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MMD > Archives > January 2014 > 2014.01.20 > 03Prev  Next


CD of 1920's Player Piano Tunes
By David Dewey

Bill,  I don't know if this is any help, but I have an LP entitled
"You Too Can Be the Life of the Party" sing along with the player piano.
It has 16 tunes on it.  This is a Buena Vista LP record by Walt Disney
productions.

I will admit that I bought it for the cover art, it's so "campy": a
side view of a piano with the front board off, and an unrolled piece
of piano roll paper coming out, two gals in 1960s version of 1980s
"barmaids" skimpy clothes (but "G" rated) and an 1890s dressed gentleman
grabbing the front rail like he's pumping the player piano.

The text on the back concludes, "Like ham and eggs, or a good
old-fashioned strawberry ice cream soda, piano rolls continue to roll
along forever."

In a small box, the "Directions For Use of Life Of The Party" states:

1) If you are reading this in a record store, purchase the album
   immediately.

2) Take it home with you and the first time you have a party, or the
   first time you are invited elsewhere for a party, be sure the record
   is handy.

3) Surreptitiously place the record upon your host's record player
   (or your own, if you are the host) and start her up.

4) After a selection or two is played to get everyone in the mood,
   grab the nearest girl around the waist and say: "Come on, let's sing."

5) Start singing.

Try selling this today!

All 16 song texts are on the back of the album too ("Sidewalks of New
York", "Annie Rooney", "Daisy, Daisy" are a few of them), as without the
words on the roll going by, you have to get the words from somewhere!
Thinking about this, nowadays you could create a DVD with a video of
the roll box as the roll plays -- voila!  Words with the music!

David Dewey

 [ At least two versions exist; the tunes on the earlier (10" LP?) sound
 [ like rolls by J. Lawrence Cook selected from the QRS roll catalog;
 [ lyrics are included as a separate booklet:
 [
 [   You Too Can Be the Life of the Party
 [   (Player Piano Music You Can Sing To)
 [   Disneyland Records WDL-3001
 [   (c) Walt Disney Productions (1956)
 [
 [ The later Buena Vista edition bears a similar title:
 [
 [   You Too Can Be The Life Of The Party
 [   (Sing Along With The Player Piano)
 [   12" LP, Buena Vista Records BV-1303 (1958)
 [
 [ Cover images and audio clips are at
 [ http://www.mousevinyl.com/content/you-too-can-be-life-party-disneyland-records 
 [ http://www.mousevinyl.com/content/you-too-can-be-life-party-buena-vista-records 
 [
 [ -- Robbie


(Message sent Mon 20 Jan 2014, 05:40:28 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  1920's, CD, Piano, Player, Tunes

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