Episode 169: Good Grief!
(Featuring selections from an unusual novelty record from 1962, wherein Charlie Brown and Lucy – with musical accompaniment – offer an audio version of their incredible comic universe.)

In 1962, when this record was first released, the cultural milieu that encouraged novelties like this was actually only a few years old.  Prior to 1958, when Mort Sahl released The Future Lies Ahead on the Verve label (previously known for jazz music), comedy was relegated to 45s and other “short” mediums.  The market for things that were “funny” seemed only to be niche at best, and LPs were considered a format for “high” art, or at the very least, actual music.  When Inside Shelly Berman was released a year later, and became a huge hit, this completely changed the face of the industry.  Comedy LPs of every variety began to make their way into the mainstream, and at the beginning of the 1960’s a format that had not existed a few short years beforehand began to dominate American culture, and the airwaves.

When considered in this light, Peanuts begins to make a lot more sense.  A number of labels began to release comedy albums in the hopes that this new market could offer another means of making money.  With the rise of teenagers spending more and more money on audio recordings, and the nature and cost of going to the kinds of clubs that would offer live comedy, the LP soon became the primary means through which the middle class, and younger folks, were able to get exposure to a wide range of artists.  Much like any boom in the world of recorded sound, labels began to rush into production albums that were remotely connected to comedy, in an effort to absorb this potential revenue.  While the comic strip Peanuts had been around well before these events, the strips’ own popularity had caused the syndicate to look for ways to expand the merchandising possibilities of good old Charlie Brown.  It is under these circumstances that this album came into existence.

Now, fast forward to present day.  I discovered this record in a crate that was given to me by my father, who was delivering it to me via my step-brother, who was cleaning house and found no need for them any longer.  There were about a hundred albums, most of which were not worth saving.  Not knowing anything about it, I stumbled across the above Peanuts album, and decided to put it on to see if there were any Vince Guaraldi cuts mixed in.  Instead, what I found literally blew my mind, and you can now hear selections of this rare gem or audio glory in this very broadcast you are now reading about, intercut with musical accompaniment that I feel only accentuates the glory that is within these grooves.

For those who are curious, here’s a little more backstory on this bizarre (and wonderful) album.  Kaye Ballard (the voice of Lucy on this album) was no stranger to comedy by 1962, having worked as a musical comedienne in the 40’s, eventually working with Spike Jones and His City Slickers.  She had a slightly acerbic quality to her, and performed stand-up, music, and straight acting through the 50’s.  She was the first person to record, “In Other Words,” which would be popularized by a number of other people when the title was changed to “Fly Me To The Moon.”  In the late ’50’s and early ’60’s, she had begun making a name for herself in television, and at the time this album was recorded, was a fairly well known entertainer.  She has remained active ever since, though never managed to achieve a big break that gained her much national recognition outside of Spike Jones enthusiasts, and an appearance on the first season of The Muppet Show.

Arthur Siegel (the voice of Charlie Brown), on the other hand, was the lesser known member of the duo.  Arthur was primarily a songwriter during his formative years, having attended Juilliard, penning a song for Eartha Kitt, and the songs in a number of Broadway revues through the ’50’s.  Primarily known on Broadway, and as a pop tunesmith, how exactly he was called upon to work on a Peanuts album is anyone’s guess.  Arthur never really achieved mainstream success, in spite of his nearly 50 year career as a songwriter, and passed away in 1994.  There are two album from the early ’90’s that document his work.

Lastly, and the component to the album that really makes my mind split open, Fred Karlin “composed” the “music” that accompanies the spoken segments by Kaye and Arthur.  Having attended Amherst College, he studied jazz composition, and arranged music for a number of artists, including Benny Goodman.  This led to work scoring documentaries, TV commercials, and Radio City Music Hall productions.  In later years he would go on to score a number of films, and write three books on the subject of composition before passing away in 2004.  However, his most innovative and challenging work during his career was that of the music for the Peanuts LP, something recorded almost as a throw away, and possibly under the assumption that it would never be heard or connected to him.  Pure avant guarde experimentation is what he recorded here, using children’s instruments and toys in a way that borders on Harry Partch by way of the Residents.  It is astoundingly prescient, for someone who never pursued that kind of music again.

This is a novelty in a way that few others are.  The music and voices here have never been associated with the Peanuts property again, and in many ways this album was meant to be forgotten, a throw-away in a world where the audio industry was finding its footing, and trying to figure out what the next move was.  Accidentally, they created a strange and wonderful gem, that you can sample here, today, on Blasphuphmus Radio.

Enjoy!

Good Grief! Playlist

Introduction
01.) Charlie Brown * The Coasters
02.) Excerpts from “Introducing Charlie Brown & Lucy” * Fred Karlin * Peanuts

Part I: Strive For Perfection
03.) Excerpts from “Introducing Charlie Brown & Lucy” * Fred Karlin * Peanuts
04.) Perfect * Kaye Ballard & Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
05.) All But Perfection Is Error * Sailboats * Starchart
06.) Deep Beauty * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
07.) Beauty Is Only Skin Deep * Robert Mitchum * Calypso Is, Like, So…
08.) I Can’t Even Get Sick Right * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
09.) Sick * Rice * Fuck You, This Is Rice!
10.) Wishy Washy * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
11.) I Can’t Win * The Monacles * Back From The Grave Vol. 1
12.) You’re Kinda Stupid * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
13.) Super Stupid * Funkadelic * Maggot Brain
14.) Lucy’s Psychiatry Help, 5 Cents * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel Peanuts
15.) You Must Pay * godheadSilo * Elephantitus of The Night
16.) I Am Not Alone * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
17.) Absent Friends * Fred Frith * Cheap At Half The Price

Part II: Blahdom
18.) Excerpts from “Introducing Charlie Brown & Lucy” & “Bugs & Birds” * Fred Karlin * Peanuts
19.) You Are So Blah * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
20.) Habla Blah Blah * Guyve * Smegma Demos
21.) A Face Face * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
22.) Funny Face * The Kinks * Something Else By The Kinks
23.) Autograph * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
24.) The Ego’s Last Stand * The Flaming Lips * Embryonic
25.) You’ll Get Run Over * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
26.) U Got Me Bugged * Devo * Hardcore Devo Vol. 2
27.) The Queen Bug * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
28.) Jelly Bean * Cold Pizza * Cold Pizza
29.) They Don’t Look Up * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
30.) Ant Man Bee * Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band * Trout Mask Replica

Part III: Solving The World’s Problems
31.) Excerpts from “Bugs & Birds” & “Political Cartoons” * Fred Karlin * Peanuts
32.) What Good Are Bugs * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
33.) Army Ants In Your Pants * Bruce Haack * Listen Compute Rock
34.) South For The Winter * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
35.) Bird Journey * Mandrake Memorial
36.) I’ve Been Wrong Before * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
37.) Afraid Of Being Wrong * Husker Du * Everything Falls Apart
38.) Ridicule Everything * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
39.) Mockingbird, Yeah! * Nation of Ulysses * Plays Pretty For Baby
40.) Lashing Out With My Crayon * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
41.) Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing * Minutemen * Double Nickels On The Dime
42.) Solving The World’s Problems * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
43.) World Problems * The Causey Way * With Loving And Open Arms
44.) Editors * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
45.) Blackmail * Horde Of Two * Guitar & Bass Actions