Customer Reviews

God Bless Tiny Tim

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Tiny Tim's first album release was a major hit and his fans were pleased. The man himself was disappointed in the overall sound and in some of the material but still the public was impressed.
Most of the record buyers certainly hadn't caught Tiny in small clubs where he performed sans orchestration and *had* viewed him on "Laugh In" where outrageousness was the key. And with this heavily produced, Beatle-esque effort (from producer Richard Perry) they still hadn't heard the real TT.

Despite such concerns, this album was no throwaway on a "fad". The performances are serious and determined to bring back the sound of the 1910 hand controlled music box. "Stay Down Here Where You Belong", the c. 1918 anti-War tune by Irving Berlin is a case in point. The vocal does not employ the trademark falsetto but a strong baritone. Tiny even manages to use the old-time vibrato. [Interestingly enough, this is perhaps the only "protest song" he ever did. There are numerous excellent tracks of songs like "Don't Bite The Hand That's Feeding You" and "What Kind Of American Are You?" on Reprise which display his Patriotism].
"Tip-Toe Through The Tulips", the single release, was a natural selection, a fun song to begin with, and given a bouyant arrangement. Ofcourse, it was his biggest-selling single of the four which made the charts. The vocal, however, is not as impressive as the one on the Berlin number.
Of the new material, "Raspberry Tea" was pertinent for the time and is worth hearing.
For those who enjoy their Tiny Tim "straight" [no dated pun intended], there are numerous releases which use minimal support and present the man in the way he wanted to be presented.
(footnote/tip-toe note): His follow-up album was just as good but failed to register commercially because (as Tiny and others believed) the concurrent issue of an album called "Concert In Fairyland" impacted the sales. It was produced from previously unreleased 1962 tapes of Tiny not at his best. Added to this, audience sounds were overdubbed!.

This album was Tiny Tim's first and best release, and as far as I'm aware, was Richard Perry's first release as producer - At least with a major record company. Ocasionally Tiny takes a back seat to Perry's immense production and that is not a bad thing. In fact its good, very very good. The arrangements and production here are superb. 'This is all I ask' and 'Strawberry Tea' are worthy of a George Martin. Awesome.

Tiny, when left to his own devices, could drift a little too much into the aimless and obscure but with Perry at the helm, a good mesh of old and new was incorporated. Tiny's love of the old time, combined with Perry's choice of material from current writers of the time like Paul Williams, Diane Hilderbrand and Sonny Bono, created a diverse and satisfying album. Styles such as VAUDVILLE(Tiptoe thru the tulips) MUSIC HALL(Stay down here where you belong, Livin in the sunlight) COUNTRY(Then I'd be satisfied with life) POP(I'm a nut) and NOVELTY(The Viper, I got you babe) make this album a perfect release for the late 1960's. Throw in some psychedelia around the edges and you have a unique album by a unique and misunderstood artist.

If you're not a Tiny Tim fan, this just might make a believer out of you. And if this album doesnt do it ... nothing will!!

I loved this album.....and this most gentle of men. I had this album in vinyl when it first came out....and played it over and over until my parents were sick of it. But it is representative of a simpler time....and a simpler way of life for me. Several divorces and moves later..and I lost my vinyl album....but I have it on cd...and it still fills me with the same pleasure and joy I experienced when I heard it so many years ago. I wish Tim was still with us....and at least with his music to listen to, he still is...and always will be. He was a true master and I miss him terribly.

Tiny Tim's first album, God Bless Tiny Tim, is a unique listening experience, combining the many talents of the artist into a medley of metaphors on lifes experiences. The extrodinary band music that accompanies each of his solos combine to engage the soul in a musical experience beyond time. Although, the song, "Tip Toe Through The Tulips" is the lead song and the most popular of Tiny Tim's day, the other selections on this album reveal a much deeper passion for the art and a love of preserving music now unknown among the generations of today. This album will be loved by young and old alike.

Thank God for CD. I can now put the ole LP up on the shelf. This album was a masterpiece.

Although many have scoffed at the man, when I think of how many thought differently after a serious listen to the genius called Tiny Tim.

I was fortunate once to discuss the album with Tiny and I still don't know who was having more fun me or him.

The first time I heard Tiny Tim was while I was on a road trip with a friend. She popped in the tape of this album and it didn't take long for me to get hooked on it. A lot of the reviewers here seem to have been born much earlier than I, and so they are able to comment on the history and earlier years of this artist. I'm in my twenties, and I _still_ love this album, even though I don't have any memories of the era during which Tiny Tim made what famedom he did. I'm probably going to purchase the CD, since my tape is really worn out at this point.

First funny, in for a laugh, second and more no other album reaches this unpretentious love for music.
Wannabe yes, but undoubtfull sincere and overwhelming!
This record belongs to the top of my list.
Play when things look bad, best medice!

Tiny Tim was an overlooked talent. Of course he was weird or different, but if you look a little deeper, he was the history of American popular music. I once saw him in concert in the late 80"s and he went from "You're A Grand Old Flag" to "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" in the span of about 2 minutes. These two thirteen year-old boys standing next to me had this very puzzled look on their face, as if to say "What IS This?" But the truth is he was truly an original. This album, produced by Richard Perry, actually captured the essence of the man. It had the great combination of old standards, novelties, and his great remake of Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe." (He duets with himself on that one) This is really an excellent album, produced very well, and is an excellent starting point for those who have an interest in American popular music.

Thirty four years ago I bought a vinyl LP called God Bless Tiny Tim. It was uproariously funny. Most folks knew who he was after his several appearances on the comedy review Laugh-In. The years passed and the LP melted in the sun. I was stunned that Amazon had it. The quality of sound is vivid on CD. When Roy Orbison passed away, I joked that only Tiny Tim could replace Roy in the group The Traveling Wilburys because only Tiny could match Roy's four octave singing range. Unfortunately, Tiny passed away. Tiny Tim still holds the record for drawing the largest TV viewing audience by getting married to Miss Vicky on the Johnny Carson Show. I got tired of most songs of the sixties shortly after their release. God Bless Tiny Tim is one album that has such high production values that its quality has given it a life of its own. Few people know that Tiny was a "walking referrence" for obscure Vaudeville songs and had the uncanny ability to call up from memory every lyric to them. If you want to experience the sillyness of the sixties, and songs of 1880's Vaudeville, God Bless Tiny Tim is a must for your collection. "God bless you Tiny. You put everything you had into entertaining us. Thank you".

This is the best Tiny Tim album. excellently produced, and catches the "REAL" Tiny on CD. "God Bless Ya Tiny"