Muppet Beach Party Thread

minor muppetz

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Looks like there's not really a Muppet Beach Party thread here (based on just one page of Google results).

I got the Muppet Beach Party album last April, I kept meaning to do a thread about this, and now I'm finally doing it.... When we only have a few days of Summer left.

I know the people of Toughpigs don't really like the album, but I have enjoyed it. I feel like it should have been a video in the Muppet Sing-Alongs series. Would have been fitting.

I enjoy most of the songs. Some I alternate between wanting to hear a lot and wanting to hear less. I'd say my least favorites on the album are Wooly Bully, Teeny Weeny Itsy Bitsy Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (ironically, despite being about a bikini, this cover sounds the most kiddie on the album), and Papa Oom Ow Ow.

Limbo Rock sounds like something that should have been in Muppets Party Cruise. There are a lot of little lines that I have had trouble hearing at first (like when Floyd suggests Miss Piggy get a forklift and Kermit adds "how about a porklift?", I misheard that at first as "how about a forklift?", I also couldn't figure out who it was at first). Robin's "how about me?" requests are kind of funny and cute, but do get tiring a bit. Maybe I can identify with him in terms of saying all this stuff and everyone seems to ignore him. This is the only track with Floyd and Beaker (Bunsen can be heard at the very start). It's interesting they are mentioned being there, and while they get dialogue, it seems they can't be heard that well or don't get much dialogue (well, Floyd doesn't talk during his part, but is heard later). I wonder if it would have been so bad to have mentioned Scooter, Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, or Janice being there but not having dialogue.

Some of the criticism goes to the various asides. Many songs list two singers, but one of them mainly gives asides. And I am kind of at a loss on how I feel about these. They are kind of funny, but sometimes not that funny.

The Toughpigs review of this mentions that in Sugar Shack, Gonzo and Rizzo mention they are at the beach, after three tracks, and they had been heard in Wooly Bully (and I assume that's Rizzo and not a sound-alike in Under the Boardwalk). I wonder if Sugar Shack was supposed to come sooner (after all, we don't hear Gonzo or Rizzo when the gang arrives at the start of the album).

Steve Whitmire and Kevin Clash were clearly there for the whole recording sessions (or most of the time), as Kermit and Clifford get the most to do and those performers get other things to do. We don't get that much of Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, or even Jerry Nelson's characters (giving Robin his own song and a few other places, and Floyd barely being there for one song). I feel like maybe we should have had Floyd in place of Clifford for one of his numbers. It's also interesting how the first track, Surfin' USA, is just Kermit and Clifford, I feel maybe that should have been Kermit and Fozzie, or Kermit and Gonzo, but I also feel that should have been a group number led by Kermit.

Due to being a music video, Kokomo is the one I had heard the most often growing up.... And I was surprised by how much I like the album version. I think most of the msuic and Kermit's vocals are the same as the music video, while Piggy's dialogue is different. There's one part that's very different, in the music video we get a saxophone solo while on the album we get different music and Kermit humming, it is very enjoyable and swaying. I picture most of the album taking place during the daytime, but because of the music video, I picture Kokomo taking place at night (and it's in the middle of the album). I also picture Wooly Bully taking place at night.

I feel there should have been something at the very end to wrap the album up, or a cast number.
 
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