The Muppet Show 25th Anniversary Collection - Music Mayhem
And More!
Louise Gold
featured as a Muppet performer providing background vocals on a number of tracks
Catalogue number: (CD) Rhino R2 78119
Cast
Featured Character Voices:
Jim Henson (as: Kermit The Frog, Mahna Mahna, Dr Teeth, Rowlf and other assorted characters)
Frank Oz (as: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Marvin Suggs and other assorted characters)
Richard Hunt (as: Scooter, Wayne, and other assorted characters)
Dave Goelz (as: The Great Gonzo and other assorted characters)
Eren Ozker (as Wanda, Janice and other assorted characters)
Steve Whitmire (as Kermit The Frog [post May 1990], Rizzo The Rat and other assorted characters)
Uncredited
Louise Gold (as Annie Sue Pig and other assorted characters)
Kathryn Mullen (as various assorted characters)
John Lovelady (as various assorted characters)
Production Team
Compilation Produced for Release by - Craig DeGraff
Remastering - Bob Fisher at Pacific Multimedia Group
Product Manager - Pamela
Discographical Annotation - Reggie Collins
Liner Notes Coordination - Tim Scanlin
Editorial Supervision - Julee Stover
Editorial Research - Steven Chean
Business Affairs - Craig Gates
Project Associates - Karen Ahmed, Michelle Comus,
Vicki Haller, Maria McKenna, April Milek, Randy Perry,
and,
Special Thanks - Alyson Marie
Track Listing
1. The Muppet Show Theme (from The Muppet Show itself - first season) - The
Muppets (Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry
2. Mahna Mahna (from The Muppet Show album) - Mahna Mahna and
the two Snowths (Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and, Richard Hunt)
3. There’s A New Sound (from The Muppet Show 2) - Scooter (Richard
Hunt)
4. The Amazing Marvin Suggs And His Muppaphone Play “Lady of
5. Trees
(from The Muppet Show album) - Wayne and Wanda (Richard Hunt
and Erin Ozker)
6. A Monologue By Fozzie Bear [The Comedian’s A Bear] (from The Muppet Show
album) - Fozzie Bear and Kermit The Frog (Jim Henson and Frank
Oz)
7. Bein’ Green (from The Muppet Show album) - Kermit The Frog (Jim
Henson)
8. Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear (from The Muppet Show
album) - Scooter and Fozzie Bear (Richard Hunt and Frank Oz)
9. Tenderly
(from The Muppet Show album) - Dr Teeth and Electric Mayhem (Jim
Henson with: Eren Ozker, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and Dave
Goelz)
10. Wishing Song (from The Muppet Show 2) - The Great Gonzo (Dave
Goelz with Jerry Nelson)
11. What Now My Love (from The Muppet Show album) - Miss Piggy (Frank
Oz)
12. Happy Feet (from The Muppet Show 2) - Kermit The Frog and
Frog Chorus (Jim Henson with: Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard
Hunt, and, Dave Goelz)
13. We Got Us (from The Muppet Show 2) - Kermit, Miss Piggy,
Fozzie, Gonzo and The other Muppets (Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Dave
Goelz, with: Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, and, Louise Gold)
14. Closing Theme (from The Muppet Show 2) - Instrumental (The Jack
Parnell Orchestra)
15. Rainbow Connection (from The Muppet Movie) - Kermit The Frog (Jim
Henson)
16. Movin’ Right Along (from The Muppet Movie) - Kermit The Frog and
Fozzie Bear (Jim Henson and Frank Oz)
17. Can You Picture That (from The Muppet Movie) - Dr Teeth and Electric
Mayhem (Jim Henson with: Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Jerry
Nelson, and, Dave Goelz)
18. Finale: The Magic Store (from The Muppet Movie) - The Muppets (Jim
Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave
Goelz, Steve Whitmire, and, Kathryn Mullen)
19. Hey A Movie (from The Great Muppet Caper) - Kermit The Frog,
Fozzie Bear, The Great Gonzo and The Muppets (Jim Henson, Frank Oz,
and, Dave Goelz, with: Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Steve
Whitmire, Louise Gold, and, Kathryn Mullen)
20. Happiness Hotel (from The Great Muppet Caper) - Pops The Doorman
and The Muppets (Jerry Nelson with: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard
Hunt, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Louise Gold, and, Kathryn
Mullen)
21. The First Time It Happens (from The Great Muppet Caper) - Kermit The Frog
and Miss Piggy, with chorus (Jim Henson and Frank Oz, with: Jerry
Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Louise
Gold, and, Kathryn Mullen)
22. Together Again (from The Muppets Take Manhatten) - Kermit The
Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and The Muppets (Jim Henson, Frank Oz
with: Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, and, Steve
Whitmire)
23. I’m Gonna Always Love You (from The Muppets Take Manhatten) - Miss Piggy,
Kermit The Frog, Fozzie Bear, Rowlf, Scooter, and, The Great Gonzo (Jim
Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, and, Dave Goelz)
24. He’ll Make Me Happy (from The Muppets Take Manhatten) - Miss Piggy
and Kermit The Frog (Frank Oz and Jim Henson)
25. One More Step ‘Til Christmas (from The Muppet Christmas
Carol) - Kermit The Frog (Steve Whitmire)
26. Love Led Us Here (from Muppet
27. I’m Going To Go Back There Some Day (from Muppets From Space)
- The Great Gonzo (Dave Goelz)
Jim Henson, Frank Oz,
The Muppet Show Eight were also the eight
main puppeteers on The Great Muppet Caper, from
which the songs: Hey A Movie,
The Happiness Hotel, and, The First Time It Happens
originate.
The Muppet
Show Eight were also the eight main puppeteers on The Muppets Go To The
Movies.
The Muppet Show Eight featured in the documentary Of Muppets And Men.
The Muppet
Show Eight: Jim Henson, Frank
Oz,
Six members of
the eight: Jim Henson, Frank Oz,
Jim Henson, Frank Oz,
Jim Henson, Frank Oz,
Frank Oz,
Frank Oz,
Jim Henson, Frank Oz,
Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve
Whitmire, Louise Gold, and, Kathryn Mullen puppeteered on The Dark Crystal, for which
Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve
Whitmire, and, Kathryn Mullen also puppeteered on Labyrinth, which was directed by Jim Henson.
Jim Henson,
Dave Goelz originally sang I’m Going To Go Back There
Some Day in the film The Muppet Movie, his earlier
recording of this song can be found on the album Muppet Music Sampler.
Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, and, Louise Gold puppeteered on The Animal Show, on which Frank Oz did a guest puppeteering appearance.
Louise Gold, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, and, Steve Whitmire puppeteered on Tale Of
The Bunny Picnic.
Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, Richard Hunt, Kathy Mullen,
Louise Gold, and, Richard Hunt had
puppeteered on The Ghost Of Faffner
Hall.
Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, Kathryn Mullen,
Steve Whitmire probably puppeteered Kermit
The Frog on ITV’s 50 Greatest Shows.
Review
by Emma Shane, January 2003
This is the most recent (2002), and most wide-ranging Muppet compilation album. Around half the album consists of material from The Muppet Show itself, the other half is taken from the six Muppet movies to date. As a fan I would have preferred a compilation album marking twenty five years of The Muppet Show, to just concern itself with that marvellous television programme, however, there may be some value in including selections from the Muppet films, not least as some of the soundtrack albums for those are not currently in print. The wide time-span may also illustrate the changing Muppet careers of such notable Muppeteers as Dave Goelz and Steve Whitmire.
Personally I felt a little dissatisfied with the selection from The Muppet Show itself. I think the problem is there was simply not enough of it, and when only a small set of numbers can be chosen, what do you leave out? Obviously it is almost as obligatory to have Mahna Mahna as it is to have a version The Muppet Show Theme, but in the end it comes down a lot to people’s personal choices, and sometimes other people’s Muppet compilation album favourites (such as: The Lime In The Coconut, Who?, The Rhyming Song, Borneo, Mr Bassman and Hawaiian War Chant) are going to get left out. I am however, very pleased to hear We Got Us on the album, because I always thing that song suits the Muppets incredibly well, the lyrics “People may say we are crazy the way we are that we won’t even discuss” just seems to sum up both The Muppets and their performers perfectly. Of course the other delightful thing about that number is that Louise Gold’s lovely big plummy voice leads the backing chorus. The best of the rest from this Muppet Show selection are one double act, namely Richard Hunt and Frank Oz performing Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear, and three excellent solos: Reliable Richard Hunt as Scooter singing There’s A New Sound, as well as one would expect from such an excellent singer as he. Dave Goelz is at his best in Wishing Song. He really sings it very nicely, which is especially amazing considering that at that time he did not have much experience of singing. The other outstanding solo is also very beautiful, Jim Henson as Kermit singing It’s Not Easy Bein’ Green. It’s one of those unique moments when singer, character and song blend so perfectly together you don’t really want to hear anyone else do it.
The film selection is generally pretty good, especially
from the three earlier films. Rainbow Connection by Kenny
Ascher and Paul Williams really is a beautiful song, and here it is
sung by the person and character for whom they intended it, Jim Henson
himself as Kermit the Frog, this is another number, like Bein’ Green
that once you’ve heard it sung in it’s original you hardly want to hear anyone
else do it, because it is doubtful whether they could do it justice. That said,
I have heard this song done by a
One of the chief drawbacks of trying to squeeze so much onto one album is that a lot of emphasis has been placed on using the most famous characters (which probably makes a lot of sense when aiming at a mass market), rather than the best of the singing talent. Indeed out the mainstay trio of The Muppet Show’s musical resources, only Richard Hunt’s contribution is properly acknowledges, with There’s A New Sound and Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear. The other two seem to be a bit overlooked. This means the album relies a good deal on the singing skills of Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and, Dave Goelz. In other words Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie and Gonzo. In the case of Frank Oz’s work, his performances as Fozzie on this album are excellent, as indeed they generally are. However, with the notable exception of The First Time It Happens, his performances as Miss Piggy are not exactly among his best. What Now My Love comes from before he really got into his stride as Piggy, and as for Love Lead Us Here he was past his best in that role, well Frank Oz’s performances as Piggy have never been quite the same since May 1990.
So all in all, is this album worth getting? Well if you are just considering it because you are a fan of Louise Gold then it probably isn’t. If you don’t own much in the way of Muppet albums, but you like The Muppets, then it certainly is. If you are a serious Muppet fan and you already have The Muppet Show Two, or perhaps Muppet Hits 1, and the main film soundtrack albums then I suggest you read the track listing carefully before deciding. But then again if you are that serious a fan, you’ll probably buy the album anyway. After all for us fans it’s always good to support the issue of Muppet albums, I only hope there’s a sequel to this one, to include the good stuff that they couldn’t squeeze onto this one!
Critics Comments
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Links about The Muppet Show 25th Anniversary Collection
- Music Mayhem And More!
Muppet Wiki’s page for this album: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Muppet_Show:_Music%2C_Mayhem_and_More%21
