Best of The World of Wonder: Tiny For The Tots

"For All My Little Friends" was Tiny Tim's third and last album for Reprise. This was Tiny's children's album which includes classic versions of "On The Good Ship Lollipop", "Sunshine Cake", and "I'm A Lonesome Little Raindrop" among others. It was released in the summer of 1969 and was actually nominated for a Grammy but lost out to a Peter, Paul & Mary album. If you have children, make sure you expose them to this. You'll be glad you did!

For All My Little Friends

The Best of The World of Wonder: Is That Polish?

When I was a kid and I played the single of They're Coming To Take Me Away by Napolean XIV (yes, I had the single as a kid - still have it today, BTW) I thought that the flip side was something sung in Polish. In actuality, it was just the song backwards. Everything was backwards. The writing on the label, the Warner Brothers logo - the entire side was backwards! I don't know when I came to the realization that it was not polish, but at some point in my post-childhood I figured it out.

They're Coming To Take Me Away - Backwards

The Mystery of The Thanksgiving Nursery Ryhmes

While going through some boxes of things that we have yet to unpack since we moved to our new house a year and a half ago (yes, we are still not unpacked!), I was pleasantly surprised to find a few CDs labeled "Thanksgiving Stuff". I put those aside in order to upload them and possibly post them here. The problem with these CDs was that the tracks were not labeled in any shape or form. When I popped them into the computer all that came up was "Track 1, Track 2, etc . . . ". I listened to them and found numerous radio shows and a few singles and a slew of about 16 nursery rhymes with lyrics that were changed to suit the holiday du Turkey. I thought the nursery rhymes would make a great post so I set out to find out what these songs were and who sang them. After a couple of days of searching, I came to find that they are part of an educational packet that was available to teachers back in the late 70s and early 80s entitled "Thanksgiving Songs To Tickle Your Funny Bone". It's a nice piece of holiday music to help you prep your turkey and trimmings. BTW, I was interested to find that there are a lot of religious songs associated with Thanksgiving. I never considered it to be a religious holiday. Apparently some people do. Anyway, here is "Thanksgiving Songs To Tickle Your Funny Bone". Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Songs To Tickle Your Funny Bone

The Best of The World of Wonder: Heavens To Emerald City, Wizards and Witches Even.

This is quite the treasure! Snagglepuss telling the story of The Wizard of Oz. Very ironic considering that Snagglepuss was based on Bert Lahr's interpretation of The Cowardly Lion. This album was released in 1977 and features not just the story but original songs including the Snagglepuss Theme and songs about The Scarecrow, The Wizard and The Wicked Witch. This is a lot of fun!

Snagglepuss and The Wizard of Oz

A Classified Comic

I, like most people, favor Sean Connery as James Bond. But Roger Moore holds a strong second in my book. (Daniel Craig was great in Casino Royale but Quantum of Solace knocked him down a few pegs). Moore was my generation's Bond and he held the reigns of what I consider to be the golden era of the Bond franchise. Back in the late 70s and early 80s, a Bond film coming out was more of an event than it is today. Actually, any film's release was more of an event than today. Back then, the opening song was just as important as the film and the onslaught of the 80s color schemes and fast paced action were perfect for Bond. The best of the Moore films is, in my humble opinion, "For Your Eyes Only". Not only did it sport an amazingly seductive theme song from Sheena Easton, but it also featured a full onslaught of movie-tie-in items. One of the cooler ones was a two part comics adaptation put out by Marvel. I was so excited to get the comic book version that I only bought the first one and was deeply saddened by the "To Be Continued" bumper at the end. I didn't get the second half until many years later when I found it at an antique store in New Hampshire for the much loved price of fifty cents. It's a pretty cool, albeit, heavily edited version of the film. I present it to you now. Here is the Marvel Comics adaptation of "For Your Eyes Only". Enjoy!

For Your Eyes Only-Marvel Comic Adaptation

Super 8 Theater Presents: W. C. Fields

Here's the Castle Films digest version of "It's A Gift" entitled, "California Bound". Enjoy!

Classic TV Episode of The Month: Starsky And Hutch

One of my all time favorite shows! Be sure to check out my previous Starsky and Hutch posts if you are into this! Enjoy!

Singles Collection Episode 56: Men Without Hats Push For The Pogo

One of the biggest hits of the 80s was "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats. This song brings a smile to any fan of the 80s almost instantly. For years I thought that the band was made up of a Rennasaince Fair hippie, a spastic female and a little person who played the mandolin. This was, of course, thanks to the video. Since realizing just who made up the band, I have become a huge fan of MWH. Still, "The Safety Dance" is my favorite of all of their songs. The song was a protest against bouncers stopping dancers from pogoing in clubs when Disco was dying and New Wave was up and coming. Bouncers didn't like pogoing so they would tell pogoers to stop or be kicked out of the club. Thus, the song is a protest against a particular form of repression, more widely a call for freedom of expression. Lyrics in the song include references to the way pogoing looked to bouncers, especially "And you can act real rude and totally removed/And I can act like an imbecile". Here now is that great protest song of the 80s. Here is "The Safety Dance". Enjoy!

Men Without Hats-The Safety Dance