We’ve put up a few of these over the years with links to the music, but here’s what he passed along to us.
We linked to some of the songs in this post, though I understand the mp3 player doesn’t work in all browsers (They play fine for me). We warn you that Golden Records never used the original Hanna-Barbera voices for contractual reasons (Screen Gems had them tied up for its Colpix label) and, in some cases, featured music that bore no resemblance to the cartoon theme songs.
My childhood heroes! They never fail to lighten my day and make me smile!
ReplyDeleteThe covers on The Jetsons 45’s were both lifted from Gold Key comic book covers - # 1 and # 6, respectively – and were drawn by the great (and sadly underappreciated) Tony Strobl, better known for his work on Bugs Bunny and especially Donald Duck.
ReplyDeleteI also had a number of these, back in the day. I never failed to be disappointed in the lack of authentic voices, having no idea of contractual obligations and the like. But, authenticity or not, I gotta salute anyone who created a “Fibber Fox Song”!
While it's true that most of these recordings did not use the TV voice actors, the exception to this rule is the Flintstones recordings. I have heard or own the majority of these tracks, and for some reason Golden Records was able to acquire the services of Alan Reed, Mel Blanc, Jean Van der Pyl, and Bea Benaderet for the long-playing album "Songs of the Flintstones" (from which most of these shorter records are derived) and later for the "Lullabye of Pebbles," which features Alan Reed. I believe on the latter song, it is Reed supplying the crying of infant Pebbles. Fred, Barney, Wilma, and Dino are all heard on the two-part "Dino the Dinosaur" song. By the way, the Dino picture is taken from the Whitman Tip-Top tales book, with art by Pete Alvarado, which contains what is for me the most authentic account of how the Flintstones came to adopt Dino as a pet. (The Dino in "The Snorkasaurus Hunt" TV episode just isn't "our" Dino, whereas the Whitman book story seems more in keeping with the general world of The Flintstones.)
ReplyDeleteAs for the "non-authentic" recordings--while it's true that they can seem disappointing at first, when you listen carefully you can perceive that some genuine affection for the subject matter exists in the composition and the performance of these songs. Most of the voice actors can't come close to Butler or Messick, but at least they make a valiant attempt. Also note that several of these theme songs add lyrics where none were heard in their TV versions. And the "Top Cat" Theme receives one of its best renditions ever.
Should Golden Records have released the ones that don't have the original voices? Well, I suspect it's either that or not have them at all. I would prefer to have them, even with the "wrong" voices (which admittedly can grate on one's nerves at times). At least the production values remain pretty strong, and an effort seems to have been made to incorporate as much H-B "authenticity" as possible. (Love that "Top Cat" recording!)
Hi Yowp, I was wondering if you knew of a toy called the "Show 'n' Tell Phono-Viewer", which consisted of a small TV set with a record player on top. Several years back I was horsing around in my grandma's basement when I came upon one of these spectacular contraptions and a collection of record-and-filmstrip sets called "Picturesound Programs", several of which were Disney. If you inserted the filmstrip into the slot on the side and played the record, the filmstrip would illustrate the recorded story. Each record included a bonus song as its B-side, and there was usually an illustration on the inside of the record sleeve. The toy also functioned as a projector, so you could project the on-screen images onto the wall.
ReplyDeleteThen I did some deeper digging and found out that this toy was originally manufactured by General Electric in the 1960s. Later versions were made in the '70s and '80s by CBS Toys (which was later bought by Hasbro) under the Gabriel and Child Guidance labels. There were quite a few licensed Picturesound programs made; not just Disney but also Sesame Street and Hanna-Barbera, among others. Is there anyone out there who happened to own this toy as a kid, and if so, did you have any of the Hanna-Barbera Picturesound programs?
Hello, Karen. I've seen filmstrip projectors (like Kenner made) but nothing like this.
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