Ernie Kovacs Record Collection

Amazon.com
In the 1950s, comic Ernie Kovacs was a pioneer in breaking down television's "fourth wall" and making the process of doing the show part of the joke. (And you thought David Letterman invented that.) Key to Kovacs's brand of intellectual slapstick was choosing the right music to accompany his unforgettable sight gags, and he turned to fellow freaks such as Ferrante & Teicher, space-age bachelor Esquivel!, and the Les Baxter Orchestra with Dr. Samuel Hoffman on theremin. The music stands up even when separated from the skits: Witness "Song of the Nairobi Trio," which accompanied a running gag featuring an orchestra composed of three guys in monkey suits beating each other on the head. (Trust me, it was funnier than it sounds.) --Jim Derogatis

Ernie Kovacs Record Collection,Ernie Kovacs,Varese Records,Easy Listening,Pop,Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows,Spoken Word Comedy

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Average customer rating: So Far Ahead of Its Time... Please stand by... A nice tribute to a tv pioneer Even the CD is classic Kovacs!! Good content, but not enough...

Ernie Kovacs' Record Collection Ernie Kovacs Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Retro Space Age | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Television Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Best of Ernie Kovacs ASIN: B00000150N Release Date: 1997-07-15

Tracks:

1. Please Stand By
2. Oriental Blues (Ernie's Tune)
3. Moritatensanger (Mack The Knife)
4. Song Of The Nairobi Trio (Solfeggio)
5. Polka (From The Golden Age Op.22)
6. Oye Negra
7. Hot Cakes And Sausage
8. Saxophobia
9. Medley: Jalousie (Jealousy)/Sentimental Journey
10. The Wrong Man
11. There's A Little Spark Of Love Still Burning
12. Fish
13. Celestial Nocturne
14. African Echoes
15. Indian Love Call
16. Tumba
17. Rats In My Room
18. Mississippi Boogie
19. Lt. Kije
20. Sign off

Amazon.com

In the 1950s, comic Ernie Kovacs was a pioneer in breaking down television's "fourth wall" and making the process of doing the show part of the joke. (And you thought David Letterman invented that.) Key to Kovacs's brand of intellectual slapstick was choosing the right music to accompany his unforgettable sight gags, and he turned to fellow freaks such as Ferrante & Teicher, space-age bachelor Esquivel!, and the Les Baxter Orchestra with Dr. Samuel Hoffman on theremin. The music stands up even when separated from the skits: Witness "Song of the Nairobi Trio," which accompanied a running gag featuring an orchestra composed of three guys in monkey suits beating each other on the head. (Trust me, it was funnier than it sounds.) --Jim Derogatis

Customer Reviews:

So Far Ahead of Its Time..........2006-07-30

It's STILL ahead of its time.

Ernie Kovacs was the guy who said televsion (50s style) was called a medium because it was neither rare nor well done. He instsed on looking at things his own way, and using TV's technology in ways no one else would even imagine.

Today, whenever a business seminar leader trots out the well-worn cliche "thinking outside the box," Ernie's face comes before me.

And music was innate. So much of Ernie's TV tech stuff was 100% visual, it was tantamount to viewing a series of silent films.

And we remember that silent movies had musical accompaniment. Ernie had to furnish music which would at once associate itself with the ruthlessly original visual imagery and also be, hopefully, something we'd not heard before.

He scoured the globe for 1950s-era music that you'd never heard before. For example, even fifty years later, I cannot hear the version of "Jalousie" on this CD without seeing the "office equipment" visuals he made. And I'd be grateful for a plateful of fish.

Ernie's outlook on things has warped me for life. And this music is tightly woven into that...he made the fifties what they were.

Please stand by..........2005-01-14

This is a compilation of songs that appeared on Ernie Kovacs' TV show. I have never seen the show, so the songs don't mean as much to me as they would to somebody who is a fan of the show. Most of the songs are pretty weird, but only a few of them are out and out funny. If you are a fan of Ernie Kovacs you will probably like this CD. If you aren't a Kovacs fan, this CD will probably leave you baffled.

A nice tribute to a tv pioneer.......2002-09-23

This disc will be a sheer delight to any fans of the late Ernie Kovacs pioneering TV comedy/variety show of the early 1950s. Music was always a passion of Kovacs' and an important element to his show, and this disc (yeah, okay, it's actually a collection...) features warped, oddball performances of pop, classical and novelty tunes by artists such as Yma Sumac, Ferrante & Teicher and Esquivel, as well as a croon or two by Kovacs himself. The real gem is Robert Maxwell's "Song Of The Nairobi Trio" (aka: "Solfeggio"), which was the theme to a recurrent -- and always hilarious sight gag involving three mechanical musical apes (one of whom was invariably played by a costumed Kovacs...) Just the sound of the song alone will bring a smile to anyone who's seen the skit before. In some ways this is just another kitschy set of '50s exotica; but for me the Kovacs mystique is enough to set this disc in a separate category. Recommended.

Even the CD is classic Kovacs!!.......2001-12-18

What a collection!! Everything Ernie is on this CD,
and Ima Sumac too!! Wonderful compilation of music,
a bit ecelectic, but that's Kovacs! He sings on
a couple of the cuts and not too badly either...well,
it's still Ernie. Also with Eydie Adams, and
when was the last time you heard The Theramin played?
It's all HEAR and presented just like a TV show with
Ernie doing a brief opening bit in the studio. If
you love Ernie Kovas, this is his audio companion.
All the theme bits for his characters and some hard-
to-find music cuts are included. The print font size
on the liner notes is smallish, but the CD is great!!!!

Good content, but not enough..........2000-01-26

This is a fine CD to complement anyone's Kovacs, comedy or easy listening collection. Some Kovacs tunes, like "The Irving Wong Song" and "Hey, Taxi!" are not on this CD, and they are missed. I could have done without the second version of "Oriental Blues" if either of these songs had been included. B+ for effort and good package.

Mexican Music:

1. Female Hits of the 90's, Vol. 118 [Karaoke]
2. Female Hits of the 90's, Vol. 119 [Karaoke]
3. Female Hits of the 90's, Vol. 120 [Karaoke]
4. Female Hits of the 90's, Vol. 122 [Karaoke]
5. Female Hits of the 90's, Vol. 123 [Karaoke]
6. Female Hits of the 90's, Vol. 125 [Karaoke]
7. Female Hits of the 90's, Vol. 126 [Karaoke]
8. Female Hits of the 90's, Vol. 127 [Karaoke]
9. Female Hits of the 90's, Vol. 128 [Karaoke]
10. Female Hits of the 90's, Vol. 129 [Karaoke]

Mexican Music

mexican music

Mexican Music

Movies/1st Version [CD-single] [Import]

Schubert: Masses in A flat & C

Sittin' In With The Greats

Music CD: Consentida

Sonograph [EP] [Import]

Pasion Gitana

Rock N Learn: Spanish, Vol. 1

Symphony 1 / Tragic Overture

Rear View Mirror, Vol. 2 [Live]

Onda

Stolen Wishes

SGB0009(Karaoke CDG) [Explicit Lyrics]

Remasterpiece Orchestral: Turn Table Symphony [Import]

The Extremely Loud Guitar Disc

Green Mind