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There is a similar idea behind this CD as the Golden Throats CDs, although in this case most of the songs are original compositions instead of covers of well known songs. Bette Davis warbles an awful song from her flop Broadway show "Two's Company". Robert Mitchum sings a goofy calypso song pretty well. "Lurch" tries to start a dance craze based on himself. Racquel Welch sings a pretty dumb song, poorly. Joe Pesci murders a Beatles classic. Jayne Mansfield attempts to sing a song that's a rip off of "Chantilly Lace". "Officer Toody" performs a terrible rock and roll novelty song based on his stupid catchphrase. "Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen" can actually sing, and he performs a good rock and roll novelty song here. "The Ask Not Waltz" is a "Sing Along With Mitch" parody utilizing excerpts from JFK's speeches. "The Beaver" sings an awful rock and roll novelty song, in an awful voice. Danny Bonaduce shows why he wasn't allowed to sing on "The Partridge Family". The Brady Bunch kids try to out shout each other on a Beatles classic. Sissy Spacek can actually sing, but here she gets stuck with an awful song criticizing John Lennon for the "Two Virgins" album cover. B-movie actress Mamie Van Doren and Playboy Playmate June Wilkinson sing yet another dumb rock and roll novelty song. Steve Allen sings a good rock and roll novelty song. Dennis "Chester" Weaver sings a weird song about a dance craze. Joey Bishop sings a Hank Williams classic, in a voice that is barely audible. Anthony Quinn tries to figure out what love is. Personally, I love this album.
This one is even more bizarre than the Golden Throat's CD (something I honestly thought was not humanly possible). There are more deconstructed pop classics (and one classic country song) which are a scream but the vast majority are topical songs that are silly, but do not hold up so well to repeated listening in my opinion. Check out Golden Throats instead. There is one "song" I want to comment on, "The Ask Not Waltz". It is a recording of John F. Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you..." speech set to a waltz. It has to be one of the goofiest things I've ever heard in my life.
A lot more campy, never-meant-to-be-more-than-a-joke material here than on any of the "Golden Throats" CD's, but all of the music (if it can be called that) on "Hollywood Hi Fi" is hilarious! The more 'serious' performers include Bette Davis singing a tune from a broadway disaster she starred in. The song is "Turn Me Loose on Broadway" and not since King Kong visited NYC has the city witnessed such carnage. He was once busted for pot, so that Robert Mitchum would release "What's This Generation Coming To?" explains the effects marajuana had on his reasoning skills. Meanwhile, Joe Pesci's turn on a Beatle tune, "Got to Get You into My Life" proves that he made the right decision when he gave up a musical career for acting. I've heard several of Dennis Weaver's mediocre recordings (he released a couple of LP's), but the "Chicken Mash" is the goofiest by far. Sissy Spacek sang okay in a couple of her movies, but this early attempt at singing (a scolding of John Lennon) is incredibly .... Critics jump all over rappers for ... lyrics, but "What Is Love?" by Anthony Quinn has got them beat when it comes to misogynistic lyrics and attitude in this musical attempt to explain male/female relationships. But the real 'gem' here is Joey Bishop's song from his "Country and Western" album. The original LP's cover featuring the only surviving Rat Packer dressed as a rhinestone cowboy has to be seen to be believed. "Your Cheating Heart" is just one of an album worth of C&W tunes Joey once croaked through. This is really bad and is guaranteed to have you laughing to the point of tears. Ted Cassidy, Racquel Welch, Jayne Mansfield, Joe E. Ross, Steve Allen, Jack "Superman's Jimmy Olsen" Larson and Mamie VanDoren offer silly novelty pieces that are just plain fun. Jerry "The Beaver" Mathers, Danny "Partridge" Bonaduce and the Brady Bunch all tried to cash in on their teen idol stature with their hideous offerings that are included here. "The Ask Not Waltz" is another memorable attempt at riding Camelot's early sixties popularity. If you enjoy the docile warblings of William Shatner, you will love this CD!!! The companion book is loads of fun, too.
I had heard about the song, "The Lurch", by Ted Cassidy, who played the tall solemn barely speaking butler Lurch on The Addams Family television show in the sixties. Well, I had to have it, and went out looking for it. Guess what? The original 45rpm record was way too much money for me, because not only is it appealing to Addams Family fanatics, but it turns out it is a Northern Soul Dance Classic in the UK and the US, so I thought my chances of ever getting a copy of the song was slim. I was really stoked when it came out on this CD compilation, otherwise I probaly couldn't of afforded it. The rest of the CD is good silly fun too, all I can say is they're lucky they had other jobs! Lots of good silly kitschy fun abounds on this CD.
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