Children's Favourites

Recently, Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night was dedicated to spooky music. Rather oddly, in the interval, they featured two songs which I remember from my childhood: Sparky's Magic Piano & Tubby the Tuba. Neither of which are particularly spooky but I do remember them well. And then, along with all the other sad deaths recently, I heard that Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart has died. He was, of course, the presenter of 'Junior Choice'. which, although starting in 1968, was the follow up to 'Children's Favorites'.
Children's Favorites, which started in 1954 was introduced by Uncle Mac who's real name was Derek McCulloch 
Some of the first music I can remember was on this programme. And some of it was brilliant...
Anyone remember these? Click the title to listen.

The Happy Wanderer.

Now this is odd. Although I know the English words to the song, this is the version I remember. And, recorded in 1954, it does sound like the Hitler Youth!

 

Sparky's Magic Piano

This was released in 1948. And yet it seems to have a fully-formed vocoder sound which I didn't hear again until Wendy (Walter) Carlos's sound track to A Clockwork Orange. Vocoder's also feature on ELO's Mr Blue Sky. Aparently, the original machine that produced the noise was called a Sonovox 
Amazingly ahead of it's time.

 

The Laughing Policeman

Recorded in 1926 by Charles Penrose and possibly written by his wife. You cannot listen to this and not laugh. Or scream and run into the street!

 

The Teddy Bear's Picnic

Written in 1907, but apparently, this 1932 Henry Hall recording was of especially good quality with a large tonal range. It was used for more than 30 years by BBC audio engineers (up until the early 1960s) to test and calibrate the frequency response of audio equipment.

The 3 Billygoats Gruff

This used to scare the life out of me. Especially the Troll bit! I still find it a bit uncomfortable to listen to...

The Railroad Runs Through The Middle of the House

Finally, this classic. Utterly stupid but I loved the sound FX and, of course the ending!

Those are some of my favorites. Please share yours...