also could have done without hearing Bob singing "Muskrat Love". For some reason, it sounds even dirtier when you hear HIM sing it!

Bob sings a number of these songs accompanied by kids, and the funny thing about that is that he seems to keep pitching the songs higher and higher, until the poor kids have to squeak to keep up with his flawless tenor voice. By the way, one of those kids was Danielle Brisbois, who ended up doing some acting as well, including playing Archie Bunker's niece on "All in the Family".

Here's the track list:

Sir Duke
Do-Re-Mi
Muskrat Love
In the Good Old Summertime
Sunshine Medley
Jamaica Farewell
Getting to Know You
Isn't She Lovely
I Whistle a Happy Tune
Good Morning Starshine
Edelweiss
High Hopes

NOTE: This is now available for purchase from Amazon! You can get it here:

Down in Jungle Town - The Yum Yum Kids and the MGM Territorial Orchestra

2010-03-01T07:13:00.002-06:00

I'm back with this fun album from 1966. I've always liked these kinds of records that have kids enthusiastically singing their lungs out, and except for a couple of choices here, we've got a really interesting lineup of songs here as well. I mean, how often are you going to hear a Noel Coward song sung by children? There's some great text on the back of the album cover too, which I've provided in the download. Enjoy, and I'm pleased to say that it won't be another month before you see something else new here. I've got two more posts scheduled for later this week, so stay tuned!

Here's the track list:

Hooray for Captain Spaulding
I Went to the Animal Fair
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Song of the Nairobi Trio
Down in Jungle Town
Napoleon Sailed the Ocean Blue
Tiger Rag
Aba Daba Honeymoon
How to Tell the Wild Animals
Under the Bamboo Tree
Abdul the Bulbul Ameer
Civilization

Click here to download!

The Square Song/Sesame Street

2009-12-23T19:13:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm back again (hopefully for longer than just one record). Here's an album featuring songs from a number of different places, including "Sesame Street", "The Bugaloos", and some others that I don't even recognize.

I'd like to draw your attention to the part of the picture on the right side of the cover. Does it look familiar? Maybe it does if you remember this cover from a used album being sold on Amazon...

I mentioned it because the little boy on the left was featured on the cover of this album. Good grief, how many times are they going to recycle this (admittedly cute) picture??

Here's the track list:

Sesame Street
All Kinds of People
For a Friend
The Alphabet Song
The Animal Song
Clap Clap Clap
The Square Song
Hide and Seek
Time to Tell Time
Fork, Knife and Spoon
The Counting Song

Click here or here to download!

A Child's Introduction to Disco - The Kid Stuff Repertory Company

2009-10-31T18:06:00.004-05:00

I wanted to put something scary here on the blog for Halloween, so I looked in the records I haven't put on here yet, and this is probably the scariest thing I've got. It's frightening enough to know the Kid Stuff Repertory Company is singing disco songs here, but that's only half the story. Before each song, a lady reads the lyrics to you first so you can follow along with the lyrics sheet in the album. Of course, some of the words are changed up a bit (no "burn that mother down" in "Disco Inferno" for example). It's just weird to hear some lady trying to extract some meaning out of stuff like "If I can't have you, oh-oh-oh".

Anyway, have a Happy Halloween!

Here's the track list:

Introduction
Same Old Song (lyrics)
Same Old Song
On Broadway (lyrics)
On Broadway
Last Dance (lyrics)
Last Dance
Night Fever (lyrics)
Night Fever
Disco Inferno (lyrics)
Disco Inferno
If I Can't Have You (lyrics)
If I Can't Have You

Click here or here to download!

Smokey Bear with Ranger Hal

2009-10-09T21:04:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know I keep saying I'll be right back and I keep disappearing, but I'm back (again) with this interesting album from Smokey Bear, Ranger Hal and their animal friends in this musical adventure. I hope they look better than they do on this cover though! Anyway, hopefully I'll be back with more stuff soon. Enjoy!

Click here or here to download!

The Aristocats and Purr-ty Pussycat Songs

2009-09-09T23:51:00.001-05:00

Hey, I'm back! Yeah, I know I said that last month, but hopefully I mean it this time. I finished with school, but now I'm trying to catch up with things that weren't getting done while I was in school. This is one of them.

This is a bit of a cheat, considering there's only two songs from "The Aristocats" on here. But the rest of the songs actually are about cats, so it has that going for it. It also has "The Alley Cat Dance" that I think is on one of the other records I have on here. Plus "Puss N Boots" was really more of a story than a song. And finally, I think that's the cutest cover I've ever seen of a butler stealing cats, don't you? The other reason I wanted to put this up today is because some websites are doing "A Day Without Cats" today, and I thought I'd fill the void. I'm an ornery cuss sometimes!

Anyway, I'm going to be off through next week so (among the other things I have to do) I want to get back to a more regular schedule here. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

The Aristocats
The Cat's Me-ow!
This Beautiful Creature
Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat
Three Blind Mice
Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat
The Alley Cat Dance
The Three Little Kittens
Puss 'N Boots

Click here or here to download!

But here's the best Puss in Boots of all!

Pink Panther Punk

2009-07-25T15:43:00.003-05:00

I'm back, I'm done with school, and hopefully I can get the blog back on a semi-regular schedule again. I wanted to find something really fun to return on, and I think this little beauty from Kid Stuff Records might just fit the bill. The Pink Panther has a band here called the Pink Punks, and they get to play a few of their songs here. (I also find it interesting that two of the group members are named Itchy and Scratchy.) For some reason, the Pink Panther sounds like an old hippie. Meanwhile, he's being sought out by Inspector Clouseau, who even gets to sing a bit himself. The songs really aren't too bad here, especially for a Kid Stuff Records production. I tried to do my best to split the songs out from the story. Hopefully the transitions aren't too jarring. The thing I think I liked best about this is the album cover. I think it looks pretty cool, don't you? Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Pink Panther Theme

Pink Panther Punk Part 1

Another Brick in the Wall

Pink Panther Punk Part 2

Panther on the Prowl

Pink Panther Punk Part 3

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me

It's Punk

Pink Panther Punk Part 4

What a Fool Believes

Pink Panther Punk Part 5

Call Me

Pink Panther Punk Part 6

Rock and Roll Panther

Click here or here or here to download!

Big Hits from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - The New Christy Minstrels with Arthur Treacher

2009-06-20T11:06:00.002-05:00

Hey Gang, I just wanted to get something new up here so you didn't think I forgot about you all!

Here's another collection of songs from "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", this time by the pop/folk group The New Christy Minstrels. They're joined on a few songs by actor Arthur Treacher, who I know very little about except he had a chain of fish and chips restaurants in the United States and that he was somebody's second-banana on one of the talk shows (Merv Griffin?). I'm not quite sure what qualified him for the guest spot on this record. It certainly wasn't his singing ability!

Well, I've only got about another three weeks before I'm totally finished with school, and I'll get to graduate with my Masters degree in August. Once I get all that done I can go back to adding stuff here on a regular basis. Hooray!!

Here's the track list:

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Posh! (with Arthur Treacher)
Hushabye Mountain
Medley: Doll on a Music Box/Truly Scrumptious
Chu-Chi Face (with Arthur Treacher)
Fun Fair
Me Old Bam-Boo
You Two (with Arthur Treacher)
Roses of Success
Lovely Lonely Man
Toot Sweets (with Arthur Treacher)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Reprise)

Click here or here to download!

Children's Sing Along

2009-05-29T21:57:00.003-05:00

Here's an album that, going by the cover, looks like another mishmash of songs from various sources. I mean, there's no photographs of the singers, just a plain picture. And the track list is actually printed on top of the title here, almost like an afterthought. But looks are deceiving here. Not only do all these songs sound like they are performed by the same children's chorus, but this is the same group with the same version of "Sidewalks of New York" that I enjoyed on this album that WAS from a mixture of sources. This is an entire album with these kids, and I really like it. I am reminded once again that "Jingle Bells" isn't really a Christmas song here, and there's some other really rousing songs as well, all done in that great spirited way as "Sidewalks" was. Take a listen to this one. I think you'll enjoy it!

By the way, I apologize once again for my absence. I have my thesis to do next week and I'm trying to prep for it!

Here's the track list:

Jingle Bells
Standing in Need
Banjo's Back in Town
Give Me That Old Time Religion
Sidewalks of New York
Bunker Hillbillies Theme Song
Oh Susanna
Buffalo Gals
Clementine
When the Saints Go Marching In

Click here or here to download!

Captain of the Starship - William Shatner Live!

2009-05-19T07:56:00.002-05:00

Here's a special treat for you. This two record set features William Shatner speaking at Hofstra University sometime around 1978. For those of you who like to hear the Shat Man do dramatic soliloquies, you'll be happy to hear him perform pieces from "Cyrano de Bergerac", "War of the Worlds", and others. For those who want tidbits for the (at the time) upcoming movie, you've got that here too, even talking about why Leonard Nimoy was holding out for more money. (If I remember right, Shatner said the budget for the upcoming "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was around $8 million. It turns out that, according to the IMDB, it was really around $35 million.) And if you want some stories about how Star Trek changed his life, you've got that as well.

I think Shatner sounds sort of fun and bubbly when he's talking to the audience here. He seems to me like he's really enjoying the attention, before he became a full-on celebrity and (maybe) expected to be treated like a celebrity. Anyway, hope you enjoy this.

(And yes, the cover photo shows him menacing some off-camera alien with an upside down camera tripod!)

It all sort of meshes together, so the tracks are divided by side.

Here's the track list:

Earthbound/Go with Me/High Flight/The Flight of Man/Galileo
6 Ways to the Moon/War of the Worlds
The Movie
SHORT TAKES: William Shatner - Audience/Starship's Facilities/Peter/Summer Spaceship/Three-way Alchemy - The Brain/Finale

Click here or here to download!

Trek Bloopers

2009-05-13T08:05:00.002-05:00

Here's another Star Trek rarity brought to you courtesy of Blue Pear Records. (get it?) The story behind this is that these audio tapes were found in a garbage can by somebody who just wanted to use the tapes themselves. When they saw that "Star Trek" was written on the boxes, they decided to investigate further. People have seen the famous "Star Trek Blooper Reel", but it only covered the first two seasons. This is stuff from the third and final season. Is it funny? Well, it does suffer from lack of visuals. I really think of it more as a historical record of the time. Plus you get to hear the classic song "Hey Out There" a few times! How can you beat that?

Click here to download!

Oh yeah, if you haven't seen the Star Trek Blooper Reel, here it is!

Inside Star Trek

2009-05-11T23:21:00.001-05:00

In honor of the new Star Trek movie, I'd thought I throw a few Trekkie type things up here. This album from 1976 is hosted by "Star Trek" creator (and Great Bird of the Galaxy) Gene Roddenberry. There's some live convention stuff with him, interviews with William Shatner about Captain Kirk, DeForest Kelley talks about the current state of medicine ("Too damned expensive.") and Roddenberry ask Mark Lenard as Sarek (Spock's dad) about Vulcan sex. (Guess Nimoy wasn't interested in participating.) Plus Isaac Asimov and his ginormous sideburns! Anyway, hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

Inside Star Trek
Star Trek Theme
William Shatner Meets Captain Kirk
The Origin of Spock
Sarek's Son Spock
The Questor Affair
The Enterprise Runs Aground
McCoy's Rx for Life
The Star Trek Philosophy
Asimov's World of Science Fiction
A Letter from a Network Censor
The Star Trek Dream (Ballad I/Ballad II)

Well, it was pointed out to me that this album is actually included as a bonus CD on the "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" CD box set, so I'm taking my links down. If you'd like to get it yourself, you can get it from the link below!

A Tribute to Mother - Wally Fowler

2009-05-09T17:54:00.003-05:00

This one's a bit of a change of pace for me. I was actually working on getting a few Star Trek related albums on here to tie in with the new movie coming out, when I remembered that I bought this album specifically to put on here for Mother's Day. I don't know Wally Fowler myself, but according to the cover he's "Mr. Gospel Music" and "The Man with a Million Friends", which means some of you may be familiar with him. This is just a nice collection of gospel-tinged old songs about Mom featuring Fowler, the Sego Brothers with Naomi, and the J.D. Sumner Stamps Quartet. Enjoy, and have a happy Mother's Day!

Here's the track list:

Mother, Mine
Sweetest Mother
Wrinkled and Old
My Child, Welcome Home
The Chair That Rocked Us All
Mama Sang a Song
Rocking Along in an Old Rocking Chair
Mother's Gone
The Hands That Rock the Cradle
Precious Mother
If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again
Supper Time

Click here or here to download!

Wishnik Sing-A-Long Party

2009-04-26T20:55:00.002-05:00

Boy, there's something out of one of your nightmares, isn't it?

Actually these are Wishniks, one of those fads of the '60s. They were these ugly hard plastic dolls with long hair that you could style or shampoo or pull out or whatever you wanted to do with it. I don't think we had Wishniks growing up. I think we had Trolls, which were sort of a smaller cheaper knockoff of Wishniks. Anyway, here's a record full of Wishnik (or Chipmunk-like) songs, along with some stories presented by Dr. Eric von Newtontootin, the foremost authority on Wishniks. And when they run out of that, there's some generic children's songs to fill out the rest of the album. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Mommy, Where Is My Wishnik?
Mommy, I Found My Wishnik
Story of the Wishniks
The Wishnik Went Over the Mountain
Mary Had a Wishnik
Three Tough Wishniks
Old Mac Donald Had a Wishnik
Mother Goosenik Rhymes
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Did You Ever See a Wishnik?
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Ten Little Indians
The Farmer in the Dell
When Wishnik Eyes Are Smiling
Down in the Valley
Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be?
I Love a Parade

Click here or here to download!

The Bros. - Frank & Darryl Kuntz

2009-04-14T07:13:00.000-05:00

If you watched channel 39 out of Dallas, Texas in the early 80's, you might remember Frank and Darryl Kuntz, the hosts of the kids show "The Good Time Gang". They'd sing songs, give out prizes to kids at home, and even throw a bit of religion into the mix! Here's an album featuring songs and stories from the brothers. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Friend of the Father
We Took a Trip
I Wanna Be Loved By You
Darryl and Goliath
Our Voices Were Made for Each Other
Imagifuntastical
A Message
I'm Frank and I'm Darryl
Heigh Ho the Gang's All Here
The Three Bears
Smarty
Who's on First
In My Heart There Rings a Melody
Honey Will You Miss Me

Click here or here to download!

Bicycle Built for Two - The Bubble Gum Singers and Orchestra

2009-04-08T07:13:00.003-05:00

Here's another group I know absolutely nothing about, but I admire the fact that they're not just singing the same kid's songs. They do sound a bit too "white and nerdy" to be singing "The Banana Boat Song" though. They sound like they're enjoying themselves however (especially on "The Erie"). Hope you enjoy it too!

Here's the track list:

The Old Brass Wagon
My Dream
Banana Boat Song
Jolly Old Roger
The Blacksmith
Cockles and Mussels
Bicycle Built for Two
There Lived a King
Clementine
Gifts from Over the Sea
Mingo Mountain
The Erie
The Old Grey Mare

Click here or here to download!

Organ Grinder Pizza - Jonas Nordwall and Patti Simon

2009-03-30T07:13:00.002-05:00

Wow! Who knew that I would find another Organ Grinder Pizza album? I'm assuming this one is the first volume, and it only features two different organists: Jonas Nordwall and Patti Simon. It's another great combination of old songs and (at the time) new songs like Billy Joel's "My Life", all played on a ginormous pipe organ. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

My Life - Jonas Nordwall
I Don't Know Why - Jonas Nordwall
Birth of the Blues - Jonas Nordwall
Maleguena - Jonas Nordwall
Medley from "Saturday Night Fever" - Patti Simon
Tiger Rag - Jonas Nordwall
Annie's Song - Jonas Nordwall
Meditation from "Thais" - Jonas Nordwall
Over the Rainbow - Patti Simon
Hopelessly Devoted to You - Patti Simon
Character Medley - Patti Simon

Click here or here to download!

This Old Man: Great Parade Songs & Marches - The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Marching Band and Chorus

2009-03-26T07:13:00.003-05:00

Here's an album of parade songs and marches, including some you probably haven't heard of (Betty Co-Ed), songs you never really associated as marches (Jingle Bells??), and songs you may know but didn't know the name of (The Whistler's Song). A lot of John Philip Sousa, as you might expect. All of 'em will keep you marching until your legs go stiff!

Here's the track list:

On the Mall
The Marines' Hymn
Betty Co-Ed
The Whistler's Song
Yankee Doodle March
Dixie
Jingle Bells March
Hail Columbia
America
Columbia the Gem of the Ocean
The U.S. Air Force
Lassus Trombone
Pomp and Circumstance
This Old Man
(Turn Over the Record)
The Caissons Go Rolling Along
Dixieland Style March
Stars and Stripes Forever
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
I've Been Working on the Railroad
Pop Goes the Weasel
Semper Fidelis
The Thunderer
Invercargill
Camptown Races
Mulberry Bush March
America the Beautiful
Star Spangled Banner

Click here or here to download!

One of Sousa's most rousing marches included here is "The Thunderer", but this is my favorite version of the song:

The Do-Re-Mi Children's Chorus Sing the Songs from "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and Other Favorites

2009-03-19T13:13:00.002-05:00

I'm not familiar with the Do-Re-Mi Children's Chorus, but according to the back cover of this album they did quite a few records. I hope to find some more of them soon. Until then, enjoy this collection of songs from the movie "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and some other songs thrown in, including a rather swinging version of "Java Jive" that I really like, especially considering it's being sung by kids!

(Here's a little bit of trivia for you: Did you know that the book "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" was written by Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books? I guess Truly Scrumptious is supposed to be a G-rated version of a Bond girl's name!)

Here's the track list:

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Hushabye Mountain
The Roses of Success
Toot Sweets
Truly Scrumptious
Me Ol' Bamboo
Dear World
The Wonderful Things (That He Can Do)
A Bushel and a Peck
Mr. Clown
Java Jive

Click here or here to download!

Bedtime Songs - The Kid Stuff Repertory Company

2009-03-12T07:13:00.003-05:00

Wow, who would have known that I'd have another album from the Kid Stuff Repertory Company? There's no crazy discofying of songs here, just nice, quiet lullaby-type songs, performed by a woman and a somewhat gassy-sounding organ. Pretty simple stuff, unlike that odd, nightmare-inducing cover!

Here's the track list:

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
Now the Day Is Over
Evening Prayer
What Is Home Without a Mother
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Frere Jacques
Hush Little Baby
Rock-a-Bye Baby

Click here or here to download!

Betsy McCall's Surprise Birthday Party

2009-03-09T07:13:00.003-05:00

Betsy McCall must be one of those dolls that I never heard of, but then again there were only boys in our family (other than Mom of course). I haven't listened to them side by side, but Betsy McCall sounds an awful lot like Heidi the Pocketbook Doll to me.

I've never really understood Birthday Party records like this. Are you supposed to listen to it during your own party or take it home afterwards and hear an inanimate object apparently having a better time than you did? This one even goes so far as to have Betsy cutting the cake and opening her presents. Why would you want to hear that? So you'll know what to ask for on your next birthday? Oh well, this is still an interesting album. Oh, and make sure to stay tuned until the very end for some subtle product placement!

Here's the track list:

Happy Birthday Song
Surprise Birthday Party
Simple Simon Says Game
Musical Games
Blowing Out the Candles and Cutting the Cake
Opening the Presents
Phone Call from Grandma
Game Songs
Story Telling Time (The Emperor's New Clothes)
After the Party

Click here or here to download!

Happy Stories for Gloomy Days - Frank Luther

2009-03-06T07:13:00.003-06:00

I'm not familiar with Frank Luther, but he does quite a nice job on telling these stories and singing the songs in them. As you can tell, these stories are your usual suspects, with one big exception. "Happy the Harmonica" is one of the craziest kids' stories I've ever heard! I hate to give too much away, but it involves an old woman with a pain who plays "Home Sweet Home" on her harmonica to make "Happy the Harmonica" happy, and that's just how the story starts. You just need to hear this one for yourself. Trust me! (The rest of it is quite good too!)

Here's the track list:

The Shoemaker and the Elves
The Gingerbread Boy
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
The Little Red Hen
Happy the Harmonica
Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Click here or here to download!

Rubber Duckie and Other Pet Songs - The Kid Stuff Repertory Company

2009-03-03T07:13:00.004-06:00

Hey look! It's another extravaganza from the Kid Stuff Repertory Company! This one doesn't go the disco route. In fact, all things considered, it's pretty low key for them. It's pretty much just a guy and a synthesizer. One problem with this one is that they pick songs that are usually pretty short and drag them out forever! For example, the song "Johnny Had a Little Dog" (which I think most of us refer to as "Bingo") The chorus is sung through twice, than an instrumental verse, each verse clapping out one of the letters, instrumental verse again, the chorus is sung, the music modulates and the chorus is sung again, verses clapping out the letters again, and then the chorus is finally sung two more times.

Then there's the song "Pussy Cat" (or if you look for it on Amazon.com "P***y Cat"). Here are the entire lyrics of the song:

"Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I've been to London to visit the Queen.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair."

How do our friends at the Kid Stuff Repertory Company handle this? Well, they sing it through five times, have an instrumental verse, and then sing it through 4 more times!

These songs aren't really that bad, if you don't mind them being twice as long as they should be. And "Rubber Duckie" is OK, because unlike in many other versions I've heard, he doesn't end up doing a bad Ernie impression.

Anyhow, take a listen and see what you think!

Here's the track list:

Rubber Duckie

Dog & Cat

Johnny Had a Little Dog

Pussy Cat

Where Has My Little Dog Gone

Goosey Goosey Gander

I Love Little Pussy

All the Pretty Little Horses

Click here or here to download!

The Adventures of Little Orley - Uncle Lumpy with Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians

2009-02-28T07:13:00.001-06:00

Here's a fun album of adventures with a boy named Little Orley featuring some people you might be familiar with. First of all, there's noted bandleader Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians, but that's not really who I mean. You'll notice that these stories are told and sung by Uncle Lumpy. He's credited on the back of the album as Lump Brannum. Still not ring a bell? Maybe you'll remember him better in the role he played later: Mr. Green Jeans on Captain Kangaroo's show. There's no date on this, but I'm thinking he did this before the CK gig. Either way, these are imaginative little stories that I think you'll enjoy. I think I've got another Little Orley album too, and I'll try to dig it up to put on the blog later.

Here's the track list:

Little Orley's Big Concert
Little Orley - His Adventures with the Parade
Little Orley - His Adventures with the Cloud
Little Orley and the Happy Bird
Little Orley and the Little Engine
Little Orley and the Bubble Gum
Little Orley and the Haunted House
Little Orley - His Adventures as a Worm

NOTE: It looks like these stories (and the stories on the other record I was going to put on here) are now available on CD! It looks like Amazon was showing them as out of print, but you can actually buy them direct at littleorley.com! You should do it too. They're fun stories you can share with your kids!

Let's Go to the Zoo

2009-02-25T07:13:00.002-06:00

This one comes from the same people that brought you "Let's All Go to the Circus". This has more fun little songs, only this ones about zoo animals. Note the catchy but somewhat odd song "The Porcupine is Pining for His Pork". Hope you enjoy this one!

Here's the track list:

Come to the Zoo with Me
Strolling Thru the Zoo
The King of the Jungle
Monkey Business
The Elephant Song
The Hippopotamus Song
The Crocodile Song
Singing Tra La La La
The Happy Seal
The Leopard Song
The Porcupine Is Pining for His Pork
Strolling Thru the Zoo (Reprise)

Click here to download!

Disco Duck - The Kid Stuff Repertory Company

2009-02-22T07:13:00.002-06:00

I'm not quite sure how I ended up with all these albums from The Kid Stuff Repertory Company. I probably got them in a box of albums I bought on eBay. I certainly didn't seek them out specifically!

As you might figure, since this is a disco album, they should do OK on this one. They get low marks on "Disco Duck", however, because the guy doing the duck voice is horrible. Couldn't they have borrowed Irwin the Disco Duck? At least he's SOMEWHAT intelligible! "Enjoy Yourself" isn't too bad, but then they do a disco version of "John Henry". Yes, really! The rest of the album they stick with kids' songs, and they're all right. You pretty much know what you're getting into here, so enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Disco Duck
Enjoy Yourself
John Henry
Kemo Kimo
Disco Medley (Greetings, Polly Wolly Doodle, Bill Groggin's Goat, Shortnin' Bread, Nine Pound Hammer, Who Did, Down by the Station)

Click here to download!

Animal Song Parade

2009-02-19T07:13:00.001-06:00

Until I started actively collecting children's records to use for this blog, I never really realized how many kids' albums were basically clearinghouses for different songs from different sources. That doesn't necessarily mean that the songs are bad; just that it's a lot more variety than you'd tend to get from a group like the Little Golden Singers. I'm betting this is another hodgepodge, but at least this one gives a lot more information than many of the others. It's nice to know that there were orchestras used in all of these songs! Hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

The Little White Duck - Bob Hannon with Orchestra
Fuzzy Wuzzy (Wus a Bear) - Burt Taylor with Orchestra
Frog Went a-Courtin' - Peter Piper, Forty-Niners Quartet with Orchestra
(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window - Patty McGovern with Orchestra
Ducks on Parade - The Forty-Niners Quartet with Ray Carter Orchestra
The Teddy Bears' Picnic - Peter Piper, Forty-Niners Quartet with Orchestra
Peewee the Kiwi Bird - Bob Hannon with Orchestra
Snoopy the Pussycat - Patty McGovern with Orchestra
The Bulldog on the Bank - The Forty-Niners Quartet with Ray Carter Orchestra
What Kind of an Animal Are You? - Burt Taylor with Orchestra

Click here to download!

The Alley Cat: Nursery Rhymes with the Teen Dance Beat of Today - The Mod Moppets

2009-02-16T07:13:00.001-06:00

For kids in the sixties that wanted to be cool and parents who wanted to keep them tied to the children's classics, here's an album that probably didn't make either group happy! And how about that cover? Seriously, this is some jazzed-up versions of the songs that kids have been listening to for years. I don't know the dances that well, but for anybody who does, does this do a pretty good job in fitting the songs with them?

Here's the track list:

Alley Cat Dance
The Frug - Old MacDonald
The Swim - Row Row Row Your Boat
The Jerk - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Hokey Pokey
The Shake - Farmer in the Dell
The Monkey - On Top of Old Smokey
Mexican Hat Dance
Watusi - A Tisket, A Tasket
Cha-Cha - Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be?

Click here to download!

King Friday XIII Celebrates in Misterogers' Neighborhood of Makebelieve

2009-02-13T07:13:00.002-06:00

This album comes to us courtesy of Tim at The Neighborhood Archive. I know lots of people will be putting up stuff about Jason Voorhees or other scary stuff to coincide with it being Friday the 13th. Not me! Today we feature Mister Rogers (back at a time when he spelled his name as one word) and the adventures of Daniel Striped Tiger, X the Owl and the rest of the neighborhood out to celebrate King Friday XIII's birthday (which is on Friday the 13th naturally). Tim does a much better job of describing what's on this album than I could, so let me refer you to the details here. There are a few unavoidable skips in this album, but this is such a rare find I feel that it's worth putting up as is. Thanks again to Tim for donating the file for this album. Take a look at his great Mister Rogers site when you get a chance!

Here's the track list:

Misterogers' Invitation
I Like You As You Are
Then Your Heart Is Full of Love
Looking for a Friend
Meow Meow Beautiful
Today Is New
Creation Duet
Find a Star
You've Got to Learn Your Trade
Prosperous Interval of Time
Kingly Gifts
Three Rodents with Defective Eyesight
Propel Propel Propel Your Craft
Tomorrow
Goodnight God

Click here to download!

The Wizard of Oz - The Hanky Pank Players

2009-02-10T07:13:00.003-06:00

It's always interesting to hear what happens when stories we know pretty well get shortened up to fit on a record. Plot points come at you thick and fast. For example, in the case of this version of "The Wizard of Oz" they barely meet the Wicked Witch of the West before Dorothy dumps a bucket of water on her! This is also unusual in that there's a combination of songs from the movie and original songs as well. The originals are OK, but it's hard to beat the classics. The performances on this aren't too bad either. Enjoy!

Includes the songs "Over the Rainbow", "We're Off to See the Wizard", "Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead", as well as original songs "Cyclone", "The Emerald City", "Thank You Song", and "Humbug".

Click here to download!

Time to Tell Time - James King and the Golden Players

2009-02-07T07:13:00.001-06:00

Here's another great album full of songs and stories to help you tell time by talking to the big hand and the little hand. It's especially good if your name happens to be "Hurford". Enjoy!

Click here to download!

Tales of Ragged Ann - Lois Sherman

2009-02-04T07:13:00.002-06:00

This is Lois Sherman, who according to the liner notes, "appears daily on WJW-TV, Cleveland, as Ragged Ann, one of the most popular children's shows on the air". I never saw the show, but I hope she didn't do the entire show in that position! Why does she look like she's about to get her head chopped off? According to her, the adventures that Ragged Ann have are due to children putting her in their dreams. Way to blame the kids, R.A.! Anyway, this is certainly an unusual collection of stories. Anybody reading this remember seeing her on TV?

Here's the track list:

Ragged Ann and the Three Bears

Little Red Ragged Ann

Ragged Ann and the Seven Dwarfs

Irving the Mouse

Click here or here to download!

Scouting Breaks the Song Barrier - The Goodtimers

2009-02-01T07:13:00.001-06:00

February is National Scouting Month, so in honor of that, here's an album of songs made for scouts for sing. Along with the traditional songs like "Kum Ba Yah" and "Down in the Valley" there's a couple of new ones too. My older brothers were scouts, but I never went that far. I was always too uncoordinated to do stuff like that (plus my brothers never seemed that crazy about it either). Hope you all enjoy this, and Happy National Scouting Month!

Here's the track list:

The Ecology Song
Three Jolly Fishermen
Down in the Valley
Paw Paw Patch
Kum Ba Yah
Uncle Sam He Saw the Moon
Michael Row the Boat Ashore
This Land Is Your Land
If You're Happy
When the Saints Go Marching In

Click here to download!

Land of Lemonade and Lollipops

2009-01-29T07:13:00.002-06:00

Here's another one of those albums with songs from a number of sources and a strange random looking cover ("So, Kid, move that candy cane over a little to the right. No, MY right!"). There's some pretty good songs here though. This also scores points for being my new favorite version of "Big Rock Candy Mountain". See if you like it as much as I do.

Here's the track list:

Land of Lemonade and Lollipops
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Back Home (Way Back Home)
Marching Song (Children's Marching Song)
Little Dutch Boy & Little Dutch Girl
Dem Dry Bones
Little Red Schoolhouse
Stasha Pandowski
Billy Boy
Grandfather Clock

Click here or here to download!

The Next Hundred Years - The Ragtimers

2009-01-26T07:13:00.001-06:00

Remember back in the late 1960s when everybody thought it was cool to do songs that sounded like they came out in the twenties? Yeah kids, people really did that. This is an album of old songs (and songs they made sound old) by the Ragtimers, a group I know absolutely nothing about. Hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

The Next Hundred Years
(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song
Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?
My Melody of Love
Soft Shoe Song (Give Me That Old Soft Shoe)
Those Were the Days
Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
What Have They Done to My Song, Ma
Second Hand Rose
Ragtime Waltz
The Entertainer

Click here to download!

Trains, Planes and Space Ships

2009-01-23T07:13:00.002-06:00

This is an odd little album. The first cut, "Skyliner Flight 35", is a simulation of how it sounded if you were in the cockpit listening to the pilots take off and land a plane. The second, "The Columbia Limited" is the same sort of thing except with a train, and the other two cuts, for no particular reason, are two Rocky Jones sci-fi adventures. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Skyliner Flight 35

The Columbian Limited

Rocky Jones and the Space Pirates

Shipwrecked on Planet X

Click here or here to download!

Puff and Toot and Other Musical Stories - Twinkle Orchestra and Chorus

2009-01-20T07:13:00.002-06:00

I was going to tell you about this exciting album of train (and clown) songs, but I think the liner notes on the back of the album will do a much better job than I will. (Note the punctuation and spelling are exactly as they're found in the quote) :

Hi there, the jolly conductor of Twinkle Records tells us that he is all set to take us on an imaginative trip to adventure land with Puff & Toot.

We can't wait . . . First we'll ride the Red Caboose and we'll see Squeegie the Clown and stop Down By The Station. But Oh then . . . we can ride the Chocolate Train . . . isn't that exciting? Just think a Chocolate Train all for us. I can't wait can you. Well climb on cause here we go..."ALL ABOARD".

Hi, it's me again. I was going to tell you guys to curtail any "Chocolate Train" jokes, but whoever wrote this seems to dwell on it a bit TOO much if you ask me. And if they wanted us to be excited, you'd think they would have put at least one exclamation point in there. Anyway, this really is a fun combination of train songs (most likely from a number of different sources), so enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Puff and Toot

The Red Caboose

Chocolate Train

Squeegie the Happy Clown

Down by the Station

I've Been Working on the Railroad

Circus

Where Do Ya Worka John

Click here or here to download!

Galloping on My Dinosaur and Other Fun Songs for Children - Larry Thor

2009-01-17T07:13:00.003-06:00

I'm not familiar with Larry Thor, but according to the Internet Movie Database he did quite a bit of work on radio and TV, appearing in such series as The Munsters, Leave It to Beaver, Gilligan's Island, and The Andy Griffith Show. These are some fun little songs written by Thor himself that simply feature him and his guitar. With all the crazy orchestrated and synthesized albums I normally hear, this is a very pleasant change of pace. Hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

Sad Day, Lonely Day
The Gimme Pig
When You Hurt
Picnic
Answer Every Question
Matinee Lullaby
Scary Song
Since You Went Away
Worry Time
TV Song
Galloping on My Dinosaur
Lullaby

Click here to download!

Songs from "Your a Good Man Charlie Brown" - The Kid Stuff Repertory Company

2009-01-14T07:13:00.001-06:00

I have found yet another version of the "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" album, this one from the infamous Kid Stuff Repertory Company. These are the same people who did the two kiddie disco albums I recently had on the blog. There is one problem with this album right off the bat, which you'll notice if you look at the album cover above. The actual title of this album is "Songs from Your a Good Man Charlie Brown". That's right, they couldn't even spell the name of the show correctly! And they had a number of shots to get it right: The title on the front cover, the song list on the cover, the title on the spine of the album, even the label on the record itself get it wrong!

And the interpretations for the songs are all screwy. For instance, the title song, which should be this loud fun boisterous tune has been turned into a slow ballad like the poor guy died or something! And "Happiness", which should be a slow song, is done uptempo. The intro to "The Kite", with its heavy synthesizer, makes it sound like it should be the theme to a news show. "Suppertime" sounds like the music is done by Miami Sound Machine. "Snoopy" is OK, except the beginning and end, which are supposed be slow and wistful are fast, and the middle part (the "fierce jungle animal" part) is slow. And finally, if you've ever wanted to hear Linus's song "My Blanket and Me" done in the style of a '70s cop show theme, you now have your wish.

When I listened to this, I spent half the time laughing and half the time shaking my head in disbelief. This is, to my knowledge, the strangest version of this music I've ever heard. There is a sort of morbid fascination here, like trying not to stare at a car accident but not being able to help yourself.

And one more thing. Take a good look at the kid I guess was supposed to represent Charlie Brown on the cover. How do you like that t-shirt?

Half of me think that that's the most pathetic thing I've ever seen, and the other half thinks I should go to CafePress and declare it the first official Way Out Junk t-shirt design!!

Here's the track list:

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
The Kite
My Blanket and Me
Happiness
Suppertime
Snoopy
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Reprise)

Click here to download!

Victor Borge Presents His Own Enchanting Version of Hans Christian Andersen

2009-01-11T07:13:00.002-06:00

This was a special request that I was happy to fill. It has stories by Hans Christian Andersen told by another of Denmark's famous natives, pianist/comedian Victor Borge. This is interesting because, interspersed with Andersen's tales, Borge talks about his childhood and how much these famous stories meant to him, even to the point of reading while he was practicing scales on the piano. Now he pretty much tells the stories as is, playing classical music underneath and only throwing in humor when it is appropriate.

This album was put out in 1966 by Eastern Air Lines, so I'm thinking it was possibly a reissue of an album later used as a premium or giveaway. Whatever it was, it's a wonderful set of stories told and accompanied by Borge. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

Introduction and My Favorite Song
The Tinder Box
The Ugly Duckling
The Emperor's New Clothes
The Princess and the Pea
Papa's Always Right
The Little Match Girl
It's Perfectly True

Click here to download!

Doctor Dolittle Presents the Grasshoppers

2009-01-08T07:13:00.001-06:00

Like my previous share, this is reminiscent of the Beatles as well, but only in name. This group of singing insects was featured on the "Doctor Doolittle" cartoon. This is nothing more than a bunch of happy perky pleasant little songs. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

When You Wear a Happy Smile
Everything's Gonna Be Fine
Tiger Moo
You've Got an Allergy
It's the Happenin' Thing
Doggone Dog
When the Sky Is Clear, When the Water's Clean
On a Train Goin' West
Good Friends Come in All Sizes
You Can Do It
You Can Really Fly
A Friend in Need

Click here to download!

Once Upon a Beetle - The London Theatre Players

2009-01-05T07:13:00.001-06:00

Going from disco to the British Invasion, here's a story about four little Beetles who want to make their fortune playing music. It's a fun little story that at least is done by British people. (I'm assuming the London Theatre Players are British.)

You may have noticed the unusual cover for this record. Apparently the original cover was a puzzle in the surrounding frame, and under that you could color the picture. Well, the copy I got didn't have the puzzle pieces in it any more, and the picture had been colored so long ago I couldn't get the colors off! Anyway, hope you like this album!

Click here to download!

Toon Tunes - Action-Packed Anthems

2009-01-02T21:53:00.002-06:00

When I took off "The Mighty Hercules" CD because it became available from Amazon.com, it was pointed out to me that the actual "Mighty Hercules" theme song was not a part of that album. I had included it as a bonus track. This is the CD I got the song from. I checked around and it turns out that it's out of print, so I figured I'd put it up here! There's a wide range of cartoon themes here, from "Underdog" to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", and even rarities like "The Hardy Boys" cartoon and "The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan"! I think most of these are the real theme songs as heard on the cartoon, but I get a feeling that some of these may have been redone. This also helps to fulfill one of my unofficial goals, which is to have as many versions of the Popeye theme song as possible. Yeah, I think this one is different from any of the others I've got. In fact, it sounds to me like the oldest version of them all. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this!

Here's the track list:

Super Friends
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
Speed Racer
Batman: The Animated Series
The Tick
The Powerpuff Girls
Jonny Quest
Space Ghost
Sailor Moon
Spider-Man
King Kong
Duck Tales
Underdog
X-Men
Popeye the Sailor
Mighty Mouse
The Mighty Hercules
Super Chicken
Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers
The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Adventures of Superman
Astro Boy
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Hong Kong Phooey
Darkwing Duck
The Hardy Boys
Gigantor
Tale Spin
Crusader Rabbit
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan
The Atom Ant Show
Touche Turtle
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
The Secret Squirrel Show
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Click here to download!

Shadow Dancing and Other Disco Favorites - The Kid Stuff Repertory Company

2008-12-30T07:13:00.001-06:00

If you didn't get your fill of the Kid Stuff Repertory Players going disco from the last album, here's another one for you. You may notice from looking at the titles that they were so cheap they couldn't even afford to buy the extra Oogie in "Boogie Oogie Oogie"! Of course these two albums were so short they probably could have combined both of them into one, but they can sell more records that way. (And yes, these albums were so short that *I* probably could have combined them, but I was able to get two entries out of them this way!)

Here's the track list:

Boogie Oogie
Jack & Jill
See You When I Get There
Shadow Dancing
More Than a Woman
Easy to Love

Click here or here to download!

Night Fever and More Songs from "Saturday Night Fever" - The Kid Stuff Repertory Company

2008-12-27T07:13:00.000-06:00

Here's some songs from "Saturday Night Fever" presented by those guys from the Kid Stuff Repertory Company. It's not too bad for a bunch of studio guys I guess, but I don't think these are the same people who do the children's stories!

Here's the track list:

Boogie Shoes
Stayin' Alive
Open Sesame
You Should Be Dancin'
Nite Fever
A Fifth of Beethoven

Click here or here to download!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas, The Little Fir Tree, and The Night the Animals Talked

2008-12-24T12:13:00.000-06:00

I figured this would be a good one for the day before Christmas. This isn't the actual poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" but a dramatization of it. This also has the story of the little fir tree who wanted to see the world, as well as the story of the Nativity from the animals' point of view. It says on the liner notes that "The Night the Animals Talked" is a "new and very beautiful story", but I could have sworn I'd heard this story before. Could this have been the first presentation of it?

Anyway, this album features stories performed by voices that will probably sound quite familiar to you (even if the names aren't household words) : Peter Fernandez, Jack Grimes, Jackson Beck and others done in "Stereo Motion", designed to "bring your child into the story". I hope you all enjoy this, and have a very Merry Christmas!

Here's the track list:

'Twas the Night Before Christmas
The Little Fir Tree
The Night the Animals Talked

Click here or here to download!

Christmas on the Moon - Tim Dinkins

2008-12-19T07:13:00.000-06:00

Wow. I don't know what to say about this, other than it makes Frank di Silvestro sound like Lennon & McCartney by comparison! Almost all of these songs are written by Mrs. Nellie Bond who, according to the liner notes, Dinkins met while performing on the Squeaking Deacon Show. They wanted to do an album of all new Christmas songs, and this is what they came up with.

The songs are all sung by Tim Dinkins with a couple of exceptions. One singer, referred to as the "Mystery Guest", sings "The Wise Ole Owl". The liner notes say that they're certain "he'll not be a mystery anymore once you've heard him". I hate to break it to them, but he's still a mystery to me. The second one is a little girl named Susan Kay (who they heard singing on a radio show on station K.I.E.V. (probably performing something Ukranian)). She sings a song called "I Won't Let You Lick My Candy Bar". Thank goodness Tim didn't sing this one as well. That would have been creepy. And speaking of creepy, Tim does his best adowable wittle kid impersonation for the song "A Little Boy's Letter to Santa". Apparently Tim wanted to give me the jibblies for Christmas. *SHUDDER*

I think this might have been shared elsewhere, but I scored a sealed copy of this album so I felt like I should share this clean copy of it. This is just mind-numbingly bizarre, but it's definitely interesting!

Here's the track list (All songs sung by Tim Dinkins unless listed otherwise) :

Santa's Rocket
The Empty Chair
Two Little Stockings
I Won't Let You Lick My Candy Bar - Susan Kay
Just a Little Birdie in a Coo Coo Clock
Merry Christmas
The Wise Ole Owl - Mystery Guest
Ole Pop Reindeer
Christmas Message
Christmas Comes to Everyone
A Little Boy's Letter to Santa
Tinkle Toes

Click here or here to download!

The Cowboys Sing Holiday Halftime

2008-12-15T07:13:00.000-06:00

I hope somebody can give me more information on this album. The title, as you can see, is called "The Cowboys Sing Holiday Halftime". That's because it features the Dallas Cowboys football team singing Christmas songs. As I did more research, I found that there are other Christmas albums available with other football teams singing Christmas songs. The covers look exactly the same except for the change in title. What I'm wondering is, did they actually get each team to sing, record, and release their own album, or did they just get a huge group of football players to record one album and release it with the different names? Another interesting thing is that in the song "Let It Snow" there's a solo by Lance Rentzel, who I believe played for the Cowboys when this album was released. If these songs were all done with one big group of guys, did they pick a member of each team to sing the solo in that song and put it on the appropriate team's album? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, no matter what team you like!

Here's the track list:

Deck the Halls
All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
Winter Wonderland
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
A Tropical Winter
Frosty the Snowman
Let It Snow
Jingle Bells
Auld Lang Syne

Click here or here to download!

Heidi the Pocketbook Doll - Adventures in Fairy Land

2008-12-13T07:13:00.002-06:00

One way I'm sort of fudging on putting other records in with my Christmas ones is by saying that this album involves a toy that many little girls probably got for Christmas. Does that count?

This is an odd little album that involves a doll named Heidi visiting a lot of different fairy tale characters, and even though these are all characters that kids have grown to know, the stories still seem to revolve around the fast-talking Heidi and the Jeep she drives. In fact, for extra giggles, every time she mentions her Jeep, say "Sold separately" afterwards (like they always to on the commercials). You'll say it a lot!

The back of the album shows pictures of some of the other accessories you can get for Heidi to help make her life complete. Somehow, captioning the bathroom set with the sentence "Oodles of boudoir glamour for little girls!" just sort of creeps me out.

Anyway, enjoy these delightful adventures of Heidi the Pocketbook Doll and her Jeep (sold separately).

Click here or here to download!

UPDATE: If you want a literal dose of Heidi the Pocketbook Doll and Christmas, than you can get a copy of Heidi's "The Night Before Christmas" album here at Ernie (Not Bert)!

The Year Without a Santa Claus - Boris Karloff, Narrator

2008-12-11T07:13:00.002-06:00

Here's Boris Karloff narrating one of your favorite Christmas stories that was later turned into a cool animated special and a not nearly so good live-action remake! No, not the Grinch. (We've already got Zero Mostel doing that one.) This is the story of "The Year Without a Santa Claus" which, I must admit, I didn't realize was a story before the animated version came out. You may be disappointed to find out that, even though the basic story is the same, the stop-motion animated special we know and love added quite a bit to the story. There's no Heat Miser or Snow Miser here, no Jingle or Jangle the Elf, no Mother Nature, not even Mrs. Claus. The only characters I think the two have in common are Santa and the little boy named Ignatius Thistlewhite. This also features some other Christmas songs by a number of different artists, but the best part is hearing Karloff's dulcet tones telling us another Christmas story.

The bottom of the cover states that this is "Presented for the holiday pleasure of young and old by the E.F. MacDonald Incentive Company, 1968". I don't know if that means it was a special giveaway or what. I'd never heard of this album myself until a few months ago. I was looking around online for more info, when I found that Max at "Drunken Severed Head" had featured this album on his blog last year. He has some great background information about the story and the album and, with his kind permission, he's allowed me to link you up to it here. His link to the album no longer works though, so I in turn gave him permission to link over here to me! Isn't the Internet swell? Thanks, Max!

Here's the track list:

The Year Without a Santa Claus - Boris Karloff
The Christmas Waltz - The Lettermen
Old Toy Trains - Glen Campbell
Don't Forget to Feed the Reindeer - Peggy Lee
The Little Drummer Boy - Al Martino
I Sing Noel - Sandler and Young
Jingle Bells - Roger Wagner Chorale

NOTE: This has now been released on CD (with different songs included). You can get it by clicking the link below!

A Christmas Album for the Whole Family - Music & Lyrics by Frank di Silvestro

2008-12-09T23:52:00.002-06:00

Hi! Sorry about the delay in getting something new on here. (Again.) I'm afraid I don't have enough Christmas albums to get me through the month, even starting now. So I'll sprinkle a few Christmasy things along with some other stuff.

This is sort of an unusual album. I bought it (still sealed) at Goodwill for a quarter. That cover is just all over the map, isn't it? The songs on this album are all composed by Frank Di Silvestro, and sung by two young ladies and a girl who solo on the different songs. The music itself sounds all synthesized. And the songs...well, the songs just don't sound quite right to me. It's not the performances; they're all fine. I think it's Frank's writing. Sometimes there's a wonky attempt at a rhyme. Often a line will have three or four extra syllables so it doesn't quite scan right. Give it a listen and see what you think.

All three singers list a number of generic credits (performing in commercials and/or soaps), but Meg Bussert actually has a pretty decent resume. She's performed on Broadway in "Camelot" with Richard Harris, among other things. And she's now a full-time Professor at NYU, teaching Acting and Theatre Studies. I would certainly call her the best one on this album, even managing to pull off different sounding vocals on "I'm Little Miss Christmas". Meanwhile, the most interesting thing I've found that Frank Di Silvestro has done is write a book called "Boy Jesus and His Dog".

Anywho, I've got a few more Christmas albums coming soon in the mix, so enjoy this!

Here's the track list:

When Mrs. Claus Plays Piano - Denyse St. George
Silver Bell, the Heavenly Reindeer - Meg Bussert
Toy Heaven - Kristy Graves
The Rockefeller Center Tree - Meg Bussert
I'm Little Miss Christmas - Meg Bussert
I Love Christmas in New York - Meg Bussert
Ice Dancing - Meg Bussert
Christmas Carousel - Meg Bussert
Mrs. Claus Is Special Too - Meg Bussert
On Christmas I'll See Lots of Snow - Meg Bussert
Blitzen & the Caribou Fell in Love - Denyse St. George
The Christmas Rose - Kristy Graves
We Are Children Who Love to Sing - Kristy Graves
Sam the Snowman & Flo the Snowwoman - Meg Bussert
I Dreamed I was in Christmasland - Denyse St. George

Click here or here to download!

BONUS: Here's a clip of Meg Bussert as Queen Guinevere in a revival of Camelot:

Be a Train - Selma Rich Brody

2008-12-01T07:13:00.001-06:00

Selma Rich Brody strikes again! Here's a fun album that's all about pretending you're a train, and the different adventures you can have. On the back of the album cover (and included with this download) is a train hat you can cut out and wear, if you need a bit more motivation (or loco-motivation if you will). Anyway, hope you enjoy this!

Here's the track list:

Rollo the Railroad Train
Train School
Mountain Train
I'm a Train
Chugga Chugga Choo Choo
Little Train That Caught a Cold
Mail Train
Happy Train Song
I Got a Train for My Birthday
Rollo the Railroad Train

Click here or here to download!

OGF Wisdom for December

2008-12-01T01:13:00.001-06:00

(Click on the pic to make it bigger)

Here's your Prof. Otis G. Firefly wisdom for December, right on time (because I'm putting it in in August)! Enjoy!!

This concludes the monthly words of wisdom from "Prof. Otis G. Firefly's Phantasmagoric Almanac". I hope you all enjoyed it! I'll try to think of something else for a running gag for next year.

By Henry Gibson

2008-11-23T11:38:00.002-06:00

This is another case of a comedian making an album that gets re-released after they get popular years later. Gibson, in case you don't recall, hit it big on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In", best known for the funny poems he would recite. He does a lot of that here too, but I think here he seems more like a charming (if slightly odd) young country boy. It's still a pretty interesting album to listen to though. Hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

How to Write a Poem
The Alligator
Why I Like Soap
The Newspaper
How to Skin a Polecat
How Now, Calpurnia
The Feather
Here Today--Gone Tomorrow
A Little Bit About Myself
How to Take Care of the Plum Tree
Happiness Can Be Yours for Little or No Money
Reflections of New York: Broadway/I Fell Down the Subway
The Coyote
Two Functional Poems: A Birthday/The Wedding
Education Is Important
What Freedom Means to Me in 25 Words or Less
Why I Like Poetry

Click here or here or here to download!

Popeye Song Folio - Captain Paul and the Seafaring Band

2008-11-18T16:29:00.001-06:00

I like this one a lot, even though it's a Popeye album without Popeye on it! This album from 1959 apparently features songs from old Popeye cartoons, as performed by Captain Paul and the Seafaring Band. Was Captain Paul a children's host that showed Popeye cartoons on his show? I don't know myself, but one of you guys might be able to answer that. I kind of wish they would have sprung for the expense of an actual cover, instead of simply reprinting what I assume is a Popeye Sunday strip from the year before. I think (like "Yours Truly" says on the back cover) that one of my favorites is the song "I Wanna Be a Life Guard", but there's a lot of fun stuff on here (even if Popeye isn't singing it).

Here's the track list:

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man

The Looney Goon

Olive Oyl's Family Reunion

I Wants What I Wants When I Wants It

The Land of Popeye

I'm Sindbad the Sailor

Sing a Song of Popeye

I Wanna Be a Life Guard

Hamburger Mine

Popeye on Parade

Strike Me Pink Do I See Red

I'll Be Seein' Ya in the Movies

Click here or here or here to download!

BONUS: And now, straight from the Internet Archive, here's the Popeye cartoon that features the song "I Wanna Be A Life Guard" called, oddly enough, "I Wanna Be a Life Guard"

"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and Happiness Songs

2008-11-12T22:00:00.001-06:00

This is a fun album of happy-type songs. (And why not, it's from Happy Time Records.) The thing I found so unusual about this album is that the front cover is exactly like you see above, just a cute picture of this little boy with nothing to identify what the record inside was and what songs were on it. In fact, the title "'You're a Good Man Charlie Brown' and Happiness Songs" was the only identification of the contents on the record label itself. (The individual songs weren't listed.) I went online to see if I could get more information about the actual album. Imagine my surprise when I saw a picture of this record that's somebody's selling on Amazon.com:

This album lists most (but not all) of the songs on mine. And take a look in the bottom left corner. That's right, it's that same little boy. And you can tell it's from the same picture as mine because if you look at the right on my cover, you can see part of the little girl's hair next to him. Why was the cover redone? I have no idea, except for the fact that that picture of the boy makes me laugh for some reason. (Maybe because it looks like he's in the middle of yelling, "Play ball!!")

As for the songs themselves, this sounds like another patchwork job of songs from numerous sources. I like this version of "Sidewalks of New York" sung by kids that are really belting it out. I also have this exact same version of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" on another album (that just has songs from that show) that I'll probably dig up eventually. Anyway, take a listen. I think you'll enjoy this one!

Here's the track list:

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Happy to Be Me
Hail Hail the Gang's All Here
Wishing Pond
The Candyland Merry Go Round
Big Rock Candy Mountain
The Sidewalks of New York
London Bridge
All Around the Mulberry Bush
One Two Buckle My Shoe
Nick Nack Paddy Whack
Pat-a-Cake
The Happy Polka

Click here or here to download!

Heeere's Amy! - Alison Arngrim as Amy Carter

2008-11-04T16:13:00.002-06:00

This being Election Day in the US I had to throw one more political oriented album on here. This is Alison Arngrim (probably best known for playing Nellie Oleson on "Little House on the Prairie") portraying then First Daughter Amy Carter. It's pretty crazy, and I hope you like it, and don't forget to vote!!

Heeere's the track list:

Amy's Answering Service
Roots
Y'all C'mon 'a My White House
Amy Carter Superstar!
Medi-Kids
High Finance
Pickin' an' Strummin'
18 1/2
Mammy Knows Best
Y'all C'mon 'a My White House II
Dear Diary
Cookies
Birds & Bees
Amy's Prayer

Click heeere or heeere to download!

OGF Wisdom for November

2008-11-01T01:13:00.000-05:00

(Click on the pic to make it bigger)

Here's your Prof. Otis G. Firefly wisdom for November, right on time (because I'm putting it in in August)! Enjoy!!

At the Organ Grinder Vol. 2

2008-10-19T08:30:00.000-05:00

Hey Gang! Sorry for taking a while to get something new on here, but school and work have been playing havoc with what little free time I have. Here's something odd to throw in here though. I don't know if Organ Grinder Pizza was a chain or not, but one of their primary features was their huge pipe organ. This album features some of the music played on that instrument. It's a pretty eclectic mix here (YMCA??), and I hope you like it!

Organ Grinder Pizza closed in 1996, but this site has some great pictures of the restaurant and their organ.

Here's the track list:

Chattanooga Choo Choo - Jonas Nordwall
Makin' Whoopee - Jonas Nordwall
The Hustle - Jonas Nordwall
May - Don Simmons
Pennsylvania 6-5000 - Don Simmons
You/Who? (Medley of 20's Hits) - Paul Quarino
Hands of Time - Paul Quarino
After the Lovin' - Paul Quarino
YMCA - Paul Quarino
Baby, Oh Where Can You Be? - Don Coxon
La Paloma Blanca - Russ Chilson

Click here or here to download!

BONUS: Here's a commercial for Organ Grinder Pizza!

OGF Zodiac for Oct. 17 - Dec. 31: Pistachio the Nut

2008-10-17T01:13:00.000-05:00

(Click on the pic to make it bigger)

Here's where I fall in the Prof. Otis G. Firefly zodiac: under the dubious symbol of Pistachio the Nut! That seems strangely appropriate somehow...!

That concludes the zodiac portion of "Prof. Otis G. Firefly's Phantasmagoric Almanac". I hope you all enjoyed it!

OGF Zodiac for Oct. 16: Oleo the Butterfat-Fly

2008-10-16T01:13:00.000-05:00

(Click on the pic to make it bigger)

Remember how I promised all of you born on October 16th a special surprise yesterday? Well, here it is. You've got your own zodiac symbol to yourself just like the October 15th kids! Isn't that lovely?

OGF Zodiac for Oct. 15: Polici the Insurance Salesman

2008-10-15T01:13:00.000-05:00

(Click on the pic to make it bigger)

This sign of the Otis G. Firefly Zodiac is only for those born on October 15th. Is there anybody here born on that day? (If you were actually born on tomorrow's date, there's a special surprise for you. What is it? Well, you'll find out on your birthday!)

OGF Wisdom for October

2008-10-01T01:13:00.000-05:00

(Click on the pic to make it bigger)

Here's your Prof. Otis G. Firefly wisdom for October, right on time (because I'm putting it in in August)! Enjoy!!

OGF Zodiac for Sept. 30 - Oct. 14: Proboscis the Anteater

2008-09-30T01:13:00.000-05:00

(Click on the pic to make it bigger)

If you were born between Sept. 30th and Oct. 14th, you fall under the sign of Proboscis the Anteater (at least, according to Prof. Otis G. Firefly you do)! Hey, at least he's kind of cute (in an anteatery sort of way...)

The Serendipity Singers Sing of Love, Lies, and Flying Festoons,...

2008-09-27T07:13:00.000-05:00

The Serendipity Singers were a popular folk group at the time. This album features songs written by Shel Silverstein, probably most famous for his children's poetry books like "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (although he did much more than that). It's actually a very interesting variety of songs here. My favorite off of the album is the song "Plastic", which talks about the pervasiveness of plastic in our society. It would still be current, except you'd have to change the "record" reference to "CD". Anyhow, there's lots of fun stuff here, and I hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

Little Sally Saucer
When Peaches Grow on Lilac Trees
The Monkey and the Elephant
Modern Talk
Everytime
The Clam
The Beanstalk
The Slitheree-Dee
Some Days
Muddy Old River
Willowy Billowy Land
Plastic
If You Come Back in Summer
The Flying Festoon
Boa Constrictor
The Lion

Click here or here to download!

Erick - Pastor Pickin'

2008-09-23T07:13:00.001-05:00

And taking the Creepy Christian Puppets to its logical conclusion, here's Erick, performing with his manipulator Beverly Massegee. (I would guess "manipulator" is the technical term for somebody who operates a ventriloquist dummy, but it still sounds a little unsettling.) This is another case of something that probably works a lot better in person. (The audience seems to like it well enough.) But robbed of the visuals and not knowing who the people are that are being joked about, it loses something in the translation. But it's a fun little novelty, and I hope you like it.

And look on the bright side. You don't have that huge face staring at you from the album cover when you're listening to this like I did!

Click here or here to download!