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From the Vault...
12/30/2012
#1340 |
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info
Dr. Demento
"The Greatest Christmas Novelty CD Of All Time"
© Rhino Records
Year of Release: 1989
Rating:
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track listing
The Christmas Song--
The Chipmunks
All I Want For Christmas
Is My Two Front Teeth--
Spike Jones
Jingle Bells--
The Singing Dogs
The Twelve Gifts
Of Christmas--
Allan Sherman
I Want A Hippopotamus
For Christmas--
Gayla Peevey
Nuttin' For Christmas--
Stan Freberg
A Christmas Carol--
Tom Lehrer
Grandma Got Run Over
By A Reindeer--
Elmo & Patsy
I Yust Go Nuts
At Christmas--
Yogi Yorgesson
Twelve Days
Of Christmas--
Bob &
Doug McKenzie
Green Christmas--
Stan Freberg
I'm A Christmas Tree--
Wild Man Fischer
with Dr. Demento
I Saw Daddy Kissing
Santa Claus--
Kip Adotta
Santa Claus And
His Old Lady--
Cheech & Chong
Christmast At
Ground Zero--
Weird Al Yankovic
Christmas Dragnet--
Stan Freberg
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Dr. Demento related sites:
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Dr. Demento
"The Greatest Christmas Novelty CD Of All Time"
Dr. Demento's radio shows consisted of Novelty records. It was Dr. Demento who "discovered" Weird Al Yankovic,
as the Doctor asked his audience to send him their own novelty songs. (I was going to do this; I had started working on
lyrics to Billy Joel's "Honesty" -- A parody song called "Allergies," which I did have back then (and still do).
Unfortunately I only had a partial chorus.) Collecting the most popular songs from the Doctor's show would be a treat.
Some of them were on the vinyl-only Demento's Mementos." Later, the Doctor would release "Anniversary" collections:
15th, 20th, and 30th. Of the many songs that were not on these compilations, you pretty much had to buy the artists'
original albums.
Then came the Christmas novelty records. Most of the tracks for our pick of the week, I either had known, or already had in
my collection. Everyone knows "The Chipmunk Song" by David Seville & The Chipmunks; a Christmas collection would not be
complete without it, whether it be a Novelty collection or not. Another ditty was Spike Jones' "All I Want For Christmas Is My
Two Front Teeth." The Singing Dogs' "Jingle Bells" would be another favorite. Before there was Weird Al, there was Allan
Sherman, a man who's vinyl records were part of my collection while growing up. His "Twelve Gifts Of Christmas" is a classic,
and a track that will never die, as it will always be a wonderful track for every Christmas yet to come. Another radio favorite would be
Elmo & Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer." Yogi Yorgesson's "I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas" would be another
one I remembered, as I still await a CD collection of Yogi's music, and hopefully it will include "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" b/w
"Yokohama Mama" -- I had the Capitol 45, of which Yogi changed his name for this single to Hari Kari. Back in the day, I
would watch NBC's Saturday Night Live, and if I wanted to stay up longer, I would watch the show after it, Second City
Television. From SCTV, came Bob & Doug McKenzie, as they would release an album of their own, Great White North.
And from it, their "Twelve Days Of Christmas" would be another funny version. The last track I remembered from this
Dr. Demento set, would be Cheech & Chong's "Santa Claus And His Old Lady" -- a track that would never be released on an
original Cheech & Chong album. (It was only available on a 45, of which I never get the chance to get. I'm sure there's a
Best Of/Greatest Hits package by C&C, with this on it.)
As for the remaining "not so well-remembered" tracks -- They are just as exceptional as the ones I did remember. Of course,
some are better than others. Stan Freberg has three tracks here: "Nuttin' For Christmas" (a song I do remember, but not by
Freberg); "Green Christmas," and his TV Dragnet spoof'er, "Christmas Dragnet." (Freberg reached #1 with a Dragnet
novelty track, "St. George and the Dragonet."
Gayla Peevey's "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" is surely another very entertainig Christmas ditty. Tom Lehrer was
very well-known to me, yet I never did hear his "A Christmas Carol" until I received this Dr. Demento Xmas collection. Both
Wild Man Fischer and Kip Adotta were well-known as well, but not for their Xmas tunes: Wild Man Fischer was best remembered to me with
his novelty track, "My Name Is Larry" (of which I am still trying to find the original album this song is on by Larry, for an
affordable price. Larry had passed away in 2011 of heart problems; he was 66 years old. His albums I guess became out-of-print, and
the prices would skyrocket.) Kip Adotta's biggest novelty track was "Wet Dream." His parody of the Christmas classic, "I Saw
Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is "I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus."
Which leaves us lastly, to a gentleman who gives credit to Dr. Demento for making him famous as he is today: Weird Al Yankovic.
His "Christmas At Ground Zero" may not have been remembered as a Christmas classic, but still, it's Weird Al. (If you enjoy him,
I stronly recommend for you to check out Allan Sherman, as he was the original song parody-ist.)
All in all, this is a great, and wonderful Christmas collection. For the humorist in all of us, this collection will truly bring
smiles to all. And thank you, Dr. Demento, for discovering this wonderful little ensembles.
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