Jim Henson Presents Silly Songs

Louise Gold featured as one of the Muppet Performers

Catalogue number: LP: MLP1201, album produced in 1984

Cast

The Muppet Performers:

Jim Henson (as: Kermit The Frog, Link Hogthrob, and other assorted characters)

Frank Oz (as Fozzie Bear and other assorted characters)

Jerry Nelson (as Baskerville The Afghan Hound, Another dog, Miss Mousey, A Goat, A Singing Owl, Robin The Frog, Cowboy Jerry and other assorted characters)

Richard Hunt (as: Scooter the Gofer, Wayne, and other assorted characters)

Dave Goelz (as Gonzo The Great and other assorted characters)

Louise Gold (as: a blond pig, Annie Sue Pig, Zelda Rose, Lou-the-jugband-lady, and other assorted characters)

Uncredited:

Peter Friedman (lead singer on I’m My Own Granpaw)

Production Team

Producer - Geni Sackerson

Executive Producer - Jim Henson

Album Design - Diana Zadaria

Recording Engineer - Doug Epstein

Track Listing

Side 1

1. The Muppet Show Theme (Henson, Pottle & ASCAP) - Instrumental

2. Upidee (Arr A. Kenneth & ASCAP) - A Blond Pig, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo The Great, and, Baskaville the Afghan Hound, another dog, Miss Mousey & a goat (Louise Gold, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, and possibly Richard Hunt)

3. Lydia The Tattooed Lady (Harburg, Arlen & ASCAP)- Kermit The Frog (Jim Henson)

4. Pachalafaka (Irving Taylor & ASCAP) - (Jim Henson)

5. I’m My Own Granpaw (Latham, Jaffe & ASCAP)- (Peter Friedman)

6. The Rhyming Song (Grossman, Oz & BMI) - Fozzie Bear, Scooter, Link Hogthrob, and Annie Sue (Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Jim Henson, and, Louise Gold)

Side 2

7. Dog Walk (Paul Tracey & BMI) - Wayne (Richard Hunt)

8. Memory Lane (Abe Burrows & ASCAP) - Gonzo The Great (Dave Goelz)

9. There’s A New Sound (Tony Burello & BMI) - Scooter (Richard Hunt)

10. Who (Kern & ASCAP) - Zelda Rose and her singing owl (Louise Gold with Jerry Nelson)

11. Sea Chantey (Abe Burrows & ASCAP)- Link Hogthrob, Scooter, Fozzie Bear, and, Robin The Frog (Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Frank Oz, and, Jerry Nelson)

12. Borneo (Aldson & ASCAP) - Cowboy Jerry and Lou-the-Jugband-Lady with The Jugband (Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold, with Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, and, Dave Goelz)

13. Closing Theme (Henson, Pottle &ASCAP) - Orchestra conducted by Jack Parnell

The songs from this album are all associated with The Muppet Show, which all the Muppet Performers featured on it worked on (with the orchestra conducted by Jack Parnell). They also represented The Muppets on The Royal Variety Performance (1977).

Peter Friedman was not actually credited on the album sleeve notes, however it appears that he sang I’m My Own Granpaw.

The version of Who? used on this album is the one that was specially recorded for the album The Muppet Show Album 2, with Zelda Rose sung by Louise Gold, rather than the version on the Milton Berle episode of The Muppet Show, where it was sung by somebody else (an unsuccessful candidate auditioning for a job on the show).

It is hard to tell which version of The Muppet Show Theme has been used on this album (there are three), as it is only instrumental, it is most likely to have been taken from The Muppet Show Music Album (because that one has a very long instrumental section).

Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz and Louise Gold also puppeteered on The Great Muppet Caper, sang on The Great Muppet Caper film soundtrack album, and puppeteered on The Muppets Go To The Movies.

Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold puppeteered on The Dark Crystal, for which Jerry Nelson did some voice-work.

Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and, Dave Goelz puppeteered on Labyrinth.

Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold went on to puppeteer on The Muppet Christmas Carol, and. Muppet Treasure Island, and sing on The Muppet Christmas Carol (Soundtrack album).

Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and, Louise Gold went on to sing on Born To Add for which Doug Epstein was the chief recording engineer.

Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and, Louise Gold went on to sing on Elmo’s Lowdown Hoedown

The six credited on this album are also featured (although not always credited) on the albums: The Muppet Show Music Hall (which also had musical direction by Jack Parnell) The Muppet Show 2 (which also had musical direction by Jack Parnell, and from which the songs: There’s A New Sound, Who?, Borneo, Upidee, Sea Chantey originate. That album also includes a version of The Muppet Show Theme), For What It’s Worth (which also involved Jack Parnell, uncredited), Muppet Show Music Album (which also had musical direction by Jack Parnell and from which the songs: The Muppet Show Theme, The Rhyming Song, and, Dog Walk originate), John Denver & The Muppets A Christmas Together, John Denver & The Muppets Merry Christmas 45RPM, Christmas For Kids, John Denver Christmas, and Favorite Songs From Jim Henson’s Muppets (which was also produced by Geni Sackerson, and includes a version of The Muppet Show Theme), Muppet Music Sampler (which included part of the same version of The Rhyming Song), Muppet Hits 1 (which also had musical direction by Jack Parnell, and included the same versions of the songs: Borneo, The Rhyming Song, There’s A New Sound, Upidee, and, Who? It also includes a version of The Muppet Show Theme) and Muppet Hits 2 (which also had musical direction by Jack Parnell and included the same versions of the songs: Pachalafaka, Dog Walk, I’m My Own Granpaw, and Sea Chantey; along with a version of The Muppet Show Theme), Muppet Music Mix (which includes the same version of the The Rhyming Song, along with a version of The Muppet Show Theme) and Music Mayhem And More (which included the same version of There’s A New Sound, along with a version of The Muppet Show Theme). The six also appeared in the television documentary Of Muppets And Men.

Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold, singing Who, with an introduction by Jim Henson can also be heard on Jerome Kern The First 100 Years (although they are credited simply as ‘The Muppets’, rather than as individuals)

Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and, Louise Gold appeared in “a burlesque show with some of the Muppet-company”

Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold went on to puppeteer on The Animal Show, on which Frank Oz did a guest puppeteering appearance.

Louise Gold, Jim Henson, and, Richard Hunt puppeteerd on Tale Of The Bunny Picnic.

Jerry Nelson, and, Dave Goelz (besides puppeteering on Fraggle Rock itself) did voice-work on the UK Co-Production of Fraggle Rock, on which Louise Gold puppeteered.

Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, and, Frank Oz went on to perform at Jim Henson’s Memorial Service.

Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold went on to puppeteer on The Secret Life Of Toys, their recording credits include A Green And Red Christmas.

Louise Gold, and, Richard Hunt went on to puppeteer on The Ghost Of Faffner Hall.

Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold went on to puppeteer on Sesame Street (in the early 1990s).

Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and, Louise Gold’s recording credits include The Count’s Countdown, however there has been some debate as to whether Louise Gold actually sang on it.

Review

by Emma Shane

This album is a lovely little compilation of some of the best silly songs sung by the delightfully silly muppets on The Muppet Show. The sheer silliness of it all is perhaps best summed up by songs such as the hilarious Muppet versions of Upidee and The Rhyming Song. Another contribution which rather sums up the silliness is when Fozzie Bear (Frank Oz) leads Link (Jim Henson), Scooter (Richard Hunt) and Robin (Jerry Nelson) in Sea Chanty.

Just because the songs are silly does not mean to say they are not well sung. One of the great strengths of The Muppet Show was that it possessed three truly excellent vocalists, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, and, Louise Gold, all of whom are featured on this album. Richard Hunt really demonstrates his vocal talents with There’s A New Sound and Dog Walk, while that great muppet singing double act, Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold come into their own singing Borneo.

British performer Louise Gold (with some support from Jerry Nelson) also shines in Who? A number she did not actually sing on The Muppet Show itself. Another oddity on the album is Peter Friedman’s recording of I’m My Own Granpaw, it is quite an amusing song and pretty well performed.

Besides Borneo and Who? the other tracks I especially like are Upidee and The Rhyming Song. Upidee is quite impressive vocally, I particularly like hearing Louise Gold getting an opportunity to do a distinctly ‘British’ sounding voice; it is also worth noting that the versatile Jerry Nelson voiced about four different characters! The Rhyming Song goes wonderfully wrong in a manner that is just delightfully ‘muppet’, and yet they keep going. It also has the added bonus that the muppeteers singing on it, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Jim Henson, and Louise Gold, are all performing characters they are very familiar with, and in the case of three of them (Jim Henson is the exception here) are perhaps performing the characters most like them. I especially like Annie Sue (Louise Gold)’s remark towards the end “Well it wasn’t that bad”. Perhaps that really sums up this delightfully silly Muppet album.

Links about Jim Henson Presents Silly Songs

Muppet Central/Tibby's Bowl Interview with Louise Gold http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/gold.shtml Although this album is not mentioned, the muppeteer does mention her recording of Who?

Muppet Wiki page for this album: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Jim_Henson_Presents_Silly_Songs

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