Thursday, May 22, 2014

Irving Taylor: The Whimsical World of Irving Taylor

I bought this while looking for a version of “Pachalafaka” that Firesign Theatre played on one of their old radio shows. It turns out that Irving Taylor plays demolition derby with a dozen deathless pop trends on this LP, smashing together sing-along folk songs and hillbilly teenybopper tunes, crooners and car salesmen. The roster of guest vocalists is pretty impressive, including Mel Blanc, Key Howard, Robie Lester, and Bea Benaderet, and the record has production values so fine you might just mistake the songs for rejects from an Eisenhower-era hit parade. Almost rises to the level of Tom Lehrer, but without Tom's penchant for the sick-sick-sick. Hightlights for me are “Zeekie, Zeekie, Lend Me Your Comb” and the simply breathtaking “Domestic Wine”.

Hawaiian Worm Raiser
In a Cafeteria With You
Honest John Henry
Domestic Wine
Pachalafaka
Garbage Collector in Beverly Hills
Prison Interior Decorator
Make It a Chocolate Soda
When the Crab Grass Blooms Again
Zeekie, Zeekie, Lend Me Your Comb
Separate Bar Stools
I'll Never Forget Those Unforgettable Never To Be Forgotten Memories

LP audio & artwork

DISCLAIMER: To the best of my knowledge, this work is out of print and not available for purchase in any format. If you are the artist and are planning a reissue, please let me know and I’ll remove it from the blog. Also please get in touch if you’ve lost your art &/or sound masters and would like to talk with me about my restoration work.

1 comment:

  1. This looks like a real gem, and I had not heard of Mr. Taylor at all. I absolutely go fetal listening to records from this era. I can see my and everybody's parents in black and white drunk and cackling on Saturday night right now. I'm hoping this gives me a little Stan Freberg feeling but I haven't heard it yet. Thank you regardless for this and all your great posts. And of course for all things Firesign.

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