Record basics

Album name: The Muppet Show
Group name: Various artists, including Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz and Jim Henson
Year: 1977
Number of discs: one
Label: Arista Records
Collection: Selman
Distinguishing characteristics: cut in bottom left corner of album
Buy it on Amazon: $75.00

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m definitely familiar with the existence of the Muppets, but it was not something that I watched while growing up, for whatever reason (that probably had something to do with my parents thinking it was dumb).

I did watch Sesame Street, though.

What I expected

Skits and songs for children, voiced by the adults who did the Muppet characters on the television program.

What it was actually like

I thought that I might find this entire record intolerable, but parts of it were actually tolerable.

Mississippi Mud, for example, wasn’t terrible! It had good banjo, but with more of a strumming style instead of the Scruggs three-finger picking style.

Mr. Bassman was also decent, and immediately made me think of Sha Na Na (they did do this song, but it’s actually a Johnny Cymbal song), and then, naturally, of The Marcels’ Blue Moon.

That said, there was a very prominent Oompa-Loompa sound on the opening track The Muppet Show Theme and I had to turn the volume down just to make it through.

Also, the Kermit the Frog voice was so awful that I would pay money never to have to hear it again.

I’m in Love with a Big Blue Frog might have been the worst song, but it was not easy to pick.

Grade

1/5: horrible enough that I couldn’t make it through

The Muppet Show (Vinyl record album review)