The Muppet Alphabet Album

The Muppet Alphabet Album was the first Sesame Street album that was hosted solely by the Muppets without assistance from the human cast. It was originally packaged in a gatefold sleeve, featuring visualizations of each letter of the alphabet by Smollin Associates. The original package contained 26 small punch-out illustrating the songs, plus a letter-shaping pipe cleaner, a blackboard and chalk. The songs from this album were also released on seven consecutively numbered 45-rpm, 7-inch records. The album was also released simultaneously on a "Carry About" boxed set of 45s. The LP edition reached #189 on Billboard's Top LPs chart in early 1972. The album was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children, but it lost to the cast album from The Electric Company.
The album was recorded and released concurrently with Sesame Street’s third season. Many of the album tracks would be performed in inserts taped for the show that year. 
Roosevelt Franklin notably appears on the original album cover holding the letter R despite not being featured on any of the songs. 
The 1976 reissue dropped the inserts, and the gatefold contained new "Learn Your Letters" artwork which did not directly correspond to the content of the songs. In 1977, the album was reissued as part of the 3-LP boxed set, Letters, Numbers and Signs.
This album was reissued many times over the years on records, cassettes and 8-tracks, sometimes with slight title changes. In 1996, a new CD and cassette edition was released, under the title Sing the Alphabet, with some minor changes (see below for details).
==Track listing==
Side One
#The Opening - Cast
#The Sound of the Letter A * - Big BirdMusic and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
#Oscar's B Sandwich - OscarMusic by Joe Raposo, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
#C Is for Cookie * - Cookie MonsterMusic and Lyrics by Joe Raposo 
#Dee, Dee, Dee * - ErnieMusic and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
#E What's My Letter * - Guy Smiley and PrairieWritten by Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo
#Four Furry Friends - Grover, Herry Monster, Oscar and Cookie MonsterMusic and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
#Two G Sounds * - Grover, GeorgeMusic and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
#Ha Ha - Harvey, Herry, Big BirdMusic by Joe Raposo, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
#I Stand Up Straight and Tall * - GroverMusic and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
#J Friends * - The Anything MuppetsMusic and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
#K Herbert's Silly Poem - Herbert BirdsfootWritten by Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo
#La, La, La * - Bert and ErnieMusic and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
#M-M-M Monster Meal * - Herry Monster, Cookie MonsterMusic and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
#The Noodle Story - Big Bird, OscarWritten by Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo
Side Two
#Would You Like to Buy an O? * - Salesman and ErnieMusic and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
#P My Favorite Letter * - The Anything MuppetsMusic and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
#The Question Song * - Grover, Little GirlMusic by Jeff Moss, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
#The R Machine - Ernie and BertWritten by Jim Henson
#Sammy the Snake * - SammyMusic and Lyrics by Jeff Moss 
#The Tale of Tom Tattertall Tuttletut - Herbert Birdsfoot, Anything MuppetsWritten by Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo
#U Lecture - Professor HastingsMusic and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
#Very, Very Special Letter - Big BirdMusic and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
#The National Association of W Lovers * - BertMusic by Joe Raposo, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
#X Marks the Spot! * - Sherlock HemlockMusic and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
#Y Just Because - Grover, Little GirlWritten by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo
#The Zizzy Zoomers * - The Anything MuppetsMusic and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
#The Closing - Cast
::* this track was performed on the show.
==Edits==
On some later non-record editions of this album, the following section of dialogue is omitted from the end of side 2, after Big Bird says, "What's the alphabet?" and everybody groans:
:Bert: Well, don't just sit there. Turn the record over and let's start again.
:Big Bird: Hey, if they turn the record over, won't we all fall off?
Then the closing music plays, on all versions.
==Other releases==
Image:AlphabetAlbumLP.jpg|1976Sesame Street RecordsCC 25503(reissue cover)
Image:Noimage-big.png|Sesame Street RecordsC 5003
Image:MuppetAlphabetAlbum8track.JPG|Sesame Street RecordsT 5003 
Image:Noimage-big.png|Sesame Street RecordsC 79010The Muppet Alphabet Cassette (reissue title)
Image:Noimage-big.png|Sight & SoundGNL-206
Image:MuppAlphabetAlbumCassette.jpg|Sight & Sound62229
Image:MuppetAlphabetAlbumSingAlongPack.jpg|1987MPI ProductionSing-Along Pack
Image:GoldenSSAlphabetTape.jpg|1990Golden Music4107The Sesame Street Alphabet Album (reissue title)
==International releases==
File:AxisAlphabetAlbum.jpg|AustraliaAxis RecordsAXIS 6322
Image:AxisAlphabetAlbum-Cassette.jpg|AustraliaAxis RecordsTC-AXIS 6322
File:MuppetAlphabetAlbumSummitAustralia.jpg|AustraliaSummit Records8002
Image:Noimage-big.png|AustraliaSummit Records8002
File:Sesalpha.jpg|Japan, 1991Sony RecordsSRCS 5451Sesame Street Alphabet Album (reissue title) 
Image:Noimage-big.png|Japan, 1997Sony RecordsSRCL 4060Sesame Street Alphabet Album (reissue title) 
Image:Noimage-big.png|Japan, 1999Sony RecordsSVWC 4004Sesame Street Alphabet Album (reissue title) 
==Sing the Alphabet==
Released in 1996, Sing the Alphabet is a retitled CD and cassette reissue of The Muppet Alphabet Album. The opening and closing dialogue tracks from the original album are included. The opening is combined with "The Sound of the Letter A", and the closing, which is combined with "The Zizzy Zoomers," omits some dialogue mentioning that this is a record album (see "Edits" section above). This version of the album opens with a remake of "ABC-DEF-GHI" sung by Elmo (originally recorded for Episode 2616), and includes a lyric booklet.
This album was reissued on CD by Koch Records on March 4, 2008. The re-released album included the same track listing; however, it featured new cover art.
==Credits==
*Produced by Jim Henson
*Associate Producer for the Muppets: Diana Birkenfield
*Written by Joe Raposo, Jeff Moss and Jerry Juhl
*With the talents of Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, Jerry Nelson, Fran Brill and Jim Henson
*Original Concept and Design by Arthur Shimkin, Producer
*Studio control and editing by Jim Timmens
*Visuals by Smollin Associates
==Cast==
*Frank Oz as Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, Harvey Kneeslapper, Professor Hastings, and The Salesman
*Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch
*Jerry Nelson as George, Herbert Birdsfoot, Herry Monster, Sammy the Snake, and Sherlock Hemlock
*Fran Brill as Prairie Dawn and A Little Girl
*Jim Henson as Ernie and Guy Smiley
;Uncredited
*Jerry Juhl as the Queen, with Jeff Moss and Joe Raposo as background voices
;Sing the Alphabet only
*Kevin Clash as Elmo
==Other releases==
Image:SingAlphabet.JPG|1996Sony WonderLT 67747LT 67748
Image:KochSingTheAlphabet.jpg|2008Koch RecordsKOC-CD-4475
==International releases==
Image:Noimage-big.png|AustraliaEMI72435 31857 2
Image:Noimage-big.png|AustraliaEMI72435 31857 4
File:ABC2013SingtheAlphabetAustralia.jpg|Australia, 2013ABC Music
==See also==
*Sesame Street discography
==External links==
*"Jim Henson's Red Book" entry, 9/20-24/1971 – 'Recording Alphabet album at night.'
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Category:Sesame Street Albums
Category:Alphabet