September of Soundtracks: The Marx Brothers Get Cultured

In Seattle a few months ago, I came across an LP I had never seen before. It was obviously not a legitimate release but it did intrigue me as it stated that it was the original soundtrack to "A Night At The Opera". I purchased it and sent it home only to hear it a few weeks later when I cam home for a quick week off. To my surprise, it was indeed the soundtrack to the film. The entire soundtrack. Basically, it is the film on record and unlike the story records of the 70s and 80s that featured films on record, this is pretty much the entire film. The only thing that is missing, ironically, are the harp and piano solos by Harpo and Chico. All of the opera songs are here, just not the Marx Brothers' performances. I also had to speed it up as the album features a slower recording of the film. I don't know how that happened but I corrected it for your listening pleasure. Here is that album. Enjoy!

A Night At The Opera OST

BONUS!!!
Here's a re-post of a Marx Brothers album featuring sound clips from their films that was released in the 70s:


The brothers Marx were by far the greatest comedy team ever! Their mad cap humor extended from the stage and screen right into their real lives! I have so much Marx Brothers stuff that I thought I would post this as a "starter kit" for those who are unknown to the genius of these fine gentlemen! It is actually not one of my personal favorites but it does showcase their comedic talents from their films. It's "The Marx Brothers :Actual Voice Tracks From Their Movies." This came out in the 70s as part of a series of old time film comedians' voice tracks from old movies. There's much more from the Marx Brothers coming soon! Enjoy!

The Marx Brothers: Actual Voice Tracks From Their Movies

September of Soundtracks: Travolta Two-Fer

As I did a double feature of Black Hole albums yesterday, I thought I would continue with another double-feature post. Today we have the soundtracks from two John Travolta films. No, not the block busters like Grease and Saturday Night Fever. The other ones. The ones that weren't so good. For example, when Travolta and Olivia Newton John proved to be such a great team with Grease, Hollywood thought they would work well together in another film. Instead of high school kids from opposite sides of the track in the 1950s, they chose to make the second film about a failed inventor who, threatened by loan sharks, decides to hold up a bank. The teller he picks to rob is, you guessed it, played by Olivia Newton John! When she gives him deposit slips instead of cash, he tracks her down to reclaim his stolen money and the two, naturally, fall in love. Add to this, a sub-plot about angels trying to find the good in man in order to prevent God from destroying the Earth and starting over and you have the recipe for crap! In fact, many people have traced John Travolta's 11 year box office slump to this film. The one saving grace is the soundtrack. It features some kickin' Olivia Newton John numbers including, "Twist of Fate". It is also noted that Journey contributed a song to the soundtrack that was originally to be released on their landmark "Frontiers" album, only to be pulled from the album last minute making the soundtrack the only place to get the particular song. Thank god that I am posting this soundtrack as opposed to the film itself. Here it is:

Two Of A Kind OST


Just when you think Hollywood couldn't go wrong with Travolta again, along came "Staying Alive". For those of you who are still wondering, yes, it is the sequel to Saturday Night Fever! This time around Tony Manero is now living in Manhattan working as a dance instructor and as a waiter at a dance club, looking for his big break on Broadway. Tony lands a role in the chorus of a new production called "Satan's Alley" starring a wealthy English dancer Laura. Tony seduces her only to find that he is the one who has been used. His girlfriend gets sick of being second best and leaves him. Tony sees an opportunity to replace the lead male dancer and yatta yatta yatta, he gets the role, gets back his girl and "struts" at the end of the film to make the one good scene in the entire movie. 1983 was just not John Travolta's year! What makes this film even worse is that it was directed by none other than Sylvester Stallone. You would think that the guy who wrote and directed "Rocky" could make a better picture. Then again, he is responsible for Rambo (which I embarrassingly admit to being a fan of!). The best part of all of this is that when Stallone is involved with a film, so is his brother, Frank. Frank Stallone is all over this soundtrack, screaming out the hits like "Far From Over" and more! Of course, the Bee Gees make a return appearance. As with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, they get half of the songs. Instead of a whole album of Bee Gees, for this soundtrack, you just get a side. All in all, the soundtrack is not that bad. A good addition to any collection. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Staying Alive OST

September of Soundtracks:A Rip In The Very Fabric Of Space And Time

Today we have a double feature! This time around it's a double feature of albums from the Disney Sci-Fi epic, "The Black Hole". First up is the original score written by John Barry. The ominous tones of Barry's score added to the excitement created by the amazing special effects team at Disney. If the score isn't enough for you, the second part of the "Double Feature" is the story album from the film. As with Star Wars, they released a condensed version of the film on a long playing record. Again, this was before you could run to Wal-Mart and buy the video or DVD to bring home. This was the best way to relive the excitement of the film at home. With an all star cast of Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux , Ernest Borgnine, Tom McLoughlin and the voices of Roddy McDowall and Slim Pickens, this is one great story album. Here are both of these great treasures to add to our collection. Today we enter The Black Hole! Enjoy!

The Black Hole OST
The Black Hole Story Album

September of Soundtracks: LOVE BROKERS!

OK, so a lot of people have written me and asked me about the reference I made a few posts back to Henry Winkler feeling up my friend at Toronto's FanExpo. I figured since I was going to tell the story, I might as well post a soundtrack to a Henry Winkler film. The soundtrack is "Night Shift" and it is one of Winkler's better films. It was directed by Ron Howard and featured and an up and coming comedic actor named Michael Keaton, as well a feature part played by Shelly Long. The film falls in my favorites list and in my opinion, Michael Keaton has yet to top his performance in it. The soundtrack is a quirky collection of songs from the 80s including Talk Talk by Talk Talk, Girl's Know How by Al Jarreau, Night Shift by Quarterflash and a beautiful ballad sung by Rod Stewart by the name of "That's What Friends Are For". Most people remember Dione Warwick's horrendous version that was the big hit, but I have always loved this version that went by without too much fanfare. They are all here for your enjoyment! Now, let's all sit down and I'll tell you the tale of how the Fonz grabbed a boob! I was at the Expo with two friends from Avenue Q, Rob and Maggie (who happen to be engaged to each other). We were waiting on line to meet Henry Winkler. As we were doing this, Henry, unlike all of the other celebs, was walking up and down the line saying hello to everyone and thanking them for their patience. A class act! As he passed by us, he looked at Maggie and said "How did you get to be so beautiful?" just like you would expect him to say it. When we got to the front and got to meet him, we told him we were with Avenue Q to which he replied, "I love that show. I really love that show" Then he started to sing "It Sucks To Be Me" and stated that his favorite thing in the show was the person that runs the second hand for the puppets. We told him that was what Maggie did and he hugged her and said "I love that I got to meet the second hand. Let's get a picture!" So, we posed for the picture. It was Me, Henry Winkler, Maggie and Rob all in a line. We thanked him and as we were walking away Maggie whispered to us "Henry Winkler just totally felt me up." We, of course, were hesitant to believe her. "Look at the picture!" she said. Sure enough, there was the proof. We were all smiling with our arms around each other and there, cupping Maggie's left breast, was the same hand that had started the jukebox back on Happy Days! Enjoy the soundtrack!

Night Shift OST

September of Soundtracks: Kaptain Kool is Cool! (re-post)

I thought I would return to the world of television soundtracks with two re-posts from 2006.


Today I am posting an awesome super groovy album from the Kaptain Kool & The Kongs Saturday Morning Show! I've owned this album from the day it came out and absolutely love it! It's another story record that features the actual show on record. This album features comedy bits from Kaptain Kool and the Kongs along with episodes of Wonderbug, Magic Mongo and Bigfoot and Wildboy. This is great for reliving those glorious days of Saturday mornings of yesteryear! Enjoy!

Kaptain Kool And The Kongs Story Record


Here is the Kaptain Kool and The Kongs album that features actual music as oppossed to the story album I posted above. It's you typical 70s bubblegum but it's pretty darn cool! Here it is your your enjoyment!

Kaptain Kool And The Kongs Music Album

September of Soundtracks: We Eat Eggs and Spamalot!

In case you live under a rock and haven't been paying any attention to pop culture for the past few years, there is a smash Broadway musical called "Spamalot" that is based on the film, "Monty Python and The Holy Grail". I really doubt that there are many people who don't know about the movie. In fact, it is considered to be the best Monty Python film of them all. It is an amazing comedic romp and the soundtrack album is more of an addendum to the film rather than a soundtrack album. It features the songs from the film as well as selected scenes (including the great "I Fart In Your General Direction"). But what makes the album all the more interesting is the added comedy skits that were recorded just for the record. It's almost like the bonus material that comes along on a DVD that wasn't there to begin with but was added just for the DVD release. The big difference being that this "bonus material" is actually worth it. Complete your enjoyment of "Monty Phython and The Holy Grail" by listening to this album!

The Album of the Soundtrack of the Trailer of the Film of Monty Python and the Holy Grail

September of Soundtracks: It's Only A Paper Moon

Seeing as how Ryan O'Neil has been making headlines this past week, I thought I would post the soundtrack to one of his great films, "Paper Moon". This film is best remembered as the introduction of Tatum O'Neil into the world of film. Her portrayal of "Addie Loggins" won her an academy award for best supporting actress making her the youngest actor ever to receive an oscar. In fact, she actually beat out her co-star, Madeline Kahn, for the award! The film is actually based on a book called "Addie Pray" which was later changed to "Paper Moon" after the film came out. Both are excellent. What's even more excellent is the collection of depression era music used for the soundtrack! Here it is for you now. Enjoy!

Paper Moon OST

September of Soundtracks: "I Was Runner Up" OR The Monkees Meet Quincy Jones

Back when I was in high school, I was drafted into the Drama Club by my chorus teacher for a part in a play called "Cactus Flower". The part was "Igor Sullivan" who happens to be the neighbor of a girl who attempts suicide because she is in love with a dentist who is married. The plot thickens!!! Anyway, after all of this suicide stuff, the show turns out to be a comedy. The scene that I always remember the most was when Toni (the girl who tried to kill herself) has her dentist lover over and Igor comes over to borrow some soap dressed only in a towel. Now, back in high school, I weighed 120 pounds soaking wet. If I took a deep breath you could count my ribs. I was not a very filled out male. So, you have this semi-emaciated teenager walking into a scene wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. It gets better. Since it was high school and there was no budget for costumes and such, we had to supply our own. The towel I was wearing came from our family's linen closet. It was a beach towel that said "Big Daddy". Being the ham that I am, I naturally put the "Big Daddy" directly over my crotch. When I came into the room, the Dentist looked at me and said "Mr America, I presume?!" to which Igor replies, "I was runner up." At this point, I proceeded to flex my non-existent muscles and went one step further by kissing my non-existent "guns". It got the biggest laugh of the show and for the next few weeks, the lunch ladies all referred to me as "Big Daddy".

Some time after that, I happened to catch the film version of the play on television. It was Goldie Hawn's first feature film (an oscar winning role I might add) and it also starred Walter Matthau as the Dentist and Ingrid Bergman as the Dentist's wife. (actually, he dentist isn't really married. He tells Toni that to avoid commitment!) One thing that I noticed about the background music in the film was that it featured instrumental versions of songs recorded by none other than the Monkees. The songs, "I'm A Believer" and "She Hangs Out" are prominently featured throughout the film. For years I have looked for the soundtrack in hopes that those would be on it. It wasn't long ago that I found this album and sure enough, there they were, alongside some original Quincy Jones songs and the Boyce and Hart hit, "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight". Interesting! Anyway, here is that soundtrack to that film that was based on the play that I made my acting debut in. Here is Cactus Flower. Enjoy!

Cactus Flower OST