Yeah, the guy The Band refers to in “Cripple Creek”. Radar also spoke of him in an episode of MAS*H. Ever hear any of songs performed by Spike Jones and the City Slickers? I hadn’t until I started listening to the “Singin’ Swingin’ 40s” channel at NetRadio. That man was sure ahead of his time! He’s like what Alan Sherman would have been if backed by an orchestra!
Have I heard of them? Why, I’ve got a double CD called The Spike Jones Anthology. 
They were very popular back in the 40s or so.
LOVE Spike Jones. He ruined as many songs for me as Alan Sherman. To this day, “Laura” and “Cocktails for Two” make me giggle.
Spike Jones is the P.D.Q. Bach of the pop music world.
Or is P.D.Q. Bach the Spike Jones of the classical music world?
“Hawaiian War Chant”
“Glow Worm” - definitely NOT by the Mills Brothers
And Doodles Weaver:
[bass voice]
Bee[sub]tlebaum[/sub].
[/bass voice]
Leo Kottke attributes his musical career, in part, to Spike Jones. He attended a performance as a youth and one of the band members ran across the stage with a clarinet stuck through his head. Leo’s thoughts: “I wanna be THAT guy!”
YES!!!
My Old Flame and Der Fuhrer’s Face are two of the coolest songs EVER!
too bad he died years before i was born, i ran across him on the Dr. Demento show, along with Stan Freeburg, Frank Zappa, and the rest (here on Gilligan’s Island).
Now this is a tale of the old wild west,
and our hero wore a shiny star on his vest.
He was known always to uphold the law,
a real man’s man and quick on the draw.
Wyatt Earp, that was his name,
and this is the story how he won fame.
It started in a lawless town,
there were lots of real bad hombres around.
They laughed at the law, they didn’t care.
There were twenty-two sheriffs buried there.
“We need a man to uphold the law,
a fearless hombre who’s quick on the draw.”
“You’re right! But don’t forget Big Red,
every sheriff we hire he fills full of lead!”
Well, how about hiring Wyatt Earp?
Wyatt Earp? He makes me burp!
[shave and a hair cut riff, terminated with two loud belches]
Well, one day a stranger came riding in,
with cold blue eyes and a big square chin.
Two six guns strapped at his hips,
a dangerous man with tight grim lips.
Suddenly, the news got around,
that Wyatt Earp had come to town.
At the Silver Dollar things were going full blast,
when Wyatt glanced in as he walked past.
He stopped and went inside instead,
because standing at the bar was “Big Red”.
[vaudeville piano suspense theme]
“I’ve just robbed the bank!” Red shouted with glee,
“So step right up, the drinks are on me.”
“Let’s drink to that yeller skunk, Wyatt Earp”
Wyatt Earp? He makes me burp!
[shave and a hair cut riff, terminated with two loud belches]
Suddenly, it got as still as could be,
because staring in the mirror, Red could plainly see,
Wyatt standing there, with a smile on his lips,
and those two famous six shooters hanging at his hips.
Suddenly, the spell was broke,
it was Wyatt Earp who very softly spoke.
“Howdy, Big Red, I’m Wyatt Earp…”
Wyatt Earp? He makes me burp!
[shave and a hair cut riff, terminated with two loud belches]
::rapid action gun fire::
Well, the rest is all just history.
Wyatt had a draw like lightning, you see.
Red never should of tangled with Wyatt Earp…
Wyatt Earp? He makes me burp!
[shave and a hair cut riff]
[shave and a hair cut riff]
[shave and a hair cut riff]
I guess he ran out of gas…
Belches by Sir Fredrick Gas
I memorized this thirty years ago and occassionally perform it at poetry slams just to fry people’s minds. Can you tell that Spike Jones is one of my all-time heros? A prized Napster jewel is Mel Blanc singing, “Clink, Clink Another Drink” with Spike Jones and His City Slickers.
Hah, I’ve been into Spike since the early 80s when a former Scoutmaster of mine turned me on to him. I got plenty on tape (including “Clink, Clink, Another Drink”) - the two Columbia compilations, some rare V-Disc stuff (including a wacky version of “As Time Goes By”) - and I used to have a double-CD set, which unfortunately was one victim of the break-in at my old apartment. I also have Jordan Young’s unofficial biography, which is a kick-ass book on the Chief Music Lover himself. Plus complete discography!
I still occasionally run across a CD called “Spiked!” which has Spike doing a cover version of Raymond Scott’s Powerhouse but I never seem to have enough money to get it when I do. Someday…
Oh, by the way, Jeff, it was Hawkeye who made the “Fuehrer’s Face” reference, not Radar.
Actually, no …
On the cut list for the album *Spike Jones is Murdering the Classics]/i], the first song is listed as William Tell Overture (beetlebaum)
Also includes sucj classics as Pal-Yat-Chee, The Jones Laughing record, and the 12 1/2 minute epic, Carmen. Ahhhh…
Also have the best of Spike Jones as well. I grew up on Spike, Tom Lehrer, Reiner & Brooks… stuff like that. Lots of laughter in my house.
Ahem----I vas der (a kid during the 40s) Charlie—Imagine the consternation on YOUR HIT PARADE; as “Beetlebaum” was in the TOP 10 tunes for MANY, MANY weeks.
Spike was VERY big on our block.
In the 80s I worked, for a period of time, with Doodles Weaver’s daughter. She had lots of great stories.
Glad to see/hear that he’s appreciated by the newer generations.
“In some secluded rendezous----WOOPEE!!, POLICE-WISTLE, GUN SHOT”.
Ah yes!
“Thank you music lovers!”
The magic is that they did it all live! I mean, they performed in cabarets night after night, shooting those guns, belching, whistling all in perfect time and on cue.
NOT an easy task, as any who have tried will attest.
They pop up occasionally doing specialty numbers in forties movies. I’ve certainly seen a killer version of “Cocktails for Two”, where after the syrupy opening one of the slickers (Spike himself maybe?) swings in from one side, clinging to a wrecking ball. As I recall it anyway.
Some time in the sixties they did an album of “scary” tracks. Dracula and Vampira, and of course “My Old Flame” in which the Peter Lorre sound-alike singer says
"My Old Flame
I can’t even think of her name…
but I remember how she screamed
As I poured the gasoline
(and struck a match)
To My Old Flame"
Years ago I was given a kitten who cried with a sort of “calling out” sound constantly - of course I named her “Chloe”.
SINGER: "Some-one’s calling -
[phone rings]
[spoken] Hello?..You don’t say? …youdon’t say!!?..you don’t say!?!! [hangs up]
BAND: who was it?
SINGER: He didn’t say.
Ah, thanks for awakening some nice memories, Jeff
“Shine little gloworm, shimmer! Shine little gloworm, shimmer!”
And who else could make those obscene throat noises in Hawaiian War Chant?
In junior high school we actually did a Jones-esque number, and I, being the class clown, got to do all the special effects. Quite amusing. I believe the tune was In My Merry Oldsmobile.
“And lead us on to lo-o-ove!”
Esprix
I had my first Spike Jones album back in the late 70s…I read once he used everything from washboards to live chickens to get his silly sound effects.
Still makes me laugh out loud!
I have the double-CD at my desk at work. I also happen to do an okay Peter Lorre impression, so I occasionally let loose with I was this eye! The one that kept winking and blinking at other men! So I removed the other eye! I nghk ack… One of my co-workers didn’t even know who Peter Lorre was, but she asks me to do the impression. I played the song for her and she said, “Oh my god! You sound just like it!” Nobody appreciates Der Fuhrer’s Face though.
I saw some old photos of a Blue Angels airshow, and there was an SNJ they called “Beetlebomb”.
I wish I knew the real words to Hawaiian War Chant. I’d like to get a gang together and take over one of the “Explorer Canoes” at Disneyland and have everyone sing it while the hapless ride attendant has to just go along for the ride.
Honey-child, Honey-pie, Honey-doll, Honey-lamb
I had a “best of” on vinyl and I have the CD, Musical Depreciation. Rick Derringer once said that Spike and his band were like Frank Zappa only much more innocent.
My uncle had a bunch of his stuff on 10-inch records at one time. Don’t know what happened to them.
There are also two movies, one an anthology and another called “Fireman, Save My Cat.”
My old flame
My old lovers all seemed so tame
They wouldn’t even let me strangle them!
Ha! Tricked ya! See, I knew about Hawkeye and “Der Fueher’s Face”, but it was Radar who mentioned Spike Jones by name, while offering an album containing “a lot of burps and ulk-ulks” to Sparky in a trade.
Bless you, my father, for introducing me to the Master of Musical Mayhem. Between Dad and I we must own at least 10 albums, CD’s, tapes, etc. (Yes, there’s a lot of carryover between them, but who cares?)
I remember Dad singing “Never Hit Your Grandma With a Shovel” as I was growing up. Imagine my delight to find it on a 4 CD set of “The Best of Spike Jones” (offered, I think, by Reader’s Digest).
Slightly off the subject, Thanks, Dad, also for introducing me to Tom Lehrer, another favorite of mine. (I have his complete CD collection).
I’m hoping to add Stan Freburg and Bob and Ray’s complete collections as well, someday.
Holy mother of all that is Spiked… can I touch you??
Forget Kevin Bacon, man, now I know someone with a Doodles Weaver number of 2. Dang!!
Are you gonna rely on cheesy second-hand information from some ad-copy writing hack or are you gonna listen to the record to hear what Doodles actually says? It’s very clear, right at the beginning, when he says “And at 20-to-1, Fietlebaum.” F. F. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.
Then you’ve never heard the cut of “I Saw Mommy Screwing Santa Claus”. And it was “Fireman, Save My Child”.
sigh Amateurs, all of you.
Well, I never knew Doodles Weaver’s daughter . . . But I DID date a guy who sang with Spike Jones Jr.'s Orchestra in the 1970s. They did a pretty good “Spiked” version of “Close to You.”
I also do a pretty good George Rock imitation: “Do ya wanna buy a bunny?”