Favorite Unreleased songs

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Melquizio
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Post by Melquizio »

My favorite unrealeased song has gotta be You're Pitiful.
"How do we know you're not just as filthy, sent by him to nick the ring by being filthy, when you've lulled us with your filthy Eastern ways?"
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QuantumError
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Post by QuantumError »

TMBJon @ March 28, 2009 01:10 am wrote: It's actually quite bad.
Well, I've heard quite a few songs that had Al in them that I considered 'bad'...but part of my obsessive fan nature just makes me want to hear it, regardless...
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TheLazenby
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Post by TheLazenby »

People!

MINIATURE GOLF IS NOT AN AL SONG!

Don't hold it against Al if it's bad - Damaskas wrote it!! Besides, Al obviously had little to no creative input on that song... the influence of Barnes and Barnes is all over it.
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QuantumError
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Post by QuantumError »

TheLazenby @ March 28, 2009 01:10 pm wrote: People!

MINIATURE GOLF IS NOT AN AL SONG!
Just on the record...
I never said it was!!!
If you read my post, it says 'songs that had Al in them'.
Basically, however, anything that FEATURES Al, I want to hear...

I *did* know it was by Damaskas though!!!
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lestatkatt
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Post by lestatkatt »

We honestly do not know how much input everyone had in creating the lyrics to this recording. It sure does sound like the music/melody was created by Damaskas. I 've been collecting his songs and I now have 18 tracks (65+ minutes worth of his unreleased recordings.) This show was made available by the DOC after I made a request for the shows with Damaskas other songs I haven't tracked down yet. I wouldn't be surprised if the others helped with a few lyrics. Dr D announced it after the following song in the show as recorded by "Damaskas & Friends." It absolutely includes Artie Barnes (Robert Haimer), Alfred Yankovic, and and *Beefelo Bill on vocals, and for the first time Dan was using Artie's Drum machine (giving it a Barnes and Barnes type of feel to the recording) The vocals also have that Barnes type sound as well. This was recorded right as the Barnes & Barnes record "Voobaha" was released (Late August 1980) The exact date of their release is still unknown.

Let's take a look at this: Damaskas and Al worked together on a couple songs over a weeks time if we go by these dates listed on DMDB.ORG.

It's Still Billy Joel To Me - parody of "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" by Billy Joel; recorded in Damaskas's apartment late July and early August, 1980; also featuring The Amino Acids; first aired on KMET August 10, 1980; re-recorded around August 14, 1980 in San Luis Obispo recording studio, but new version unsatisfactory and never aired

Orgy On My Own (keyboard version) - submitted on same tape as above?; featuring Damaskas on keyboards; never aired?

Miniature Golf - by Damaskas, with Al on some vocals; submitted on same tape as above?; first aired on KMET August 17, 1980

Breaking this info down:

"Billy Joel" is the solo demo that starts off in mono then turns into stereo before the vocals with just Al recording two accordions, one in each speaker. (One of his first Excellent early Demo recordings.) The recorder was probably run by Damaskas while Al does all the music and vocals. The unheard "Orgy On My Own" that everyone here seems curious about, but it doesn't seem to circulate and it was never broadcast was recorded during this period, and of course Miniature Golf. Who knows IF other songs were recorded and not submitted and/or we just don't know about them.

I had passed along "Miniature Golf" to Robert Haimer, who was happy to hear it again after 29 years! Robert is really cool and he really appreciates when we dig up some of these old rarities he sang on, or sent into the show or performed live. He told me via email that he didn't remember much about the recording, but did hear his voice, and Bill's voice briefly on the recording. After that I mentioned to him that I got in touch with Dan to get an autograph, he asked me to put him in contact with Damaskas. They haven't talked in about 14 years. Since then, I gave Dr D Damaskas contact info as well during his last online chat for DOC member. It's now archived on the official Dr D site. Dr D even mentioned Dan's youtube name on the show a couple weeks later. It made me feel really good to put them all back in contact again.

All of the musicians who worked the phones during the show used to work on each others recordings, so I wouldn't be surprised if Al, Robert, Beefelo Bill and maybe even Sulu might have helped out on some of the lyrics. (all speculation).

The only other Damaskas song that I know Al sang backup on is "Robert Hilburn", which was first played on the infamous 9-14-80 show. This doesn't include group performaces like the medley mentioned below...... While most of you guys and gals probably don't care about non-Al songs, these two songs really aren't Al songs, and probably should be grouped as songs not written by Al, but songs he performed on...... They are worth hearing at least once if you really want to hear Everything that he ever helped record. Just like the medley "Have A Demented Christmas/Silent Night /O Come All Ye Faithful" w/ SuLu & Artie Barnes - played live on The Dr. Demento Show 12-20-80 KMET isn't an original and really is just everyone singing X-mas standards. It's fun to listen to once or twice, but it doesn't hold up to repeated listening. If we are lucky, more rarities will be made available in the future as more archive shows become available on the official Dr D website. I can tell you that all the KMET shows with rare songs have been requested by multipule DOC members, so they are aware that there's a demand to hear them. IF the air check tapes can be located, they will all eventually be posted to stream online. They take requests from all the DOC members, and try to post the ones that are the most requeted, and the ones they can locate! For everyone who has an issue with the low quality of the online streaming audio, please consider that 1) they are at this moment upgrading all their shows that were previously posted in 96, 64 and 40 kbps mp3s all to 128 kbps mp3s to stream online. Yes, they are lossy, but they are making an attempt to improve the sound quality by popular demand requests, and I would rather hear a lossy copy of a rare song, than to never get the chance to hear it at all. I've never been a fan on MP3s, but sometimes it's not as bad as the alternative. Nothing. Not being able to hear those old shows.

Keep this thought in mind, w/o being a DOC member, you can only stream the shows now in 32 kbps Mono MP3 format now. Now that's low quality, and it's enough reason for me to continue to be a member. I understand that one of the reasons the qualtiy is low is due to the fact that the shows are now being made available to stream partially because of copyright issues, so they are only made available to stream, not to download and keep. I have sensitive ears and I never liked the sound of MP3s, even ripped at the highest bitrate, but I live in a city that doesn't broadcast the show, so this is the best alternative for me to hear it.

I tried to word this post carefully so No one would get upset with the way I explained things. If anyone takes offense to the way anything is worded in the above post, I'll say I'm sorry in advance.

* For anyone who doesn't already know - Dan is Damaskas real name.
Robert Haimer is Artie Barnes.

** Update on 3/29/09 I have Confirmed that Beefelo Bill sings a line on this track. I asked him.
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TMBJon
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Post by TMBJon »

lestatkatt, thank you for your insightful thoughts on this recording. helps to put the song in context of its time. maybe one day we will all hear Orgy On My Own...
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QuantumError
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Post by QuantumError »

TheLazenby @ March 28, 2009 09:14 pm wrote: Speaking of unreleased songs, WHO BANNED ME FROM THE CONCERTS FORUM?!

I just signed up and made a few posts, and now I'm BANNED?  What the hell?!
I'm guessing that it might be the result of one of our new admins...*cough cough* greeen stain...*cough cough*...playing some cruel joke on people...


And Lestatkatt, I always love your posts! They are so great to read!!! :)

Btw - I've started wondering now...Is it possible that Orgy On My Own could ALSO be just a song where Al sang along, rather than it being HIS song?
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Post by minnick27 »

Al performed it live, so I'm guessing its his song. Not that he didnt cover other funny songs in his career, but I'm pretty sure its his song.
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lestatkatt
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Post by lestatkatt »

I agree with minnick27 that this is most likely a Al song. Without hearing it, we may never know and it'll continue to be speculation among fans who all seem extremely interested to hear it. Since it wasn't broadcast on the show in the 70's, it most likely will not be played on the show in the future. Virtually all the rare songs that are played on the show have been songs played at least once in the 70's and 80's. I still say that "It never hurts to ask", so if your dying to hear a song, it's always a good idea to kindly make a request. Maybe it'll get played on a future show, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

IF we had access to all of the local KMET radio playlists, we might find other rarities or live performances that have not been listed online before. The live version of "Nobody Here But Us Frog's" from 1977 is one song that backs up this statement. It was Not listed on DMDB.org in the unreleased songs and live in studio performances before it was made available on an archive show last year. Now anyone can listen to it. There might be others that have not been openly discussed before? We can only speculate until/unless the rest of the playlists are made available in the future, but that another story..........

I don't have any special insight on these rarities. I can only talk about things I've heard or have been informed about from people who know. I try to do as much research as possible when I have extreme interest about a artist or band that I enjoy. - M
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