Customer Reviews

My Son the Box

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"Hello Muddah, hello Fadduh,
Here I am at Camp Grenada
Camp is very entertaining
and they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining."

That alone should remind you of why having "My Son, The Box" would be a good thing. The main reason would be that this includes the complete works of Allan Sherman (almost: you would still have to get "Peter & The Commissar," Sherman's concert with Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops separately). Besides, you get a beaten up box for the box part (Sherman would have loved this, although he probably would have loved being alive even more). For years we have had to put up with only a single Alan Sherman hits collection on CD waiting for all of his albums to finally come out. The good news is that here are six of them, with the better news being that each is filled to the gills with bonus tracks, and the only bad news being that you have to go for the whole set all at once because (for now) this is the only way they are available. Not all the tracks are cherce, but you get the whole side of beef here:

"My Son the Folk Singer," Sherman's 1962 debut album, which made him an overnight success (aided by word from the White House that JFK loved "Sarah Jackman"). "All" Sherman did was take recognizable tunes and give them new lyrics. Thus, "Frere Jacques" became "Sarah Jackman" (sung with Christine Nelson) and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" became "The Ballad of Harry Lewis" (which offers the immortal line about the building "where the drapes of Roth are stored"). Also included are "Shake Hands with Your Uncle Max," "My Zelda," "Jump Down, Spin Around (Pick a Dress O' Cotton)," and there are ten bonus tracks taken from his peculiar version of "My Fair Lady" (e.g., "Get me to the Temple on Time").

"My Son, the Celebrity" (1963) was my first exposure to Alan Sherman and remains my favorite. There is not one song on this album (i.e., the first eleven tracks) that I do not treasure. If you force me to name favorites I would go with "Bronx Bird Watcher," "Let's All Call Up A.T. &T. And Protest to the President March," "Harvey and Sheila," "No One's Perfect," and the two that I have been known to sign out loud, "Me" and the "Shticks of One and Half a Dozen of the Other" medley. Tacked on here are some choice outtakes, "Chopped Liver" and "Smart Ass," But when you get to "You Went the Wrong Way, Old King Louie" you have actually jumped ahead to the next album.

"My Son, The Nut" hit #1 on the album charts in 1963 and you know it was on the strength of "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah (A Letter From Camp)" (remember the game? "You will love it, love it madly, it's a new game brought to you by Milton Bradley"). I liked "Hungarian Goulash No. 5" and there is a reason that "Hail to Thee, Fat Person" ends the greatest hits CD. Before we get to the next album Debbie Reynolds shows up for "Sue Me" and we get the single version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

Okay, things are getting complicated, but when you get to Track 9 on Disc 3, "Skin," we have moved on to 1964's "Allan in Wonderland." This album did not sell as well as the first three, which might be why they are splitting up albums this way on this six-CD set. "Lotsa Luck" is okay, "Night and Day (With Punctuation Marks)" has its moments (as Victor Borge could have told you), and "Good Advice" is also okay. But this was clearly a weaker effort. Even the single version of "My Son, the Vampire" lacks the proper bite (insert rim shot here).

Also from 1964 is "For Swingin' Livers Only," but first we get the 1964 version of "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah." Tracks 2-12 constitute the album, which includes the edited version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Pop Hates the Beatles." This one is better than the previous album, but not on the level of the first three.

Okay, we are still on Disc 4 but now up to 1965's "My Name is Allan" (you have to see the cover art to see he had the same childhood photographer as Barbra Streisand), but is another sub-par effort (just listen to "The Laarge Daark Aardvark Song"). Songs like "That Old Back Scratcher" and "Call Me" seem like second-class retreads of earlier material. "Peyton Place U.S.A." and "It's a Most Unusual Play" are the two best tracks, more for their satire than the linguistic wit that was Sherman's hallmark (see "Chim Chim Cheree" for an example of the latter).

Disc 5 starts with the extended version of "Crazy Downtown" and a bunch of outtakes before getting to 1966's "Allan Sherman Live! (Hoping You Are the Same)," where he does more standup between songs than ever before. This does get him back to recording live in front of an orchestra in Las Vegas, but the material is just okay.

Disc 6 gets us to Sherman's final release for Warner Bros., "Togetherness" from 1967, and finds him heading in strange directions (check out the title track and "Plan Ahead") Sherman's studio recordings are not as good as when he is live in front of an audience. The last track on the album, "There's No Governor Like Our New Governor" is about Ronald Reagan, and has some added irony given what we know now (there is also some other takes for added historical interest). We end with a whole bunch of songs about Enron (the fiber) and at the end we return again to the best track here to end on a good note, to wit:

"Wait a minute, it stopped hailing,
Guys are swimming, guys are sailing,
Playing baseball, gee that's better,
Muddah Fadduh please disregard this letter."

I have been waiting for this box since the advent of CD's! I wrote a letter to Rhino suggesting just such a box, back in the late '80's, and was graced with a personal response, yet only temporarily appeased (with the "My Son, The Greatest" collection.) As soon as I heard about Rhino Handmade, I suggested it again. I was even tempted to assemble my own complete collection from my sealed vinyl LP's, but lacked the time and equipment to do the kind of job I felt this project deserved. Now that it has finally, arrived, it is well worth the wait, and far beyond my expectations! Despite the omission of the RCA/Jubilee/Columbia material (I suppose the additional expense of cross-licensing was not justifiable) I am GREATLY pleased with the inclusion of not only the material I knew existed, yet never imagined would see the light of day (legitimately, anyway) but also the wealth of "new" previously unheard selections. THANK YOU RHINO for transferring the LP's from the original master tapes rather than using "the cleanest available vinyl source" (Thanks, but no thanks, [...]!) I especially appreciate the cooperation of Allan's son Robert and his valuable assistance with this project, without whom it very well could have been anti-climactic and ultimately a disappointment. With the emergence of this collection, I now have easy and convenient access to any and all of Allan Sherman's wonderful contributions to the world of comedy - all at my fingertips. (Creating my own bonus "Disc 7" consisting of the "Fig Leaves..." soundtrack, Peter and the Commissar [with accompanying interview,] the Jubilee single, and his songs from "The Cat In The Hat" will not present a challenge.) Thanks again RHINO HANDMADE!! (This is my FOURTH purchase from Rhino Handmade - the first three being "Monkees - Headquarters Sessions, DEVO-LIVE, and the Masked Marauders.)

I was happy that Warner Bros. finally saw fit to release the entire back catalog of Allan Sherman's material onto CD. Unfortunately, Rhino Handmade was the releasing label who gave it a limited release of 4000 copies and charged $120 for the 6-CD set. I saw the set at Tower Records retailing for $132!!

Well, after a bit of patience, I was able to secure a new copy of the set from Amazon for just under $100, thanks to my tax refund. Though still pricey, after I played the opening bars of "The Ballad of Harry Lewis" in its CRYSTAL CLARITY, I got goosebumps. So after all of my bitching and moaning, I have to say that the set is definitely worth the investment.

Too bad that they didn't include the "Peter and the Commissar", but at least that's available elsewhere on CD. Same with the songs Sherman sang when he voiced the Cat in the Hat for the animated special in the early 70s. And the rumored golf jokes album is nowhere to be seen, and methinks he never actually recorded any of the material before his untimely death in 1973.

The box does reveal that there were a few unreleased tracks that still remain that way due to publishing rights, but there's so much rare and unreleased anyway (and again that CRYSTAL CLARITY) makes up for it.

Happy, happy, happy!!! Now, if they could give the same box set treatment for Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, The Smothers Brothers, and Jonathan Winters (utilizing rare and unreleased stuff as well as completing the unreleased back catalog), then Rhino Handmade will become my label of choice!

I was 9, with a Catholic mother and an utterly non-musical Jewish father, when "My Son, the Folk Singer" somehow got into our house. And every day I listened though I hadn't the foggiest idea what Allan Sherman was singing about. The guy was FUN! Soon I knew all the songs on that album by heart-and my father had given his Irish Catholic mother-in-law a new name: Sarah Jackman.

Sherman kept making albums. I kept buying them-religiously. And today, though I've forgotten most of what I once knew about all too many things, I do remember almost all the work on those records. So when "My Son, the Box" arrived the other day, I could refresh my memory and return to that magical time in the early 60's when the sweet and clever humor of a very fat man dominated the US psyche and effortlessly unified the nation, if only for a short while, in the pursuit of laughter.

Allan Sherman struggled most of his life save for those few years when his recordings rightly occupied the tops of the charts, but you'd never know that from his work.
This set has it all...well, almost all Allan ever did, with great sound and a fine analysis-cum-tribute by Mark Cohen in "My son, the Book", included with the set.

If you never knew the guy when he was here, there's no better time than now to set the controls on the Wayback Machine for 1961...

I don't know why it took so long but it's all here (except for Peter & the Commissar). Some rare material in the set (Scott Cups & My Fair Lady Parody) sold on ebay for more than this entire collection. Very well done. Excellent artwork and literature. The audio quality is superb. I am not sure why I am writing this review though, Allan Sherman fans do not need a review to know this is an absolutely MUST HAVE collection.

I was overjoyed when I first saw the notice that this set has been released; now that it's arrived, I'm even happier. Allan Sherman fans (and if you're not one, you should be) have been wishing for a CD set of his recordings for years, and here it is, wonderfully presented. Not only does it contain every album he released- well, every Warner Brothers album, at least- but it has a plethora of never released stuff, from promotional items for products to a great parody of "My Fair Lady." All that and a great booklet with a bio and all.

One mild issue I have is the arrangement- it's eight albums and lots of other stuff on six discs. It's understandable, I guess, that they had to break some albums up, and I believe all the tracks follow in some logical order, but I have to work it out. The track listings in the booklet can be a bit hard to make out as well, making it a little difficult to pick one song. And while they've been thoughtful enough to include the front and back of every album (and more!), it's a bit difficult to read some through the clear plastic back of the cardboard boxes (which, by the way, slip out of the box a bit too easily).

But all of those are minor external quibbles. It's the music that counts, and it's great. If you've ever enjoyed Allan Sherman, get this set. If you've never heard him, you have a great discovery ahead of you.

I have listened to these songs repeatedly for years, and I still laugh out loud when I hear them, that's how good they are (unlike most other comedy/novelty records which tend to "wear off" after a few listenings)!

Certainly worth every penny.

If you've been waiting for many years to hear Sherman's tunes again (and your old LPs are more than a little scratched or you got rid of your turntable a long time ago) and you are not satisfied with the limited selection available on the Rhino Records Greatest Hits CD -- you will LOVE this. The set is a bit pricey but it's really well worth the cost when you consider the hours of entertainment that you will likely get from listening to it.

The old favorites sound great (the backing orchestra led by pianist Lou Busch and the "Allan Sherman" singers are terrific). Now, there is a good chance that you've never before heard several of the songs which are available on this compilation. And a number of these are not among Sherman's best. But there are enough good to excellent "unheard" tunes to more than make up for that.

For the die-hard Sherman fan -- who doesn't mind the cost -- BUY IT!

Allen Sherman fans will surely love this extensive box set of his witty songs, most if not all of which are parodies of folks songs in the public domain along with many more parodies of rather famous songs written by noted composers including Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini. The real thrill of this box set is the sound quality as well as the release of so many tracks that have rarely, if ever, seen the day of day until this release. Each CD is enclosed in its own gatefold style CD holder; the pictures of Allan on the CD holders are just great, too! I don't really know why "Peter and the Commissar" is the only album missing from this collection; but on the bright side it can be purchased elsewhere rather easily.

The songs from the albums never sounded better--they did a wonderful job of polishing these songs and ballads to perfection! They are a joy to listen to and Allan's talent was so great that these songs are still every bit as funny today. There is a booklet with extensive liner notes by Mark Cohen and a brief essay by Michael W. Johnson; and there are more rarely seen before photos that make this box set very special.

Of course, I have my favorite numbers. "Headaches;" "Sarah Jackman;" "Shake Hands with your Uncle Max;" the medley entitled "Shticks of One and Half a Dozen of the Other;" the classic "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah (A Letter From Camp)" that still gets airtime today; "Peyton Place U.S.A.;" "It's a Most Unusual Play;" "Your Mother's Here to Stay;" and "Crazy Downtown" are just a few of the tunes I could never tire of hearing.

In addition, we can easily hear the wonderful rapport Allan Sherman enjoyed with his audiences on the live tracks; that electricity makes listening to them really special.

I highly recommend this for Allan Sherman fans; and people who enjoy classic Jewish humor will enjoy this box set, too. It may be pricey but it's worth every cent you'll spend on it!

My Son, the Box
While some of his work is dated, his humor is timeless. I love listening to his satire. After a bad day at work, his songs will bring grins and giggles, if not out right laughter.