I'm concluding my kids records in space series with what must be one of the all-out craziest Golden Records I've ever heard! As you can gather from the title, Clyde is an elephant that can play guitar with his trunk. He's in love with Phyllis, but their love is doomed because Phyllis is an ant. Depressed, Clyde volunteers to be an astronaut and is shot into space where he lands on the moon. At first the Man in the Moon wants to eat Clyde, but after Clyde plays and sings for him, he changes his mind. When he hears Clyde's tale of woe, he suggests that Clyde and Phyllis live in space together because they'd both be weightless and Clyde couldn't accidentally crush little Phyllis. So they both live happily ever after in space. I told you it was crazy! Even the cover by Joe Oriolo is psychodelically bizarre!
The songs on the album have a very distinct bubblegum sound to them. In fact, Clyde's voice reminds me a lot of Ron Dante (lead singer for the Archies), but Dante didn't do any work for Golden Records that I'm aware of. Anyway, bask in the way-outness of Clyde and Phyllis!
Here's the track list (divided somewhat arbitrarily since the songs and the story intermingle) :
- Hello! My Name Is Clyde
- There Was a Zoo
- The Sad Love Affair of Clyde and Phyllis
- Poor Old Clyde
- I'm Off to Cape Kennedy
- A Tune About the Moon
- Wake Up Clyde! I've Got Good News
- We'll Float in Space Together
haha, too weird. i had a good time finding samples from these space albums. thanks a lot!
ReplyDelete"Even the cover by Joe Oriolo is psychodelically bizarre!"
ReplyDeleteGosh - could that be the same Joe Oriolo who was responsible for those made-for-TV Felix The Cat cartoons?
Thanks! Heard a couple tracks about this one on the Crud Crud blog (which also has a great story about it). Glad I get to listen to the whole thing now.
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank you for posting these songs of clyde and phyllis. as a child this album provided me the few good moments i had at that time in my life... just sitting by the record player playing this over and over. luckily my father had come back to take us from that environment, but i had to leave all i cherished behind. as a grown man i very seldom find myself tearing up,and these links did just that, but this time... I was smiling. Thank you so very much.
ReplyDeleteThis is great! For years, I have been searching for this album. I, too, as a child listened to this over and over again. Who could not love Clyde, the Guitar Playing Elephant!!
ReplyDeleteWow! I was reading a bed time story to my kids this evening and sudddenly had this vague memory of a guitar-playing elephant in outer space wearing psychedelic bell-bottoms that I listened to over and over as a kid. So I googled "elephant guitar space" and found this. Thanks! Though I seem to recall it being much better than it sounds now.
ReplyDeleteNow I have proof! I had this album when I was a kid. Not many people remember the singing, guitar playing elephant and his ant girlfriend. thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteI remember that album! I checked it out from the library when I was little. It's pretty far-out. Who comes up with stuff like that?
ReplyDeleteI also have fond memories of this album from my childhood. I still can hum most of the tunes, too. I actually posses this album...I just wish there was a way I could get it transferred to CD for my kids to listen to!
ReplyDeleteI can not believe i actually finally found this again! Clyde the Elephant was my retreat from a dysfunctional and extremely abusive childhood. I can not begin to thank you. Amazing how something so silly can make someone's day! Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletethis is so cool thought id never eva see this again a definate great childhood memory, this album was a gift when i was little and just makes me smile to remember how crazy but great this was :o)
ReplyDeleteMy cousin and I had an entire dance routine that we created to Clyde. Such great memories. Thanks for the laughs!
ReplyDeleteThis was one of my favorite albums when I was growing up. My parents still have the copy my brothers and I used to listen to. Our kids get a kick out of it when I pull out some of those old records.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this album!! My dad was a radio DJ in the 70s and 80s; that's all I can think of as to how I ended up with this record. I still know every word and song of the whole story!!
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