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

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:

1. Little Orley's Big Concert
2. Little Orley - His Adventures with the Parade
3. Little Orley - His Adventures with the Cloud
4. Little Orley and the Happy Bird
5. Little Orley and the Little Engine
6. Little Orley and the Bubble Gum
7. Little Orley and the Haunted House
8. 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

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:

1. Come to the Zoo with Me
2. Strolling Thru the Zoo
3. The King of the Jungle
4. Monkey Business
5. The Elephant Song
6. The Hippopotamus Song
7. The Crocodile Song
8. Singing Tra La La La
9. The Happy Seal
10. The Leopard Song
11. The Porcupine Is Pining for His Pork
12. Strolling Thru the Zoo (Reprise)

Click here to download!

Disco Duck - The Kid Stuff Repertory Company

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:

1. Disco Duck
2. Enjoy Yourself
3. John Henry
4. Kemo Kimo
5. 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

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:

1. The Little White Duck - Bob Hannon with Orchestra
2. Fuzzy Wuzzy (Wus a Bear) - Burt Taylor with Orchestra
3. Frog Went a-Courtin' - Peter Piper, Forty-Niners Quartet with Orchestra
4. (How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window - Patty McGovern with Orchestra
5. Ducks on Parade - The Forty-Niners Quartet with Ray Carter Orchestra
6. The Teddy Bears' Picnic - Peter Piper, Forty-Niners Quartet with Orchestra
7. Peewee the Kiwi Bird - Bob Hannon with Orchestra
8. Snoopy the Pussycat - Patty McGovern with Orchestra
9. The Bulldog on the Bank - The Forty-Niners Quartet with Ray Carter Orchestra
10. 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

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:

1. Alley Cat Dance
2. The Frug - Old MacDonald
3. The Swim - Row Row Row Your Boat
4. The Jerk - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
5. Hokey Pokey
6. The Shake - Farmer in the Dell
7. The Monkey - On Top of Old Smokey
8. Mexican Hat Dance
9. Watusi - A Tisket, A Tasket
10. Cha-Cha - Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be?

Click here to download!

King Friday XIII Celebrates in Misterogers' Neighborhood of Makebelieve

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:

1. Misterogers' Invitation
2. I Like You As You Are
3. Then Your Heart Is Full of Love
4. Looking for a Friend
5. Meow Meow Beautiful
6. Today Is New
7. Creation Duet
8. Find a Star
9. You've Got to Learn Your Trade
10. Prosperous Interval of Time
11. Kingly Gifts
12. Three Rodents with Defective Eyesight
13. Propel Propel Propel Your Craft
14. Tomorrow
15. Goodnight God

Click here to download!

The Wizard of Oz - The Hanky Pank Players

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

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

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:

1. Ragged Ann and the Three Bears


2. Little Red Ragged Ann


3. Ragged Ann and the Seven Dwarfs


4. Irving the Mouse

Click here or here to download!

Scouting Breaks the Song Barrier - The Goodtimers

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:

1. The Ecology Song
2. Three Jolly Fishermen
3. Down in the Valley
4. Paw Paw Patch
5. Kum Ba Yah
6. Uncle Sam He Saw the Moon
7. Michael Row the Boat Ashore
8. This Land Is Your Land
9. If You're Happy
10. When the Saints Go Marching In

Click here to download!

Land of Lemonade and Lollipops

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:

1. Land of Lemonade and Lollipops
2. Big Rock Candy Mountain
3. Back Home (Way Back Home)
4. Marching Song (Children's Marching Song)
5. Little Dutch Boy & Little Dutch Girl
6. Dem Dry Bones
7. Little Red Schoolhouse
8. Stasha Pandowski
9. Billy Boy
10. Grandfather Clock

Click here or here to download!

The Next Hundred Years - The Ragtimers

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:

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

Click here to download!

Trains, Planes and Space Ships

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:

1. Skyliner Flight 35


2. The Columbian Limited


3. Rocky Jones and the Space Pirates


4. Shipwrecked on Planet X

Click here or here to download!

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

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:

1. Puff and Toot


2. The Red Caboose


3. Chocolate Train


4. Squeegie the Happy Clown


5. Down by the Station


6. I've Been Working on the Railroad


7. Circus


8. Where Do Ya Worka John

Click here or here to download!

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

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:

1. Sad Day, Lonely Day
2. The Gimme Pig
3. When You Hurt
4. Picnic
5. Answer Every Question
6. Matinee Lullaby
7. Scary Song
8. Since You Went Away
9. Worry Time
10. TV Song
11. Galloping on My Dinosaur
12. Lullaby

Click here to download!

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

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:

1. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
2. The Kite
3. My Blanket and Me
4. Happiness
5. Suppertime
6. Snoopy
7. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Reprise)

Click here to download!

Victor Borge Presents His Own Enchanting Version of Hans Christian Andersen

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:

1. Introduction and My Favorite Song
2. The Tinder Box
3. The Ugly Duckling
4. The Emperor's New Clothes
5. The Princess and the Pea
6. Papa's Always Right
7. The Little Match Girl
8. It's Perfectly True

Click here to download!

Doctor Dolittle Presents the Grasshoppers

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:

1. When You Wear a Happy Smile
2. Everything's Gonna Be Fine
3. Tiger Moo
4. You've Got an Allergy
5. It's the Happenin' Thing
6. Doggone Dog
7. When the Sky Is Clear, When the Water's Clean
8. On a Train Goin' West
9. Good Friends Come in All Sizes
10. You Can Do It
11. You Can Really Fly
12. A Friend in Need

Click here to download!

Once Upon a Beetle - The London Theatre Players

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

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:

1. Super Friends
2. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
3. Speed Racer
4. Batman: The Animated Series
5. The Tick
6. The Powerpuff Girls
7. Jonny Quest
8. Space Ghost
9. Sailor Moon
10. Spider-Man
11. King Kong
12. Duck Tales
13. Underdog
14. X-Men
15. Popeye the Sailor
16. Mighty Mouse
17. The Mighty Hercules
18. Super Chicken
19. Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers
20. The New Scooby-Doo Movies
21. The New Adventures of Superman
22. Astro Boy
23. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
24. Hong Kong Phooey
25. Darkwing Duck
26. The Hardy Boys
27. Gigantor
28. Tale Spin
29. Crusader Rabbit
30. The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan
31. The Atom Ant Show
32. Touche Turtle
33. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
34. Captain Planet and the Planeteers
35. The Secret Squirrel Show
36. The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Click here to download!