2003 NOVEMBER 25 #329
The Smurfs - Follow My Leader / Smurf Square Dance / Smurf Rodeo
I found this record in the Rehoboth Beach Salvation Army while visiting family in Delaware. I remember watching the Smurfs as a child but don't remember music being a large part of the show, let alone that they released records. Not surprisingly, there is an official smurf website: www.smurf.com. It seems that the Smurfs got their start as comic books and then making music and the cartoon that I remember was the last thing to happen in the chain of events. Many other exciting things can be learned about the Smurfs on that website.
In any event, I find it somewhat dumbfounding that while Corbett, de Plesses, and Heina were crafting these rather well-produced songs in Holland, Moyet and Clarke of Yaz were completing Upstairs At Eric's. Perhaps the connection is the use of handclaps in Follow My Leader.
Two questions that plague me: Did they use the sped-up-voice technique like the Chipmunks or did they have vocalists who could actually sound like that? And how is it that foreign-made recordings always seem to get everything right except for a couple glaring details? Glaring details aside, it is a charming record and hopefully these songs will put a smile on your face.
- Damien Di Fede
TT-7:01 / 6.4MB / 128kbps 44.1khz
(Images courtesy of Damien DI Fede)
Mark writes:
Hello! I had that Smurfs album as a child, I think
on 8-Track. I really hated the Smurfs, but somehow ended
up with a handful of, uhm... Smurforobilia...? The only
thing that really fascinated me about this album wasn't
the content -- I can't even recall ever listening to it
-- but the cover, with the smurf holding an album with
a smurf holding an album holding, etc. I do remember staring
at that for hours. Or at least minutes. Now to download
this mess and see what I've (probably luckily) forgotten.