Stone Age Woo

Nervous Norvus | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 10, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Norton
• ASIN: B0002AAPIA
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,937 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Transfusion

2. Dig

3. Ape Call

4. Wild Dogs of Kentucky

5. The Fang

6. Bullfrog Hop

7. Stoneage Woo

8. I Like Girls

9. Does a Chinese Chicken Have a Pigtail?

10. Noon Balloon to Rangoon

11. Kibble Kobble (The Flying Saucer Song)

12. The Lean Green Vegetable Fiend (From 'Tuther Side of the Moon)

13. Little Cowboy

14. The Blackout Song

15. Kangaroo Hop [Partial]

16. I Listen to Red in Bed

17. Sparks [#1]

18. I Hate Bugs

19. The Clock Shop [#1]

20. I'm Waitin' Up for Santa Claus

See all 33 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun vintage novelty rock n roll (3.5 stars), August 14, 2005

By 

TimothyFarrell22 (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stone Age Woo (Audio CD)

Of course, those who actually know the name Nervous Norvus are either devoted listeners of Dr. Demento or one hit wonder fans {both camps are familiar with the classic "Transfusion"). If you enjoy that single, you'll probably enjoy this collection, which is really all the Nervous Norvus you'll need. Its far from great art, but it was never meant to be. Looking back it is dated and surreal, but still fun for fans of this type of music. Jimmy Drake (the alter ego of Nervous Norvus) was reasonably innovative in his use of sound effect for novelty records. Its interesting how he used sound effects from a library or archive and inserted them into his songs, making them an accompaniment for his one man band. The songs themselves are amusing if not laugh out loud funny, and are strange enough to appeal to fans of outsider music. The themes include prehistoric times, flying saucers and sci-fi, and even a song about a clockmaker slowly going insane. A fun if unessential addition to the library of those who enjoy either novelty of strange music.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Red Blanchard & Nervous Norvus fans rejoice!, October 5, 2005

By 

Bear in the Canyon "libros del oso" (Albuquerque, New Mexico USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stone Age Woo (Audio CD)

Great CD for you dinosaurs who remember listening to the Red Blanchard show in the Bay Area in the early to mid 50s and digging his Nervous Norvus platter-spinning. Some rare demos included here and some downright strange music. Mmmm-bully-bully-bully-bully...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't be a cube, rube!, November 22, 2011

By 

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

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stone Age Woo (Audio CD)

Jimmy Drake was a fan of disc jockey Red Blanchard who sent his song demos to Blanchard in hopes that the DJ would help him get a recording contract. In most of these songs, Drake imitated Blanchard's unique brand of jive talk. One of these songs, "Transfusion", caught Blanchard's ear. Red added car crash sound effects to Jimmy's simple voice and king sized ukulele demo. He played it on the air, then a record company executive heard it and released it as a record, with Drake calling himself Nervous Norvus. "Transfusion" became one of the biggest novelty hits of 1956 and Singing Jimmy Drake was a "rock and roll star" at the age of 44. The follow up single, "Ape Call", was also a hit although not a big one. The third single, "The Fang", bombed and Nervous Norvus was now a has been. He released a handful of other singles before he drank himself to death, all of which are very obscure. He got most of his drinking money by recording demos for aspiring songwriters. He took out ads in music magazines, offering to record demos for songwriters (for a fee, of course). One such ad claimed that he had recorded over 3000 demos! This CD features most of his records, plus many of his demos. Some of the demos are of his own songs, some are songs other people wrote and some songs we have no idea who wrote them. Not all of the demos are novelty songs. A fun CD for fans of the Golden Age of novelty songs.