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Leaving aside the music on this album for one moment, let me first thank the good folks at Sony Wonder and Children's Television Workshop for finally getting it (almost) right with the Sesame Street Records reissue program. For years, Sesame Street collectors have waited in vain for straight CD reissues of the original records; this is about as close as we've come, and surprisingly so. The reason for my surprise is that HAPPY BIRTHDAY features Northern "David" Calloway on a pair of tracks (the album's two best, incidentally), and Sony Wonder has had a policy of removing cast members who have departed (literally, in the case of Calloway, who died in 1990), replacing them with inferior re-recordings of the vocals (by minor characters such as Hoots the Owl or major pains like Elmo and Zoe) over the original backing tracks. (For a well-considered editorial describing the problems with the Sesame Street reissue program, Amazon/Borders.com customers should check out the review by Michael J. Chrush of the horribly botched MERRY CHRISTMAS "reissue," though to call it that is stretching the term considerably.)
Perhaps in response to just criticism from Mr. Chrush and others, perhaps after seeing the success of the SONGS FROM THE STREET box set with nostalgic adults, Sony Wonder/CTW has righted the ship with HAPPY BIRTHDAY. The entire original album (almost) is included, complete with lyrics. Also, since Wonder/CTW still insists on using covers other than the original album covers (an inexplicable policy), at least it is good to see a cover that is well-thought-out and nicely presented, rather than the cheap, cheesy covers that adorned earlier packages like "Numbers" or "Oscar's Trashy Songs." I was sorry that some lunkhead decided to omit the second chorus of "Happy Birthday To You" that appears later in the album (in fact, its lyrics are printed in the corresponding slot in the booklet, which makes the decision more puzzling). But progress has been a long time in coming here, and we'll take what we can get.
The music? Well, they don't make 'em like this any more, and with good reason, since the two prime songwriters, Joe Raposo and Jeff Moss, have passed away far too soon. This is a Moss album, and though it contains some of his more formulaic fare like "Musical Chairs" (which at least gives the distinctive session players room to stretch out a bit), it also features fine numbers like Oscar's "A Very Unhappy Birthday To You," Bob McGrath's showpiece "Blow Out The Candles," Calloway's funky "A Cat Had A Birthday," and the title track, one of the best tunes Moss ever wrote, which picks up where his still-astounding (and criminally unavailable) "My Name Is David" left off. All in all, a fine album, and a welcome return to the catalog.
Is this the start of the comprehensive reissue campaign that Sesame Street collectors have desired for years. Will SIGNS, LET YOUR FEELINGS SHOW!, AREN'T YOU GLAD YOU'RE YOU?, or even the Holy Grail of Sesame Street records, ON THE STREET WHERE WE LIVE, follow? Or is this just a happy accident, a one-time-only lucky strike? Time alone will tell. But one thing's for sure: collectors who want more straight reissues as opposed to endless (and careless) repackagings should pull out the credit card now. Even with something as pure and delightful as Sesame Street music, money talks. So consider this an investment, and one you can make without fear. What we have here, my friends, is the real deal, and it's about time!
