Pete Seeger-Children’s Concert at Town Hall

Here is a record I bought for $2. I thought I bought this at Vinyl edge, but clearly I bought this at Half Price. I bought this Harmony reissue of the 1963 record of folk here Pete Seeger signing to kids mainly for the kitsch value. Yep, doing it for the kitsch. If we don’t do it for the kitsch, who will?

I was really endured by this album and thought a lot of the songs were charming. but none so much as “Here’s to Chesire, Here’s to Cheese”. Here’s to Burl Ives blacklisting me. To the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Ding Dang Dong go the wedding bells.

Here’s to Chesire, Here’s to Cheese

Los 3 Pelos De Oro Del Diablo y El Rey Pico de Tordo- Cuentos Infantiles de Milissa Sierra

Here is something I bought for $1 because it looked weird. The title translates to “The Three Golden Hairs of The Devil” with a clumbsy translation “The Kings Thrust Beak??”. Columbia de Mexico/ Harmony . Not sure the year.

I did not realize these were mostly spoken word. The cover did say Cuentos Infantiles which translates into children stories. I am assuming the narration is mostly done my Milissa Sierra ( Jalisco, Mexico 1906-1995) who was an actress of some renown. There is some musical accompaniments on the organ but it is quite limited. Regardless, here is an excerpt from the El Rey Pico de Tordo side.

Excerpt from side 2

Silver Burdett Company- Making Music Your Own Book 8 Record VII

Here is an education type record from 1971 and the Silvers Burdett Company, a division of General Learning Corporation in Morristown, New Jersey. got to be a union job. Regardless, I paid $2 for this.

Pretty good track list. Since the music comes out of one side of the stereo and the vocals the other, adjustments can be made to fade out either. One thing I did not like was the groove at the end of every song that stops the needle. Very annoying. The music was good with the vocals provided by The Merrill Station Children’s Voices. For samples, I went with “Everybody Loves Saturday Night” as well a “Wade In The Water”. Also, as I am still buzzing about Carmen at he HGO, here is the French version of “The Toreador Song”.

Everybody loves Saturday Night
Wade In The Water
Toreador Song

A Child’s Introduction to Musical Instruments

Here is the kind of oddball thing I like to buy and post. From 1963 and Golden Records, here we have, well, a child’s introduction to musical instruments. I paid $2 for this because sometimes there are hidden gems on these.

The album consist of an introduction of the instruments followed by a song bringing them together. They lump the brass and woodwinds together, which is somewhat lazy . There is also a song at the end that sums it all up. Narration and lyrics by Abbot Lutz, Music composed by Jim Timmens ( 1920-1980) who was also a contributor to the Sesame Street records. Overall, it is a decent record.

For a sample, I went with “Rhythm On Parade” the song for the percussion instruments. I also posted the introductory section for the wind instruments so you can get a fuller sense of the record.

Rhythm On Parade
Woodwind instruments

Mary Martin- Hi -Ho (Mary Sings and Mary Swings Walt Disney Favorites

Here is one I spent $6. Seems to be a good choice of subject.

This is a 1958 Disneyland Record of Broadway star Mary Martin, tackling songs from the W.D. catalog. What is notably missing on the front cover is any sense of Disney’s marketing. Other than that, this is a real solid album.

A lot of the musical direction on this record can be attributed to Salvador “Tutti” Camarata (born in Glen Ridge, NJ; 1913-2005) who was brought into head Artists and Repertoire. In this position, he expanded the musical forms, most notably jazz, on the Disney Records. He also brought in top talent such as Martin, Louis Armstrong, and Louie Prima, It is Camaratta’s orchestra that backs this effort.

Pretty solid little record. I liked a lot of it and it was hard to pick a sample. However, after some whittling down of options, I went with “I’m Late” from Alice in Wonderland.

Pretty fine little record. Satisfactory.

i’m Late

Rainbow Brite Christmas

Merry Christmas everybody. I am sure the hardcore blog fans of Christmas music will be sorely disappointed that this is the only holiday record this year. Well, there is a whole slew of them in the archives. Maybe next year I will find some more as well. I paid $1.60 for this.

This is a 1985 Christmas album from Rainbow Brite, the Hallmark designed and Mattel marketed animated kids show which aired from 1984-1986. This album was released in 1985 and features both secular and religious holiday tunes, which surprised me because I did not think the show would play well to a religious demographic. Then again, this is Hallmark.

Nonetheless, here we are with 10 tracks from various characters and kids from the TV show. We are going to celebrate both styles of carols with “Silent Night” and for all the Christmas Story fans out there, “Deck The Halls”.

Merry Christmas everybody.

Silent Night
Deck The Halls

Sesame Street- Grover Sings The Blues

I bought this at Half Price Books during the Memorial Day Sale for $5.6. The cashier smiled and told me he wondered what kind of person was going to buy this album. Well, I told him, you’re looking at him.

This 1974 release from Children’s Records Of America features Grover, the original emo muppet and the Godfather of Yoda. Some faux-paux controversy erupted this year when a viral video made the rounds alleging Grover using profanity but this has largely been debunked. Anyway, Grover has been a consistent part of the Sesame Street canon.

Voiced by Frank Oz, Grover goes thru 14 numbers about being blue and alone as well as the proximity of things to other things. Sprinkled among the standard kiddy fare are some real heartfelt numbers, (although none so heartfelt as the Muppet Movie‘s “Rainbow Connection”). But that begin said, good album, with help from producer/ director Joe Raposo and head writer Jeffery Moss.

What to do about a sample? After some thought, I went with the opening number, “What Do I Do When I’m Alone”. I also decided to go with “I’m Blue”. Keeping with the theme of the blues and all.

Satisfactory Record

What Do I Do When I’m Alone
I Am Blue

Sesame Street- Sesame Street Fever

Well, it is obvious why I bought this as I was not going to pass this up. I paid $8 for this, which was released by Sesame Street Records in 1978.

Yes, many people released disco records in the late 70’s, and Sesame Street was no exception, this record features the gang from the Street rolling thru some show standards with a disco beat. They are joined on two tracks by one of the biggest stars of the era, The Bee-Gee’s Robin Gibb. Produced by Joe Raposo, what else can I say about this.

Could have gone many directions with samples but decided to go with the title track since it features Gibb as well everybody’s favorite numeric vampire, The Count. I also went with “C Is For Cookie” which I felt was kind of funny. You know, losin it on the dance floor for cookies.

Satisfactory record.

Sesame Street Fever
C Is For Cookie

Barbie- Looking Good, Looking Great- Exercise Album

Happy Monday. Kicking off the week with some fun that I bought for $3. Exercise albums are kind of a fun subset of material I showcase on the regular here on the blog. What else is going on you may ask? Got a new job, which I believe I mentioned a few posts ago. Really liking it. Good pay and good co-workers. Plus my input is appreciated. I really feel I have been working my whole life to get in a position like this. Anyway, I hope i at least still have this job when this post comes out.

The eighties was a golden age for exercise albums and this one , from Kid Stuff Records in 1981, is no exception. Four songs with exercise routines and two warm up/ cool down theme songs. Kind of all over the place music wise, which we like around here. Songs range from disco, to reggae to country to pop. It came with an instruction fold out as well.

I liked the record enough, especially for a young girls work out record. Like I said before, the music was quite diverse. Well, I decided to go with the disco driven “Jumping Jacks” as well as the reggae styled “Push Ups”. Both songs really sound a whole lot like Blondie.

I liked this record. Satisfactory.

Jumping Jacks

Push Ups

OST- The Great Muppet Caper

Here is one a paid $5 for.  I saw this movie when I was a kid at the theater.  I remember seeing this in a theater.  Must have been seven.

The Great Muppet Caper was second movie in the Muppets’ cannon.  Released in 1981 and set mostly in London, the movie follows the gang as they foil the heist of Diana Rigg’s Jewels by Charles Grodin.  There were various musical numbers throughout as well as cameos by stars such as Jon Cleese and Peter Ustinov.  It was also the first film directed by Muppets’ creator, Jim Henson.

The film did well.  It is currently the 3rd or 5th highest grossing Muppet flick, depending on which source you believe.  I think based on the massive success of the first movie, the studios were expecting a bit more out of the film.

I somewhat liked this film but deep down, not 100%.  No, as a non-tolerant seven year old, I really did not approve of the Miss Piggy/ Charles Grodin romantic sub-plot.  I felt is was quite wrong for a man to fall in love with a pig.  I mean, a frog and a pig was a big stretch enough.  Nope, I found this all too gross. It did not help, if I remember it right, they end the sub plot in an ambiguous way, not knowing if Grodin really loved Piggy or not.  Maybe Grodin was so a good an actor , that I as a seven year old , truly believed that he had romantic feelings for a pig. But mostly, I don’t have a high opinion of Grodin in other roles because of this.

But it was a Muppet movie and there was music.  This album features musical pieces as well as incidental/ background music.  Big numbers as far as I can remember include the biking riding scene thru some park and the parachute scene at the end.  The music and lyrics as well as the direction and arrangement were handled by Joe Raposo.

For a sample, I went with what was my favorite song from the movie as well as my introduction to budget British lodging, “Happiness Hotel”, when Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo check in to the establishment.

Charles Grodin’s romantic perversions aside, I still liked this album.  Satisfactory.