The High and the Flighty, film score - Carl Stalling, Foster, Stephen [1]
Bad Swiss Band
Marching Pink Elephants
The Slap Happy Mouse, film score
Orchestra Gag - Carl Stalling, Gannon, Kim
Variation on Grandfather's Clock
Variation on Chinatown My Chinatown - Carl Stalling, Jerome, William
Variation on Lucky Day - Carl Stalling, Brown, Lew
Wind-up Doll
Guided Muscle, film score
Fall and Splat, film cue
Ghost Wanted, film score
The Unexpected Pest, film score - Carl Stalling, Bishop, H.R.
Drunk La Cucaracha
Flea-ridden Sheep Dog
Golf Cue
Barbary Coast Bunny, film score - Carl Stalling, Doyle, Walter
excerpt [Excerpt] - Carl Stalling, Cavanaugh, James [1
Rubber Dog
Pappy's Puppy, film score - Carl Stalling, Egan, Raymond B.
A Variations on La Danza
Variations on Johann Strauss
Kangaroo, film cue
Mouse-taken Identity, film score
Variations on Mexican Hat Dance
Frazzled Coyote
The second volume of the master Warner Bros. cartoon composer's work downplays the head-spinning montage of the first in favor of just-as-head-spinning complete scores. They aren't from the studio's best-known cartoons but... more » from some of Stalling's most impressive tempo-warping, all-systems-go pieces, augmented by a few mini-pieces that illustrate the way he could transform barely familiar show tunes and classical themes into wild, rubbery jokes. Even without images, Stalling could make an orchestra suggest a "Flea-Ridden Sheep Dog" in 24 seconds flat and run enough changes on Stephen Foster's "Camptown Races" to match every mood in a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon. The head-snapping reversals of his scores anticipate much later avant-garde music. --Douglas Wolk« less
The second volume of the master Warner Bros. cartoon composer's work downplays the head-spinning montage of the first in favor of just-as-head-spinning complete scores. They aren't from the studio's best-known cartoons but from some of Stalling's most impressive tempo-warping, all-systems-go pieces, augmented by a few mini-pieces that illustrate the way he could transform barely familiar show tunes and classical themes into wild, rubbery jokes. Even without images, Stalling could make an orchestra suggest a "Flea-Ridden Sheep Dog" in 24 seconds flat and run enough changes on Stephen Foster's "Camptown Races" to match every mood in a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon. The head-snapping reversals of his scores anticipate much later avant-garde music. --Douglas Wolk
"Carl Stalling is a great example of something I love; the artist who, simply by applying his craft and staying within his personality, produces work that is far more radical than self-conscious avant-gardeists out to change the world.If the term post-modernism means anything, it is the great cartoon music of Carl Stalling. Wild, wonderful fragments, music that stops on a dime and goes off immediately into another dimension, diced and spliced classics . . . all done with pencil and paper and all played live by a great group of musicians who obviously enjoyed their work. If you're looking for one collection to buy, this is as good as the other, and if you want to know if Vol. 2 is as worth owning as the first, it is!"
Better format than volume 1
Chip Wilson | Dallas, TX United States | 02/24/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I enjoy listening to the entire composition as an assembled piece. After hearing the segments on the first volume, I prefer the full-composition style of presentation on the second."
I wish I could give a 10-Star rating!
Altso Nonaz | Seattle, WA USA | 04/29/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"You are a toon-addict. Come on, admit it; you don't need a 12-step program you just need this CD. I know your type -- you watch cartoons every chance you get. While they're on, you'll clean the living room, mop the floor, change the sheets, clean the cat box. Why? Well, for one reason you've seen all the Looney Tunes episodes at least once before, but ALSO the background orchestra music gets your bod movin'...right? Well, if what I just said sounds familiar, then you MUST have this CD. Carl Stalling as a composer and performer is brilliant...perfection. The tracks on this range from long to short, rehersal recordings to final espisode quality. So much to enjoy. There are tracks with Stalling's voice instructing the musicians and some of the other tracks have the episode dialogue included. The majority is just fun, lively orchestra music. I listen to it at work because it keeps my mind alert and brings to mind all those great Looney Tunes moments that I grew up on. I was Looney then and I'm Looney now...will probably be Looney when I'm 80! We can always hope. :)"
Now, every time I watch cartoons, I listen to the music!
Andrew Gilmore | Philadelphia | 08/07/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Carl Stalling. We all know who he is, but we don't know that we know. Who is he? The guy who did cartoon background music for Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies for more than 20 years, that's who. Maybe you're thinking, "Oh, come on! Cartoon background music??! How good could something so trivial be?!" The answer to that question is.. VERY. Very entertaining. I just love Carl Stalling's great "scores". When you take away the context of it's being CARTOON music and just sit and listen to the damn thing, it's WONDERFUL music in and of itself! He goes from violins and a piano playing "agitato" simultaneously to a single oboe note and back again in five seconds. Not only that. He does that and, as random as it may sound, he mannages to segue it together beautifully. Now, every time I watch cartoons, the thing I pay most attention to is what aural miracles Mr. Stalling sneaked in. Maybe, after listening to this, you will too. If anything will change after you listen to this, it would be that you'll never think of cartoon music as trivial again........That's a GOOD thing."
A nice follow up
Andrew Gilmore | 03/08/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I really did like the slice-and-dice format of the first disc : I think it helped keep that cartoon zaniness without the visuals. I would recommend both volumes - I listen to them alot while I'm programming!"