Do You Know The Difference Between Big Wood And Brush - Gary Roberts & The Satellites
Rat A Tat Tat, America - Dick Kent
I Like Yellow Things - Bobbi Blake
I'm Just The Other Woman (remake) - The MSR Singers
Human Breakdown Of Absurdity - Norm Burns & Singers
Maker Of Smooth Music - Dick Kent
Beat Of The Traps - Rod & The MSR Singers
Richard Nixon - Rod & The MSR Singers
Jimmy Carter Says "Yes" - Gene Marshall
Convertibles and Headbands - The Music Magicians
How Long Are You Staying - Bill Joy
Little Rug Bug - Rod Rogers with The "Swinging Strings"
I Lost My Girl To An Argentinian Cowboy - unidentified
City's Hospital Patients - Teri Summers & The Librettos
Ecstacy [sic] To Frenzy - Rodd Keith
All You Need Is A Fertile Mind - Gene Marshall
The Moon Men - John Muir
The Palace Roses - Todd Andrews
Gretchen's New Dish - Dick Kent
How Can A Man Overcome His Heartbroken Pain - Rodd Keith
Song Of The Burmese Land - Cara Stewart
Green Fingernails - Gene Marshall
Listen Mister Hat - The Jerrymanders, vocal Wm. H. Arpaia
Pinch Me - unidentified
The Duck Egg Walk - Milford Perkins
Ho, I Got To Find You Baby - Randy Rudolph
Run Spook Run - Rodd Keith
Blind Man's Penis - Ramsey Kearney
Like the Langley Schools Music Project reissue, The American Song-Poem Anthology captures a fascinating, if unessential, moment in modern music making. Back in the '60s and '70s, ads in the back of magazines beckoned reade... more »rs to submit their very own "song-poems," original ditties of often dubious quality. Hopeful songwriters were then given an offer they (thankfully) couldn't refuse: for a few hundred bucks, creative session musicians would do their best to use the public's lyrics and churn out an actual, honest-to-goodness recorded album that they could cherish forever. Some of the finest recorded results--not counting those still awaiting to be discovered in thrift store dime bins--can be found on this often surreal disc. Who can complain about the aptly-titled "Do You Know the Difference Between Big Wood and Brush"? Who can't relate to a song like "I Lost My Girl to An Argentinean Cowboy"? Well, lot's of people. But that's beside the point. It's hard not to love these songs--some patriotic, some romantic, most just plain bizarre--that enterprising young musicians did their best to spice up in any number of different genres (country, funk, disco, and, of course, rock). The songs made by Rodd Keith are particularly genius, but fans of novelty music will be hard-pressed to fault any of these 28 oddball cuts. --Jason Verlinde« less
Like the Langley Schools Music Project reissue, The American Song-Poem Anthology captures a fascinating, if unessential, moment in modern music making. Back in the '60s and '70s, ads in the back of magazines beckoned readers to submit their very own "song-poems," original ditties of often dubious quality. Hopeful songwriters were then given an offer they (thankfully) couldn't refuse: for a few hundred bucks, creative session musicians would do their best to use the public's lyrics and churn out an actual, honest-to-goodness recorded album that they could cherish forever. Some of the finest recorded results--not counting those still awaiting to be discovered in thrift store dime bins--can be found on this often surreal disc. Who can complain about the aptly-titled "Do You Know the Difference Between Big Wood and Brush"? Who can't relate to a song like "I Lost My Girl to An Argentinean Cowboy"? Well, lot's of people. But that's beside the point. It's hard not to love these songs--some patriotic, some romantic, most just plain bizarre--that enterprising young musicians did their best to spice up in any number of different genres (country, funk, disco, and, of course, rock). The songs made by Rodd Keith are particularly genius, but fans of novelty music will be hard-pressed to fault any of these 28 oddball cuts. --Jason Verlinde
CD Reviews
The Nearest Thing To True Ding-A-Ling
J. Powers | Basehor, KS United States | 07/12/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'd argue that this is the greatest album in the world. It divides listeners into two camps - they either love it or hate it, and make up their minds very quickly. Those who hate it have serious psychological problems and lack a sense of humor. They're the kind of people who are no fun to be around. The rest of us know who we are, and we know the difference between big wood and brush."
"There's both more genius and insanity in America than
anywhere else," remarked a gifted young man to me on his way to
enjoy his Prix de Rome some 30 years ago... and this priceless
document proves it"
Oh my God-- buy this cd
paul costello | new york city, ny United States | 03/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"You will get a good laugh the first few times you listen through the 20 some songs on this cd, but soon you will be infected by these amazing, bizarre, never-ment-for-the-public pop songs. I can't stop humming "extacy to frenzy", "Jimmy Carter says yes" is one of the finest political song ever, and it's time to consider playing "Rat-a-tat-tat America" before any sporting event."
"Beat-Poet" society!
uthungus | San Francisco, CA | 05/18/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Although I usually don't write customer reviews on material lots of others already covered I just couldn't resist on this collection! It seems that in the world of "novelty" there are three basic categories, IMO and each is definitely represented here.
First are the "duds". By definition, either a song so bad overall you just can't stand to listen to it. In this a subcategory - also ones that start out "cute, funny or whimsical" the first time you hear them and are TOTALLY ANNOYING any time after that!
The next are "limited shelf life" tunes that can't help sounding bad now, but they just reflect a bygone era! Here we have "Rat A Tat Tat, America" (about the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration), "Richard Nixon", "Jimmy Carter Says Yes", and one of the Disco tunes "How Long Are You Staying" among a few others.
Then there are the catchy ones! Either so bad they're good, great beat and decent lyrics or (pretty much great beat, weird lyrics as in most here!) Those to me are the most fun and make up for a "risky" purchase of something like this! Tops on my own list are the following:
"I like Yellow Things" - Bobbi Blake! I once saw an early appearance of Gloria Loring on Ed Sullivan where she was a young girl with cascading blond hair and dressed in flower child garb! Although I forget what song she actually sung, I kind of envision this type of a song coming out of her, since this is the type of material she went on to do (remember "Facts of Life" theme and "Friends and Lovers" in the 80s)?!
Groovy beat, weird lyrics faves of mine are "Human Absurdity", "Little Rug Bug", "City's Hospital Patients" and "Convertibles and Headbands". When songs put a funny visual in your head you know you've got something! Like a funky guy on guitar with two groovy chicks dancing and wailing behind him (Human Absurdity). Or a bunch of way-out nurses dancing funk to "Hospital Patients". I think my favorite catchy beat tune here is "Little Rug Bug"; but the weirdest thing about it to me is being a song about a baby but composed to sound like it should have been performed on "Shindig"!
Lastly are the ones so way out there they're funny! "Green Fingernails", "Gretchen's New Dish", "Palace Roses", "Duck Egg Walk" and my last two favorites of this list "Burmese Land" (Doom-doom-doom, dang-dang-dang! Boom-boom-boom, bang-bang-bang!) and the "untitled" performers of "Pinch Me"! Call it a coincidence, but these singers - both by vocal sound and style of song- remind me an awful lot of "Guy and Rolna" (Guy Hovis, Rolna English) from "The Lawrence Welk Show"! Kind of like they snuck out and did something a little more risqué to the chagrin of "Mr. Welk". One could see him tapping his foot and knitting his eyebrows at the couple for defying their "wholesome" image!
This is definitely a great piece of work for the serious collector, though!
"
You betcha!
smurdge | 08/06/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Song poem music is a sure cure for when you feel stifled by the creativeless creativity and humorless humor of the corporate media. There's some real musical brilliance here, and I've heard few things in my life more hysterical than the title song, or "Song of the Burmese Land," "Gretchen's New Dish", "The Palace Roses", or the Burl Ives imitation on "Green Fingernails". Like Homer Price with the doughnut song, you WILL walk around helplessly singing "Jimmy Carter Says Yes". Once you hear it, there's no escape.Not surprisingly, the musical genius here is Rodd Keith, with the beautiful Brian Wilson-ish falsetto descent to a major 7th on "From Ecstacy to Frenzy" or the absolutely swingin' "Run Spook Run", (Dan Hicks should do this one), spoken in a kind of Milton-the Monster type accent. And the way he intones "God in His infinite wisdom placed Richard Nixon on this earth" is priceless. This collection leans a little more "funny" but overall less musically stunning than the Keith collection "I Died Today" on Tzadik, so you should probably get both."
Track Listings (28) - Disc #1