SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 3:03 Min.
The song is an obvious spoof of the 1983 radio hit, “I Want a New Drug,” by Huey Lewis & The News. It’s the third track off “Weird Al” Yankovic’s 1985 comedy album, Dare to be Stupid.
REVIEW:
Closely replicating the original song’s melody, this wacky yet pointless tune is simply a good-natured parody. Suffice to say, hearing it once is mildly amusing. The upside is that it’s clean for kiddie fans.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 4 Stars
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SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 1:05 Min.
Covering the goofy theme song from the same-named 1967 cartoon series, “Weird Al” Yankovic includes his version on his 1985 comedy album, Dare to be Stupid. His rendition’s popularity later landed it on the soundtrack for the 1997 live-action film adaptation starring Brendan Fraser.
REVIEW:
In a rare instance of a straight-up homage, “Weird Al” Yankovic is at his best. It’s a fresh and endearing tribute to the cheesy Tarzan spoof. Though it’s only a minute long, this track is one of Dare to Be Stupid’s highlights.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
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SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 3:39 Min.
It was recorded and co-written by radio personality Rick Dees for his 1984 Put It Where the Moon Don’t Shine album. This spoof of a marriage gone sour has resurfaced on some compilation albums, i.e. 2006’s Hilarious! Greatest Novelty Hits.
REVIEW:
Demolishing romantic pop/R&B drivel, Rick Dees nails this sarcastic parody of Late ‘70s-Early ‘80s love songs. Its inspired use of a blah disco melody against the cynical lyrics makes it hard to keep a straight face. A classy female R&B back-up group and Dees’ concluding pig snort are added bonuses. The best element of “Eat My Shorts,” however, is its comically embittered ode to divorce. Suffice to say, Dees and his back-up chorus have great fun ripping lazy, no-good philandering spouses. Other than maybe Steve Martin, it’s doubtful that any comedian could surpass Dees’ spot-on performance on this particular tune.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8½ Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 2:55 Min.
Recorded as a single by the Jump N’ The Saddle Band, this Three Stooges homage was released in 1983. For that time, its music video was a Stooges black-and-white clip montage. Among the compilation albums “The Curly Shuffle” has subsequently appeared is 2006’s Hilarious! Greatest Novelty Hits.
REVIEW:
For Three Stooges aficionados, obtaining a copy of this zany one-hit wonder is a must. In a tribute to all the Stooges, the Jump N’ The Saddle Band does some fantastic work remembering Jerome “Curly” Howard. Near-perfect imitations of Curly’s most well-known phrases and sound effects are included. As a pop culture nod to the world’s famous Stooge, “The Curly Shuffle” is a gem.
BRIAN’S 10-STAR RATING: 8 Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 3:11 Min.
Credited to Arthur Korb, this 1966 novelty tune appears on the 2016 compilation album, Music of DC Comics, Volume 2. It’s performed in a groovy 60’s lounge/barbershop act style. Sung in character as if it’s the Justice League roll call time, the line-up supposedly consists of Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, Flash, Plastic Man, and Metamorpho. Dialogue setting up a Justice League mission is also included.
Note: The same album also offers Korb’s other brief 1966 odes to Metamorpho and Wonder Woman.
REVIEW:
Directed at the most undemanding of kiddie fans, this tune could well be the most dreadful three minutes in super-hero recording history. Amazingly, Arthur Korb’s tribute to Wonder Woman is possibly even worse – its sole asset is that dreck is only half the length of this JLA parody. Like the other two Korb ‘hits’ on this album, this cringe-worthy JLA role call is a moldy slice of pop culture cheese.
BRIAN’S 10-STAR RATING: 3 Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 1:25 Min.
Credited to Arthur Korb, this 1966 novelty tune appears on the 2016 compilation album, Music of DC Comics, Volume 2. It’s performed in a groovy 60’s lounge/barbershop act style.
Note: The same album also offers Korb’s other brief 1966 odes to the Justice League and Metamorpho.
REVIEW:
Laughably, yikes! If meant as a parody of gooey 60’s love songs, then Korb’s cheesy serenade of the Amazon Princess is a hoot. Otherwise, listeners will be mighty grateful how brief this awful tune really is.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 2 Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 2:13 Min.
Credited to Arthur Korb, this 1966 novelty tune appears on the 2016 compilation album, Music of DC Comics, Volume 2. It’s performed in a groovy 60’s lounge/barbershop act style.
Note: The same album also offers Korb’s other brief 1966 odes to the Justice League and Wonder Woman.
REVIEW:
The good news is this campy track is actually better than his dubious tributes to Wonder Woman and the JLA. Listeners should deem this tune as nothing more than a slice of moldy 60’s cheese.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3½ Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 27 Min.
Released by Flashback Records in 2006, this album assembles ten rare radio tunes by the original artists. The tracks are:
| 1. Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp) — 2:49 | Allan Sherman |
| 2. Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) — 2:06 | Edd “Kookie” Byrnes & Connie Stevens |
| 3. Tip-Toe Thru’ the Tulips With Me — 1:49 | Tiny Tim |
| 4. Little Old Man (Uptight-Everything’s Alright) — 4:10 | Bill Cosby |
| 5. Pepino the Italian Mouse — 2:40 | Lou Monte |
| 6. Rubber Biscuit — 2:49 | The Blues Brothers |
| 7. Fish Heads — 2:25 | Barnes & Barnes |
| 8. The Curly Shuffle — 2:55 | Jump N’ The Saddle Band |
| 9. Eat My Shorts — 3:39 | Rick Dees |
| 10. I Wanna Be A Flintstone 2:30 | The Screaming Blue Messiahs |
Note: The album is kid-friendly, with the exception of Track 9, as Dees makes multiple references to an obscene finger gesture.
REVIEW:
Unsurprisingly, this assortment is a mixed bag. Tracks # 1 (a timeless summer camp spoof) and # 9 (a R&B-flavored, mock ode to Divorce Court) are LOL funny and absolutely merit repetitive listening. Tracks # 4, 8, and 10 benefit from good-natured charm, even if they only generate a few chuckles. Bill Cosby and The Screaming Blue Messiahs both deliver solid Rocking 60’s-style tunes while Three Stooges buffs can readily appreciate the inspired 80’s homage behind “The Curly Shuffle.” While half of this kitschy album’s tracks are winners, that means the other five tunes lag in varying degrees of mediocrity. The CD’s great sound quality, unfortunately, doesn’t bolster these other songs much.
The shrill Track 3 is mercifully brief, but it could worth as a tune narrating a family dog’s backyard antics in home movies. The forgettable Tracks 5 and 7 both mimic Alvin’s squeaky voice from Alvin & The Chipmunks, minus the kiddie charm. Re: the quirky “Rubber Biscuit,” as retro-cool as this song is supposed to be, Dan Aykroyd’s smug vocals don’t age well. The same applies to the eye-rolling Track 2, which exploits the popularity of heartthrob TV star Edd “Kookie” Byrnes — strictly for his fanbase. Above all, one should be leery of this album’s suspiciously short length, but let’s conclude that a little goes a long way.
PACKAGING:
The CD lists the tracks and artist names. No further information was available.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
