Search - Vic Mizzy :: Addams Family

Good For A "Reformulated" Sountrack... But Not Great.

Dean Anderson | New York, New York | 05/09/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Don't be fooled. "The Addams Family T.V. Soundtrack" does NOT provide you with the original incidental music you hear during the broadcast version of the vintage 1964 television series. So, if you're a stickler for such things, you will be somewhat disappointed by this disc.That's especially true when the very first cut you hear is some instrumental version of the famed theme, played at a slow swing place complete with finger snaps and vocal ahs! Not a good beginning.But once you get past that first track, the disc rebounds nicely with the themes played for the various characters, which fans of the series will recognize immediately, despite not knowing the names of the tunes. "Uncle Fester's Blues" picks up the pace well. "Gomez" has an authentic sounding ring to it, if not for the female la-las added. "Morticia's Theme" is quite evocative and hypnotic. "Lurch's Theme" is fun, if not faster paced than you would expect.Generally, it's not a bad collection of Jazz songs, that have a decidedly Lawrence Welk tinge to them. But then again, they are presented here by the songsmith himself: Vic Mizzy and his Orchestra, which adds to the authenticity of the collection. The liner notes features a full color cover pic of the famed opening theme pose with the family in "snap" position, and small black and white production shots of each cast member and a forward by cartoonist Charles Addams.Huge fans of the series might be interested in this disc, since there is no other material like it out there, and people planning a Halloween party wanting some friendly background music might find this suitable, but everyone else should just wait for the series to eventually appear on DVD."

Setting the record straight...

Richard W. Abrams | Middle of Nowhere, OK USA | 05/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First, let me set the record straight. This CD contains *representations* of "the music ... you'd hear at the very moment a particular Addams Family character would appear on screen", NOT the actual music clip from the show because the actual songs had to be shortened, lengthened, sped-up or slowed-down to meet the timing needs of the video portion of that particular moment in the show. Vic Mizzy is the Original composer for the music for the TV show, as the first reviewer pointed-out as the "songsmith". This album contains full length songs that were developed from the "original incidental music" melodies that one heard during the TV show. If the first reviewer wanted ONLY the "incidental music" clips, he would have had a very short album. In fact, come to think of it, I can't recall any TV theme song lasting a full three minutes or longer on the TV screen. Granted the "The Addams Family: Main Theme 11/2/64" is NOT the same song used for the TV show. The 51 second opening "Main theme", complete with Vic Mizzy singing for the familiar opening number has been included on the re-mastered CD version of the 1965, RCA vinyl release. The TV Theme never appeared on the vinyl release by Vic Mizzy. I should know as I had the original album and now own the CD version. Now, to better explain these songs, I'll refer to the liner notes that appear in the CD booklet.



"Since its debut in the 60's, The Addams Family television series has been shown in reruns thousands of times all over the globe - nearly every day of the year the show appears on a TV screen somewhere. The key to its long-lived and worldwide popularity is a sophisticated blend of humor, camp horror, and of course, the music: the quirky Addams Family theme song, composed by Vic Mizzy, is easily one of the most instantly identifiable TV tunes ever recorded.



"The New York-born Mizzy has written hits for Doris Day and The Andrews Sisters, composed for numerous films, and has scored hundreds of TV shows, from "Green Acres" to "Quincy". It's his boundless creativity and sense of humor that earned him such credits, and these traits were very much in evidence on his Addams Family soundtrack work.



"Originally issued on the RCA Label in 1965, much of the music on this disc represents what you'd hear at the very moment a particular Addams Family character would appear on screen: "Uncle Fester's Blues," "Morticia's Theme," "Gomez," etc. Mizzy reflected recently, "While the show was being shot I told Carolyn Jones (who played Morticia) and John Astin (Gomez) to walk a certain way and I developed special music for their characters based on that. With Morticia it was a very smooth gait. You couldn't see her legs because of the long shroud she wore, so when she moved it looked like she was roller-skating... she just glided across the floor. And with Gomez, I suggested he walk like Groucho Marx!"



"Similarly, Thing (that mysterious hand-in-a-box) had a little ditty of its own, and when Lurch sat down to tickle the ivories, "The Anxiety Tango" was the tune he'd always play. In fact, it's Mizzy himself playing harpsichord on that one (the keyboard is his main instrument). Mizzy's creative stamp is all over the show in several not-so-typical ways as well. For example, it was his idea to show each of the stars snapping their fingers in time with the music during the opening sequence, which he wrote and directed. It's also a little known fact that the vocal version of the series' theme song which open each episode was sung by Mizzy himself, in his own very distinctive growl. "I overdubbed my voice four times for that one," he explained, adding with a laugh, "You know, I've always thought that most rock singers sound like Louis Armstrong with a cold. Well, my voice has natural distortion so I figure I'll have a big hit rock 'n' roll record one day!" Today Mizzy continues to compose for television and film. - Christopher Niccoli, 1991."



Songs Tracking Order and time:



The Addams Family: Main Theme (1:56)

Uncle Fester's Blues (2:13)

Gomez (2:00)

Morticia's Theme (2:38)

Lurch's Theme (2:12)

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Tombstones (2:24)

Thing (1:57)

Laugh? I thought I'd Die! (2:36)

On Shroud No. 9 (2:24)

The Addams House (1:35)

Hide And Shriek (2:38)

The Anxiety Tango (2:03)

The Addams Family: Main Theme (Vocal) (:51)



Unfortunately, due to copyright restrictions, Amazon does not have any samples for you to hear, which is a shame. As for the reviewer stating Vic Mizzy's music has a "decidedly Lawrence Welk tinge to them", a more accurate comparison would be the music styles of German born, composer, conductor, arranger and recording artist, Bert Kaempfert who was also using a treble booster on the bass guitar to give it a more pronounced, popping sound. I do take exception to the statement that Lurch *always* played "The Anxiety Tango" when he "sat down to tickle the ivories". MOST of the time he'd play that song but there were several occasions where he'd play something else. It's too bad "Lurch", actor, Ted Cassidy, died in the 70s. He did some excellent acting in other roles and movies back then. While you wait for the DVDs, this CD is a nice little investment for anyone wanting to recapture the sound of the 70s and music from The Addams Family."

The Addams Family CD

Cynthia S. Mistrot | 05/28/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It was what we needed to participate in a Rotary talent show. We didn't win, but it was fun. Additionally, after I ordered I realized I needed it shipped quicker than I had originally ordered and the individual shipping the cd was kind enough to up grade the shipping before I paid her for that up grade. I did forward the additional money to her. C. Mistrot"