Kermit Unpigged Discussion

[Fozzie Bear]

I thought it would be neat to have a discussion about this album in comparison to other recordings they have done.

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From 1994
1 She Drives Me Crazy, Kermit/Piggy
2 Day Dream, Kermit, Vince Gill
3 On Broadway, George Benson, Clifford, Rizzo, Rats
4 All I Have To Do Is Dream, Kermit, Linda Ronstadt
5 Born To Be Wild, Piggy/Ozzie Osbourne
6 Mr. Spaceman, Gonzo, Rizzo, Jimmy's Buffet (HA!)
7 Bein' Green, Kermit, Don Henley
8 Wild Thing, Kermit, Floyd, Animal
9 Can't Get Along Without You
10 All Together Now, with Harry Smith

Features Lily Tomlin as the Receptionist
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Personally, I like this album, and I think it would have made a great TV special or Straight-to-video deal.

The Muppets getting into the recording studio and the visitation by Lily Tomlin is fun and very reminiscent of TMS days. Lily's directions to their studio is very funn-ee!

On some of the songs, I get a little unnerved by them. These were the "daze" of High-Pitched Kermit and Frank Oz Dubbed material, and that just never worked.

She Drives Me Crazy isn't one of my most particular favorite songs, and even less-so with the vocals during this period. Piggy's whining is nauseating , however it's funny when she is doing her old singing stuff with the gruff in her voice. But Kermit singing several octaves over his usual singing voice is weird!

Day Dream and On Broadway are both good songs done in a very good Muppet style. All I Have To Do Is Dream with Linda is something that could have been done on a Muppet program for sure.

I was discussing in another thread that Piggy's singing in Ozzie Osbourne's Born To Be Wild is HORRIBLE! Ozzie's singing is good, and the things Piggy says to him "Ozzie, quit spitting/get off the floor" is funn-ee stuff.

Mr. Spaceman is great! Gonzo and Jimmy Buffet have great voices for doing a duet. I think this song goes right on along with the whole "Alien Gonzo" thing with all the songs from the past that Gonzo sings. At least they've kept the whole alien theme constant.

Bein Green is great! No Muppet interruptions, and Don has a great voice to do this song!

Wild Thing is okay at first, but when Floyd gets in there and Jerry Nelson begins using that REALLY rich voice he has to sing that song: MAGIC! However, of all the dubbings Oz has done, his Animal dubbing is great here.

Can't Get Along Without You, Robin/Kermit: Kermit again isn't at his best by this recording, ; Nelson is giving Robin the vocalization you would expect, sweet. Still it's a touching song and is sweet.

All Together Now: harry Smith from that news program plays Tuba. Yay. It's an okay kinda song...in the beginning, then they get to repeat All Together Now a thousand times. bleh.

Just like "Miss Piggy's Aerobique" this album lacks something, and I think it is Rowlf and Janice and Scooter. Actually, I think the performers were still trying to find their place in the cast with characters that belonged to Jim and Richard (who had no characters in this recording), and the dubbed-over Oz voices lack the In-Studio feel where the characters seem to have better interaction. Muppets Beach Party (another one to discuss later) has the same problem to me. I also think these recordings were mostly something to get us used to the new voices.

It's not as inspirational as the songs from the movies (TMM, GMC), but still entertaining. I'd still rather have had a recording made of previously unreleased TMS song performances.

 

[jediX]

The Oz dubbing is part of what I think caused MFS to lack what the originals posessed, too.

Anyway, as for this album, it's by no means my favorite nor do I even really listen to it. But, it holds sentimental value to me since it was the first album I ever purchased.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I agree on the MFS comment! Had the characters been performed by someone on the set (IE: VMX) then MFS could have been better.

 

[jediX]

I agree on the MFS comment! Had the characters been performed by someone on the set (IE: VMX) then MFS could have been better.

And you'll also notice any character that was dubbed in post-prod is slightly off in timing.

 

[sarah_yzma]

I try 'not' to notice!

 

[Aaron]

mr spaceman is my fav track

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I thought "I Can't Get Along Without You" originated on "The Muppet Show." I've heard it on MC Radio and I often wondered about that.

 

[Ruahnna]

Wow--I'm gonna have to dive right in here and disagree--I LOVED this album. Riding along in my car, listening to this album, it was like watching a brand-new muppet special because I could so clearly "see" what was happening. I do have some impressions to share:

Intro
The intro with the muppets coming into the studio is super. If you listen to the chit-chat that's going on behind the "real" conversation between Lily Tomlin and Kermit, it's just dead-on. Sometimes the best thing Jim could do was to cut loose and let his amazingly creative cast and crew do whatever they thought of at the time. Even though Jim was gone, the ad-libbing (ok--even if some of them are scripted) is stellar.
1 She Drives Me Crazy, Kermit/Piggy
Here's what I liked: Piggy may be a high-maintenance kind of girl, but that's what Kermit picked! Listening to them, um, negotiate was funny. (Am I the only one who EVER remembers Kermit looking at "How to Pamper Your Pig" on Reading Rainbow?)
Here at MC I hear a lot of complaints (I mean A LOT of complaints) about whose voice is slightly off-shade, who's puppeting style is too this or too that, but I am more interested in whether or not the characters ACT like themselves than whether or not they SOUND like themselves. I know this might offend some folks for whom voice talent is primo but that's just how I feel. Case in point: Steve's Kermit has ALWAYS seemed younger to me than Jim's Kermit. In this album--as in Muppet Treasure Island--Steve's Kermit is much sweeter to Piggy, more affectionate with Robin, and I always sort of, well, liked it even though I did recognize the difference. To my mind, Kermit was, er, catering to Piggy a little--being more accommodating to her demands. I thought it was sweet (although it did take very long after that for snarky, nasty, fat-joke Kermit to present himself). Equally, I found his moments with Robin very tender. (I did find him a little too wishy-washy with Linda Ronstadt, but that's another song....)

2 Day Dream, Kermit, Vince Gill
A nice blend of their voices and some cute reworking of lines/adlibbing. The interaction between the characters seems natural--just two guys having a conversation about women....

3 On Broadway, George Benson, Clifford, Rizzo, Rats
Can I just say how GREAT it is that Clifford gets to do something here--he is sadly underutilized. The different rat voices and the way they tell you what their doing so you can "see" the scene in your mind make this one really enjoyable for me. I found this selection especially appropriate because of the commiserating about women between Clifford, the rats and George. I don't know about George, but that's very appropriate for Big C and the rat pack.

4 All I Have To Do Is Dream, Kermit, Linda Ronstadt
Okay--this one's a little lame compared to the others, but I forgive Kermit because he always DID have a thing for Linda. (Sorry Piggy--he was totally smitten every time they worked together, but I always sort of thought of it as a "star crush.")

5 Born To Be Wild, Piggy/Ozzie Osbourne
I did not actually like Ozzie Osbourne until I heard this song, but this over the top performance by these two over-the-top performers was just hysterical. If you haven't heard this one yet on a good sound system, it's WORTH IT just to hear Piggy's comments when she realizes that she has just aroused a real live rock god by her unbridled performance. I can't help laughing every time she starts back-pedalling with her "Uh Oh." Rarely does Piggy push one of her co-stars into greater excesses than she shows.

6 Mr. Spaceman, Gonzo, Rizzo, Jimmy's Buffet (HA!)
What is there to say? Three consummate professions doing a great job. Three INSANE consummate professionals, yes--but not only is he song good, but the interaction is so natural and real and character-believable (especially the part about Jimmy being ready to hop back on a space ship) that it's a joy to listen to. (Just the other day, I was explaining the line about Meatloaf and laughing so hard I just about couldn't do it.)

7 Bein' Green, Kermit, Don Henley
Okay--I actually had to look up Don Henley to see who he was. Sorry--there are gaps in my musical tastes and he apparently was in one of them. I liked it and it was a nice interpretation of the song that would later become more of Steve's Kermit's trademark, but it's not awfully remarkable.

8 Wild Thing, Kermit, Floyd, Animal
Okay, THIS is the one time on the album when I totally ADORED Kermit. Only Kermit would think about playing "Wild Thing" on the ukelele in the first place. I think what made this work well is that is was so in character. Kermit's a little square, Floyd is VERY hip and Animal--well, if there's a better Animal segment on ANY album, including the entire run of the show and ALL the movies, I'll eat the bear's hat. I'm going to try to be discreet here, but Animal's, um, exuberant enjoyment of this song has me giggling like a schoolgirl. (blushes--fans face and runs away) (run back) When fellow MCer, Leyla, came to visit me I MADE her listen to this album with me and we snickered like, um, snickerers over this one!

9 Can't Get Along Without You
You're not going to get me to say anything bad about this tender moment between the usually diffident and repressed Kermit and the nephew that's like a son to him. Robin fans--rejoice!

10 All Together Now, with Harry Smith
Well, yes--it DID go on for a long (LONG) time, but what I liked about this was how carefully they choose the characters line. Floyd say "J--I love you," but Piggy says "Kerm I love you" instead of "K" I love you, Bunsen wants to take Beaker to tea, Robin's too cute and everybody's in character. It's a feel-good muppet song.

Ending: Nice round up--Kermit stuck with the bill (and all the responsibility) again, and then getting glommed by Piggy's desire for a deep relationship talk. Let's face it--this is the ocean that Kermit swims in. And how lucky are WE to get to share it.

Yet ANOTHER relentlessly positive review from Ru!

 

[The Count]

Heh...

My "real-life" friend has Born To Be Wild, only because he's a huge Ozzie fan.
Rizzo: No thanks, I saw a sign that said Meatloaf." No, that's Marvin Lee Hiday, forget it, he'll figure it out.
Kermit still crushing on Linda? Well, there's nothing wrong with a crush.
Also, is it bad of me that when I hear She Drives Me Crazy I picture Piggy looking somewhat similar to how my mind's eye makes me picture Chloey Cardassian based on her voice alone? *Hides from the Ru for that comment.

It's a good record album, and I enjoy it like I do most Muppet music.
Now, if I could get a reliable rock & roll station on Live 365 like what 60's Chart Toppers used to be...

 

[Ruahnna]

Ru: Countie, if that means you think Piggy sound "hot," then I'll give you a pass!
Fozzie: Ru! Shame on you!
Ru: What? What are you--oh. Oh! Oh, um, no, Fozzie--I said I'd give him a pass, not make a pass.
Fozzie: Oh. Okay. That's better.
Ru: Sheesh!