Muppet Show Music Album
Louise Gold starred as one of The Muppet Performers
Catalogue number: (LP) PYE
Records SPLP 1580, (Cassette) PYE Records 4SPLP 1580, (LP with
Spanish Sleeve notes) PYE 6014, album produced in 1979
Players
Jim
Henson (as: Kermit
The Frog, Rowlf, Link Hogthrob, Waldorf, Dr Teeth, and other assorted
characters)
Frank Oz (as: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear,
Animal, and other assorted characters)
Jerry
Nelson (as: Floyd,
Robin, Geri, Cowboy Jerry, and other assorted characters)
Richard
Hunt (as: Scooter,
Stadler, Janice,
Dave
Goelz (as: Zoot,
Gonzo, and other assorted characters)
Louise
Gold (as: Annie Sue
Pig, Lou-The-Jugband-Lady, and other assorted characters)
Steve
Whitmire (as
various assorted characters)
Kathryn
Mullen (as various
assorted characters)
Production Team
Producer
- Jim Henson
Directors - Peter
Harris and Philip Casson
Musical
Associate - Derek Scott
Orchestra
conducted by - Jack Parnell
Writers - Jerry
Juhl, David Odell, Don Hinkley, Jim Henson, and, Chris
Langham
Musical
Consultants - Larry Grossman, and, Ray Charles
Audio - Roger
Knight, and, Ted Scott
Executive Producer
- David Lazer
Track Listing
Side 1
1. The Muppet Show Theme
- The Cast (The Players)
2. Hawaiian War Chant
- The Pigs (Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire,
Louise Gold, and possibly Richard Hunt and, Kathy Mullen)
3. The Rhyming Song
- Fozzie Bear, Scooter, Annie Sue, and, Link (Frank Oz, Richard Hunt,
Louise Gold, and, Jim Henson)
4. Blue Skies - The
Prairie Dogs (Jerry Nelson, Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Dave
Goelz, Kathy Mullen, Louise Gold and, Jim Henson, for more
information see below)
5. Eight Little Notes
- Rowlf (Jim Henson)
6. Do Wah Diddy Diddy
- Geri and the Atrics (Jerry Nelson with: Frank Oz, Dave Goelz
and possibly: Louise Gold, Kathryn Mullen and Steve Whitmire
- Muppet fans have had some debate over just who is on this track, see below)
7. Jamboree - Gonzo
(Dave Goelz)
8. Henrietta’s Wedding
- Cowboy Jerry and Lou-The-Jugband-Lady (Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold)
9. Jam - Dr
Teeth and Electric Mayhem featuring Animal (Frank Oz)
10.
Side 2
11. Macho Macho Man
- Link and the Pigs, Gonzo and the Chickens (Jim Henson and Dave
Goelz, with Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt etc)
12. Mad About The Frog
- Miss Piggy (Frank Oz)
13. Pennsylvania 6-5000
- Bobby Benson’s Baby Band (Louise Gold, Kathryn Mullen, Richard
Hunt, Jerry Nelson, and, possibly Dave Goelz and Steve
Whitmire)
14. Coconut - Kermit,
2 nurses, and a witch doctor (Jim Henson, Louise Gold, Kathryn
Mullen, and, Jerry Nelson)
15. Frog Kissing
- Robin and some frogs (Jerry Nelson, with the Players)
16. Dog Walk - Wayne
(Richard Hunt)
17. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- Floyd (Jerry Nelson)
18. Sixty Seconds Got Together
- The Gills Brothers (Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt,
and, Steve Whitmire)
19. It Was A Very Good Year
- Statler and Waldorf (Richard Hunt, and, Jim Henson)
20. The Muppet Show Closing Theme -
instrumental
The
identification of the various players above may not be entirely accurate, it
was pieced together by various Muppet fans. However, it is probably a little
more accurate than that album’s own sleeve notes (which contained some almost
certain inaccuracies, not to mention a few character and performer names
mis-typed)
On Track 4, Blue Skies, it
is thought that, the performers in order of appearance are: Jerry Nelson,
Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Louise Gold, and, Dave
Goelz. However, Jim Henson also appears on it very briefly singing
the line “Nothing But”, and Jim Henson just sings “Blue”.
One of Steve Whitmire’s lines is “Shining sp bright”. It is
notable that both Kathryn Mullen and Louise Gold are singing in
On Track 6 Do Wah Diddy Diddy it
is particularly difficult to identify the various performers. Obviously the lead
singer was Jerry Nelson. It is also thought that Frank Oz and Dave
Goelz can identified on it. It is thought that the others are most likely
to be drawn from: Jim Henson, Steve Whitmire, Louise Gold
and Kathryn Mullen. Apparently Richard Hunt only did Geri and The
Atrics once (on the Hal Linden episode). If Jim Henson performed in Geri
And The Atrics he does not appear to have done much in the way of solo lines.
Although Kathryn Mullen is usually thought to have sung on the Geri And
The Atrics numbers, there is an unconfirmed rumour that on Do Wah Diddy
Diddy Olive Oyl may have deputised for her (but that is
unconfirmed rumour). A consensus of guesses among Muppet-Buffs is that of the
various characters in Geri And The Atrics: Geri Teh Cello Player was Jerry
Nelson, The Pianist was Frank Oz, The Drummer was Dave Goelz,
The Blue-grey knitting lady was Kathy Mullen, The Guitarist was Louise
Gold, and the tuba player was Steve Whitmire - but these could be
wild guesses.
All eight performers featured on this album worked on The Muppet Show, indeed they were the
eight main puppeteers on that programme; on which all of the production team
also worked.
All eight performers featured on this album all
puppeteered on The Great Muppet Caper (on which David Lazer, and, Jerry Juhl also worked). The Eight also all feature (though
not always all credited) on the albums: The Great Muppet Caper (Soundtrack
album), and, Favorite
Songs From Jim Henson’s Muppets (on which the track The Lime In The
Coconut can also be found), and, Music
Mayhem And More
The Muppet Show Eight, also feature on John Denver &
The Muppets A Christmas Together, which Ray Charles was also
involved with. Tracks from that album can be found on John Denver &
The Muppets Merry Christmas 45RPM, Christmas
For Kids, and, John Denver Christmas.
The Muppet Show Eight, under the direction of Peter
Harris and the musical direction of Jack Parnell also feature on Muppet Hits 1 (on which the tracks: The
Rhyming Song, and, The Lime In The Coconut can also be
found, along with a different version of The Muppet Show Theme),
and, Muppet Hits 2 (on which the tracks: Hawaiian
War Chant, Jamboree, Jam, Macho Macho Man, Pennsylvania
6-5000, and, Dog Walk can also be found, along with a
different version of The Muppet Show Theme).
The Muppet Show Eight also feature on Muppet Music Mix (on which the track The
Rhyming Song can also be found, along with a different version of The
Muppet Show Theme), and, Muppet
Music Sampler (on which part of the track The Rhyming Song
can also be found).
The Muppet Show
Eight also puppeteered on The
Muppets Go To The Movies, on which Peter
Harris, David Lazer, Jerry Juhl, and, Chris Langham also worked.
The Muppet Show
Eight, along with Jerry Juhl, David Lazer, Peter Harris, Don Hinkley,
Chris Langham, and, David Odell all featured in the
documentary Of Muppets And Men.
The first six members of the Eight: Jim Henson,
Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz,
and, Louise Gold, produced by Derek Scott, with writing by Jerry
Juhl, Don Hinkey, under the direction of Peter Harris and Philip
Casson and the musical direction of Jack Parnell, with musical consultation
by Larry Grossman, and, audio by Roger Knight and Ted Scott,
starred the previous year on: The Muppet Show 2,
a different version of The Muppet Show Theme also features on the
album. Two numbers from that album were released as a single For What It’s Worth.
The first six members of the Eight: Jim Henson,
Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz,
and, Louise Gold, under the direction of Philip Casson and Peter
Harris and musical direction of Jack Parnell also appeared on The Muppet Show Music Hall, for which
Derek Scott was also musical associate and Ted Scott and Roger
Knight were also involved with.
The first six members of the Eight: Jim Henson,
Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz,
and, Louise Gold represented The Muppets on The Royal Variety Performance
(1977)
Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry
Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz and Louise Gold,
under the musical direction of Jack Parnell also feature on Jim Henson Presents Silly Songs,
on which the tracks: The Rhyming Song, Dog Walk can
also be found, along with part of a version of The Muppet Show Theme
- which might come from this album).
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; and on which David Odell and David
Lazer also worked.
Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave
Goelz, Steve Whitmire, and, Kathy Mullen also puppeteered on Labyrinth.
Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire,
and, Louise Gold puppeteered on The Muppet Christmas Carol, on which Jerry Juhl, and, David Lazer also worked.
Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Steve
Whitmire, Kathryn Mullen,
and Louise Gold went on to puppeteer together on Sesame Street (in the early 1990s),
Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire,
and, Louise Gold also feature on The Muppet Christmas Carol
(Soundtrack album) .
Louise Gold, Richard Hunt, Jerry
Nelson, and Frank Oz later sang on Born To
Add
Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry
Nelson, Richard Hunt, and, Louise Gold later sang on Elmo’s Lowdown Hoedown
Louise Gold and Chris Langham
later appeared in The Pirates Of
Penzance (Stage Production) , The Pirates Of Penzance
(Gala Preview) and the Royal
Variety Performance (1982). They also both went on to work on Spitting Image.
Philip Casson and Louise Gold
later contributed to the Spitting Image
Pilot, and, along with Peter Harris worked on Spitting Image itself and the album Spit In Your Ear
Philip Casson also went on to direct Louise
Gold in her actress’ guise in an episode of Casualty.
Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, Richard
Hunt, Steve Whitmire, Louise Gold, Kathryn Mullen and Chris
Langham 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 the film Muppet Treasure
Island, on which Jerry Juhl also
worked.
Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, and, Louise Gold went on to puppeteer on The Animal Show, on which Frank Oz made a guest-puppeteering appearance, and Peter Harris was also involved with.
Louise Gold, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, and, Steve
Whitmire went on to puppeteer on Tale Of The
Bunny Picnic.
Jerry Nelson, and, Dave Goelz (besides puppeteering on Fraggle
Rock itself) went on to do 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, Steve Whitmire,
and, Jerry Juhl went on to take part
in Jim Henson’s Memorial Service.
Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, and, Steve
Whitmire’s recording credits include A
Green And Red Christmas.
Louise Gold, and, Richard Hunt went on to puppeteer on The Ghost Of Faffner Hall.
Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, and, Louise Gold went on to puppeteer on The Secret Life Of Toys.
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
is almost certainly one of the best albums relating to The Muppet Show,
but it is notoriously difficult to obtain. This is a great shame because it includes
some wonderful numbers that have not, so far, been included on any other Muppet
albums (although they were of course done on The Muppet Show
itself). Of the original Muppet Show albums it is the only one to
feature only and all of The Muppet Show Eight (the show’s eight main
puppeteers).
Given
just how adept some members of the eight are at doing voices it can be
extremely hard to work out just which of them is singing on some of the ensemble
songs (in some instances even the biggest fans have difficulty in picking out
their favourite performers). However those numbers: Hawaiian War Chant,
Do Wah Diddy Diddy, and Macho Macho Man, are still
funny, work well, and most collectively Muppet.
On
many of the tracks, however, individual performers most certainly shine. For
example Sixty Seconds Got Together features the collective
talents of Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and, Steve
Whitmire more than adequately. Louise Gold’s glorious voice lends
tone to
Many
of the muppeteers also shine as individual talents, and in the case of The
Big Five, in solo numbers: Frank Oz gets landed with Jam,
but does rather better as Miss Piggy singing Mad About The Frog,
a hilarious pastiche of Noel Coward’s Mad About The Boy,
and incidentally, especially for someone who was not much of a singer, does it
rather well, I particularly like the lyric about him loving her foolish heart “with
every little seam”. Another muppeteer who also, at that time, at least, was
not noted for his singing abilities, is Dave Goelz, yet, as Gonzo, he
makes a jolly good job of Jamboree. Perhaps showing that by this
time (3 years into the run of The Muppet Show) he was beginning
to gain a few singing skills, and after all, he is not without showbusiness
talent! Jim Henson also manages more than satisfactorily on his two
solos Eight Little Notes and Magic Garden. The
latter is particularly nice, because he sings it with such genuine feeling.
Jim Henson and Richard Hunt acquit themselves passably with a very
Muppet, or should that be very Stadler and Waldof, version of It Was A
Very Good Year. In fact, given that it is sung by those two, the number
does have a certain poignancy. Richard Hunt comes into his own as
My
two favourite numbers on this album, which (as far as I am aware) have not so
far appeared on any other muppet album are: Blue Skies and Henrietta’s
Wedding. Irving Berlin’s wonderful hit Blue Skies
responds well to the muppet treatment it gets from The Prairie Dogs. All of the
muppeteers who sing on it make an excellent job of it. Several muppet fans have
highlighted Kathy Mullen’s performance, which, I must admit is a pretty
good one, however, good though it is, I must confess that the first few times I
heard the song, I didn’t actually notice her, because I was too busy listening
to “Her English counterpart”. This number is jam packed full of
muppeteers, in a variety of voices, among them, as one would expect, is
Louise Gold, who appears to be doing a remarkable imitation of the lead
backing singer from when Alice Faye sang Blue Skies in the
film Alexander’s Ragtime Band. It is perhaps the first time, on a
record, that Miss Gold displayed her extraordinary gift for sounding uncannily
like Ethel Merman. Henrietta’s Wedding is a fantastic
number, primarily because it is a wonderful opportunity for a duet by those
wonderful Muppet singers Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold, they are
very possibly the best singing double act The Muppets have ever had. They are
at their best when they are basically being more or less themselves, as on this
number, performing their Jug-band characters Jerry and Lou (who are also named
after them), a similar effect occurred many years later when they performed
Herry and Louisey on Sesame Street. Jerry Nelson proves on
this number, that he is one of the very few people who can sing a duet with Louise
Gold without getting overshadowed by her, in fact, even more amazingly he
almost overshadows her! Both singers get to display their obvious talents and,
well, it just makes one wish for an album of Jerry and Louise’s duets.
All
in all this one terrific Muppet Show album. It is full of music,
and some spectacular singing talents. In fact it really well and truly shows
off the individual and collective singing talents of The Muppet Show Eight.
It also includes several numbers not often heard on Muppet recordings, and two
of them, Blue Skies and Henrietta’s Wedding, really
should be heard that much more, because they are just as good, if not better,
than those Muppet Show songs that feature all the time. However,
this album is hard to get, so for that reason it is only really for the serious
collector (of either Muppet albums, or, albums featuring any of the eight
muppeteers). However, if it were not so difficult to come by, I would
thoroughly recommend it.
Links about Muppet
Show Music Album
Muppet
Wiki’s page for this album: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppet_Show_Music_Album
