Customer Reviews

Television's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: From the 50s and 60s

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are some wonderful (albeit sometimes cheesy) memories here. But I have a couple of big problems with this series of albums:

1. A good deal of the songs are NOT the original recordings. In fact, a lot of them are versions that sound like somebody made them with a few synthesizers and a MIDI setup in their bedroom. Arrggggh! If it's not the original, I don't want it! But that brings us to the next problem...

2. Evidently the producers couldn't obtain quality masters of a lot of the songs. So what did they do instead? Well, honestly, on some of the songs (like the Get Smart theme, for example), it sounds like they just sat down in front of the TV with a tape recorder and a cheap mike. Lousy.

On the other hand, the lousy quality of some of the recordings might serve to more fully transport you back to the days of old B&W television sets with cheap, tinny speakers. You might even find yourself longing for that little white dot that you used to watch fade away when you turned the set off. Fun memories.

Some of these reviews are WACKY that say most or all the tracks here are recreations. I just went through them all in this volume, and my guess is about 8 are recreations, maybe less. Some are obvious (Bewitched), others are not so obvious. I have a sick gift a being able to remember the tempo and aound of these original themes, and you'll fine that 90% of these are "The Real McCoys" (Volume 4). I don't think these reviewers appreciate that Steve Gottlieb was able to get access to studio recordings of the original themes in some cases, so in some cases the fidelity is remarkable. Good fidelity in sound does not mean a remake...

I have all the TV tunes volumes and some are dissappointing remakes (Bonanza, The Virginian, 77 Sunset Strip) but far and away the vast majority are originals and you won't find them anywhere else but on these remarkable collections. They are hysterical to listen to these songs... It's like taking a time machine (wayback machine?) back to the times these shows were on.

Buy it, you'll like it...

This is a collection of "65 more TV themes from the 50s and 60s". Most of the themes are re-recordings of the original themes, but most people will be hard pressed to distinguish the re-recordings from the original versions. The re-recordings sound almost exactly like the original versions, except with better sound fidelity. The easiest way to tell which tracks are re-recordings is that the new recordings are in stereo, and it is highly doubtful that original television themes from the 50s or 60s would be in stereo. But regardless of that, this CD is a fun listen for fans of old TV shows.

It is a foregone conclusion that you would be interested in "part two".

Like its predecessor, this is another jam-packed collection of those audio memories from hits and misses from the 50's and 60's. The disc is divided into four categories: Early Morning Cartoons, Mid-Morning Sit-coms, Afternoon Adventure, and Prime Time Drama.

While many of the shows were forgettable, the theme songs preserved their memory and allowed the show life after death (i.e., cancellation).

I don't care what anyone else says....I think it's a great CD. Even if the music isn't the best quality or original, it's still great to look back at the "good ole days'. I keep my other TV Toons CDs at work and they have become my and my office mates "Friday Music". It's just a lot of fun. I love it.

It is amazing how genuine and authentic many of the tracks sound in this second volume of Greatest Hits. The list of songs for this album can be found in the product description, so see above, as they say.

I really enjoyed TV's Greatest Hits, Vol.2 CD. The music producer did a good job in capturing the feel and sound of the original tv themes. Some are recordings from the original tv shows and others are remakes. The remakes, for the most part, are very good. They are re-recorded using electronic synths, and the instrument sounds are almost indistinguishable from the real orchestra counterparts. You can still tell, but it isn't as obvious as you would think. The resulting clean sound of using eletronic synthesizers gives many of the themes a very fresh sounding presentation. The others themes, which are recorded directly off of the original shows have been equalized to the best that can be expected considering the source material.

The downside of some of the remakes has to do with the tempo of the music. Some of the selections are too fast, and anyone who remembers the original music may be a little put off by the change. In other recordings, they have "fill in" singers. In particular, the Beverly Hillbillies theme is resung by someone who not only gets the notes wrong, but sings it way too fast.

But all in all, I really enjoyed the CD. Any fan who loves tv theme music should be pleased. You don't have to be a high flying music major to appreciate or critique this CD. All you need are some tv memories and a good set of ears.

CD is great if you like nostalgia TV. It is a lot of fun at a party when you have 30-45 year olds getting together.

Great CD at great price, been looking for it for a while as I used to have on cassette. Lots of great theme songs, I'm glad I found it again. I look forward to collectin the others in the series.

This help he relive some of my favorite shows and some that i have forgotten. I always wanted some or most of my favorite tv theme songs and now i have them to relive any time that i want to. It has helped me recapture my youth. i would say order if you like tv theme songs.

These DVD's are great! I've loaded each one into my iPod Touch (32GB), except for dang Volume #5, which I can't seem to find at a reasonable price! What I did was, removed the volume numbers and disk numbers from the "Get Info," so that all 390 theme songs (65 x Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, & 7) show in alphabetical order. Then, I play them back, without looking, and try to guess the title of each one! Some are easy, and some are tough. They're in alphabetical order for the beginner, or, turn on "Shuffle," for the more advanced listener! It's a lot of fun, and brings back fond memories!