Saturday, August 26, 2006

Here No Evil: A Tribute to the Monkees


I actually hoped to get this on here last week to coincide with the first two Monkees albums being re-released to CD, but I didn't make it. This CD from 1992 has a number of indie performers you've probably never heard of re-interpreting songs from the OTHER Fab Four with varying degrees of success. Give it a try. I hope you like it!

Hey hey here's the track list:
  1. The Day We Fall in Love - Deacon Lunchbox
  2. Take a Giant Step - The Chant
  3. St. Matthew - Bob Rupe Band
  4. Last Train to Clarksville - Big Fish Ensemble
  5. Pleasant Valley Sunday - Magnapop
  6. Valleri - Mitch Easter
  7. The Door into Summer - Pat Johnson and the Wellsprings of Hope
  8. Circle Sky - The Diggers
  9. You Just May Be the One - Peter Holsapple
  10. Mr. Webster - Anne Richmond Boston
  11. Let's Dance On - The Doll Squad
  12. Sweet Young Thing - Opium Hello
  13. The Kind of Girl I Could Love - Vulgar Boatmen
  14. What Am I Doing Hangin' Round? - Those Big Belt Buckles
  15. A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You - Cruisin'
  16. Randy Scouse Git - Live Bait
  17. Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day - Larry Joe Miller & the Rockabilly Rockets
  18. Gonna Buy Me a Dog - Boise and Moss with a Side of Hamm
  19. You Told Me - Multi-Color House
  20. Daydream Believer - Man Size Job
  21. (Theme from) The Monkees - The Flying Subs
Click here or here to download!

Count Chocula Goes to Hollywood


Jason at Scar Stuff posted two of the three Monster Flexis that came with Count Chocula, Frankenberry, and Boo Berry cereals back in 1979 here on his site. He asked if anybody had "Count Chocula Goes to Hollywood", and it turns out that I do. In fact, I have all three of the Flexis, as well I should, since I've been eating Count Chocula cereal for about as long as it's been around. No, seriously. I'm 44 years old now, and I still have a bowl of Count Chocula cereal for breakfast. Don't knock it. It's more nutritious than the sweet roll and cup of coffee some of you probably have! ;-D

Anyway, in this record Count Chocula wins a contest to appear on the TV western "Haunted House on the Range". He thinks he's going to be the star, but they hire him to be the stunt man and the same zany antics ensue that always do when a cartoon character becomes an unwilling stunt man. I won't give away the ending, but you probably know how it all turns out. And all this happens in less than 5 minutes! Hey, don't expect deep plots from a cardboard record in a cereal box!

Click here or here or here to download!

Saturday, August 19, 2006

What a Wonderful Thing Is Me


This must have been the album cover Jiminy Cricket was posing for. Oddly enough, he doesn't make an appearance on this record at all! Instead, we get three of the four singers that were on the "Songs from the Electric Company" album I posted earlier. This has lots of cute songs about the parts of the body and what they do.

Wow! Without meaning to, I actually tied in this album to another one on this site. Hope that doesn't mean I'm getting in a rut...

Here's that track list:
  1. What a Wonderful Thing Is Me
  2. My Useful Nose
  3. My Heart
  4. Ears Are Very Nice
  5. Wonderful Eyes
  6. What Do We Do?
  7. Busy Little Fingers
  8. Fresh Air Song
  9. Locomotion
  10. You Don't Hear Much About Elbows
  11. Be a Pal to Your Tummy
  12. Activities Song

Click here or here or here to download!

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Jane, Get Me Off This Crazy Thing!


You've always wanted to dance to a sampling of TV theme songs set to a pumping beat and a rocking synthesizer, haven't you? Well, here's your chance! Put out by the same company that did "Television's Greatest Hits", this EP from 1986 also functioned as a preview of sorts of what songs were available on that album. Included here was the original theme to the Jetsons (actually the opening theme with the closing theme spliced onto the end of it), as well as a "Longplay" version that included a longer instrumental break. But the mixes are definitely the most unique songs here. Everything from "Adam-12" to "The Addams Family" is represented here in small, bite-sized chunks.

And you really could dance to it, but you might feel silly doing it (especially if you dance like me)!

Here's the track list:
  1. The Jetsons Main Title (Original Version)
  2. The Jetsons Main Title (Longplay Version)
  3. Jane, Get Me Off This Crazy Thing! The TeeVee Toons Master Mix (Prime Time Radio Mix)
  4. Jane, Get Me Off This Crazy Thing! The TeeVee Toons Master Mix (Late Night Dance Mix)
  5. Jane, Get Me Off This Crazy Thing! (Dubs)

Click here or here to download!

Monday, August 14, 2006

Rock 'N Roll Disco with Fat Albert and the Junkyard Band


This Fat Albert album from 1980 is different than the one I've seen offered elsewhere. It's still got some great songs from Fat Albert and his gang. This one mentions that the music and lyrics are by Dean Andre and Jeff Michael, just in case you wanted to know that. I include a scan of the back cover as well which lists the character's names with their pictures, which would come in handy if you don't know your Dumb Donald (the guy with the pink hat with the eyeholes cut out of it) from your Weird Harold (the tall skinny guy). Anyway, hope you enjoy this!

Here's the track list:
  1. Saturday-Sunday-Monday-Funday
  2. Mr. Shakespeare
  3. Little Tiny World
  4. Skippin' Out
  5. She Doesn't See Me
  6. You're My Hero
  7. Goodie, Goodie, Goodie
  8. I Wanna Be a Cowboy
  9. Rainbow of Love
  10. Friends
Click here or here to download!

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Kasenetz-Katz Super Circus


Here's an album of crazy bubblegum music from the people who brought you the Ohio Express, the 1910 Fruitgum Co., and others. I apologize for the condition of the album cover above. (And to be honest, so should they. I don't think I've seen so many Mad Magazine art swipes in one place in my life!)

Here's the track list:
  1. Quick Joey Small
  2. Let Me Introduce You
  3. Easy to Love
  4. Log in Fire
  5. Shake
  6. I'm in Love with You
  7. New York Woman
  8. Up in the Air
  9. I Got It Bad for You
  10. Down at Lulu's
  11. The Super Circus

Click here or here to download!

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Having Fun with Elvis on Stage


In 1991 a book came out called "The Worst Rock and Roll Records of All Time". Their criteria was that "the artist must have at least passively condoned the project, and the work must be done by a 'major' artist". So with all there was to choose from, how could this 1974 Elvis Presley concert album have possibly attained the top spot? Surely a live Elvis concert would have some great performances of songs made famous by the King of Rock and Roll himself, wouldn't it? But let your eyes travel to the top right corner of the album cover with me, and notice four simple words that made all the difference. (I blew up the picture in that area if you couldn't read it.)



Yes, this is an actual Elvis live concert album WITHOUT THE SONGS!! This has got to be heard to be believed! Elvis Presley was a great charismatic performer, but he wasn't so good on the between-song patter (and remember, that's all there IS here)! And one last thing: the management will not be responsible for injuries caused by jaws dropping and heads shaking in confusion after listening to this album.

Click here to download!

With Love and Kisses from Tiny Tim: Concert in Fairyland



Remember Tiny Tim? If you don't, he was an odd looking (but very entertaining) man who played the ukulele and appeared on such shows as "Laugh-In" and "The Ed Sullivan Show" in the late 60's. He had a big hit with "Tip-Toe Through the Tulips", which became his signature song. This was actually his second album, released in 1968. However it was an unauthorized release that, according to a Tiny Tim website, was actually recorded in 1962 and pushed back into release when Tiny Tim became famous. It's really not that bad, except that whoever put it together wanted it to sound like a live album so they dubbed in audience cheers and applause. The trouble is, they WAY overdid it. It sounds like the Beatles, Elvis, and Hulk Hogan winning the final game of the World Series (or the World Cup if you're not from the U.S.)!

Here's the track list:
  1. Oh, How I Miss You Tonight
  2. Let Me Call You Sweetheart
  3. On the Good Ship Lollipop
  4. Secret Love
  5. Animal Crackers
  6. Indian Love Call
  7. Don't Take Your Love from Me
  8. If I Didn't Care
  9. You Make Me Feel So Young
  10. I Got a Pain in My Sawdust
  11. Be My Love
  12. Toot-Toot-Tootsie


Click here or here to download!

Flashbeagle



This is the soundtrack to the 1984 Peanuts special "It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown". There's a pretty good variety of music here, from disco to country to ballads. Also the song "Let's Have a Party" became the theme song to "The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show". Hope you like it!

Here's the track list:
  1. Flashbeagle
  2. Pigpen Hoedown
  3. Don't Give Up, Charlie Brown
  4. Peppermint Patty's P.E. Program (I'm in Shape)
  5. Snoopy
  6. Someday, Charlie Brown
  7. Let's Have a Party
  8. Lucy Says
  9. Woodstock
  10. Snoopy's Big Debut
Click here or here to download!

UPDATE: I've read that the bonus special on the upcoming "Snoopy's Reunion" DVD will be "It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown"! So if you'd like to get the special that these songs were taken from, just click on the link below!

Monday, August 07, 2006

The Temple City Kazoo Orchestra: Some Kazoos



You know, I feel like I've been a bit remiss in my duties lately. I mean I've had some fun junk here, some neat junk, maybe even some cool junk, but it's been a long time since I've actually put something here that's lived up to the title of this blog. Well, Gang, I'm going to rectify that right now! This is most definitely WAY OUT JUNK!

This short album from 1978 features the Temple City Kazoo Orchestra doing a few of your old favorites, all using that "most difficult of all intruments to master properly", the kazoo. There really isn't much to say here, other than download and enjoy!

Oh yeah, one other thing. If you looked at the record closely, you could read messages written in the run-off groove (that groove between the end of the music and the center label). Here's what was written in that area: "Kazoos...America's best entertainment value!", "A 'Top Ten' smash!", "Rhino Records! Collect them all! Trade them with your friends!", and "Like the record?...then see the movie!!" I guess there's not enough space to do that on a CD, huh?

The last track was taken from another record, but I felt it deserved to be included here. Take a listen and tell me, is this Way Out or is this WAY OUT?!

The track list:

  1. 2001 Sprach Kazoostra
  2. Stayin' Alive
  3. Miss You
  4. Whole Lotta Love
  5. Kazooed on Classics
Click here or here to download!

Friday, August 04, 2006

The Funky Phantom



Remember the Funky Phantom? This cartoon came out in 1971 on the heels of Scooby-Doo. It was a similar concept, except they had a Revolutionary War era ghost and his cat helping them solve mysteries. This one didn't take off like Scooby-Doo did, and only ran 17 episodes. Here's four stories of Jonathan Wellington Muddlemore (or Mudsy for short), Boo the cat, and their teenage friends. However, they didn't use the original cast for these stories. Instead it sounds like most of the voices were being handled by Peter Fernandez and Corinne Orr of Speed Racer fame. Did they think us kids would be stupid enough not to notice the difference? WERE we stupid enough not to?

Anyway, here it is for your enjoyment and edification. I cheated a bit on the cover picture above. I bought mine at a church garage sale a few months ago, and the child who owned it drew circles in magic marker all over it. This one's much cleaner.

Click here or here to download!

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Things Go Better With...(with Bonus Tracks!)


This was a promotional record containing commercials for a certain cola-flavored soft drink. (Hey, if they're not going to say the name, neither am I!) But if you can't figure it out from the slogan and the color scheme of the cover, you probably wouldn't be interested in "Over 50 Classic Endorsements of 'The Real Thing'" . There is quite a line-up here as you can see, divided into three sections: The American Jingles, The British Sound, and The Downunder Sound (and the fourth section of bonus tracks I had from other sources). It was really pretty neat how different groups approached their commercials. Some did the regular jingle. Some incorporated it into a song they already sang. And others did a totally original song about the product. All of these are fun to listen to and hard to find otherwise. So kick back, have a Co...I mean a certain cola-flavored soft drink, and enjoy!

Here's the track list (actually just the performers for each track):

  1. Jerry Lee Lewis
  2. The Everly Brothers
  3. The Four Seasons
  4. The Limeliters
  5. Jan & Dean
  6. Roy Orbison
  7. Ray Charles
  8. Ray Charles #2
  9. Aretha Franklin
  10. Little Milton
  11. Fontella Bass
  12. John Bubbles & the Shirelles
  13. The Shirelles
  14. The Supremes
  15. The Supremes #2
  16. Freddy Cannon
  17. The Newbeats
  18. Gary Lewis & the Playboys
  19. Jay & the Americans
  20. The American Breed
  21. The Box Tops (with Alex Chilton)
  22. Neil Diamond
  23. The Fifth Dimension
  24. Gladys Knight and the Pips
  25. The Who
  26. The Fortunes
  27. Freddie & the Dreamers
  28. Tom Jones
  29. Petula Clark
  30. The Seekers
  31. Mary Hopkin
  32. The New Seekers
  33. John Farrar & the Strangers
  34. Glenn Shorrock & the Twilights
  35. John Farnham
  36. The Easybeats
  37. The Easybeats #2
  38. The Easybeats #3
  39. Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs
  40. Normie Rowe & the Playboys
  41. Ray Brown & the Whispers
  42. Johnny Young & Kompany
  43. John Rowles (Ja Ar)
  44. The Executives
  45. The Groove
  46. Larry's Rebels
  47. Doug Parkinson
  48. Axiom
  49. Brian Cadd
  50. Sherbet
  51. Little River Band
  52. Jan & Dean #2
  53. The Fifth Dimension #2
  54. Aretha Franklin #3
  55. Aretha Franklin #4
  56. The Bee Gees
  57. The Moody Blues
  58. The Moody Blues #2
  59. Lulu
  60. Lulu #2
Click here or here to download!

What's the Good Word?


I couldn't find a date on this one, but I'm expecting it came out in the early 70's. Subtitled "Children's Sing-and-Learn Introduction to Words and How to Use Them", this album covers a lot of territory including synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, plurals, onomatopeia, and other word forms. While it's not as catchy as the Grammar Rock songs, it is brought to you by those swingers at Peter Pan Records, so it's still pretty cool!

Here's the track list:

  1. What's the Good Word
  2. With a Wink and a Nod
  3. The Dic-Dic-Dictionary
  4. A-E-I-O-U
  5. Sing a Song of Synonyms
  6. Antonym Island
  7. It Sounds Alike
  8. Ding Dong Dinging
  9. The Inside Outside Words
  10. The Plurals
  11. I've Got a Good Dog (Comparisons)
  12. Mister Big Word
  13. The Goodbye Song
  14. What's the Good Word (Reprise)
Click here or here to download!