This is my new autobio mix, a look at my earliest musical influences, the stuff I discovered on my own, or with the help of friends, not the music my parents played. Since my parents weren't fans of rock 'n' roll, my early exposure was all from television. Luckily, I was born in the late 60s, so the music playing on cartoons and kids' programming in my childhood was funky and groovy stuff. From cartoon rock bands, to prefab entertainers, to TV celebrity musical guests, I soaked it all in, and sowed the seeds of my musical tastes to come.
1 All My Loving [I fondly remember watching the Chipmunks with my dad as a kid. I heard them sing the songs of the Beatles long before I heard the Beatles]- The Chipmunks
2 The Way-Outs (Theme) [Much of my early exposure to Rock 'n' Roll was through saturday morning cartoon shows of the 60s and 70s]- The Way-Outs (from The Flintstones)
3 Playground [cereal box flexi-discs and other product promotions also molded my musical taste]- The Funny Face Band (featuring Goofy Grape)
4 Sugar Sugar [The Archies and Josie & the Pussycats were among my favorite "bands" when I was around 6 years old]- The Archies
5 Josie & The Pussycats (Main Title)- Theme Song
6 Jonny Quest (Main Title) [Themes from cartoons like Jonny Quest and Speed Racer probably primed me for surf instrumentals]- Theme Song
7 Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah [I loved it when cartoons like The Flintstones or The Jetsons had musical "guest stars"]- Jet Screamer (featuring George Jetson on drums)
8 Laugh Laugh [who could forget the immortal Beau Brummelstones on the Flintstones?]-The Beau Brummelstones
9 A Victim of Gravity- [Schoolhouse Rock introduced me to Doo Wop, and taught me about gravity at the same time!]- The Tokens
10 Speed Racer- Theme Song
11 Monster March (from Godilla's Revenge) [I was mad about Godzilla as a tyke, maybe that's why I'm so fond of JRock now]- Kunio Miyauchi
12 The Tra La La Song [I was WILD about the Banana Splits, what a swinging bunch of funkadelic animals!] -The Banana Splits
13 Jingle Jangle- The Archies
14 Stop, Look and Listen- Josie and the Pussycats
15 Lancelot Link Theme [Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp! What a strange and wonderful show this was, and the music was pretty rockin' too!]- Lancelot Link And The Evolution Revolution
16 Rub Your Tummy [I still love themusic from early Sesame Street, some of it got downright funky, as Gordon demonstrates here] - Gordon from Sesame Street
17 Chicken Soup With Rice [I have to admit, I was never a big Carole King fan, but I loved her soundtrack for the animated Maurice Sendak film "Really Rosie"]- Carole King
18 I Really Love You Baby [Herman sets out to become a rock star]- Herman Munster
19 You Need Us [Ginger, Maryann and Mrs. Howell show their stuff and prep me for the girl group sound]- The Honey Bees
20 The Parent Trap [I loved this movie as a kid, and still love both the theme and Hayley Mill's duet with herself to this day]- Annette Funicello & Tommy Sands
21 Let's Get Together- Hayley Mills
22 Come On Get Happy [between The Partridge Family and the Brady Bunch, I got the whole Cowsills experience (though I didn't discover the Cowsills till I was in my 20s)- The Partridge Family
23 It's A Sunshine Day [The Silver Platters, the coordinated polyester jumpsuits...-The Brady Bunch
24 Last Train To Clarksville [my all-time favorite band when I was 7 and 19]- The Monkees
25 Batman Theme [I loved Batman, The Munsters and The Addams Family; these tracks were probably my gateway to crime jazz]- Nelson Riddle
26 The Munsters Theme- Milton Delugg
27 Uncle Fester's Blues- Vic Mizzy
28 Don't Bug Me/He's a Loser [More musical guest stars: The Mosquitos from Gilligan's Island. I loved this episode]- The Mosquitos
29 I Think I Love You- The Partridge Family
30 Candy (Sugar Shoppe)- The Brady Bunch
31 She- The Monkees
32 Doin' The Banana Split [I thank the Banana Splits for my taste in 70s funk and R&B]-The Banana Splits
33 I Want You Back [I became aware of The Jackson 5 and the Bay City Rollers through my childhood friend's records]- The Jackson 5
34 Saturday Night- Bay City Rollers
35 (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock [I loved Happy Days, and it's theme song got me interested in rock and roll from the 50s]- Bill Haley & His Comets
36 Da Doo Ron Ron [my sister and I watched the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Mysteries every week. My sister was obsessed with this song when it came out, it wasn't till years later that I discovered it was a cover song]- Shaun Cassidy
