Customer Reviews

Television Themes: 16 Most Requested Songs

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Listeners should beware that these are not all the originals from the TV shows, most notably the Park Avenue Beat, Hill Street Blues theme, Green Acres and Petticoat Junction. However, Syncopated Clock, Bandstand Boogie and I Love Lucy are the real deal and enjoyable. Most disappointing was Park Avenue Beat (them from Perry Mason Show). I would love to find the original, driving, brassy theme but cannot locate it anywhere on this site or elsewhere. Any suggestions?

Most of these seem to be done in the same time period and even by the original artist, but don't seem to be the versions played at the in the shows. For example, Eddie Albert sings "Green Acres", but Eva Gabor is missing completely. The "Bob Crane" pieces barely sound like the originals. I would like to see a compilation of the originals as we knew and loved them.

You all but expected these selections on an album like this. But you cannot help wondering why some of the truly majestic television themes didn't make the cut - I mean, do you really prefer "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" over "Theme From Naked City" (the Nelson Riddle Orchestra version, please, with that exquisitely urbane and lonely saxophone and the fiery finale), "Petticoat Junction" over "Route 66" (Riddle again), or "Flight of the Bumblebee (The Green Hornet)" (come on, even the jaded have to love Al Hirt's jaw-dropping trumpet shredding)?

On the other hand, this isn't exactly meant to be a collection of serious music, either, and you have to love a set which includes THE version of Leroy Anderson's charming "Syncopated Clock" (you know it better as the longtime signature theme for New York CBS's "The Early Show" and "The Late Show" television movies, right?), by Percy Faith and His Orchestra, as opposed to the insulting synthesiser rendition which made the cut for the legendary "Television's Greatest Hits" series of albums. This "Syncopated Clock" alone make the set worth the price. Not that you can't have fun with the others regardless, even those infernal hayseed themes...

As I have listened to this cd I was carried back to the days of my childhood where great family shows were the ideal. It brought not only the good memories of these shows but had me remember great times with the family where we all sat and watched tv or even listened to the radio that had a great series on. Thanks for producing such a wonderful cd..and thanks for the memories....

I bought this mostly to get Bandstand Boogie but Rawhide and a couple of other cuts on it are not bad at all!