Origins: Hi-Fi Stereo Color TV (Ungar & Cohen)

Subject: ADD Ver: Hi-Fi Stereo Color TV (Ungar & Cohen)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Nov 14 - 01:48 AM

Here's the version sung by Rosalie Sorrels on her What Does It Mean to Love? CD

HI FI, STEREO, COLOR TV
(John Cohen, Jay Ungar)

Dum, deedle-i-dee, and a deedle-i-dee,
Deedle-i-dee, and a deedle-i-dee,
And deedle-i, deedle-i, deedle-i, deedle-i-dee,
Deedle-um, deedle-i-dee.

There is a town in this country
And none of the children there can read, with a
Hi fi, stereo, color TV; a stereo, color TV

For the printed page they had no use
They treated newspapers with abuse, with a...

Oh, the School Board was surprised indeed
To find out none of those kids could read, with a...

To make sure all of the kids would pass
They replaced the teachers in every class, with a...

But the children they soon learned to read,
And found out that they had no need, of a...

A plan was devised by those clever creatures
To record the lessons for their teachers, on a...

With a video receiver in every chair,
The children were free to roam everywhere, from the...

Now up in the hills they roam like elves
And the TV sets just watch themselves, on a...

Subject: DT Version: Hi-Fi Stereo Color TV (Ungar & Cohen)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Nov 14 - 01:23 AM

I'm looking for reasonably authentic lyrics for this song for inclusion in the Rise Again songbook. Up above. Mark & Jim posted the lyrics Bob Reid uses. For comparison, here is the Digital Tradition version of this song. Anybody have anything different?

HI FI, STEREO, COLOR TV
(John Cohen, Jay Ungar)

There was a town in this country
And none of the children there could read, with a

cho: Hi fi, stereo, color TV
Stereo, Color TV

For the printed page they had no use
And they treated newspapers with abuse, with their

cho:

The School Board was surprised indeed
To find out none of the kids could read, 'cause of

cho:

To make sure all of the kids would pass
They replaced the teacher in every class, with a

cho:

The children all soon learned to read,
And then they found they had no nead, for a

cho:

So a plan was made by these clever creatures
To record the lessons of their teachers, on a

cho:

With a video receiver in every chair,
The children were free to roam anywhere, from the

cho:

Now up on the hills they roam like elves
While the TV sets just watch themselves, on the

cho:

Note: To the "Hi fie, diddle I diddle I fie" version of Devil and
the Farmer's wife.
@child @parody @school
filename[ HIFISTER
RG

Subject: Lyr Add: HI FI STEREO COLOR TV (Ungar, Cohen)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 01:59 PM

Copied from http://www.bobreidmusic.com/marzbarz_lyrics.htm#Hi%20Fi%20Stereo%20Color%20TV.

HI FI STEREO COLOR TV
(Jay Ungar & John Cohen)

There is a town in this country
And none of the children there could read.
Hi-fi stereo color TV, stereo color TV.

For the printed page, they had no use,
And they treated newspapers with abuse.
Hi-fi stereo color TV, stereo color TV.

Now the school board was surprised indeed
To find that none of the kids could read.
Hi-fi stereo color TV, stereo color TV.

And lo, it did soon come to pass,
They replaced the teachers in every class with a
Hi-fi stereo color TV, stereo color TV.

The children they soon learned to read,
And then they found they had no need for the
Hi-fi stereo color TV, stereo color TV.

So, a plan was made by the clever creatures
To record their lessons for their teachers.
Hi-fi stereo color TV, stereo color TV.

With a video recorder on every chair,
The children were free to roam everywhere from the
Hi-fi stereo color TV, stereo color TV.

Now the children roam the hills like elves
And the TV sets just watch themselves.
Hi-fi stereo color TV, stereo color TV.

[Sung by Bob Reid & Friendz (sic) on "Marz Barz."]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Hi-Fi Stereo Color TV . . .'
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 11 Sep 02 - 01:34 AM

Well, say hello next time you see him, Jon. I think he knows where Canada is. I've always liked Bob, as he's a member of a very, very tiny and select group of people: those who've recorded one of my songs! [insert stupid little doohickey with simpering grin here]

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Hi-Fi Stereo Color TV . . .'
From: Jon Bartlett
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 03:01 AM

I learnt it from Larry Hanks and I know the "And lo, it did soon come to pass" line as "So to make sure all of these kids would pass", but that's the tradition for ya! I was in San Diego a couple of years back and there was Bob, large as life and twice as ugly! :)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Hi-Fi Stereo Color TV . . .'
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 01:04 AM

Here it is...how about that? Jay Ungar was one of the authors. Hi-Fi Stereo Color TV. Here's the main website for Bob Reid. A wonderful guy and great musician. I don't know if he's still doing his kids' music TV show out of Santa Cruz.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Hi-Fi Stereo Color TV . . .'
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 12:39 AM

Bob Reid recorded it; I think it might be by Tom Hunter. I'll see if I can dig up Bob's tape.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Hi-Fi Stereo Color TV . . .'
From: DonMeixner
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 12:32 AM

I heard Ed Trickett do this 25 years ago. Never since.

Don

Subject: 'Hi-Fi Stereo Color TV . . .'
From: mmb
Date: 09 Sep 02 - 10:59 PM

Does anyone recognize this title? I can recall only the last line of the refrain, about the future, when teachers will become obsolete and children will educate themselves via educational TV - "with a Hi-Fi Stereo Color TV, Stereo Color TV." Thank you. MB