Ol' Brown Ears Is Back

1993 album by Rowlf the Dog
Ol' Brown Ears Is Back
Studio album by
Rowlf the Dog
ReleasedApril 6, 1993
RecordedJanuary 1984
Genre
  • Pop
  • comedy
Length27:37
Label
  • Jim Henson Records
  • BMG Kidz
Producer
  • Jim Henson
  • Robert Kraft
The Muppets chronology
The Muppet Christmas Carol: Original Soundtrack
(1992) 		Ol' Brown Ears Is Back
(1993) 		Muppet Beach Party
(1994)

Ol' Brown Ears Is Back is an album released by The Jim Henson Company through BMG Kidz in 1993. The album consists of 14 songs recorded by American puppeteer Jim Henson as the Muppet character Rowlf the Dog.[1][2][3] Although released three years after Henson's death, the tracks were recorded in 1984. It was released in CD and cassette form, with the latter including a poster.

The album's title is a reference to Frank Sinatra's 1973 album Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back.

Songs

Ol' Brown Ears Is Back features Jim Henson performing songs as Muppet Rowlf the Dog. The tracks include "Lydia the Tattooed Lady", a song composed by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg that first appeared in the 1939 film At the Circus, in which it was performed by Groucho Marx;[4][better source needed] "Eight Little Notes", a song that includes a rendition of "Für Elise" by Ludwig van Beethoven;[1] "Halfway Down the Stairs" and "Cottleston Pie" by author A. A. Milne, the latter originally appearing as a poem in Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories;[5][better source needed] "Bein' Green", originally performed by Henson as Kermit the Frog on The Muppet Show;[1] and "New York State of Mind" by Billy Joel.[1]

Reception

Lynne Heffley of the Los Angeles Times reviewed the album positively, calling it "a treasure for Henson fans and a family listening treat."[1]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lydia, the Tattooed Lady"Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg2:08
2."Eight Little Notes"Larry Grossman, Hal Hackady, Ludwig van Beethoven2:25
3."I Never Harmed an Onion"Alan L. Grey, Ginger Joan Grey, Moe Jaffe1:26
4."Halfway Down the Stairs"A. A. Milne, Harold Fraser-Simson2:53
5."Memory Lane"Abe Burrows1:32
6."Cottleston Pie"A. A. Milne1:38
7."Bein' Green"Joe Raposo2:27
8."Carbon Paper"Abe Burrows1:40
9."Garden Song"David Mallett2:47
10."New York State of Mind"Billy Joel2:41
11."When"Abe Burrows1:22
12."You and I and George"Red Kelly1:36
13."Wishing Song"Paul Tracey2:02
14."Old Dog Trey"Walt Kelly2:27

Personnel

  • Rowlf the Dog – primary artist
  • Derek Scott – piano
  • Chris Boardman – arranger, associate producer, conductor
  • Robert Kraft – producer
  • Sandy De Crescent – orchestra contractor
  • Nancy Fogarty – editing, music editor
  • Larry Grossman – creative consultant
  • Dave Collins – mastering
  • Dave Hunt – engineer
  • Dennis Sands – engineer, mixing
  • Tom Hardisty – assistant engineer
  • Brandon Harris – assistant engineer
  • Charles Paakkari – assistant engineer
  • Jonathan Rutley – assistant engineer
  • Theo Panagopoulos – art direction
  • Corey Edmonds Millen – design
  • John Barrett – photography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Heffley, Lynne (May 29, 1993). "Rowlf the Dog's Solo Album Pleases". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. F12. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Childs, Mike T. (2004). The Rocklopedia Fakebandica. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 185. ISBN 978-0312329440.
  3. ^ Williams, Daniel (September 23, 2012). "The Secret Genius Of Rowlf The Dog". WhatCulture. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  4. ^ Yahn, Michael A. (2007). The Music of the Marx Brothers: A Bio-Discography of the Works of Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo, and Zeppo Marx. PublishAmerica. p. 240. ISBN 978-1424169719. Performed by Rowlf the Dog. Includes rendition of "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" from the movie At the Circus.
  5. ^ "5 things we learned about The Muppets' Christmas Radio 2 show". BBC. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  • v
  • t
  • e
CharactersTelevision
Series
Segments
Specials
Films
Theatrical
Television
Direct-to-
video
Music
Albums
  • The Muppet Show (1977)
  • The Muppet Show 2 (1978)
  • The Muppet Movie (1979)
  • John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (1979)
  • Ol' Brown Ears Is Back (1993)
  • Muppet Beach Party (1993)
  • Kermit Unpigged (1994)
  • The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More (2002)
  • A Green and Red Christmas (2006)
  • A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2009)
  • The Green Album (2011)
  • The Muppets (2011)
  • Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
  • The Electric Mayhem (The Muppets Mayhem: Music From the Disney+ Original Series) (2023)
Songs
Web series
Video games
Other mediaRelated
  • Category
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
  • MusicBrainz release group