Search - Various Artists :: That's All Folks! Cartoon Songs from Merrie Melodies & Looney Tunes

Catering only to experts depresses revenue for future discs!

John McWhorter | New York, New York United States | 09/15/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The first reviewer is right that this is a disappointing collection. The booklet has great pictures, but really the main essay on Looney Tune history is boiled down from a preface from a book already available, and after all, it's not 1975 anymore -- this information is no longer exactly difficult to get from many sources.The two Stalling discs are wonderful in their way, but I have always suspected that a great many people buy them attracted to the cover art and concept but then are rather bored listening to, say, Road Runner cartoon scores which, without the picture, are in essence rather abstract bits of this and that, and excerpts from the soundtracks of cartoons only diehard buffs have even heard of. These CDs strike me as best aimed at people who combine being Looney Tunes fanatics and trained musicians, and that's a small bunch.One always wished there were a CD with the Looney Tune music that the layman fan remembered. The BUGS BUNNY ON BROADWAY CD takes care of much of this, which left a particular gap: a CD with music from cartoons not exactly blockbuster common coin, but still enjoyable to the ordinary listener. That is not this CD.As for the shorter excerpts, there are many gems. I dare anyone not to grin listening to Red Riding Hood's "The Five O'Clock Whistle", for instance, and there are many similar moments. But the first reviewer is right -- there is too much key stuff missing. No disc could satisfy everybody; everyone would wish something were there that they cherish. But the people putting this one together could have come closer to the mark for everyone by trimming the great many clips from, again, cartoons no one has heard of beyond the hardcore fans who patronize the Looney Tunes websites, etc.Of course, some such clips are hidden gems anyone might like (the college song from THE DOVER BOYS) -- but I fear most will strike the unintiated as rather unmotivated (various choral renditions). These are designed to make the Looney Tune maniac go "Oh yeah -- that's from PAGAN MOON!" But a CD that coasts too much on that kind of thing will not satisfy most people, even interested ones.Then there are some really odd choices for the six full soundtracks. WHAT'S OPERA DOC is nice, but we already have that on BUGS BUNNY ON BROADWAY. BOOK REVUE is cherished by major fans, but it really has to be SEEN -- this cartoon does not register significantly as a soundtrack alone, and I am frankly baffled as to why HAVE YOU GOT ANY CASTLES? was included at all.Why would a CD like this NOT include, for example, ONE FROGGY EVENING, seven minutes of delightful music, familiar to laymen but offering riches for the buff as well? For some of the early cartoons, the Abe Lyman orchestra burned up the soundtrack -- when I was a teen I used to listen to the whole PAGAN MOON recorded from my TV speaker just for fun (and the singing of the title song itself, included on this CD, was perhaps the LEAST interesting part of the score!). Why not one of these instead of HAVE YOU GOT ANY CASTLES? KATNIP KOLLEGE was a great idea -- but in that vein, where is I HAVEN'T GOT A HAT, Porky Pig's debut and a great score and funny soundtrack throughout besides? Instead of BOOK REVUE, LITTLE RED RIDING RABBIT would have been a great listen for its musical quality alone -- BESIDES the "Five O'Clock Whistle" rendition there is the "Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet" sequence followed by a wonderful Stalling arrangement of "They're Always Too Young or Too Old" timed to a chase up and down steps; I have always loved the soundtrack alone of this one. WHAT'S UP DOC?, SHOW BIZ BUGS, THE TORTOISE WINS BY A HARE -- there are so many cartoons that could have served better than so much of what is here.And I second the first reviewer -- COAL BLACK AND DE SEBBEN DWARVES is obviously one of the best Looney Tunes scores hands-down, and as for the possible controversy from people too historically blinkered to have mastered historical perspective and have a sense of humor -- well, append a sincere acknowledgment that the material is to be seen with a historical lens and then let the PC squad yell; they have no real power. Most such people are not exactly old cartoon fans anyway and thus none of them might even notice. (It is perhaps germane to note that I am black myself and feel this way.) TIN PAN ALLEY CATS is a similar gap here.Folks, if you do another one of these, please keep the LISTENER in mind. Anyone who loves these cartoons enough to cherish the likes of HAVE YOU GOT ANY CASTLES has it on video or laser anyway; a CD for the general public is to be enjoyed in the car by a wider range of people. It's time, I suspect, for the Beau Hunks to record a CD of Looney Tune scores from the original parts -- now THAT would be a treat."

That's All Folks! (But it's not enough!)

Michelle S. | Shinagawa, Tokyo Japan | 08/25/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is an decent enough sampling of some of the Warner Bros. cartoons' best musical moments. It even boasts packaging that is second to none! It's a nice companion piece to the two "Carl Stalling Project" CDs that are available separately. But, make sure you have both of those disks *before* you purchase this item. The songs that this collection contains are wonderful, but you may be disappointed when you find that your favorite tune is not here. Each of the two disks is under 60 minutes long. Since CDs can hold 80 minutes of music, why not add more stuff? Some songs that should have been here, aren't... The other negative aspect of this set is the overall sound quality. If you were expecting the surprisingly good sound of the Carl Stalling Project disks, you may want to listen to this one before you buy. It sounds like the tunes were lifted from prints of the films themselves (which they probably were). Since most hard-core collectors already have Hi-Fi video or laserdisk copies of these films in their collections, there is nothing here you haven't heard before. There, now that the negative aspects are out of the way, let's look at what this set has going for it. First of all, the 100-page book is a trove of information. In addition to information on the WB composers and voice artists, composer credits for each song are given. This is something that has been long overdue. It's great to be able to learn exactly what Bugs was singing and who wrote it! The compilers have included the complete soundtracks to six cartoons, including the classic "Three Little Bops". This is an often overlooked cartoon due to the fact that it doesn't feature any of the regular WB characters. The jazzy score by Shorty Rogers and the wonderful vocal performance by Stan Freberg make this the coolest addition to this collection (in my opinion). If Rhino and Warner Bros. decide to release a second volume of 'toon tunes, I would hope that they'd consider these selections: - Bugs Bunny Bond Rally - Coal Black in the Sebben Dwarfs (OK, the filmed images aren't politically correct, but this cartoon's score is one of the best that they ever did!) - I'm Just Wild About Hymie (from "Daffy Duck Slept Here") - April Showers (from "Wet Hare") - Yankee Doodle Daffy (complete score) - The Latin Quarter (from "Daffy Duck Hunt") - Bugs' scat routine from "Hot Cross Bunny" - Carrots Wait For No One (from "To Hare is Human") - The calypso tune Bugs sings in "8 Ball Bunny" - Jimmy Crack Corn (from "Lumber Jack Rabbit") - There's No Place Like Rome (from "Upswept Hare) Somehow, after looking at the list of what's NOT included in this collection, I'm tempted to knock another star off of my rating. There is just too much cool stuff missing from these disks...."

Excellent listening for the Looney Tunes fan, long overdue

Matthew Hunter | Fort Worth, TX | 12/06/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD collection is a wonderful collection of the works of Carl Stalling and countless other performers and composers. This contains clips and complete soundtracks from dozens of cartoons from a variety of time periods. Other reviewers here have touched on flaws and noted that this is only for the serious Looney Tunes fans who visit those Looney Tunes websites. Well guess what, I'm one of those Looney Tunes fan guys (. . .)I love it personally, and I think this kind of collection is long overdue. True, it leaves off a few of the more popular titles, but what is included instead is far more valuable. Such highlights include the complete "Have You Got any Castles", a medley of tunes from such politically-incorrect masterpieces as "Tin Pan Alley Cats" and "Clean Pastures", and a bunch of memorable Bugs Bunny songs previously unreleased. The best thing about this CD is that it includes the voices, not just music, and actually has a wonderfully detailed essay explaining just who you're listening to, without erroniously crediting everyhting to Mel Blanc, who, while a genius himself, did not voice all of the memorable bits in these cartoons. True, many people may not have heard some of these, but folks, it's time to learn just how much classic stuff Warner Bros. has not shown you before. They should. This CD is hopefully a step in the right direction.
My only complaints would be the fact that not enough Harman-Ising era cartoons are included, and the songs are put together on long, themed tracks, rather than as individual tracks that are easily navigable. There is also a lot more they could have included, and I hope more volumes of this are planned, it would be a sin to stop here.
-Matthew"