Stan Freberg Presents The United States Of America, Vol. 1, The Early Years, And Vol. 2, The Middle Years

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.com
When Stan Freberg released The United States of America in 1961, it was one of the first comedy concept albums ... and perhaps the funniest musical comedy never performed onstage. With a cast that included Jesse White and June Foray (as well as a dead-on Orson Welles impression by voice-over master Paul Frees), Freberg presented a madcap version of history that began with Christopher Columbus's insistence that "It's a Round, Round World." His crew, however, was unconvinced:

Crazy kind of scheme
It's a cockamamie dream
If we don't sight land we're gonna scream.

Later, a cautious Ben Franklin would express suspicion of the declaration Thomas Jefferson brought by for him to sign: "You go to a few harmless meetings, sign a few harmless petitions, and forget all about it.... Ten years later you get called up before a committee. No thank you! I'm not going to spend the rest of my life writing in Europe!"

For decades, fans were frustrated by the lack of sequels that would carry the story beyond the Revolutionary War. (After attempts to turn the material into a real Broadway musical were ruined by heavy-handed producer David Merrick, Freberg went on to a lucrative career in advertising.) Finally, in 1996, Freberg went into the studio with the surviving members of his original cast--as well as stars David Ogden Stiers, Sherman Hemsley, Tyne Daly, Lorenzo Music, and John Goodman--with a new batch of songs and skits that covered the period from the founding of the United States government in 1789 to the end of World War I.

Volume 2 is not quite as strong as volume 1, but that's like saying that Babe Ruth didn't hit as many home runs as Hank Aaron. There's still plenty of great material in "The Middle Years," like Francis Scott Key's first draft of his most famous composition: "Rumplemeyer's horseshoes are the best you can use, what so proudly he's nailed onto all kinds of horses." Or Ulysses S. Grant demanding a drink so he can keep on...

Pursuing the South
Over the hills
Fearless and brave, minus a shave
And crocked to the gills.

The two-CD set includes the original liner notes from the 1961 release; a 1989 CD reissue of the first volume; and the notes by Freberg, Dr. Demento, and Ray Bradbury for the sequel. It also contains a complete lyric sheet. Although some of the jokes on the first CD may be too arcane for younger listeners, The United States of America can still be called, without overstatement, a work of genius. --Ron Hogan

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Customer reviews

review by: Stevi date: 2008-10-09 rating:
An hysterical blast from the 50's
I first became aware of Stan Freberg when my dad, repairing TV's in our basement in 1955 or so, was reduced to tears of laughter at Stan's puppetry. This skewed view of our country's history (esp. "The Early Years") is so funny, so clever, you really can't keep up with all the inside jokes. Do not miss it!

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review by: ILoveWinona date: 2008-05-21 rating:
Stan Freberg at his very best!
I was so pleased recently to see that Amazon.com had "Stan Freburg Presents the United States of America Vol. 1, The Early Years, And Vol 2 The Middle Years, both on CD! ----- I can finally retire the cassette tapes of the show that I've enjoyed listening to over the years and enjoy them on CD. :) ----- Stan Freburg is a comic genius and this CD collection should be part of your Freburg CD library. ----- :D Rusty

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review by: date: 2008-03-25 rating:
Stan Freberg Presents the United Statef of Americza
Classic Freberg satire, this on the history of the country, some segments wonderfully funny, others evoking yawns. If you remember him from the 1950s and '60s and enjoy his humor, you'll love this. Otherwise...

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review by: date: 2008-02-08 rating:
Stan Freberg is one of the funniest men to ever grace our radios!
This generation should hear Stan Freberg!! He is absolutely one of the most entertaining and subtle comics who ever lived and this is his most famous work.

Stan and his contempory (and classic) comic, Tom Leher, both subscribe to the mantra/ philosophy of DELAYED ADOLESENCE. A film that genuflects to this same attitude is 1000 Clown, staring Jason Robards.



review by: date: 2008-01-25 rating:
Not the same as the album
The CD was in very good quality and exactly what I had ordered. It came in a timely manner as well. I bought this for my father because he had the album for years but it became scratched. He asked for the CD for Christmas. However, after comparing the album to the CD there are some omissions that we noticed that disappointed him because they were lines that he enjoyed. Otherwise, everything is fine.

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