Freakin' at the Freakers Ball

Shel Silverstein | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 17, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collector's Choice
• ASIN: B00000JWDB
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,787 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Thumbsucker

2. I Got Stoned and I Missed It

3. Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out

4. Stacy Brown Got Two

5. Polly in a Porny

6. Freakin' at the Freaker's Ball

7. All About You

8. Don't Give a Dose to the One You Love the Most

9. The Peace Proposal

10. Masochistic Baby

11. Liberated Lady 1999

12. The Man Who Got No Sign

13. A Front Row Seat to Hear Ole Johnny Sing [*]

14. 26 Second Song [*]

15. Everybody's Makin' It Big But Me [*]

Editorial Reviews

Silverstein orginally gained fame as a cartoonist and satirist for Playboy magazine. His satirical songs first found a national audience with Johnny Cash's 'A Boy Called Sue', Loretta Lynn's 'Ones On The Way' and Dr. Hook's interpretationsof several of Si

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite album from the 70s, October 21, 2000

By 

"plaster-caster" (The Grandville Greyhound Station) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freakin' at the Freakers Ball (Audio CD)

In 1973, I was in High School and my girlfriend gave me a copy of the original album. She and the album taught me more about sex than I had ever dreamed there could be. The title track alone had me looking up "necrophilia" and a dozen other deviations.

This album has been a cherished part of my collection now for almost 30 years. Not just because of the memories, but because the music is so damn good. Shel Silverstein, Dr. Hook and the others play some crankin' tunes, and it's impossible to feel down when you sing along to "Polly in a Porny".

Perhaps the most compelling thing I can say about this album is that my ex-wife absolutely hated it (She was the Kenny-G type, but a great "Thumbsucker"). Anyway, my turntable died a few years ago and I moved all my vinyl records into a box in the basement. Of all the albums in that box, I miss this one the most. Tonight, while browsing Amazon, I was elated to find it again on CD! I'm sure that my new "Masochistic Baby" will love it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite of his albums, September 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Freakin' at the Freakers Ball (Audio CD)

I don't own it on CD, so I don't know about the additional songs that have been added, but the original album is just fabulous. From the first track "Thumbsucker" (a hell of a parody/tribute to all those gospel/soul stuff common in the 60s, but boy, what a twist) to the irreverency of "I Got Stoned and I Missed it" and "Don't Give a Dose to the One You Love Most" to the final track, one that gives me chills every single time I hear it, "The Man That Got No Sign." It was the track I heard just before I found out about Shel's death and I wonder about that to this very day.

Anyway, go buy it if you have a less than politically correct (aka incredibly subversive) sense of humor and marvel that this gem actually got promoted by CBS, let alone produced. OK, so the promos were directed towards "Sahra (note the spelling) Cynthia Sylvia Stout.." but still, that's promotion anyway.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I ain't gonna let no thumbsucker suck my thumb., October 13, 2005

By 

Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Freakin' at the Freakers Ball (Audio CD)

A true classic in the field of albums of humorous songs. All the songs here are very funny (with the sole exception of "The Man Who Got No Sign"). Many of these songs will be familiar to listeners of The Dr. Demento Show, especially the legendary "Sahra Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out". The lyrics to that particular song were later included in one of Silverstein's books of poetry for children (as was "The Peace Proposal"), but this is not an album for children. Many of these songs are about sex and/or drugs. If you are one of Uncle Shelby's adult fans, you will probably love this album. The CD includes three bonus tracks, all of which are about the music industry, oddly enough.