Tom Lehrer, new material

Subject: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 04:28 AM

I know there's a lot of Tom Lehrer fans on the Mudcat and many of his songs in the DT. This from today's London Times.

Tom Lehrer At A Record Store Near You: The Remains of Tom Lehrer, long-awaited boxed set of the entire known oeuvre of this seminal but evasive American satirist, including previously unheard tracks, interview, photos and sleeve notes by co-producer Dr Demento. Rhino Records, £31.99.

The Verdict: Depraved, madcap, offensive, tasteless, brilliant, amazingly funny, the best and blackest - according to his fans.

Style: Insinuating light tenor with cackling piano.

The Music: Pastiches of classic styles - Irish folk song, cowboy ballad, Dixie melody, rah-rah school anthem, patriotic marching song, waltz, tango, rag, plus Sir Arthur Sullivan's major-general melody applied to The Elements (sic).

The Words: Clever, outrageous and ruthlessly rhymed lyrics broadly classifiable under three themes - all-American iconoclasm (boy scouts, cowboys, the army, aficionados of the NRA); 20th-century liberal angst (Freudian theory, nuclear holocaust, academic plagiarism); and surrealism (Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, I Hold Your Hand In Mine). Plus the periodic table of chemical elements employed in The Elements.

The Sub-Text: Abundant in-jokes and erudite allusions which are most accessible to those well up in nuclear physics.

First Waxing: Songs by Tom Lehrer, a 22-minute 10in record cut for $15 in 1953 by a recording studio. The artist, then a postgraduate student in Harvard's doctoral programme who performed his songs mostly at private functions, picked the studio out of the Yellow Pages. Initial pressing of 300 copies sold out from campus shops and local record stores. Re-recorded as a 12in, and the rest is history.

Followed By: An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer followed in 1959, after two years of clubs and concert appearances in America and the artist's National Service in the army. Lehrer then officially retired from live performance.

Influences: The Marx Brothers, particularly evident in Lydia the Tattooed Lady; Michael Flanders and Donald Swann; Stephen Sondheim, fellow New Yorker who Lehrer met at summer camp when he was 10 and Sondheim merely 8.

Stage Revival: Tomfoolery, stage show produced by Cameron Mackintosh in London in 1980, toured the world before transferring to Broadway.

The Day Job: Professor of Mathematics who also taught Musical Theatre at Harvard, Wellesley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Now 72, still teaching at the University of California at Santa Cruz. "I hope to use the subjunctive until the end."

Media-Phobic: "I don't do television - it's an invasion of privacy."

Check Out: Too Many Songs, the collected lyrics of Tom Lehrer illustrated by Ronald Searle, Methuen, £12.99.

CELIA BRAYFIELD

RtS

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Wolfgang
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 04:37 AM

Roger,
I'm very grateful for that information.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: AndyG
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 05:41 AM

I'm not starting a new thread for this as it's is really a message for Roger.

I just found and bought a four CD box set of Spike Jones & his City Slickers:

Strictly for Music Lovers
PROPERBOX 5

It's available from Amazon at ~£13.00,
(Yes, 13 quid for 95 Spike Jones tracks)

Well worth it, IMHO

AndyG

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Morticia
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 07:53 AM

well that's going to the top of my christmas wish list, thanks Roger.

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 08:10 AM

Thanks, Andy, how did you know I'd like that?! As you might guess I have the "Music Lovers" LP. I'm not sure HERSELF would let me go for the box set though it seems good value.
RtS

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Peter T.
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 09:18 AM

Rhino (the same company) has a much cheaper 2 cd compilation of Spike Jones which has almost all the great songs -- except for some reason the Dog Love Song.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: paddymac
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 09:31 AM

IMHO, both of these guys were truly gifted artists in their own unique ways.

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: SINSULL
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 10:04 AM

RtS,
Now I know what I want for Christmas too! Thanks. Can't believe Tom Lehrer is 72. When did I stop being 26? I will have to give Spike Jones another try. He and I didn't click first time around. He probably doesn't care but I might.

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Shanti
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 10:38 AM

There was a great article in the NY TIMES on July 16, about TL. Did you know he started at Harvard when he was 15?! Can't wait to get the new set. Had all three of his releases on CD, but sent one of them to a friend in Scotland. I also have a tape of an interview that was done on BBC radio about 5 years ago. If anyone's interested, I'll see if I can forward the recent NYT article...if you try to access it through the web site, they charge you $2.50.

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Áine
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 11:45 AM

Thank you, thank you, Roger, for letting us know about this!! An old boyfriend stole my only Tom Lehrer LP years ago (may he rot in hell!), but I can still sing 'Poisoning Pigeons In The Park' in its entirety. I can't wait to get my hands on this. I just may start doing the 'Genuflect Rag' any moment!

-- Áine

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Peter T.
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 04:40 PM

Sinsull, try the Dog Love Song (also known as "Our Hour") and "Laura". That should do the trick. yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Mrrzy
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 09:40 PM

Shanti, I'd love it, I'm on bbc. And RtS, thank you for this! You have totally made my day, this sounds just delicious.

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Aug 00 - 10:19 PM

I was looking for a recording of "Horsey Keep Your Tail Up," and ended up with the Spike Jones "Strictly for Music Lovers" box. Can't remember what I paid for it, but it was cheap for four CD's. I count a bit over 250 minutes of recording on the four CD's. I wonder how Peter T's Rhino set fits all that on two CD's...
It's all good stuff, and I'll betcha Peter's set doesn't have "Horsey Keep Your Tail Up."
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: rangeroger
Date: 04 Aug 00 - 12:55 AM

This boxed set is an absolute must for me. It's time to treat myself.

rr

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Shanti
Date: 04 Aug 00 - 05:49 PM

Mrzy

Do you want me to forward the article from the Times to you? The BBC interview is on tape. A friend sent it from Scotland for me. If you want to give me your snail mail address (off the record) I can make a copy of the interview and send it that way. I'll try to do the Times article via email.

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Shanti
Date: 04 Aug 00 - 05:50 PM

Oh...used to know someone who had worked with Tom Lehrer...she said in person he's boring. Now how could anyone with a brain like that possibly be boring?!

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Kettel
Date: 04 Aug 00 - 06:29 PM

Pardon me for asking, but isn't this boxed set just a re-release of TL's 3 albums. I, stating for the record, love Tom's tunes, but, yes Shanti, Mr. Lehrer has made it quite clear that his funny days are over. In a recent article in the Chicago Sun-Times he said that new students in his math classes come expecting him to be witty and humorous, only to be disappointed when he isn't. He also mentioned this several years ago in a studio interview(I believe it was his last) with Dr.Demento. Still, countless chemistry students owe him a debt of thanks for the 40 odd elements that he helped us memorize and if I ever met him, I'd shake his hand.

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 04 Aug 00 - 07:37 PM

Basically it is a compilation of his earlier works. With the addition of the PBS material and the wonderful Channukah In Santa Monica.

THere is also a very nice bio booklet included in the set. Of course all the hisses and pops are gone so you have a person's entire legacy in one box. Nice.

If you are a Lehrer fan it is a must----and who can listen to The Major General's Song again without thinking of the ELEMENTS.

Hope you all enjoy Shavouth in E. St. Louis.

Bill H

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Shanti
Date: 04 Aug 00 - 07:53 PM

I have a book of TL's songs that's really great. It's called TOO MANY SONGS BY TOM LEHRER with Not Enough Drawings by Ronald Searle. I highly recommend it. It was published originally in 1981 by Pantheon Books, but I think it's still fairly easy to find. I got it at Barnes and Noble in Kansas City.

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Nov 00 - 10:42 AM

* CLICK/TOM LEHRER NFO-LYRICS-SOUND CLIPS *

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Micca
Date: 15 Nov 00 - 12:21 PM

I have acquired the Remains of TL and they are wonderful..Not just a reissue of the albums( which i also have on CD) but a studio and a live of each song and a lot of additional stuff I hadnt heard, also a rather nice booklet.. very good value, i got mine from Amazon UK

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: NightWing
Date: 15 Nov 00 - 12:27 PM

And if you'll be my friend
Then I might ...
(Mind you I said might) ...
Give it to you!

Try this page, too. A Page (Wasted) on Tom Lehrer Supposed to be definitive.

BB,
NightWing

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Turtle
Date: 15 Nov 00 - 12:32 PM

Do the reissues of his earlier albums or the new boxed sets have the song he wrote about the obituary of Alma Werfel Gropius Mahler? That was on one of the albums I grew up listening to, but I know her family sued him to keep him from re-releasing it, and it was left off subsequent releases. Is it still/forever gone? Or were they able to include it in this collection somehow?

Turtle

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: NightWing
Date: 15 Nov 00 - 12:38 PM

Turtle,

I don't know about the recordings, but it's definitely on the web page I mentioned just above and here: A Page (Wasted) on Tom Lehrer. Click the blue clicky. *G*

BB,
NightWing

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Matt_R
Date: 15 Nov 00 - 12:41 PM

New material? I didn't know there was anything left in the world for this malcontent to complain about.

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: GUEST,Max Tone, cookieless again
Date: 15 Nov 00 - 03:55 PM

I recently heard of a couple who perform "I hold your hand in mine"
Rob Stokes sings the song, whilst Elspeth Cowie hides behind him, with only her hand and wrist visible, draped limply over his shoulder.
I'm sure you can imagine the rest!
Rob

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 15 Nov 00 - 05:37 PM

Maybe I should just give up on Mudcatters, but anyway---available at Camsco. (sigh)

Subject: RE: Tom Lehrer, new material
From: Micca
Date: 15 Nov 00 - 05:40 PM

Turtle , yes it is on the set, Remains of TL.. cd 3