Whoa, whoa, whoa. Before I get too far, I’m not really “old.” But I am in many ways repurchasing music that delighted me when I was younger. And by “younger” I mean in elementary school and before.
Y’see in the past few years crafty folks have discovered that folks in my age bracket dig nostalgia. Some have been official releases, like the recent Sesame Street boxed set and the Best of the Electric Company DVD package, while others have been a bit more unorthodox (everything I picked up from various sites.)
Actually I’ve been on the nostalgia tip for a quite a spell now. It started when I got into TV Theme songs. I was all about theme songs for like a year. In fact at a family gathering I recreated themes with my mouth. (Apparently I killed, as during my recent trip to Iowa I had requests to reprise my performance.) But right now I’m all about kid’s music. And specifically stuff from my childhood that I had on records, but hasn’t been released on CD.
The first collection that I copped was Sesame Street’s Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music. It’s a solid trip down memory lane, but at three discs it’s ventures way past my youth. The last disc has nearly contemporary artists singing with Muppets I’d not recognize walking down the any street. But it’s probably got a solid disc and a half of goodness there and that more than makes up for the stuff that I don’t care about.
But that got me hungry for more. There were two albums from my childhood that I fondly remember. The first was Grover Sings the Blues and the second was Sesame Street Fever. I can remember putting those albums on as soon as I was old enough to work the record player.
Now I’m sure that they’re still somewhere in the record collection at my mom’s house, but I’ve not touched a turntable in a good twenty years. So I didn’t really want the vinyl, (was probably just a state below me) I wanted to find the re-release on CD.
Sadly I found that they weren’t re-released. But then I found discovered something that picked my spirits right up; the internet.
Y’see there are some folks out there who burn records to CD. And there’s at least one dude who offers up old Sesame Street records for sale for a reasonable price. (Unfortunately he didn’t have the two from my childhood.)
This cat hooked me up both the first and second Sesame Street albums, as well as the first Electric Company album, plus an album from Sesame Street’s Bob and one from Sesame Street’s Susan.
Can I just tell you how I was transported back to Mathan of single digit years? It was dope.
Now I pretend that I’m copping them for my best friend’s daughter or for Jalen, but I’m really just sharing my finds with them. I’m copping for myself.
I’m not going to front; everything didn’t quite live up to the hype. The solo album from Bob is as bland as you’d expect. And some of the albums don’t work perfectly because the songs were meant to be accompanied by visuals (like quite a bit of the Electric Company offering.)
But when it hits it hits. Susan has a rendition of the ABC Song that’s insane! Easy Reader and Silent “E” on the Electric Company record are genuine trips down memory lane. And hearing Has Anybody Seen My Dog? for the first time, probably in decades, blew me away. That song is my joint!
And that’s what I’m bumping right now. So if you happen to be in Las Vegas, on the bus and you see a bald dude in the back of the bus, nodding his head to the music, know that there’s a distinct possibility that he’s grooving to old school Sesame Street tunes.
Who Are the People In Your Neighborhood?
Kyle continues to impress and he’s impressed that I dig both The Roots and Pete Yorn. I’m curious what he’ll think of this week’s offering.
Gloomchen discusses groups who’s albums pale in comparison to their greatest hits.
Tom tackles Hatebreed.
Greg the formula for success for Rock bands of the future, and present too.
I’ve Got Two
Phil gives The Roots some props. Volume I!
Ian literally risks his well-being for some concert tickets. He also breaks my heart by telling me that Karen O will not be paying me a visit. But he makes it up by giving me hope for Beck’s new album.
Five (Other) Electric Company Songs I’m Bumping Right Now
1. The Electric Company Theme
2. Punctuation
3. The Sign Song
4. Giggles Goggles
5. Electric Company March
