Happy Halloween from Me and Bob Hope!

Well, I haven't had a cut to upload from "Hope for the Holidays" since July 4th, but here's the next one for Halloween. Sorry I didn't have more fun scary stuff, but like I said before, it seems like all the good stuff has already been uploaded. (At least, all the good stuff I already have!)

Anyway, Hope you enjoy this!

Click here to download!

How Much Is That Doggie in the Window

I think we've got another hybrid children's album here. A number of these songs sound much older to me (like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Peter Rabbit"). It's the newer sounding songs that sound kind of crazy. It's almost like some of them were written for (thankfully) aborted Saturday morning cartoons.

Check out this lyric from "Tippy the Tiger":

"Baby tiger, too cute to spank! Baby tiger, too cute for a tank(?)"

or this one from "Lenny the Leopard":
"Lenny the Leopard was a drop-out! Lenny the Leopard was a pop out!"

(I can almost hear Daws Butler doing his dumb wolf/Huckleberry Hound voice, or maybe even Stan Freberg's Pete Puma voice for this one.)

Know what makes the Grumpy Old Crocodile so grumpy? Well, according to his song: "His old rheumatism has been acting up today!"

There's some neat stuff here (and some odd stuff here too). Hope you enjoy it!


Here's the track list:

1. How Much Is That Doggie in the Window


2. Frisky Little Puppy


3. The Cat Came Back


4. Mary Had a Little Lamb


5. The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat


6. Tippy the Tiger


7. Lenny the Leopard


8. Peter Rabbit


9. The Grumpy Old Crocodile


10. Chip the Chimpanzee


11. I Love Little Pussy


12. O Where O Where Has My Little Dog Gone


13. Hark Hark the Dogs Do Bark

Click here or here to download!

Classical Country - Snuff Garrett's Texas Opera Company

Well, it looks like Snuff Garrett is at it again! Not content to simply combine pop and barbershop, here's a record where he does a mash-up of sorts with country and classical music. This one doesn't work quite as well for me because I'm not as familiar with the subject matter (plus I wish they would have used vocals), but you might like it just fine. It's certainly unusual, though. Hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

1. Today I Started Loving You Again/Polonaise
   
   
2. San Antonio Rose/Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)
   
   
3. A Legend in My Time/Liebestraum
   
   
4. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry/Second Concerto Op. 18
   
   
5. For the Good Times/Musetta's Waltz
   
   
6. Make the World Go Away/Clair De Lune
   
   
7. Rose Garden/Minuet
   
   
8. Still/The Swan
   
   
9. Wildwood Flower/Joy
   
   
10. Release Me/Moonlight Sonata
    

Click here or here to download!

Songs, Games & Fun for Growing Boys and Girls

This is another one of those kid's records that I think was compiled from other previous records. Why else would they use a generic picture of kids at a party and not mention that this album features performances by Cliff Edwards (the voice of Jiminy Cricket), joined by Nipper the dog (who also happened to be the mascot of RCA Records)? There's a lot of neat stuff here by him, as well as Dorothy Olsen and Glenn Riggs, so I think you guys are really going to enjoy this one. Right, Nipper?

"RRRRRIGHT!!!"


Here's the track list:

1. Fun with Mother Goose - Cliff Edwards
2. The Animal Fair - Dorothy Olsen
3. Mother Goose Birthday Party - Glenn Riggs
4. 1-2-3 Fun - Cliff Edwards
5. Fun on Old MacDonald's Farm - Cliff Edwards
6. I Know an Old Lady - Dorothy Olsen
7. A-B-C Fun - Cliff Edwards
8. Mother Goose Play Songs - Glenn Riggs

Click here or here to download!

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!

Popeye's Zoo

This is sort of an odd album that's put out by a record company I've never heard of (Noble Records). On it, Popeye tells stories and sings fun songs about the animals in the zoo. We do have Jack Mercer doing the Popeye voice here, which is nice. However, even though the album cover shows many of the other characters, it's all Jack here. According to the back cover, this album was released to coincide with the "brand-new series of 208 cartoon films produced especially for television by King Features Syndicate". That's also reinforced by the main bad guy being referred to as Brutus instead of Bluto. These songs were all written especially for this album, and we even have a new recording of "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" with some added lyrics about the zoo. I especially liked the song "Don't Pet the Alligator" that's sung in Popeye's smoother "mumbly" sort of voice. I thought this album was pretty neat, and I think you will too!

Here's the track list:

1. I'm Popeye the Sailor Man



2. Tiger Tiger



3. The Camel Ride



4. The Hippo Song



5. The Tricky Monkey



6. Funny Giraffe



7. The Elephant's Nose



8. Don't Pet the Alligator



9. The Bouncy Kangaroo



10. It's Time to Feed the Seals



11. The Penguin Song



12. Grumpy Grizzly Bear

Click here or here to download!

Star Trek: Original Stories for Children Inspired by Star Trek

This is an album version of stories that were originally in book-and-record sets. Two of the stories were written by Alan Dean Foster ("The Logistics of Stampede" and "Mirror for Futility"). This must have come out around the time of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", but the stories don't have Decker or Ilia in them. Needless to say, these aren't the original voices on this one either, but I think there was one guy in there that liked doing accents. One story has a Swedish guy in it, and another one has a guy that sounds Transylvanian or something on it. He's probably the one who did Scotty's voice too. (You know Scotty's Scottish because the first thing he says is "Och!!"). Anyway, hope you like this!

Here's the track list:

1. Robot Masters
2. The Logistics of Stampede
3. The Human Factor
4. The Man Who Trained Meteors
5. Mirror for Futility
6. Crier in Emptiness

Click here or here to download!

"Tomorrow on the Children's Corner" with Fred Rogers and Josie Carey (COVER UPDATE)

Here's a great rare album shared by Kip, one of my faithful readers. This is from the show "The Children's Corner", a show that Fred Rogers worked on in Pittsburgh before he made it big with "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood". You'll notice a number of Rogers' familiar characters here. I'll let Kip tell you more about the record:

It's a complete adventure, with a song from Henrietta Pussycat that's
90% "meow," upbeat numbers, a sweet lullaby in English and French, an
affirmative song from X the Owl, "You're Special," which is later echoed
off-key by Lady Elaine Fairchild as "I'm Special" (with the memorable
line "I'm a broken tooth, darling"), and many more. Most of the
characters on his long-running PBS show are there. We never hear "Mr.
Rogers" himself, but Fred Rogers does all the voices except for Josie
Carey's as the real-life visitor to the land of Make-Believe.

I couldn't find a picture of the cover (see UPDATE), but I did find this photo of Rogers, Carey, and a few puppets you might recognize. Another thing I noticed on listening to this is that the tune to the song "It's Morning" was later used for one of his closing songs "Tomorrow". The sound isn't quite as good as I usually have (this is a mp3 recording from a cassette copy of the original record that Kip doesn't own), but I think the rarity of this more than makes up for it. Thanks again, Kip!

(and thanks to Bill V for the correction!)

Here's the track list:

1. It's Morning


2. I Like You


3. What Would You Like


4. There's a Smile


5. I'm Busy Being Busy


6. Where Did You Go, Tomorrow?


7. I'm Looking for a Friend


8. It Makes Handsome


9. Find a Star


10. Fine Feathered Friend


11. Smile


12. Meow Mr. Rogers


13. You're Special


14. Where Did You Go?


15. I'm Special


16. Nocturne Duet


17. At Friday's Palace


18. Finale: Tomorrow

Click here or here to download!

UPDATE: As you can see, I've now got pictures of the front and back covers of this album. These aren't part of the original zip file, so if you want them you'll have to save the images from this post. These pictures are courtesy of Molly, who happens to be selling this very album on eBay and allowed me to use the pics in exchange for including some information from this post in her listing.

The Big Top Singers: Let's All Go to the Circus

I don't really know much about this album. The company that put it out was Peter Rabbit Records in Toronto, so this is another album that may hold fonder memories for those of you north of the border. To the rest of us, there's still some fun circus-related songs here (including the classic "The Man on the Flying Trapeze"). I hope you guys enjoy this one!

Here's the track list:

1. The Biggest Show on Earth


2. Annette the Little Majorette


3. I've Got Two Passes for the Circus


4. I Got The Brass Ring on the Merry-Go-Round


5. I Love a Clown


6. If It Was Up to Me


7. Here Comes the Circus


8. That's What I Dreamed Last Night


9. I Want to Be a Lion Tamer


10. The Man on the Flying Trapeze


11. The Giant and the Midget


12. It's a Great Day at the Circus

Click here or here or here to download!

Be a Ventriloquist with Buffalo Bob Smith and Howdy Doody

I believe this album came with the Howdy Doody ventriloquist doll (pictured here with Buffalo Bob Smith). It's a bit deceptive in that you think you'll get lessons in ventriloquism with Buffalo Bob and Howdy. However, they're only heard in some old bits from their show. The bulk of the album is done by a man named Larry Marks, whose voice sounds familiar to me but I don't know where from. That being said, there actually is some very good information about learning ventriloquism here, all the way from doing different voices to learning how to get past some of the tougher consonants without moving your lips. So, as the cover says, "Hear it. Try it. And discover how easy ventriloquism can be."

NOTE: It was pointed out to me that Side 1 and Side 2 were exactly the same. I fixed that now.

Click here to download! (More links coming!)

Archie Presents Petite in "Doggie in the Window"

Here's an album with Archie Wood, Petite, and his other puppet friends. I'm not familiar with Archie and company myself. The record itself looks to be from Canada. So if you're Canadian, this record may provide many fond memories (or nightmares as the case may be)!

Here's the track list:

1. Doggie in the Window
2. Pop Goes the Weasel
3. Blue Tail Fly
   
4. Do-Re-Me
5. Zippety Doo Dah
6. Home on the Range
7. Mocking Bird Hill
8. Old Macdonald Had a Farm
9. Farmer in the Dell
10. Mary Had a Little Lamb
11. Ba Ba Black Sheep
12. Nick Nack Paddy Wack
13. I Think I'll Eat a Tadpole
14. Closing

Click here or here to download!

The Man - Lorne Greene

Whether you remember him as Pa Cartwright on "Bonanza", Commander Adama from the original "Battlestar Galactica", or shilling Alpo Dog Food, there's no mistaking the booming bass voice of Lorne Greene. I picked up this record when I went out of town and, after seeing that it hadn't been re-released, I thought I'd share it with you. Greene does little introductions to each of the songs as well, which I think adds a little fun to it.

I realize this is a bit different from the usual fare you find around here, but I think you'll enjoy it just the same! (Besides, I couldn't find any Halloween records I have that aren't being shared everywhere else!)

Here' s the track list:

1. Pop Goes the Hammer
2. End of Track
3. Nine Pound Hammer
   
4. Bring on the Dancin' Girls
   
5. Oh! What a Town
6. Fourteen Men
7. Destiny
8. Sixteen Tons
9. Trouble Row
10. Chickasaw Mountain
11. Darling, My Darling
12. The Man

UPDATE: This is now available to buy on Amazon! Here's the link to it: The Man

The Stars of "Gentle Ben": The Bear Facts

This is an odd little album from 1969. You remember the show "Gentle Ben" about a boy and his bear and the adventures they had? (Yeah, I know there's more to it than that, but that's about all I remember about it!) Well, apparently in one episode the boy (Clint Howard) had to sing a song. Everybody thought this was fun so somebody in the cast (Dennis Weaver is given the credit or blame as the case may be) thought it would be neat for the entire cast to do a record, and here it is! Featured on the album is Dennis Weaver, Beth Brickell, Clint Howard, Rance Howard, and Candy Candido (the guy who's the "voice" of Gentle Ben), as well as the Good Time People singing songs especially written for the record. Now it says "The Good Time People" over the cast's picture on the back cover, but the GTP's sound like studio singers to me. Anyway, this is a fun little record and I hope you enjoy it!

Here's the track list:

1. Good Time Comin - Good Time People


2. Cobwebs of Your Mind - Dennis Weaver


3. Whatchamacallit - Rance Howard and Clint Howard


4. Love Is a Circus - Beth Brickell


5. I Love to Eat - Candy Candido


6. Feels So Good (To Be Together) - Beth Brickell


7. Days Like These - Dennis Weaver


8. Two By Two - Candy Candido


9. Don't Cry Little Gator - Rance Howard


10. I Am the Way I Am - Clint Howard

Click here or here to download!

Why Mommy...?

I think this was actually two records put together, since the first side is performed by Mr. I. Magination (Paul Tripp) and the second side is done by Tom Glazer. The unifying theme here is songs that answer those questions we had as kids. There's some pretty catchy stuff here, so I think you'll like it!

Here's the track list:

1. We Know the World Is Round
2. What's Inside Our Earth?
3. How Many Colors Are in the Rainbow?
4. Do Animals Talk to One Another?
5. Where Does the Sun Go at Night?
6. How Does a Cow Make Milk?
7. Why Is the Sky Blue?
8. Why Are Stars of Different Colors?
9. Why Do Leaves Change Their Colors?
10. What Makes the Weather?
11. Why Does a Bee Bzzz?
12. Why Do Stars Twinkle?
13. Why Can't I See in the Dark?
14. Why Are Bananas Picked Green?
15. How Do Seeds of Plants Travel?
16. What Foods Should We Eat Every Day?

Click here or here to download!

Kiddie Hit Parade

This album is billed as an "Approved Playcraft Record". Somehow it's affiliated with the Childcraft series of books, which some of you may remember as a sort of children's encyclopedia grouped by subject. I seemed to recall having a set of these at our house when I was a kid. Hey, we didn't have the Internet back then, so we had to do the best we could with what we had! Anyway, here's some fun kid's songs and stories, and I hope you like this!

Here's the track list:

1. Little White Duck
2. In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
3. On the Good Ship Lollipop
4. Tootles the Tug
5. The Little Shoemaker
6. I'm a Little Teapot
7. Bimbo
8. Happy Birthday
9. The Ballad of Davy Crockett
10. Mule, You Lazy Mule
11. The Arkansas Traveler
12. Turkey in the Straw
13. Mexican Hat Dance
14. Three Blind Mice

Click here or here or here or here to download!