Please Mr. Custer..I don't wanna go..

[jayjay]

@casdave

I can’t believe that no one has mentioned Spike Jones and his City Slickers, they were truly brilliant, they were top rate musicians but also rather goofy looking.

The most famous number is

‘On some secluded avenue’ which was an old sentimental standard when it was originaly written, extremely cloying public house/town drunk type song.

Spike Jones version completely blew it away and sacrified one of the sacred cows of music in a welter of complete mayhem and absurdity.

That song is actually “Cocktails for Two”, which had the added kick of being recorded while Prohibition was still in effect (thus the intro:

“Oh what delight to be given the right
To be carefree and gay once again
No longer slinking, respectfully drinking
Like civilized ladies and men”)

And when Jones got started, there were more sacred cows flying around than in the French Castle scene of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He’s done parodies of Pagliacci (“Pal-Ya-Chee”) and “Carmen”. Also Dance of the Hours, Nutcracker Suite, and William Tell Overture (“Beetlebaaaaaaaaaummmm!”).

[MisterThyristor]

A number of people have mentioned Dr. Demento, but I’m surprised no one has mentioned the two web sites that are the definitive source of information on the good doctor:

The official site
The ultimate site
The second has more information than the first, including station lists of where Dr. D can be heard. (And web-radio locations also.) And playlists, and lyrics, and FAQs, and …

[screech-owl]

I have an “Animaniacs” cassette in the station wagon, and once in a while, I open the sunroof, pop in the cassette, and start belting out

“Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Indianapolis, Indiana,
And Columbus is the capital of Oh-Hi-Yo!..”
(tune of “Turkey in the Straw”)

Or my other favorite on there

“United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama,
Haiti, Jamaica, Peru…”
(Not sure of the tune of this one - anyone know what it is?)
Wish I could find the book, but someone wrote lyrics to various classical music themes, and I want to find the rest of the lyrics to Dvorak’s Humoresque:

Passengers will please refrain
From flushing toilets when the train
Is standing in the station
I love you…
Another wish: I want to get a copy again of a recording from the 70s: the weather forecast for the British Isles done in the style of Gregorian Plainchant. I heard this on a local classical station, managed to tape a copy on my 8-track player, and BAM!, it disappeared.
Okay, it’s not exactly a song, but Anna Russell’s 20 minute synopsis of the 20 hours of Wagner’s Ring Cycle from “The Anna Russell Album?” (she sings soprano, alto, tenor and bass parts, mmkay?) still brings tears to my eyes.

And for complete classical comedy songs, nothing beats The Glory of Human Voice (Florence Foster Jenkins) WARNING! If you have any sense of pitch or musicality, chew off your left arm right immediately and escape, especially from the constipated tenor of the duo singing the trio from “Faust”.

[MisterThyristor]

@screech-owl

Another wish: I want to get a copy again of a recording from the 70s: the weather forecast for the British Isles done in the style of Gregorian Plainchant. I heard this on a local classical station, managed to tape a copy on my 8-track player, and BAM!, it disappeared.

That would be “Weather Forecast” by The Master Singers.

I haven’t been able to find it commercially available, but here is a link to an MP3 of the recording.

[Mods: If this violates board policy, please remove the link. I noticed others including links, and I think this is no longer available, but I was unsure if this was against board policy or not. I will continue to search for a commercially available version.]

[jayjay]

@screech-owl

“United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama,
Haiti, Jamaica, Peru…”
(Not sure of the tune of this one - anyone know what it is?)

It’s based on the Mexican Hat Dance.

[rowrrbazzle]

@MisterThyristor

That would be “Weather Forecast” by The Master Singers.

I haven’t been able to find it commercially available

“Weekend Radio” from WCLV plays it occasionally. The last time the announcer said it was not available.

Have you ever heard Peter Ustinov fake a scene from a Mozart opera?

[Tentacle_Monster]

More of Tom Lehrer: The Old Dope Peddler and The Vatican Rag.

Come on, get down on your knees
Fiddle with your rosary
Bow your head with great respect and
Genuflect, genuflect, genuflect

I prefer Zappa’s instrumentals, but The Dangerous Kitchen, Let’s Make The Water Turn Black (even better if you’ve read The Real Frank Zappa Book), and Billy the Mountain are my favorite comedy songs of his.

Rocked by Rape by The Evolution Control Committee. It’s basically a remix of the CBS Evening News. The ECC has made it freely available online, but I can’t be arsed to dig up a link right now.

The Laziest Men On Mars have made a lot of good ones, mainly based on obscure Web references (see The Terrible Secret of Space), but Superfly’s Johnson is an entertaining mix of Daikatana voice clips.

And there are just too many more. Oh yeah, Dear Penis and Dancing With a Man by Rodney Carrington.

[screech-owl]

@MisterThyristor

That would be “Weather Forecast” by The Master Singers…

Woohoo!!! That’s it!!!

hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug Etc.

Did I mention that I appreciate your help very much? Indeedy, yes I do. I had contacted the radio station years ago, and whoever had owned the reel to reel tape the station was using took it with them when they quit.

Again, thank you. And another hug for good measure.

screech-owl

[Wumpus]

Clarifying nitpick: the song “Cocktails for Two” dates from the end of Prohibition, i.e. 1933. However, the Spike Jones version/parody of it dates from 1944.

[jayjay]

@Wumpus

Clarifying nitpick: the song “Cocktails for Two” dates from the end of Prohibition, i.e. 1933. However, the Spike Jones version/parody of it dates from 1944.

Oops! I’d assumed from that intro that it dated from…

[MisterThyristor]

@screech-owl

Woohoo!!! That’s it!!!

hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug hug Etc.

Did I mention that I appreciate your help very much? Indeedy, yes I do. I had contacted the radio station years ago, and whoever had owned the reel to reel tape the station was using took it with them when they quit.

Again, thank you. And another hug for good measure.

screech-owl

<BLUSH> Wow! You’re welcome. (I don’t think I have been thanked so effusively before, but one can never have too many hugs! ) I did search for a commercial version. The only one I found was on a CD produced by Canadian Broadcasting (CBC Radio) called “Gilmour’s Album Volume 2” by radio host Clyde Gilmour. It seems to be out of print. One or two online CD stores listed it, but showed it as being backordered since 2001. You may be able to find it at one of the online places that sells used CDs (I added it to my “want list” on Half.com) but in the meantime, I’m glad you’re enjoying the .mp3!