Spike Jones And His City Slickers - Laura

[Lobojack57]

Great sound quality !

[greenstboy]

Who is the solo singer? Very smooth. Surprising he never made it big like Como, Crosby, etc.

[JarleyBox]

May I request that you add I'm Forever Blowing Bubble Gum c:?

I've never been able to find a complete version... hearing it on the old record really brings back memories.

[Dyynamo]

@JarleyBox

I'll post it if I can find it. :-)

[JarleyBox]

@Dyynamo

Thank you! Not just for that, but for posting up all this wonderful music. :D

[fromthesidelines]

True- Spike's boys could play "straight" when they wanted to (most of his personnel had previously played in commercial and studio bands, like Jones). But, as 'MNC' pointed out, very few people were interested in listening to his "straight" band [because it sounded TOO "straight"], and the "Other Orchestra" didn't last long.

[peternoer]

Who made the Sneezes & the Goofy sounding voices?

[historyman4773]

@ torchsonglover

I remember hearing that Vaughn Monroe really hated Spike for his version of "Ghost Riders in the Sky". I thought it was hilarious.

[hardklc]

I can remember the first time I heard this rendition that I laughed so hard my side ached for days. Thank God for Spike Jones and may he rest in peace.

[theHellzapoppin]

he's tooo much :)

[shanghaibenny2]

OMG! I remember this! What a sacrilege! Gene Tierney probably laughed her socks off.

[Saiaton]

Was the 'Other Band' actually another band at all or just the City Slickers playing straight?

[eknarf62]

Musical genius. Comic genius. Have you heard his band's version of Jingle Bells, where they wind up singing in Pig Latin?

[Dyynamo]

I've heard a load of his stuff and have quite a bit on LP, CD and DVD, but I don't recall hearing that. I'll keep a look out for it.

[Seahorsefan]

I've got the Spike Jones and his City Slickers on CD. I thought they were singing backwards. How can I get it to you?

[lagunaflyguy]

Music to cut your wrists to....

[strat8383]

silly is good

[Bultaco15]

Correction..silly is GREAT ;)

[OrganCat]

Got to give him credit- the straight version is a really great arrangement of the tune- as good or better than any I've heard. Recording tech was limited, but great writing.

[autophyte]

I agree. The band's straight version is really beautiful, and the Latin beat they introduce part way through is great.

[torchsonglover]

How some people must have hated him.

Once a song has been performed by Spike Jones, you can never listen to a "normal" version without thinking about his.

[shanghaibenny2]

@torchsonglover

So true.

[RandGerald]

@torchsonglover The same can be said for Wierd Al Yankovic.

[RandGerald]

The same can be said for Wierd Al Yankovic.

[RandGerald]

The same can be said for Weird Al Yankovic.

[boxfett]

Wonderful

[blackhawknj]

Fond memories of this one. I had a girlfiend named Laura who dumped me and was none to kind about, this recording helped me get over her. My mother pointed that when you "a train that is passing through" the voice is saying "Bromo Seltzer, Bromo Seltzer". She remembered the commercial it came from.

[WheezerK9]

He was the " weird al of the 40's

[louswire]

Oh man! It's been a long time since I've heard this, and it's "cleaner" than the copy I have.

Thanks for posting it.

[kayAbee]

My friend's dad saw Spike Jones, live, back in the day. He said the band members got to laughing so hard, they had to stop the show until they could regain their composure.

Yuckity yuck!

[taiyo888]

"Oh Laura is a face in the misty light..."

"AAAAGGGHHHH!"

[fromthesidelines]

Spike did record some "straight" numbers under his "Other Orchestra" ensemble {"Love For Sale", for one}; this one was a "hybrid" that started out "straight", but Jones probably thought, "Aw, the hell with it, this is gonna be a 'City Slickers' recording!".

[fromthesidelines]

There was a time, during 1946, when Spike Jones tried to create another band that played lush "straight music" {"Spike Jones and His Other Orchestra"}. That group is featured in the first half of the recording; the "City Slickers" take over at 1:27.

[Dyynamo]

So what your saying is that he originally wanted to make a straight recording of this song, but his comic instincts got the better of him? I can believe that, and its also a great story. :-)

[MNC63]

Actually, that's not true. Spike Jones and the City Slickers did not improvise anything. Everything they put into a song was planned down to each individual beat: every gun shot, razzberry and glug was rehearsed over and over until the guys could perform in their sleep. His "Other Orchestra" was strictly straight music, but no one took it seriously that way and, therefore, the Other Orchestra never did well.

[Dyynamo]

I don't think anyone suggested that he improvised anything. Whatever he did was obviously very well thought out. I think that whats being said here is that there was a straight recording, or at least a will to make a straight recording of this song, but Spike decided that it was too good an opportunity to miss making a funny version. No doub't he'd still have put plenty of thought into it either way.

[SimuLord]

@fromthesidelines Furthermore, the "Other Orchestra" was just the City Slickers performing under a different name.

[davemock]

What CAN you sai, indeed? You hear the lush, gorgeous opening bars and you say to yourself "wait for it, wait for it, you know it's coming." And then --

AAAAAAGGGGHHH!

Hi-lar-ious!

[mattkaslow]

What can you say? Pure greatness.

[drcoxcentral]

Oh thank you! I was wondering when someone was going to upload this song!

[1940spianoman]

great stuff! Now all we need is a cartoon to go with it (lol).

[2005dave]

Channel 5 in New York actually used the comic portion of this song to introduce a cartoon compilation show.