Popeye the Sailor Man and His Friends

You guys probably think I'm a ginormous Popeye fan. I'm not really. I've just found a lot of interesting Popeye stuff lately. Like "Popeye's Zoo", this album features original songs and stories with Jack Mercer, the famous voice of Popeye himself. This one also includes Mae Questel as Olive Oyl and Swee'Pea. Wimpy's on it too, but I'm not sure who did his voice. Was that Mercer as well? Anyway, I believe adding the other characters does add more balance to the stories. Listening to a whole album of just Popeye's voice does get a bit grating on the ears. (Of course, Olive's voice can get a bit annoying as well, but it's a different kind of annoying!) There's some fun stuff here, including the sped-up sounding Popeye theme song that we've encountered around here before, a story and song where Popeye and Olive shoot a scene from the movie "Popeye the Sailor in Havana" where Questel shows off a very nice singing voice, and a story and song about the traditions in Japan (sung to the tune of "Titwillow") that actually makes it through without a single stereotypical Japanese vocalization! Anyway, there's a lot of neat stuff here, and I hope you enjoy it!

(NOTE: The song "Every State Is a Great State" had some bad skips in the middle of it, so I edited through the best I could. All you missed was Wimpy saying he wanted to visit Texas because (since everything's bigger in Texas) the hamburgers must be gigantic, and something about Popeye wanting to visit Tennessee because he thought it was near the sea. The next track had some skips as well, but except for a couple of spots I think I edited it pretty tight.)

Here's the track list:

1. I'm Popeye the Sailor Man (Theme Song)


2. Popeye in Cartoon-Land


3. Strolling Through the Park


4. Help, Help! and I Had a Hamburger Dream


5. Home on the Range


6. Television Night


7. Never Pick a Fight


8. Every State Is a Great State


9. Take Me Out to the Ball Game


10. The Emperor of Japan


11. A Game for a Rainy Day


12. Why Do You Answer a Question with a Question

Click here or here or here to download!

Stories and Songs for Children with Jimmie Ruth and Rusty

Here's another one of those Christian ventriloquism albums that seemed to be all the rage there for a while. This one features a woman named Jimmie Ruth and her sidekick "Rusty". It's sort of odd to market it this way because Rusty is only on the three story cuts (along with what sounds like some laughing kids put in as a sort of laugh track). The rest are Jimmie Ruth singing, except for the song "We've Got a Great Big Wonderful God" which is performed by three year old Melody Mathews. It's cute in that "little kid sings almost all the notes right but has to stretch on a few" way. Anyhow, I hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

1. David and Goliath (story)
2. Only a Boy Named David
   
3. If the Lord Makes You a Plumber
4. Gideon (story)
5. We've Got a Great Big Wonderful God
6. Jesus Loves Me
7. When He Cometh
8. Adam and Eve (story)
9. Into My Heart

Click here or here to download!

Modern Barbershop Quartet

Here's an unusual album from 1974. You know, sometimes there's a gray area between a novelty album and a good album with an odd concept. I'll let you guys decide where that area hits on this one. This album features hits from the time done in barbershop style. This was definitely done as a joke though, from the cartoony front cover to the wacky liner notes by Gary Owens on the back cover. But then there's the good singers involved in this (including our favorite bass Thurl Ravenscroft) and the pedigree of famed record producer Snuff Garrett helming this, and it just makes this album a bit more special. And the ultimate irony is that it's not that unusual to hear acappella groups legitimately doing songs like this now. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one!

(NOTE: You may not recognize the last song on the list. It was actually adapted from a commercial jingle from Jack in the Box sung by the adorable moppet of the moment Rodney Allen Rippy.)

Here's the track list:

1. Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree


2. The Twelfth of Never


3. Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?


4. If


5. Delta Dawn


6. Me and Bobby McGee


7. We've Only Just Begun


8. Behind Closed Doors


9. What the World Needs Now Is Love


10. Take Life a Little Easier

Click here or here to download!

More Sing-a-Long with the Grasshoppers

Hello again! You guys probably thought I fell off the face of the earth, but I've just been really busy with work and school and stuff.

Here's an album from a group that's thought of as one of the better Chipmunks knockoffs, and it is pretty good. Some generic stuff here, and some different choices like "76 Trombones" and "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" for your listening pleasure. Hope you like it!

(NOTE: I had to cut the last verse of Bicycle Built for Two due to excessive skipping, but it was just the guy singing it anyway. Also, I have the first volume of this as well, but it's in pretty bad shape so I figured I'd get this one on here now and work with Volume 1 some more when I get it sounding better.)


Here's the track list:

1. 76 Trombones
2. Happy Birthday
3. A Hunting We Will Go
4. A Boy in Buckskin
5. Swanee River
6. Anchors Aweigh
7. Doggie in the Window
8. Dixie
9. Aloha
10. On a Bicycle Built for Two
11. Red River Valley
12. Brush Up Your Shakespeare

Click here or here to download!

KIDS Radio Birthday Party: A Ronald McDonald Discovery Record

And here's Ronald McDonald again to DJ your birthday party! This sounds like the same Ronald from the other record I posted (meaning it doesn't sound like any Ronald McDonald I remember). On this album he has all his friends (most of whom you've never heard of before) doing their best to host your birthday party.

You know, it feels strange to me to think that this was put out by the same Casablanca Records that put out KISS's albums. Hey, I guess they just like recording scary guys in whiteface that wear funny clothes!

Click here or here to download!

TV Jamboree: 16 Great Songs from Ten Top Children's Favorite Shows

Here's a neat album with song's from children's favorite TV shows, or at least their favorite shows when this record came out! Yes, I believe this is the same slightly sped-up sounding version of "Popeye the Sailor Man" here, but we also have songs from Wyatt Earp, Lassie, Annie Oakley, and more! As you could see this is when westerns were big.

Another great bonus is that I believe this is the same version of the Mighty Mouse Theme that the late Andy Kaufman used in his act.

Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy this!

Here's the track list:

1. Lassie Theme
2. Lassie, My Four-Footed Friend
3. The Legend of Wyatt Earp
4. What's Up Doc
5. I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat
6. Annie Oakley
7. Ten Gallon Hat
8. Mighty Mouse Theme
9. I Wish I Had a Dog Like Rin Tin Tin
10. Rinny, Rusty, and Rip
11. A Dog's Best Friend
12. I'm Popeye the Sailorman
13. Tales of Wells Fargo Theme
14. How Do You Go to School - Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob Smith
15. Cowabunga! - Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob Smith
16. Wagon Train Theme

Click here or here to download!