Customer Reviews

Ernie Kovacs Record Collection

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An outstanding collection that clearly illustrates how Ernie's eclectic musical taste contributed to his groundbreaking visual humor. A wild ride from Esquivel to Ferrante & Teicher to Yma Sumac to his signature Oriental Blues and Solfeggio. The liner notes are superb and give great insight into the particular selections. My only complaint is that it is not a multi-CD set. This music makes me remember his genius and mourn its loss. Even if you don't know Ernie Kovacs, the music will entertain you and make you smile.

This disc will be a sheer delight to any fans of the late Ernie Kovacs pioneering TV comedy/variety show of the early 1950s. Music was always a passion of Kovacs' and an important element to his show, and this disc (yeah, okay, it's actually a collection...) features warped, oddball performances of pop, classical and novelty tunes by artists such as Yma Sumac, Ferrante & Teicher and Esquivel, as well as a croon or two by Kovacs himself. The real gem is Robert Maxwell's "Song Of The Nairobi Trio" (aka: "Solfeggio"), which was the theme to a recurrent -- and always hilarious sight gag involving three mechanical musical apes (one of whom was invariably played by a costumed Kovacs...) Just the sound of the song alone will bring a smile to anyone who's seen the skit before. In some ways this is just another kitschy set of '50s exotica; but for me the Kovacs mystique is enough to set this disc in a separate category. Recommended.

This is a fine CD to complement anyone's Kovacs, comedy or easy listening collection. Some Kovacs tunes, like "The Irving Wong Song" and "Hey, Taxi!" are not on this CD, and they are missed. I could have done without the second version of "Oriental Blues" if either of these songs had been included. B+ for effort and good package.

This CD is Quite the Dazzler. Each piece of music is Creative,Original and Unique in Style.
Ernie was so ahead of his time using yma Sumacs music,Esquival,Ferrante +Teicher,Robert Maxwell,Edie Adams,Classical pieces,you name it and it's here,even a tune by Henry Burr!!
(Please Note, It is worth the higher price it is currently fetching.)
The Remastering is done to perfection,the booklet is very informative
even alludes to Edie Adams putting out a collection of the TV Shows done on Kinescope.(this cd came out in 1997)
Please if you put this Collection out,do it in it's complete form ALL the SHOWS,not a taster compilation. Ernie would have wanted it that way,don't you think??
Thanx for Listening

It's STILL ahead of its time.

Ernie Kovacs was the guy who said televsion (50s style) was called a medium because it was neither rare nor well done. He instsed on looking at things his own way, and using TV's technology in ways no one else would even imagine.

Today, whenever a business seminar leader trots out the well-worn cliche "thinking outside the box," Ernie's face comes before me.

And music was innate. So much of Ernie's TV tech stuff was 100% visual, it was tantamount to viewing a series of silent films.

And we remember that silent movies had musical accompaniment. Ernie had to furnish music which would at once associate itself with the ruthlessly original visual imagery and also be, hopefully, something we'd not heard before.

He scoured the globe for 1950s-era music that you'd never heard before. For example, even fifty years later, I cannot hear the version of "Jalousie" on this CD without seeing the "office equipment" visuals he made. And I'd be grateful for a plateful of fish.

Ernie's outlook on things has warped me for life. And this music is tightly woven into that...he made the fifties what they were.

Music used by music buff comedian on his ground-breaking TV show. Some good stuff, here.

What a collection!! Everything Ernie is on this CD,
and Ima Sumac too!! Wonderful compilation of music,
a bit ecelectic, but that's Kovacs! He sings on
a couple of the cuts and not too badly either...well,
it's still Ernie. Also with Eydie Adams, and
when was the last time you heard The Theramin played?
It's all HEAR and presented just like a TV show with
Ernie doing a brief opening bit in the studio. If
you love Ernie Kovas, this is his audio companion.
All the theme bits for his characters and some hard-
to-find music cuts are included. The print font size
on the liner notes is smallish, but the CD is great!!!!

This is a compilation of songs that appeared on Ernie Kovacs' TV show. I have never seen the show, so the songs don't mean as much to me as they would to somebody who is a fan of the show. Most of the songs are pretty weird, but only a few of them are out and out funny. If you are a fan of Ernie Kovacs you will probably like this CD. If you aren't a Kovacs fan, this CD will probably leave you baffled.