Customer Reviews

Mulling It Over: Musical Oeuvre View

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Those of you who know Martin Mull as an actor/pitchman or as he would prefer you to know him, as an artist, may not know that he put out a pile of albums on the Capricorn, ABC and Elektra labels in the 70s. It's the Capricorn years, when he did his best stuff, that is compiled and celebrated here.

Much of Marty's eponymous first album is here: "Ventriloquist Love" (I have fond memories of playing this song for my favorite High School English Teacher and watching her literally fall on the floor laughing), "Eggs", "Partly Marion", "Margie the Midget," "Hors d'oeuvre" and the FM-radio favorite Dancing in the Nude, which Benny Hill of all people once performed on his TV show.

What's particularly interesting about many of these tracks are the fantastic musicians. Check out the soloing on "Partly Marion" and you'll see why not too many people "got" what Mull was trying to do.

This is a fantastic CD--great liner notes and the sound is excellent. Prepare to laugh yourself silly, but in an intelligent way!

Oh my yes! Martin Mull did have a very good recording career back in the early seventies when he produced several very witty jazz albums with his band "the furniture". In many ways he was a better guitar player than a comedian. I wish that Capricorn would release his other albums in CD Form. Very, very entertaining.

Great collection! But where is his biggest hit Men. Very well known around the East coast in the day! "Men Men Men...It's a ship all filled with men...So throw your rubbers overboard there's no one here but Men!" Or how about They Never Met, a fun little duet with Melissa Manchester. Even though material is dated, it is still very funny to those of us who understand. How about releasing Lilly Tomlin-On Stage?

Martin's wit and satirical jabs at the heart of what was plastic America in the '70s was played out on TV with Fernwood Tonight and captured often live on his tongue in cheek records. But you don't hear the distain many comics fall into. Often you hear Martin making fun of himself and his whitebread home or his even his hippie ways, as in "Let's get Normal for a change".

You get the idea he has affection for the absurdity he sees and weaves into some excellently performed tunes. Somehow Martin managed to always get some of the best session players and guest artists. Everyone loves a good laugh, even while playing some great grooves that mock the grooves of the time. Musically he genre hops to the wry humor themes as heard in "Hors d'oeuvre" , a poignant yet stooped sentiment. A great companion tune to "Ah France" found on "Martin Mull & his fabulous furniture".

You'll chuckle even at some of the dated, out of context themes.
If you heard some of these around a bong before, you'll remember this is the Martin you want to remember. If you never knew he was musical, find out he was a musical-comedy genius.

Martin, take a porta-studio and guitar to one of your stays at the roof and give us a "Mullenium" musical update!

I have been searching and waiting for this release since CDs came out. This is some of the funnest material I have ever heard.

I'd been looking for this cd for a long time. When I finally found one under $40, I was content to purchase it.

If you hear nothing from this amazingly gifted performer, then you'll want this album for sure.

It offers a good review of this ruthlessly original entertainer, who went on to a moderately successful career as a TV host and performer, as well as writer.

Mull's style is characterized by a droll, highly unsentimental style. Who else you know of could write a really jazzy song about a 29-year-old woman who lost her fingers in an accident and thus cannot get a husband?

And "Margie the Midget?" Don't get me started.

You won't get this quality of entertainment for your dollar anywhere else.

Or, as he says on "Miami," make that five dollars.