Customer Reviews

Stan Freberg: The First 7 Episodes (4-CD set) (Smithsonian Historical Performances)

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Suprised to find this in the "books" section - it is also listed in the "music" section, along with its companion volume. When Smithsonian issued the complete Stan Freberg Shows Collection back in 1997, they issued it in two volumes - this is the second of the two (the first is listed elsewhere at Amazon).

Stan was at his artistic peak when these shows were produced. After this, he would go into advertising with increasing success. This collection (both volumes), and the first volume of "United States Of America" (also available on CD, thankfully) can be considered the apogee of his entertainment career.

True, there may be some folks who don't want to sit through the enire show just to hear their favorite bit. That is what "breakout" collections (like the 2LP Capitol set, "The Best Of The Stan Freberg Shows") are for. If you like what you hear on the "best of" collections, odds are you'll love the complete shows that those bits came from. And they're all here on these two volumes.

I forgot when I started to listen to my dad's old LP's in England, (Children's Garden... and the two Best of...), but the humour was something extraordinary. It was my first experience of an American Radio Show and had no comparison to anything playing on the BBC at the time. I never did get into the Goons.

Some years ago, I was able to buy my dad the 2nd collection on cassette tape (he never did have a CD payer), and a copy for me on CD....and now I own the 1st collection too with all my original favourites, especially "Incident at Las Varoces" and "The Banana Boat Song", (which dad had on '78).

It is strange to think that I was not even born when these shows went out, but the sharp and witty humour continues and I now have it on a medium that I can pass on to my boys.

Amazon has the wrong track listing for this CD.

Also one of the images (the rainbow colored cover) is incorrect.

This is NOT the multiple disc set.

This is one disc and features two Stan Freberg shows.

* Program #4: August 4, 1957

* Program #7: October 6, 1957

(Radiol CDMR-1166)
Comedy Series #49
Radiola Release #166

UPC: 016509900543

First, allow me to state that I really dig Stan Freberg. Ever since I found his "A Child's Garden of Freberg" in my grandmothers record collection, I've been a big fan. That being said, if you own the first volume of The Stan Freberg Show, there's not that much on this collection to warrant you buying it. He reprises many of the schticks from the first volume, and the only skit that comes close to "Incident at Los Cruces" (if that was the title from the first volume,) is the skit where as an ad-man he turns into a werewolf. A must have for the true fan and avid collector, but most who don't own lots of Stan would be better off buying the "The United States of America parts I and II".

I first listened to this on LP record in the late 70's. Great stuff. Witty, inventive and often plain silly the Stan Freberg show was wonderful entertainment. Stan also amazes with his wide range of voices, often doing several in the same skit. Listen to the interview with the abominable snowman or the interview with Albert T. Wong, fortune cookie writer and realize that both voices are Stan talking to himself. Same for the unctuous announcer and Herman Horne, Hi Fi fanatic.

Stan also has a bit of an edge such as with the running gag that everyone is Swiss, "so we don't offend nobody" or the sketch on "Elderly Man River", when a children's radio censor shows up and makes everything politically correct.