The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More! The 25th Anniversary Collection
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This was released in 2002, for the 25th anniversary of The Muppet Show. (I'm not sure if my CD is a later printing, but I suspect it may be because the bar at the top that says "The 25th Anniversary Collection" has a white background, unlike the gold version shown here.) It contains songs that previously appeared on other Muppet Show soundtracks, but it doesn't have anywhere near all the music that has been performed on that show. And about half the songs are from various Muppet movies. The liner notes have a history of the Muppets.
1. "The Muppet Show Theme": I like it, but it's only 53 seconds long, and not the whole theme, which is greatly disappointing.
2a. "Mahna Mahna" + 2b. "Lullaby of Birdland": When I saw that this was two songs, I was confused and disappointed. But upon listening to it, it really is only one song. The second thing is Kermit and Piggy talking, very briefly. It has nothing to do with lullabies or Birdland, so I don't understand the title. But whatever, I've always been a fan of "Mahna Mahna", so it's good to have it on CD, even if I'd rather have just the song itself.
3. "There's a New Sound": This is a fun, weird song by Scooter. After which Kermit and Fozzie talk briefly.
4. "The Amazing Marvin Suggs and His Muppaphone Play 'Lady Of Spain'": I don't care about this. After the musical number, Statler and Waldorf react.
5. "Trees": This is very short.
6. "A Monologue by Fozzie Bear": This is actually pretty funny. I mean, the joke at the very end is at best mildly amusing, but the lead-up to it is great.
7. "Bein' Green": This song is iconic, but I don't think this is the best rendition of it that Kermit's ever done. It's still good, though.
8. "Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear": This features Scooter and Fozzie. It's pretty catchy, but I don't find it memorable.
9. "Tenderly": This is by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, who I pretty much always like. This is no exception, even if I don't find it memorable. I like it.
10. "Wishing Song": This is by Gonzo. The first half is rather sad. Then a chicken consoles Gonzo, and the second half of the song is happier. It's nice.
11. "What Now My Love?": This starts with dialogue between Kermit and Piggy, before Piggy sings the song. It's not a Muppet original, but I'm unfamiliar with any other version of the song. It's not exactly bad, but I'm generally not a fan of Piggy's singing.
12. "Happy Feet": This is by Kermit. It's a song I do find pretty memorable. I like it a lot. Then there's a brief reaction from Statler and Waldorf, which is amusing.
13. "We Got Us": This is by a bunch of Muppets. It's pretty catchy.
14. "Closing Theme (Instrumental)": This is nice, of course.
15. "Rainbow Connection": This is from The Muppet Movie, sung by Kermit. It's another iconic song, and I adore it.
16. "Movin' Right Along": From "The Muppet Movie". It's incredibly fun, and I've always loved it.
17. "Can You Picture That?": From "The Muppet Movie". It's my favorite song by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and the most memorable. I love it.
18. "Finale: The Magic Store": From "The Muppet Movie". It's the longest track on the album, at 5:19. It's sung by several Muppets, and it's a medley of different songs and instrumental parts. I like it, and find it moderately memorable.
19. "Hey a Movie!": From The Great Muppet Caper. This is by a bunch of Muppets. It's something I only find memorable while I'm listening to it, but I do think it's fun.
20. "Happiness Hotel": From "The Great Muppet Caper". This is by a bunch of Muppets. It's kind of memorable and reasonably fun.
21. "The First Time It Happens": From "The Great Muppet Caper". It's a love song by Piggy and Kermit (with a backing choir). It's kinda nice, and sweet, but not exactly my cup of tea. It does sound like a song you'd hear in a proper musical film, you know, with actual humans.
22. "Together Again": From The Muppets Take Manhattan. This is by Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, et al. The first half or so is just Kermit scatting or whatever. I don't find it particularly memorable, but I like it.
23. "I'm Gonna Always Love You": From "The Muppets Take Manhattan". This is a somewhat memorable, 1950s-style song, sung by several Muppets as if they were babies (so it always reminds me of Muppet Babies). I like it. Even Piggy's part.
24. "He'll Make Me Happy": From "The Muppets Take Manhattan". This is by Piggy, Kermit, et al. I'm fairly ambivalent about it, but I guess it's not bad.
25. "One More Sleep 'til Christmas": From The Muppet Christmas Carol. This is by Kermit, and something I find quite memorable. I love it.
26. "Love Led Us Here": From Muppet Treasure Island. This is by Kermit and Piggy. I find it kind of memorable, but I've never really liked it.
27. "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday": From Muppets from Space. (The song originally appeared in "The Muppet Movie", but the version on this album is from "Space".) This is by Gonzo. I like it, but I'm not sure I like it as much as the original version. This is more sort of mellow, while the original is more wistful and melancholy, which I think is a better fit for the song. Still, this is good in its own way. After the song, there's the same reaction from Statler and Waldorf that was heard on an earlier track.
Well, I think the whole album is basically made of nostalgia. I like almost everything on it, and love at least a few of the songs. I do think I'd kind of rather have separate albums for TV songs and movie songs, and have more songs from the show than are on this album. But I still think it's a damn good album.