Issued in 1981 by children’s educational recording
specialist the Kid’s Stuff Company, Pink Panther Punk was an attempt to
introduce the kids to pop music via their favourite Saturday morning cartoon
show (or Saturday afternoon, immediately after Grandstand, if you lived
in the UK).
One has to assume that the average American child was not
that discerning, for Pink Panther Punk contains absolutely no trace of anything
remotely connected with punk rock: no Sex Pistols or Ramones covers, and no
baggie of gob and zero safety pins were included in the package. In fact, what
you get over the course of this ridiculously short album – just 25 minutes long
– are four pop covers, including is a Billy Joel song, a Doobie Brothers song,
and recent hits from Blondie and Pink Floyd, with an equal number of Panther-themed
nonsense from composer John Braden.
Braden, who started out as a solo folk singer in the late
sixties, found his niche with Kid’s Stuff: his 1969 debut, a weird hybrid of
Tiny Tim vocals and pop/country arrangements, met with about as much interest
as his Tom sawyer-themed musical, Downriver, but by the dawn of the 80s
he was churning out album after album for Kid’s Stuff, including two Panther-themed
LPs in 1981 alone. His sole A&M album would later accrue some interest
among collectors for featuring an incredible line-up of session musicians,
including Sneaky Pete and Ry Cooder. Braden was also a member of Manhattan’s La
Mama experimental theatre, writing or co-writing musicals including Silver
Queen Saloon and Sixty Minute Queer Show.
The Kid’s Stuff label was founded in 1975 by children’s
entertainer and TV personality Bob McAllister, the host of Wonderama and Kids Are People Too. Initially specialising in educational and
read-along recordings, over the years the company developed partnerships
a number of toy and cartoon franchises, and by the time Braden came on the
scene they were pumping out albums to accompany the latest cartoon starring Strawberry
Shortcake, Pac Man, Raggedy Ann and Andy, or Barbie
vehicle. Soon Masters of the Universe, Transformers and giant
cartoon Great Dane Marmaduke would join the catalogue, and Kid’s Stuff
would enjoy a tremendously successful decade.
Sadly John Stuart Braden Jr., would not accompany them on
that ride: the talented singer, composer and actor died in 1987, aged just 41, of
pneumococcal meningitis.
Here are both sides of the fun Pink Panther Punk album.
Enjoy!
Download Side One HERE
Download Side Two HERE
Henry Mancini was already punk
ReplyDeleteIt's remarkable.
ReplyDeleteHoly s***, I have an absurdly clear musical memory. So I was telling a friend years ago that attended this church in the town that I grew up in that I had gone to daycare there in 1981 and seem to remember one of the teachers playing us Pink Floyd as I remember hearing "Another Brick In The Wall" in daycare class. It seems pretty unlikely that any of the daycare attendees would have actually been able to play The Wall for a bunch of five year old's without being fired. I distinctly remember hearing "What A Fool Believes" as well, so it would have had to have been this record. Probably always why I had this weird association between Pink Floyd and the Pink Panther when I was a kid.
ReplyDelete