Category: Novelty Albums (CD’s, Digital Music, & Records)

AT HOME WITH THE MUNSTERS

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date March 11, 2024

SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 41:00 Min.

This novelty tie-in album was first released by Golden Records in 1964 to exploit the 1964-66 TV series’ popularity. BMG Records subsequently re-issued the album in 2021. Featuring the primary cast (Yvonne De Carlo, Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, Pat Priest – the second ‘Marilyn Munster,’ and Butch Patrick), the album’s script and lyrics were written by Bob Mosher. The show’s composer, Jack Marshall, supplies the instrumental score. Ezra Stone directed this recording project.

The premise has Herman taking young listeners (as an unseen neighbor) on a late morning tour of the Munsters’ home and meeting the family. The tracks and mostly spoken-word tunes are:

SIDE A:

At The Munsters (note: The young vocalists sing lyrics over an adaptation of the TV theme).
Herman Says “Hello” (Gwynne)
It Takes All Kinds of People (Gwynne: song vocals)
Everyone is Welcome (Gwynne & De Carlo: song vocals)
Meet Our Pets (De Carlo & Gwynne)
Meet Grandpa! (Gwynne, De Carlo, & Lewis)
Grandpa’s Lab (Gwynne & Lewis: song vocals)
Eddie!(Gwynne & Patrick)
I Wish Everyone Was Born That Way (Patrick: song vocals)
Marilyn: “When Will I Find a Boyfriend for Me?” (Gwynne & Priest: vocals)
Nice of You to Drop In / At The Munsters (reprise) (Gwynne: vocals & De Carlo: vocals)

SIDE B:

Herman’s Favorite Story (Gwynne summarizes the episode: “Grandpa’s Call of the Wild”)
Lily’s Favorite Story (De Carlo summarizes the episode: “If A Martian Answers, Hang Up”)
Grandpa’s Favorite Recipe (Lewis explains how to make Grandpa’s Do-It-Yourself magic potion)
Final Theme. (jazz Instrumental).

Herman Munster: Fred Gwynne

Lily Munster: Yvonne De Carlo

Grandpa (Dracula): Al Lewis

Marilyn Munster: Pat Priest

Eddie Munster: Butch Patrick

Kid Vocalists (Track 1): Uncredited.

REVIEW:

For a kiddie recording (consistent with a popular 1960’s trend), this album is predictably the equivalent of a Munsters radio show. To the record company’s credit, the album’s contents, sound-wise, have been kept in pristine shape. Side A is geared towards teasing the show’s campy gimmicks while Side B is all padding. Narrating most of the album, Fred Gwynne, in particular, delivers an endearingly low-key performance.

Sporting droll, tongue-in-cheek imagination, die-hard Munsters fans will appreciate this rare supplement to the TV series. The flip side is that the TV show’s reliance upon sight gags becomes lost in translation when the cast has only minimal sound effects to work with. For all others, the album is surely a forty-minute eyeroll.

Unlike Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s spoofy “Monster Mash” tune, this album’s antiquated camp humor practically creaks in comparison. At Home With The Munsters, unfortunately, would fall flat and quickly be deemed boring at a kindergarten’s Halloween party in the 2020’s. Hence, classic TV nostalgia, if anything, is the sole purpose for obtaining this album.

PACKAGING:

The outer casing accurately lists the credits and tracks without any running times. An interior sleeve effectively shields the record. No matter how dated the album’s material is, the packaging design is first-rate.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3½ Stars

Music & Radio Shows Novelty Albums (CD's, Digital Music, & Records) Records/LP's

THE CHIPMUNKS GO HOLLYWOOD

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date August 15, 2022

SUMMARY: APPROXIMATE RUNNING TIME: 30:23 Min.

In 1982, Bagdasarian Productions released this cover album through RCA Records on vinyl and cassette tape. Including one original song, “E.T. & Me,” there are ten tracks. These tracks are:

Running Time:

SIDE A

“Eye of The Tiger” (from Rocky III) 4:05
“Tomorrow” (from Annie) 2:30
“9 to 5” (from 9 to 5) 2:44
“You’re the One That I Want” (from Grease) 2:46
“Believe It or Not” (from The Greatest American Hero) 2:52

SIDE B

“E.T. & Me” (Inspired by E.T. the Extraterrestrial) 3:21
“The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol’ Boys)” (from The Dukes of Hazzard) 2:32
“Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do)” (from Arthur) 2:52
“Fame” (from Fame) 3:22
“Chariots of Fire” (from Chariots of Fire) 3:10

Uncredited are the original artists being spoofed: Survivor (Track 1); actress Aileen Quinn (Track 2); Dolly Parton (Track 3); actors John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John (Track 4); Joey Scarbury (Track 5); Waylon Jennings (Track 7); Christopher Cross (Track 8); Irene Cara (Track 9); and Vangelis (Track 10).

Notes: Track 4 is a duet between Alvin & The Chipettes’ Charlene. The voice actors portraying Alvin, Simon, Theodore, Dave Seville, & Charlene aren’t credited.

REVIEW:

Blending kiddie humor with light-hearted movie soundtrack satire, The Chipmunks Go Hollywood is an all-ages nostalgic treat. More specifically, the album’s good production values ensures that these tunes aren’t merely chintzy rip-offs. Even the comical banter between The Chipmunks (not to mention, Alvin & surrogate dad/boss Dave) somehow still holds up forty years later. Suffice to say, for undemanding listeners, this wacky concept album delivers the necessary goods.

PACKAGING:

On the album’s back, there is an original ‘snapshot’ representing each track.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars

LOVE THEME FROM SUPERMAN III (by Giorgio Moroder {& Helen St. John}: Ewok Celebration)

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date July 22, 2022

SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 3:15 Min.

Recorded for 1983’s Superman III film soundtrack, Giorgio Moroder supplied its instrumental love theme utilizing synthesizer romantic pop.

Note: Helen St. John is officially credited on the soundtrack as the love theme’s performer, though Moroder produced much of the long-out-of-release album.

REVIEW:

Given how Superman III explores Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) & Lana Lang’s (Annette O’Toole) platonic Smallville reunion, this exuberant instrumental oddly has no place within the film’s storyline. At most, there may be a few faint strands briefly heard in the movie’s underwhelming background (or possibly it was meant for some subsequently deleted scene). More so, Moroder & St. John’s soaring tune doesn’t necessarily age well forty years later.

For its time, the theme’s lush sound serves up appealing ear candy, though nothing in the melody resonates with Reeve’s Superman whatsoever. Contemporary listeners, however, couldn’t be blamed for deeming this theme an excess of Early 80’s instrumental romantic drivel, as filtered through a synthesizer. Case in point: there’s at least on-line version (possibly a cover) credited to St. John that reeks of electronica dreck.

If one still wants to find a presumably authentic version, there’s an obscure source. Released in 1983, Meco’s Ewok Celebration disco novelty album includes Superman III’s dreamy love theme (credited to Moroder only) on its B-side. Unlike the on-line St. John track, this rare Moroder rendition is relatively enjoyable on its own merits – without linking it to the cinematic Man of Steel.

Notes: As of this writing, Ewok Celebration is still available as a vinyl. The album was also released in cassette form.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars

MECO EWOK CELEBRATION (LP)

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date January 5, 2021

SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: Not Provided

Released by Arista Records in 1983 in LP and cassette formats, this hodge-podge Meco album is mostly inspired by Return of the Jedi. Side A consists of a medley of Jedi’s “Lapti Nek,” Ewok-themed music from Jedi, an exclusive Ewok rap, and more Meco-style instrumentals in a disco homage to Jedi and Star Wars.

Side B further celebrates 1983 with the following: “Nights Are Forever” (from Twilight Zone: The Movie); an extended Simon & Simon TV theme; Flashdance’s “Maniac;” Giorgio Moroder’s rare Superman III love theme; and a Meco-style homage to Matthew Broderick’s War Games film.

REVIEW:

Nearly forty years later, this album remains a hoot! The Star Wars side of this LP revives memories of a time when loyal fans could gleefully enjoy Ewoks as a childish pleasure. In addition to the familiar “Lapti Nek” fresh from Jabba’s palace (whether it’s a cover or not), Meco’s instrumental tunes retain a funky novelty sound. Suffice to say, it’s reliably goofy fun for kids of all ages — i.e. the exclusive “Ewok Rap” is a delight.

Despite its oddball track selection, Side B definitely has its moments. The tricky part, however, is: are these five songs covers or not? First off, female vocals for tracks 1 and 5 are credited to someone referred to as ‘Garbo.’ It’s known that Jennifer Warnes & Jerry Goldsmith collaborated on the official “Nights Are Forever,” so, presumably, Track 1 is a cover. As for Track 5, it’s most likely a Meco effort — this reviewer doesn’t recall this song even being in the actual movie. Still, the tune’s computerized sound effects are playfully 80’s-cool.

Track 2’s rollicking rock tribute to TV’s Simon & Simon is terrific. This track isn’t credited, but, yes, a young Kenny G performs its sax solo. His sax work is also heard on Track 3: “Maniac.” Re: this song, it sounds like original vocalist Michael Sembello; yet, the credited singer is ‘Michael Falcon.’ One wonders if it’s a Sembello alias (possibly for copyright purposes), or possibly Arista Records found a sound-alike impersonator.

That leaves Track 4; does anyone even remember a lush, piano-driven Superman III love theme? Whether this tune appeared in the film or not, Giorgio Moroder’s ultra-rare instrumental can evidently only be found on the out-of-print Superman III LP. Hence, this track’s performer could well be Meco (or maybe it’s really Moroder) – the musician is left anonymous. What can be ascertained is that Track 4’s initially mellow charm expands into an extravagant, over-the-top epic piano/synthesizer piece … consistent with Moroder’s flamboyance. Even so, this theme seems totally incompatible with what viewers see on screen in Superman III.

In all fairness, Meco Ewok Celebration doesn’t age well for contemporary audiences. However, give credit where it’s due: this obscure album is loaded with good-natured movie nostalgia.

PACKAGING:

The credits (including musicians) are listed on the backside. Yet, some of these credits resemble gibberish — maybe it’s an in-joke?. Case in point: the credited talent allegedly ‘from the CORMAR GALAXY’ makes little, if any, sense.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7½ Stars