Track Listing

1. Clink, Clink, Another Drink
2. Leave the Dishes in the Sink, Ma
3. My Old Flame
4. Holiday for Strings
5. Chloe
6. Chinese Mule Train
7. Der Fuehrer's Face
8. Sheik of Araby
9. Dance of the Hours
10. Hawaiian War Chant
11. William Tell Overture
12. I Went to Your Wedding
13. Ya Wanna Buy a Bunny?
14. Cocktails for Two
15. Winter
16. Tennessee Waltz
17. Oh! By Jingo
18. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
19. All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
20. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17010 in Music
• Released on: 1999-08-24
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

More than meets the eye!
If you think there's nothing here but the same old songs in yet another package, you're in for a surprise! Rather than using the echo and filter processed LP masters, the engineers went back to the metal parts -- and accidently released several alternate versions of these standards in the process. "Hawaiian War Chant" is the 1945 "lower plate wobble" version (in pristine sound, unlike the Harlequin release transferred from scratchy test pressings). "Der Fuehrer's Face" is the legendary trombone take. And "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" contains an unedited conclusion, with minor bloopers such as a bumped music stand, a "clam" on the chimes, and an almost maniacal laugh from Rudolph. And yes, there are a few tracks that are making their first showing on CD. I was going to give this CD four-and-a-half stars, but the system doesn't permit it. One weakness in planning: "Dance of the Hours" is placed BEFORE "William Tell Overture," spoiling the comic sequence.

Timeless Musical Mayhem and Madness !
o.k. two of my faves are missing from this one... LAURA, and Spike Jones version of Carmen.... also interestingly, the versions are different than the ones on some other CDs currently available... but who's to complain... ? Spike Jones is Spike Jones and he was brilliant... What cracks me up is the way he can go from playing a tune so straight that you'd never guess that a few minutes later midgets'll be jumping out of tubas, air raid sirens going off, and all mayhem will be breaking lose. In fact, I love seeing the reaction of people who might really get into the "straight" intros to the tunes, and their face change colors when suddenly the madness begins. - - as "cornball" as some of the comedy is, some of it has a level of surrealistic irreverance and musical calculation that i takes the music to level of high art... I mean... Its one thing to fire shotguns in the air, break glasses and belching... but to have the band doing it in perfect time and key ? No wonder FRANK ZAPPA actually sited Spike Jones as a primary influence in his autobio... and he wasn't the only modern musician who's been influenced by Spike... I'm a straight Jazz organist... I recorded a new CD recently... I do a very NORMAL version of LAURA, but the truth is, in my head when I was playing it, maybe the other musicians were hearing Charlie Parker's version... but whenever I play LAURA, or even MY OLD FLAME its Spike I hear !

pre rock and roll anarchy!
Oh man, is this great... funny, wild, and even a little dangerous. Spike Jones was rock and roll before rock and roll... and he hated the form! Hated it. Which is too bad, because he seems to have planted some of the seeds for its birth; thumbing his nose at the high brows, total disregard for convention to name a few.
As for the music... Paul Frees's recitation of "My Old Flame" is so funny AND horrific it makes Eminem look like a wimp. Yes.
"Der Fuehrer's Face": listen to how the line "Superduper supermen" is delivered to find out what Spike and gang REALLY thought of the Nazis.
Doodle Weaver is THE secret weapon of Spike's arsenal. His performances on "Dance of the Hours" (at the Indy 500! Weaver's imitation of passing cars is so precise) and "William Tell Overture" (as a horserace, what else?) will live on long after we're gone. The only quibble is "Dance" comes on before "William Tell" and it really should be the other way around. Why? I don't want to spoil your fun; buy it and find out.
"Ya Wanna Buy A Bunny" is hysterical! Lots of great stuff on here, but my fave is "Chinese Mule Train". Racist as anything, true, but fall down funny (so I guess I'm going to h-e double hockey sticks...).
A warning: this is one of those cds you will either think is the greatest thing you've ever heard, or you will absolutely loathe it. There is NO middle ground. I hope you will think the former.