The TV Theme Song Sing-Along Album

The TV Theme Song Sing-Along Album

Originally released in 1985 on Rhino Records, The TV Theme Song Sing-Along Album is a nostalgic collection of some of the most recognisable television themes of the 1950s and 1960s, bringing together familiar songs from classic American sitcoms, Westerns, dramas and entertainment programmes. Issued as Rhino RNLP 703, the album features original artists, composers and performers associated with the television themes, making it an especially appealing record for fans of vintage television and popular culture.

The recordings themselves reach back to the golden age of television, covering themes associated with programmes including I Love Lucy, Bonanza, The Beverly Hillbillies, Hogan's Heroes, The Andy Griffith Show, Star Trek and Rawhide. The material spans the early 1950s through the 1960s, capturing the distinctive mixture of orchestral pop, country, Western, jazz, novelty and easy-listening styles that helped make television theme music such an important part of popular culture.

Among the highlights is Desi Arnaz's "I Love Lucy", linking the collection to one of television's defining sitcoms, while Al Caiola's "Bonanza" brings the unmistakable Western sound of the long-running series. Flatt & Scruggs appear twice, with The Ballad Of Jed Clampett from The Beverly Hillbillies and the theme from Petticoat Junction, showcasing the bluegrass influence that became closely associated with several of producer Paul Henning's rural sitcoms.

The album also includes Andy Griffith's "The Fishin' Hole", the theme associated with The Andy Griffith Show. The music was composed by Earle Hagen and Herbert Spencer in 1960, with lyrics added by Everett Sloane for the vocal version. Alexander Courage's "Star Trek" represents the grand orchestral side of classic television scoring, while Frankie Laine's "Rawhide" provides one of the best-known vocal Western themes of the era.

Side B continues with a particularly strong run of television favourites, including The Monkees Theme, Vic Mizzy and Eddie Albert's "Green Acres", Lalo Schifrin's "Mission Impossible", Fred Steiner's "Perry Mason", The Jud Conlon Rhythmaires' "Dobie Gillis" and Larry Elgart's "American Bandstand". Mizzy's Green Acres theme dates from the show's 1965 debut and became one of the era's most distinctive sitcom songs, while Elgart's Bandstand Boogie originated in the mid-1950s and became closely associated with American Bandstand.

For collectors of vintage TV themes, classic television soundtracks, 1950s and 1960s pop culture, easy listening and nostalgia records, this LP offers a wonderfully concise trip through the sounds of early American television. With familiar names including Desi Arnaz, Andy Griffith, Frankie Laine, The Monkees, Flatt & Scruggs and Lalo Schifrin, it is both an entertaining listen and an excellent snapshot of the era when a memorable television theme could become almost as recognisable as the programme itself.

Side A

1. Desi Arnaz – I Love Lucy
2. Al Caiola – Bonanza
3. Flatt & Scruggs – The Beverly Hillbillies (The Ballad Of Jed Clampett)
4. Bob Crane – Hogan's Heroes
5. Andy Griffith – The Andy Griffith Show (The Fishin' Hole)
6. Alexander Courage – Star Trek
7. Frankie Laine – Rawhide

Side B

1. David Kahn, Melvyn Leonard & Mort Greene – Leave It To Beaver (The Toy Parade)
2. The Monkees – The Monkees Theme
3. Vic Mizzy Featuring Eddie Albert – Green Acres
4. Flatt & Scruggs – Petticoat Junction
5. Lalo Schifrin – Mission Impossible
6. Fred Steiner – Perry Mason
7. The Jud Conlon Rhythmaires – Dobie Gillis
8. Larry Elgart – American Bandstand