CDs

Toon Tunes: 50 Favorite Classic Cartoon Theme Songs. Last month, Rhino Records released Toon Tunes, a long-awaited collection of classic cartoon theme songs from various TV shows. I had to have it, of course! Available on cassette and compact disc, the album features 50 songs from cartoons produced from the 1930s through the 1990s. Liner notes for the collection feature cartoon trivia, all written by children's pop culture music collector Greg Ehrbar. With a time span covering more than 50 years, the collection is sure to spark fond memories for several different generations of animation fans. Some of the lost classics include "Josie and the Pussycats," "The Bullwinkle Story," "Underdog" and "The Pink Panther." One of the songs on the album is one we are sure to be hearing a lot of this summer, when Disney releases their live-action remake of the classic series (George, George,) "George of the Jungle." Don't say I didn't warn you: listening to all of these classic cartoon jingles just may instill an urge to sit down in front of the TV set with a big bowl of sugar cereal!

The Simpsons: Songs in the Key of Springfield. Fans of The Simpsons will be pleased to learn of the release of a compilation of original songs, scores, background music and themes from the TV series. "Songs in the Key of Springfield: Original Music From the Television Series" is a 51-track album released by Rhino Records. Musical numbers such as "The Itchy and Scratchy Theme," "Flaming Moe's," and of course the "Main Title Theme," are intercut with voice tracks from the episodes in which the songs appeared. This is helpful, as it provides context to make sense of the songs and remember the corresponding episode. The Simpsons TV series, currently produced by Film Roman, is in its eighth season on Fox, and has won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program.

Most of the music from The Simpsons is composed and arranged by Alf Clausen, who has been nominated for an Emmy 14 times. I asked Alf what the most striking difference between scoring music for animation versus live-action. He said, "We approach The Simpsons not as a cartoon, but as a drama where the characters are drawn. As such, the emotional content of the music is more closely tailored to a live action focus, rather than that of a typical cartoon style. The most striking difference between scoring this animated series and scoring live action is that, with the episodes edited so tightly because of the dialogue intensity, I as the composer don't have much time to set up and make a musical statement of any substantial length before having to move on to the next scene." He adds a comment about the pacing of animation music, "I joke with my orchestra that I can make you feel 5 different ways in 13 seconds. As funny as that statement is, the requirements of scoring this series make that situation very close to the truth." He adds, "Another interesting thing about animation is that the sky is the limit on story ideas, so that if the writers decide that Homer has a desire to be an astronaut, there are no budget problems with sets, wardrobe, etc. to stand in the way of it happening. Therefore, the music requirements can change radically from week to week, because of the great variety of stories generated by the writing staff. It's great fun!"

Songs In the Key of Springfield is available retail for $15.98 CD or $10.98 cassette, or can be ordered through RhinoDirect at (800) 432-0020.