One of my all-time favorite budget efforts, despite its many shortcomings. Among these: Only two of the ten tracks are actual TV themes (Davy Crockett and Cheyenne); hence, 80 percent of the material rates as filler (though not a bad ratio for a junk-label LP). As for Slim Boyd and His Range Riders, other artists credited with the same material (on other issues) range from Sons of the New Frontier, The Rio Grande River Boys, Frankie Starr, and Jack Arthur, among others--the usual up-for-grabs junk-label attributions. And, though this collection was released in 1963, the material dates back to the previous decade and to the Peter Pan label--thus, the release year amounts to nothing. Otherwise, a perfect album. And it has cheap but delightfully campy jacket art, as does Western Favorites, the source for today's bonus tracks:
Meanwhile, here's the original sleeve and label for Buffalo Billy, an actual pop song (as opposed to an intended-for-budget-label title), plus the sheet music for the 1909 My Pony Boy, which appears on the latter LP as Pony Boy. And you thought this was all junk with no redeeming details...
The standout TV Western Themes tracks--Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Davy Crokett, Cheyenne, and El Paso, a fine cover of the Marty Robbins hit--comprise a full 60 percent of the track list, which is an impressive feat for any dollar-bin disc. Oh, and here's El Paso in its original SPC EP form:
At Discogs, "Slim Boyd" yields no fewer than seven budget aliases, including Curley (Half as Much) Williams.
DOWNLOAD: TV Western Themes.zip
SLIM BOYD AND HIS RANGE RIDERS
Davy Crockett (actual TV theme)
Wyatt Earp
Cheyenne (actual TV theme)
El Paso
Red River Valley
Wild Bill Hickok
The Old Chisholm Trail
Jesse James
Buffalo Bill
Home on the Range
SONS OF THE NEW FRONTIER
A Boy in Buckskin (J. Fred Coots)
Buffalo Gals
Buffalo Billy (Redman-Cavanaugh-Weldon)
Pony Boy (Heath-O'Donnell)
Arkansas Traveler
Lee
11 comments:
Thanks Lee, I cannot wait to hear these. Will write later after I have listen to it.
I only wish Blogger would allow a different email to be used than Google.
We had this when I was a kid. Years later, I bought a mint copy off of Discogs so I could hear "Cheyenne" without pops and clicks
Bryan,
Yes, that would be nice! Hope you enjoy these...
Jimmy,
It's much better that way!
I've always liked that cover, with the cowboy and the TV antenna. Was it an episode of The Flintstones where they rode around town roping the TV antennas and tearing them down so the residents couldn't watch something on TV that was going to embarrass Fred? I may be mixing that up with something else, like the 1930's establishing shots in Indiana Jones that showed TV antennas on some of the buildings.
Great album. I think I know all of these songs from various instrumental albums I have in my collection.
I knew I recognized this name, as Ernie posted a Christmas album supposedly by this same artist.
I had to go out of town today, so this fit the bill for listening pleasures during my transportation journeys. I also listened to some of the great Time-Life collections of 1962-1979 AM Gold. It is a 34-CD set. I have 29 CDs left to get through.
Ernie,
That sounds like The Flintstones! And I vaguely remember an episode like that, though I can't be sure. Yes, the juxtaposition of the guy-on-horse and TV antenna is genuinely clever. By budget standards, it rates as brilliant!
Bryan,
That's some serious listening! Sounds great--enjoy.
This is going to be a fun one! Looking forward to listening to it when I have the time. This might be a good time to revive the Modern Sound Western Ballads album since you posted this. Also worth re-posting is the Living Guitars Shindig album. I did come across a copy earlier this year and am ready to provide fresh comments. I think you re-ripped that album before Workupload dumped all of your files in the Fall of 2023.
In a true case of budget label recycling, the cartoon on the album's back cover was also used on a Hank Williams tribute album on the same label, Coronet.
musicman 1979,
Not surprising in the least! Premier loved to reuse its jacket art.
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