Muppet Hits Volume 2

Louise Gold starred as one of the Muppet Performers

Catalogue number: (CD) 78400 15001-2, (Cassette) 78400 10001-4

Cast

The Players:

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

Frank Oz (as: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam The Eagle and other assorted characters)

Jerry Nelson (as: Robin The Frog, Dr Strangepork and other assorted characters)

Richard Hunt (as: Stadler, Wayne and other assorted characters)

Dave Goelz (as: Gonzo, and other assorted characters)

Louise Gold (as: Annie Sue Pig, and other assorted characters)

Eren Ozker (as: Wanda and other assorted characters)

John Lovelady (as various assorted characters)

Uncredited:

Kathryn Mullen (as various assorted characters)

Steve Whitmire (as various assorted characters)

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

Production Team

 Songs originally produced by - Jim Henson

With the help of - Peter Harris

Executive Producer - Robert Kraft

Orchestra conducted by - Jack Parnell

Track Listing

1. The Muppet Show Theme - Cast (Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold)

2. Hawaiian War Chant - Cast (Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Louise Gold, and possibly Richard Hunt and Kathryn Mullen)

3. Macho Macho Man - Link and Gonzo (Jim Henson and Dave Goelz)

4. Pachalafaka - Cast (Jim Henson)

5. The Comedian’s A Bear - Kermit The Frog, and, Fozzie Bear (Jim Henson and Frank Oz)

6. Dog Walk - Wayne (Richard Hunt)

7. For What It’s Worth - Cast (Jerry Nelson with: Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold)

8. I’m My Own Granpaw - Cast (Peter Friedman)

9. Jamboree - Gonzo (Dave Goelz)

10. Dialogue By Sam The Eagle - Sam The Eagle (Frank Oz)

11. Pennsylvania 6-500 - Bobby Benson’s Baby Band (Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Louise Gold, Kathryn Mullen, and possibly Dave Goelz and Steve Whitmire)

12. Sea Chanty - Link Hogthrob, Fozzie Bear, Scooter, and, Robin The Frog (Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, and, Jerry Nelson)

13. Pig Calypso - Miss Piggy, Kermit The Frog, and The Pigs including Annie Sue (Frank Oz and Jim Henson, with: Louise Gold, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson etc)

14. Titwillow - Rowlf and Sam The Eagle (Jim Henson and Frank Oz)

15. Mississippi Mud - Early Jugband (Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, and, Richard Hunt)

16. Sweet Tooth Jam - Animal (Frank Oz)

17. Closing Theme - instrumental

Please not the identifications of who sings what have been made by a consensus of Online Muppet Fans, they may not be entirely accurate.

It should be noted that:

Track 7, For What It’s Worth, comes from The Muppet Show 2, therefore ‘The Players’ on that track can only consist of a selection of: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold.

Track 11, Pennsylvania 6-500, comes from Muppet Show Music Album, therefore ‘The Players’ on that track can only consist of a selection of: The Muppet Show Eight (Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, Steve Whitmire, and, Kathryn Mullen)

The version of The Muppet Show Theme used on this album comes from The Muppet Show 2.

All of the performers featured on this album had worked on The Muppet Show , as did Peter Harris and Jack Parnell.

All of the performers featured on this album appear on the album: Muppet Hits 1, along with a different version of The Muppet Show Theme..

The Muppet Show Eight: Louise Gold, Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Kathryn Mullen, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and, Steve Whitmire also puppeteered on The Great Muppet Caper, and they all sang on The Great Muppet Caper (Soundtrack album), John Denver and The Muppets A Christmas Together, John Denver & The Muppets Merry Christmas 45RPM, Christmas For Kids, John Denver Christmas, and, Muppet Music Sampler.

The Muppet Show Eight: Louise Gold, Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Kathryn Mullen, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and, Steve Whitmire, under the direction of Peter Harris and the musical direction of Jack Parnell star on Muppet Show Music Album from which the tracks: Hawaiian War Chant, Jamboree, Jam, Macho Macho Man, Pennsylvania 6-500, and Dog Walk originate, along with a different version of The Muppet Show Theme.

The Muppet Show Eight (Louise Gold, Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Kathryn Mullen, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and, Steve Whitmire) all puppeteered on The Muppets Go To The Movies, which Peter Harris also directed. They also all featured on the documentary Of Muppets And Men.

The Muppet Show Eight (Louise Gold, Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Kathryn Mullen, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and, Steve Whitmire) all feature on Muppet Music Mix, for which Robert Kraft was also Executive Producer, and which also includes the recording of Mississippi Mud, along with a different a version of The Muppet Show Theme.

Louise Gold, Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz can also be found on Jim Henson Presents Silly Songs (which Jack Parnell was also involved with the musical direction of. The recordings of Pachalafaka, Dog Walk, I’m My Own Granpaw, and, Sea Chanty can also be found on it, as can a version of The Muppet Show Theme.

Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold under the direction of Peter Harris and the musical direction of Jack Parnell can also be heard on The Muppet Show Music Hall; (The Muppet Show 2, from which this albums recordings of: The Muppet Show Theme, Sam The Eagle’s Dialogue, Sea Chanty, Pig Calypso, and For What It’s Worth originate); and For What It’s Worth (which also feature Pig Calypso and For What It’s Worth).

Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold represented The Muppets on The Royal Variety Performance (1977).

Louise Gold, Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, John Lovelady, Kathryn Mullen, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and, Steve Whitmire can also be found on Favorite Songs From Jim Henson’s Muppets. The recording of Titwillow can also be found on it, along with a different version of The Muppet Show Theme.

Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, John Lovelady, Kathryn Mullen, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, Eren Ozker, and, Steve Whitmire can also be heard (although are not necessarily credited) on Music Mayhem And More on which can be found the same recording of A Monologue By Fozzie Bear/The Comedian’s A Bear, along with a different version of The Muppet Show Theme.

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

Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz, and, Steve Whitmire also puppeteered on Labyrinth.

Louise Gold, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and, Steve Whitmire puppeteered on The Muppet Christmas Carol, an can be heard on The Muppet Christmas Carol (Soundtrack album), on which Robert Kraft was also Executive Producer (he also worked on the film).

Louise Gold and Peter Harris also worked on Spitting Image and the album Spit In Your Ear

Louise Gold, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and, Frank Oz can also be heard on Born To Add

Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and, Louise Gold can also be heard on Elmo’s Lowdown Hoedown

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

Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold 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).

Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, and, Louise Gold went on to puppeteer on Muppet Treasure Island.

Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, and, Louise Gold went on to puppeteer on The Animal Show, on which Frank Oz did a guest puppeteering appearance, and Peter Harris was also involved with.

Louise Gold, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, and, Steve Whitmire puppeteered 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, Kathy Mullen, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and, Steve Whitmire performed at Jim Henson’s Memorial Service.

Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, Jerry Nelson, and, Steve Whitmire’s recording credits include A Green And Red Christmas.

Louise Gold, and, Richard Hunt had puppeteered on The Ghost Of Faffner Hall.

Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold puppeteered on The Secret Life Of Toys.

Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, Kathryn Mullen, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and, Steve Whitmire puppeteered together 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, 27 June 2002

At the end of Track 2 there is an excerpt (originally from the record The Muppet Show Two) of Stadler and Waldof, wondering what will be on this (the second Muppet Show) album, “Probably stuff that wasn’t good enough for the first one”, in the case of the second Muppet Hits album they certainly have a valid point. This album is simply nowhere near as good as Muppet Hits 1. That said it does still contain some very funny material, and if you are into collecting Muppet albums it is worth having.

The album includes some classic moments, for example Rowlf and Sam attempting to sing Gilbert And Sullivan, I don’t think Titwillow will ever be quite the same again. It also has Sam The Eagle’s rather amusing rant about nudity, which is surely one of his better Muppet Show dialogues. The album also includes a sketch that has become something of a Muppet classic, Kermit and Fozzie in the sketch The Comedian’s A Bear, which is supposed to be the world’s funniest joke. Although this classic is here performed very well by its original performers, Jim Henson and Frank Oz, I personally preferred it’s punch line “No he’s a not he’s a wearing a neckertie” as delivered, more recently, by West End actress Louise Gold, in her recent cabaret act.

Two other moderately amusing numbers include Peter Friedman’s rendition of a rather funny song, I’m My Own Granpaw, and the wonderful Richard Hunt singing Dog Walk, a number which works well chiefly because it is so well sung. There is also a little effort at message-giving sentiment with For What It’s Worth, sung by the incomparable Jerry Nelson. If you have a really sincerely thoughtful Muppet number, he is definitely the right muppeteer to sing it.

Some of the numbers on the album are really quite funny in a Muppet sort of way, including: Sea Chanty performed by a mixed group of muppets comprising four major talents: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, and, Richard Hunt, to my mind this definitely counts as one of Frank Oz’s better musical performances. Jim Henson does a pretty good job of singing Pachalafaka, and I have to say, that for once he manages an accent a little different to his normal accents. Another unusually good performance from a muppeteer not noted for their singing ability can be found in Jamboree, where Dave Goelz is in his element as Gonzo, having a Jamboree.

To my mind, though, there are two numbers which do stand out as making this album worth having, at least for Muppet fans. Pig Calypso is a very typical performance from Miss Piggy at the height of The Muppet Show, chasing Kermit in song, and as “The frog has come to have his say” Kermit also sings on it. Frank Oz and especially Jim Henson sing their parts quite well, they also have The Muppet Show’s usual excellent backing vocals, involving such talents as: Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, and on this number one can particularly pick out Louise Gold’s distinctive voice, as Annie Sue. Louise Gold’s strong voice also features prominently on what I think is the best number on the entire album, Pennsylvania 6-5000, given a hilarious performance by Bobby Benson’s Baby Band; It is a prime example of what the Muppets do best, take a classic musical number, and do it their way.

All in all this album is really one for serious Muppet collectors only, unless you happen to want a hilarious version of Pennsylvania 6-5000 (and I would recommend it). Although this album has a lot of enjoyable moments, it has few that really stand out as absolute must-hears, and thus overall, it does not quite make it into the league of really great Muppet albums, although being The Muppet Show, it is still very funny, and well performed.

Critics Comments

Links about Muppet Hits Volume 2

Muppet Wiki’s page for this album: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppet_Hits_Take_2

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