Retro Tribute CDs, Part 1: Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits

The 1990s was the era of the alternative artist; every week, a new band arrived that would make an initial splash, and then fade away after a hit or two, despite heavy rotation on MTV & VH1. The decade was also the first real explosion of the tribute album genre. On a regular basis, it seemed like a new record was released that saluted a much loved band or popular style of music. One of the more unique discs to come out during this time was Saturday Morning Cartoon’s Greatest Hits. It featured current alternative artists (like Frente! & Tripping Daisy) covering theme songs from classic cartoon shows. The disc was sort of a “Gen X artists meets Baby Boomer TV memories” collection. For example, Liz Phair & Material Issue kick off the album with their version of “The Tra La La Song” from The Banana Splits, and Juliana Hatfield & Tanya Donelly take on the theme to Josie & The Pussycats, the show about the adventures of that all-girl band.

The bands all seem to be having a grand time: Matthew Sweet romps through “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” and Mary Lou Lord & Semisonic give “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies even more of a candy coating than the original. The matchups of theme & artist are pretty cool: Violent Femmes take on "Epp Ook Ork Ah-Ah” from The Jetsons, and Sublime revs up the title song to “Hong Kong Phooey.” The music will bring back memories of sitting down on Saturday morning, munching on cereal & Pop Tarts, and watching your favorite shows. Where else can you hear Collective Soul cover The Bugaloos, Helmet sing about giant robots with Gigantor or The Ramones (the elder statesmen of this collection) power through the “Spider-Man” theme in their signature style. The one nod to modern animated shows is Wax’s version of “Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy” from Ren & Stimpy.

This is one of the more clever tribute albums to come out during this period. It's a fun disc that will bring back a lot of memories if you’re in the right age group, or the right frame of mind. There was also a VHS (hey, it was 1995, remember?) release of music videos from the album (hosted by Drew Barrymore) and an accompanying comic book, published by Marvel. While the videotape & the comic are a bit hard to find these days, the CD (while out of print) is still readily available online. It’s worth seeking out if you’re a fan of the bands involved, or have fond memories of enjoying all those classic cartoon shows in your younger days. Here are links to the covers of “Sugar, Sugar” by Mary Lou Lord & Semisonic, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLfkOh-yCT0, The Ramones with  “Spider-Man” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5P8lrgBtcU, and Juliana Hatfield & Tanya Donelly performing "Josie & The Pussycats" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvH23b0E64c from the album.

Here's the tracklist from the the CD:

1. Liz Phair With Material Issue – The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)

2. Sponge – Go Speed Racer Go

3. Mary Lou Lord With Semisonic – Sugar Sugar

4. Matthew Sweet – Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

5. Juliana Hatfield And Tanya Donelly – Josie And The Pussycats

6. Collective Soul – The Bugaloos

7. Butthole Surfers – Underdog

8. Helmet – Gigantor

9. Ramones – Spider-Man

10. Reverend Horton Heat – Jonny Quest / Stop That Pigeon

11. Frente! – Open Up Your Heart And Let The Sun Shine In (from The Flinstones)

12. Violent Femmes – Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Means I Love You) (from The Jetsons)

13. Dig – Fat Albert Theme

14. Face To Face – I’m Popeye The Sailor Man

15. Tripping Daisy – Friends / Sigmund And The Sea Monsters

16. Toadies – Goolie Get-Together

17. Sublime – Hong Kong Phooey

18. Murmurs – H. R. Pufnstuf
19. Wax – Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy (from Ren & Stimpy)

Next week: A look at another "far out" tribute disc.