Goodman made novelty records. He specialized in so-called “break-in” records, where he’d pretend to be a news reporter interviewing famous people (like Nixon), and the responses would be snippets of pop songs. (“Mr. President, what really caused the energy crisis?” “Smokin’ in the boys room...”)I remember thinking this stuff was clever and funny. But I was a kid, I didn’t know better. Listening back on it now, the humor is atrocious.
Yet Dickie Goodman got over with a few hit singles. One was “Super Fly Meets Shaft,” which used snippets of soul songs. Hard to believe it was a Top 40 hit in 1973 (and reached #17 on the R&B chart).
Click here to hear “Super Fly Meets Shaft” on my Vox blog. Corny as hell, I tell you!This record was released under the name “John & Ernest.” John Free and Ernest Smith did the interview voices, but this piece was written and produced by the inimitable Dickie Goodman.
As was the John & Ernest follow-up single, “Soul President Number One,” which wasn’t a hit.
“Soul President Number One” is available as a FREE MP3... because the late Mr. Goodman’s body of work has been repackaged and marketed as if he were some kind of comedic mastermind.
To hear “Soul President Number One,” click here. If you want to download this track, click the title below.
“Soul President Number One” (MP3)
Album available at iTunes Music Store
Album available at eMusic
Album available at Amazon
11 comments:
Is he the one who did "Mr. Jaws" (or whatever the shark interview one was)? I used to think that was hilarious. My sister and I would take turns as the interviewer/"singer" and act it out. Dr. Demento rules!
^ Yep, dez. "Mr. Jaws" was huge.
Heh, which I would have known if that picture you put up had loaded the first time I looked at your blog tonight :-D
^ I only posted that picture after reading your comment. ;^)
I added you to my blogroll.
Ohhhh, snap! I've haven't heard this record since I was a kid! Wow! Thanks for taking me back UBM.
Not long ago I came across the novelty record "Super Soul Brother" by Timmie Rogers. That joint's a trip!
Shows you how old I am that I can remember hearing Goodman's first record, 1956's "The Flying Saucer" on the radio not too long after it came out.
I see from reading his Wikipedia
entry that he's responsible for just about all of these records.
^ Always happy to hear from somebody older than me, John B. ;^D
I remember these as a kid too. The memory of riding in a car listening to a tape of these break in songs is still vivid. We alternated between those songs, Captain Fantastic and the Eagles Greatest Hits volume 1. I thought it was all super cool.
Now it just doesn't do it for me anymore. But thanks for the memories!
^ Glad I'm not the only one with special memories of "Captain Fantastic." That LP came along just at the point in life where I was developing deeper tastes in pop music music than Top 40 singles.
I wore that album out.
Ha, ha, I laughed out at the title of your post. Godamn rights it better be free, I ain't paying you money to listen to Dickie Goodman!
Here are a bunch of free comedy record obscurities for ya:
http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/
search/label/comedy%20records
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