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
