From: thompson@gumby.mgi.com
Newsgroups: rec.music.beatles
Subject: Beatles novelty list (rough) *LONG*
Date: 16 Aug 92 04:39:55 GMT
Organization: Management Graphics, Inc.


BEATLES NOVELTY RECORDS LIST
============================

Working draft. Mostly unedited. Complete with errors, ommissions, and
duplications. Corrections and additional information are welcome.
e-mail thompson@gumby.mgi.com

A more detailed/complete list will be posted later.

**My news feed has been sporadic, so if you posted info to rec.music.dementia
**and it does not appear here, *please* forward a copy to me.

Albums designed to cash in on the first wave of Beatlemania
-----------------------------------------------------------

_A Hard Day's Night_
"Starring The Manchesters"
Diplomat Records LP #D2335 (no copyright date)

includes:     A Hard Day's Night
              Please Please Me
              I Want To Hold Your Hand
              She Loves You


_Beattle Mash_ (front cover)
_Beatle Mash_  (LP label)
by
The Liverpool Kids    (front cover)
The Liverpool Moptops (liner notes)
The Schoolboys        (LP label) 
Palace Records LP #M-777 (no copyright date)

includes: She Loves You
          Why Don't You Set Me Free (rips off "I Want To Hold Your Hand")
          Japanese Beatles (instrumental)



Novelties, unusual covers etc.
------------------------------

_BEATLESONGS: A Collection of Beatles Novelties Volume 1_
Rhino LP #RNLP 803

This album is highly recommended by contributors to this list.
Tracks: The Invasion   by Buchanan and Greenfield
        Hold My Hand   by The Rutles
        We Love You Beatles   by The Carefrees
        My Boyfriend Got A Beatle Haircut   by Donna Lynn
        Letter From Elaina   by Casey Kasem
        Beatlemania   by Jack Nitzsche
        Beatle Rap   by The Qworymen
        L.S. Bumble Bee   by Peter Cook & Dudley Moore
        I'm the Meany   by Wild Man Fischer
        Pop Hates The Beatles   by Allan Sherman
        Letter to The Beatles   by The Four Preps
        The Beetle   by Gary Usher


_Golden Throats_ [Rhino CD #R2 70187] has a truly awful rendition of "Lucy
in the Sky With Diamonds" by Bill Shatner (!), originally from his "Transfor-
med Man" LP, as well as "Twist and Shout" by Mae West. The sequel _Golden
Throats 2_ [Rhino CD #R2 71007] has Bing Crosby's version of "Hey Jude", and
"Give Peace A Chance" by Mitch Miller & The Gang.

	The soundtrack album of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is
a treasure trove of gawdawful performances of Beatles songs. [RSO Records LP
#RS-2-4100] [1978]

	Barnes and Barnes and Abraxas have a cut called "A Day in the Life of
Green Acres" that combines the tune (sort of) of "A Day in the Life" with
the lyrics of "Green Acres".

	In 1976 a two-record set [20th Century Records LP #2T-522] appeared
with music from the soundtrack of a truly mutant documentary called "All This
and World War II" which consisted entirely of Beatles songs done in (sometimes
VERY odd) versions by a bevy of British singers of varying renown, along with
some non-Brit pop stars of the 70s.

	Farther afield, there's the music from the satirical film "The Rutles"
It doesn't specifically send up any particular songs but does a good job
parodying the various musical styles of the Beatles' career.  The music is
by Neil Innes and the film was produced by George Harrison, who also has a
cameo role.
[album: Rhino CD #R2 75760   movie: <AKA "The Rutles--All You Need Is Cash">
Broadway Video/Pacific Arts Video Records, Pacific Arts Building,
Carmel, CA 93923 ]

There's an album called "Boston does the Beatles" which is a whole lotta
Boston bands doing covers... Not really bad, any of them, but some are unusual.

"Don't Get Me Wrong" (Bonzo Dog Band / _Let's Make Up & Be Friendly_).
The song is a shameless Beatles parody, with someone who does a more-than-
credible Lennon imitation. [1972?]

"I Am the Walrus" by Men Without Hats.

Todd Rundgren and Utopia has an album entitled DEFACE THE MUSIC in which all
the songs are beatlesque. The album cover is a sort of parody of the Beatles'
FACE THE MUSIC. [editor's note: What is "Face the Music"?]

"I Wanna Bite Your Hand" - artist unknown
    
_MERRY MICHEALMAS contains the 45's the Beatles sent to their British fan club
members every Christmas. This album has a lot of funny, silly, and extemporized
stuff on it.

_Bach, Bayless, Beatles_ [Pro Arte CD #CDD 413]
_Bach Meets The Beatles_ [Pro Arte CD #CDP 4211]
[A third album is available. Title??]
All by John Bayless. Various Beatles tunes are performed on piano as if
composed by Bach.

Another is _Ragtime Beatles_ by John Arpin [Pro Arte CD #CDD 373]. Beatles
tunes performed on piano as Ragtime. I have seen these in mail-order catalogues
such as THE MUSIC STAND. 

There's an album that is a parody of the _Abby Road_ cover that has
the band walking across a crosswalk, totally naked, except for socks. I don't
THINK that they're wearing them on their feet. I've only had this cover
described to me, so I don't know the name of the band. Maybe the Red Hot Chili
Peppers? This sounds like their stage act.

"All The Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople mentions The Beatles.

From "A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd into
Submission"   by Simon and Garfunkel:
         "I've been Rolling Stoned and Beatled 'til I'm blind"

In "Everbody's Making It Big But Me", Doctor Hook sings about Elvis, Dylan,
Mick Jagger, The Beatles and just about everyone else.

_Baroque Beatles_  Obviously, Beatles music as played in the Baroque style. I
found it interesting as an undergrad to play it for unsuspecting visitors ...
who would invariably start humming along, amazed they knew this "classical"
piece ... and then watch their faces as they suddenly realized WHY they
recognized it.

_The Baroque Beatles Book_ [same as above album?] by The Baroque Ensemble of the
Mersyside Kammermusikgesellschaft; Joshua Rifkin, conductor.
[Elektra Records LP #EKL-306 (mono) EKS-7306 (stereo)]

"Shooting Star"  by Cheap Trick
first two lines about a Beatles song giving someone inspiration

"You're in a Bad Way" The Happenings
--water's coming down like pins and needles
  stereo is blasting through your pad - probably the Beatles...  

"I saw it on TV"??  John Fogerty's latest solo album, I think
 all about TV happenings, one line
 "as four (young kids?) from England" did something...introduced us to an era
or something.

"We didn't Start the Fire" Billy Joel
blah blah blah blah British Beatlemania...
---
In the sixties there was a band in israel that would take Beatles songs and put
Hebrew lyrics onto them - usually completely changing the point, but in very
Beatles style...
For example...

"From Me To You"

If there's anything that you want
Lama at lo yotzeit iti?
Why won't you go out with me?

If there's anything I can do
Mah at ratza achrei hahu
Why do you run after him?

...etc...

The band was caled Hagashash Ha'Chiver, I think.
---
In "American Pie, "The Sgts. played a marching tune"

Peter Sellers did "A Hard Day's Night" as Richard the Third.
He also did "Help" as a vicar and choir and "Can't Buy Me Love" as a duet with
himself- one male one female) [EMI compilation, 1991]
Also, "She Loves You" as Dr. Strangelove". Same album?

I finally found the name of the album where Alex Chilton does "I Want To 
Hold Your Hand"- it's an album that came out this year called _Downtown
Does The Beatles Live At The Knitting Factory_.  I haven't seen the
album yet (I got the info from Goldmine), but it sounds like an album
of covers done by the artists in the Knitting Factory/Downtown scene.

"Beetle Beat" LP, by the Bugg's.

Nancy Sinatra did a *FANTASTIC* cover of "Run for Your life"

Other faves include The Baroque Beatles Book Elektra EK-305 (mono)
or Elektra EKS-7306 - depending on whether you dig mono or
stereo - although it's probably next to impossible to find.
It features several pre-1966 Beatles songs done up in a Baroque-
style, and has a recitative (that's a Baroque rap, basically) of
some of John Lennon's writings.

The Mothers of Invention's _We're Only In it for the Money_ [Verve v6-5045X]
is a full album spoof of Lonely Hearts Club, complete with cutouts, and Frank
Zappa with his back to the camera to indicate his recent death.

There's an album of The Chipmunks singing some of the earlier Beatles
hits. It's called _The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles_ [EMI-Manhattan Records CD
# CDP-7-48379-2]

Tim Curry (of Rocky Horror Picture Show fame) does a calypso "I Will". Available
on _The Best of Tim Curry_ [A&M Records CD # CD5269]

Big Daddy did the ENTIRE Sgt. Pepper album in 1950's style [Rhino Records
CD # R2 70371]
---
The Capital Steps, a political novelty group, have done several songs to the
TUNE OF Beatles songs:

`I got high a couple of times with my friends'
	(About Doug Ginsburg Supreme Court nomination)

`Fools on the Hill' (About Congress. They've done two like this.)

`Maxwell's Silver Stammer' (About Military jargon)

`When I'm 62' (About Social Security)

[For more information on The Capital Steps, call 800-733-STEP)
---
Beatles Rap (all four of them have a small monologue which is auto-
biographical. They didn't do it, it is an imitaiton. Very funny.)

Crazy Calls- many funny answering machine messages. One of them is in Beatles
style.

William Shattner sang(?) `Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' on his only album
_The Transformed Man_. That album is hard to find, but it is also on `Golden
Throats' which is by Rhino.

Doodles Weaver did `Eleanor Rigby' as if he was drunk. (He was a member of
Spike Jones Band)

Bill Cosby did `Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' Its on one of his albums,
I don't know which one.

"Pop Hates The Beatles" to the tune of "Pop Goes The Weasel" By Alan Sherman.
Its on his GREATEST HITS album and _Beatlesongs_. He is a father who complains
about the beatles being too loud and having hair that is too long. (Also
complains that ticket prices are 50 dollars each. Inflation makes that
complaint seem trivial.)

"Michel-Mabel" by Xavier Hollander.

"Obese Man"  (tune of Nowhere Man)

"Louisiana Hookers With Herpes" by Frank Zappa, to tune of "Lucy In The Sky
With Diamonds" (Have heard this is true, have never heard it)

"Texas Motel" (Zappa, to tune of "Norwegian Wood") (Have heard this is true,
have never heard it)

Alvin All-star Chipmunk Band. The Chipmunks. Vaguely like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Hearts Band

Mark Russell did a song about the Congressional pay raise to the tune of
"Yesterday. I have this nagging feeling he also used the tune of Eleanor
Rigby sometime.

Beatles Breakfast. Not a song, but a parody of them having breakfast and
inadvertenaly dropping song lines (e.g. `You want Eggs, while I AM the egg-man')

A day in the life-91.  A story constructed out of the titles of 91 Beatles
songs. Its spoken, not sung.

To the tune of "Yesterday"
    `Leprosey- I'm not half the man I used to be'
(I do not know if someone has bothered to fill in the
rest of this `song'_

Computer Science songs "Write in C" to the tune of "Let It Be".
I have the lyrics, I have never heard it sung.
---
The Swinging Erudides did a PAUL McCartney Massacer which had several Beatles 
satires:

a) Silly Paul McCartney (Tune of Silly Love Songs)
b) Stupid People living in the Past (Sgt. Pepper)
c) Yesterday Pts 1 and 2 (Yesterday)
d) Robert Plant Serendae (???)
e) 80's new wave anthem (???)
f) Losers in the Studio and Dying (Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds)
---
"Negligee"- tune of "Yesterday". I have the lyrics, but don't think anyone
ever actually sung it.

An album called _Rutles Highway Revisted_ has OTHER groups doing songs by The
Rutles. (I am NOT kidding- it is available on CD.) I wonder who would buy such
a thing, but then again I plan on ordering it myself.
[Shimmy Disc CD # SDE 9028/CD]

"If You Want It, I Can Get It For You Wholesale" (Lazlo and Gary satirizing
"If You Want It, Here It Is, Come And Get It)
[Editor's note: Isn't this a Badfinger song?]

"Much Too Late To Get Fries".  Satire of Julian Lennon's "Too Late For
Goodbyes".

"The World Is Mine" (Gorby and Reagan). Satire of "The Girl is Mine" (Mcartney
and Michael Jackson)

"This Song is Just Six Words Long" by Weird Al Yankovic [from _Even Worse_ CBS/
Rock 'n' Roll Records cassette # FZT 44149], and "I've Got A Car Phone Now' are
both to the tune of SOME George Harrison song (I think- I could be wrong on
this one.) ["This Song..." is to the tune of Harrison's "Got My Mind Set On
You"]

As part of Weird Al's food medley he has "Chicken Pot Pie" instead of "Live and
Let Die" (I have heard that this is true, I have not heard it myself.)




[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]][]]][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Thanks to all who contributed. They provided at least 95% of the information.

Bill Gasarch
Laurie Beth Brunner
Chris Brunsdon
David Cooke
Gina Mai Denn (The Mad Maidenn)
Kim Dyer
j. sharon fenick
Scott Galuska
Bill Gasarch
Jenny Gutbezal
Dave Hinz
Charles Lavazzii
Dave LeCompte
Scot Leibacher
David A. Mattingly (New Wave Dave) 
Albert L. Papp III 
Russell Street
Randall Whitaker
Did I mention Bill Gasarch?

(If your name is on this list and you don't remember contributing, it's because
I lifted info from your news articles.)

Send additions, corrections, flames and information on where to buy a life to:

MOKO
internet: thompson@gumby.mgi.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"THE LIVERPOOL MOPTOPS - these four young men, who with a group of excellent
musicians, have adopted the style of BEATLING, the hottest craze in show
business on either side of the Atlantic."
                                      from the liner notes to _Beattle Mash_