Uncle Warren's Attic #78

A new era begins with the first edition of Uncle Warren's Attic from the new Attic. As promised, podcasting has resumed in the fall.

By the way, you can subscribe to the Attic via iTunes at this link.

Among the odds and ends this time around:

"If I Only Had a Brain" by Claudia Schmidt
"Greensleeves" by Cynthia Gooding
"All the Cats Join In" by Benny Goodman

The main event is the 30th anniversary of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, which as you know contains the finest movie score of all time in my humble opinion.

But mostly, in part with the little guy who phoned home, this is my celebration of how good it is to be home again for the first time.

This episode features a vintage radio ad for Camel cigarettes, some homemade political ads, and the usual miscellaneous bits and pieces of my aural stash. Tell me what you think in the comments!

Download UW Attic #78 by clicking right here!

Sing Sing Sing/Christopher Columbus

Long before Iron Butterfly, there was Gene Krupa. Long before "McArthur Park" and "Hey Jude," there was this nine-minute top 40 hit. Oh, you had to flip the record halfway through to hear the whole thing, but there it was.

And the live version from Carnegie Hall, from the live album that is still in print decades later, is still one of the greatest performances ever recorded in person.

This is the original record from the mid 1930s, still packing all the punch it had from the start. I can imagine folks hearing it for the first time and wondering "What is THAT?!" And buying it and playing it over and over again, like my dad when he was a teenager, and his son who wore it out the rest of the way ...

Uncle Warren's Attic 56: New Year's Rockin' Attic III

OK, maybe you don't "rock" when you're talking Ole Svenson & His Smorgasbord Band, Bing Crosby and Benny Goodman ... download and enjoy!

First off, I tell you about the tri-speed turntable that powers this podcast, and then Ole checks in with the now-classic "Yingle Yingle Yumping Beans." After a word from the company that brings you the very best chocolate, we check out a couple of Beatles covers from Bing Crosby ("Hey Jude") and Benny Goodman ("Octopus's Garden").

While we're on the subject (and after a commercial message a la National Lampoon Radio Hour), a brief introduction to Emitt Rhodes, who was marketed as a McCartney sound-alike but was quite an artist in his own right. The link takes you to a nifty interview that I discovered after the show was put to bed.

I had to hear the Ballad of Serenity again before bringing in Marc Gunn's version of "Hero of Canton," and then it was time for Rockosaurus Rex to ring in the new year a couple of days early.

UPDATE: Sometimes the obvious escapes me, but this is ridiculous: Download here or click the player up there on the right.