United Steel Workers of Montreal - Broken Trucks and Bottles (2005)

"Number 4" by United Steel Workers of Montreal


Another band that released their debut album on the weewerk label was the six-piece alternative country group United Steel Workers of Montreal (from downtown Montreal, naturally).  The band formed as a gathering of buskers that played together at Lucien-L'Allier metro station every Tuesday.  After seven or eight months, they became a permanent band, booking gigs and recording original material.  At formation, the band consisted of Gern F (vocals/acoustic guitar), Felicity Hamer (vocals/accordion), Sean "Gus" Beauchamp (vocals/acoustic guitar), Matt Watson (electric guitar), Roger Dawson (bass) and Sean Moore (banjo/mandolin).  They released their debut album Broken Trucks and Bottles in 2005.  The album featured guest appearances by David Macanulty and Andrew Horton also of the Montreal alt scene.

Here is the discography surrounding United Steel Workers of Montreal's debut album:

Broken Trucks and Bottles

"Life Bearable in Texas" by United Steel Workers of Montreal


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Great Lake Swimmers - Great Lake Swimmers (2003)

"Moving Pictures Silent Films" by Great Lake Swimmers


One of the backing vocalists on the original release of Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum is Victor Szabo whose only other recording credit is playing percussion on the debut album by Great Lake Swimmers.  (It could also be just two people with the same name.)  Based in Toronto, Great Lake Swimmers is a folk band led by the guitar, songwriting, and voice of Tony Dekker.  Unable to find a label, his demo tapes landed in the hands of artist-curators Phil Klygo and Germaine Koh.  Tony's haunting, empty voice impressed the two enough to found an independent record label for him in 2002.  The minted label, weewerk, released the eponymous Great Lake Swimmers album in 2003 and was well-received by critics.  The band recorded the album in an abandoned grain solo in rural Ontario that complemented the vulnerable lyrics and bare instrumentation with the animated drone of night sounds.

Here is the discography surrounding Great Lake Swimmers's debut album:

Great Lake Swimmers

"I Will Never See the Sun" by Great Lake Swimmers


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Tally Hall - Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum (2005)

"Spring and a Storm" by Tally Hall


As a child, Robin Williams moved around a lot and used his comedy and impressions to help him fit in at school.  One of the towns he moved to was Bloomfield Hills, Michigan where he attended Detroit Country Day School.  On a personal note, I also went to school in Bloomfield Hills (the prestigious public school Andover High), and my senior year the biggest thing to graduate from Andover (aside from ESPN anchor Dana Jacobson) was the eclectic five-piece rock band Tally Hall.  (Technically, only two members of Tally Hall graduated from Andover.  Two others graduated from our dreaded rival school Lahser and the fifth from Pingry High in New Jersey.  Andover and Lahser have since been consolidated to form Bloomfield Hills High School.)

Tally Hall formed in 2002 in Ann Arbor, Michigan where all five members were Wolverines.  They quickly established an iconic look for themselves each wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt; each differentiated by a different color tie.  Tally Hall consists of Rob Cantor (yellow tie, vocals, guitar), Andrew Horowitz (green tie, vocals, keyboard), Joe Hawley (red tie, vocals, guitar), Zubin Sedghi (blue tie, vocals, bass), and Ross Federman (gray tie, percussion).  The gray tie was once worn by Steve Gallagher who left the band in 2004.  Locally successful and developing a cult following online thanks to their comedy sketch internet videos, Tally Hall signed to independent label Quack! Media on which they released, in 2005, their debut album Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum.  (Note:  The album is named for an antique arcade and curio museum found in an outdoor shopping mall (that used to be named Tally Hall) just outside of Bloomfield Hills).  The band found some early success appearing on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (not their best performance), having their song "Good Day" featured on The OC, and having their cover of The Killers's "Smile Like You Mean It" being one of the few interesting tracks on a The OC covers album.

The band's word of mouth popularity was strong enough to gain the attention of a major label, Atlantic Records.  The band signed with them and started to work on a marketing campaign that would build off of their early internet success.  The band would re-rerecord and re-mix bits of Marvin's with a new producer in preparation for a re-release in early 2008 that would be built up to through their very own Tall Hall Internet Show.  Their music is a strange mix of alternative rock with the harmonies of a barbershop quartet while their songwriting is a deft and balanced mix of humor, sentiment, and existentialism.

Here is the discography surrounding Tally Hall's debut album:

Break It Down (2002 comedy sketch as anonyMous)
Party Boobytrap (2003 demo EP)
Welcome to Tally Hall (2004 demo EP)
Complete Demos (2004 demo compilation)
Pingry (2005 EP)
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
Good Day (2008 single)
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum (2008 re-issue)

"Welcome to Tally Hall" by Tally Hall


Tally Hall Internet Show Episode 1 + "Good Day" by Tally Hall


Tally Hall at SXSW 2007


"Directions" by Tally Hall


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Robin Williams - Reality...What a Concept (1979)

Both Steve Martin's and Robin Williams's debut albums were recorded at The Beacon Theater.  Robin Williams's interest in acting and improvisation was nurtured through shyness, loneliness, and his high school's drama department.  Being one of 20 students accepted to Juilliard confirmed his talents and he famously roomed there with Christopher Reeve.  Williams left school in 1976 to pursue his stand up and acting career.  He quickly found success as a guest performer on TV shows.  His most famous role was that of the alien Mork, who first appeared on Happy Days.  Mork's character was so popular that it prompted the spin-off Mork and Mindy (alongside actress Pam Dawber), a show written particularly for Williams's improvisation talents that started in 1978.  Robin's standup career was not neglected as he recorded an HBO special "Off the Wall" in 1978 and followed that up with his first album Reality...What a Concept in 1979.

Here is the discography surrounding Robin Williams's debut album:

Reality...What a Concept

"HBO Special: Live at the Roxy 1978" by Robin Williams


Mork Meets Robin Williams


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Steve Martin - Let's Get Small (1977)

"Mad at My Mother" by Steve Martin


"Let's Get Small" by Steve Martin


Bowling for Soup's band name was derived from a Steve Martin comedy bit.  Steve Martin was born in Waco, Texas but raised in the greater Los Angeles area.  As a young man, he worked at Disneyland for three years as a salesman and then as a magician in Fantasyland.  He learned to juggle, do various tricks, and make balloon animals all of which he'd later incorporate into his comedy act.  After graduating high school, Martin took interest in acting and joined a comedy troupe and supplemented his learning with English and drama classes.  He'd pursue a major in Philosophy at UCLA before dropping out in 1967 due to a job he got writing bits for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.  For his work on the show, he'd win an Emmy for writing in 1969 at the age of 23.  He got more work writing for other variety shows and performing his standup as an opening act for a number of bands.  Still success wasn't as close as it seemed as it would take a better part of a decade before Martin became a household name in comedy.  But when he did, Steve Martin was huge.  Extremely popular, his guest appearances on TV shows (SNL, Johnny Carson,...) spiked viewership ratings, the various stops on his comedy tour sold out around the country and so did his records.  In 1977, his debut comedy album Let's Get Small sold for platinum.  Martin would use his success as a comedian to write his own screenplays and jumpstart his career as an actor with his first notable work being the Academy Award nominated short "The Absent Minded Waiter".

Here is the discography surrounding Steve Martin's debut album:

Let's Get Small
Let's Get Small (1977 single)

1977 Live Act and other acts by Steve Martin


"Excuse Me" by Steve Martin


"The Absent Minded Waiter" A Steve Martin Short


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Bowling for Soup - Bowling for Soup (1994)

"Pesticide" by Bowling for Soup


Phineas and Ferb's theme song "Today Is Gonna Be a Great Day" was written and performed by pop-punk band Bowling for Soup.  Bowling for Soup formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in early 1994.  During the band's early years, it consisted of lead singer Jaret Reddick (rhythm guitar), Chris Burney (lead guitar), Erik Chandler (bass), and Lance Morrill (percussion).  Very quickly after forming, they recorded 15 original songs at a local studio and independently released their debut album Bowling for Soup with a limited pressing of 3,000 copies.  The album has since been out of print though still available digitally online.

Here is the discography surrounding Bowling for Soup's debut album:

Bowling for Soup

"Thirteen" by Bowling for Soup


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Phineas and Ferb - Phineas and Ferb (2009)

"Gitchee Gitchee Goo" by Phineas and Ferb


Richard O'Brien wrote The Rocky Horror Show and lately has been active as the voice of Lawrence Fletcher, father to and cartoon character in the Disney Channel hit Phineas and Ferb.  The TV show  was created by storyboard artists/writers Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh while they worked together on Rocko's Modern Life.  The show premiered in 2008 and centers on the daily activities of step-brothers Phineas and Ferb.  The show's formula also features their sister Candace who always tries to "bust" them to their mom to no avail, Phineas and Ferb's friends who help them/or spur them on their projects, and their secret agent pet Perry the Platypus who foils the evil efforts of his nemesis Dr. Doofenshmirtz.   The show is also famous for the musical numbers (featured in almost every episode after "Flop Starz") that Povenmire and Marsh write together and give to the show's composer Danny Jacob.  The series is a smash hit for the Disney Channel and is popular with both children and adults.  It's popularity prompted the release of its first soundtrack Phineas and Ferb in 2009 that featured longer versions of songs heard on the show.

Here is the discography surrounding Phineas and Ferb's debut soundtrack album:

Phineas and Ferb
Songs from Season One (2009 soundtrack compilation)

"Rollercoaster / Candace Loses Her Head"


"E.V.I.L. B.O.Y.S." by Phineas and Ferb


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The Rocky Horror Show - Original London Cast (1973)

"Science Fiction - Double Feature" by the 1973 Original London Cast


Jonathan Adams, who was one of the four cast members to perform Tom Foolery originally in London, was most famous for his cult role as the narrator in the original production of The Rocky Horror Show.  The Rocky Horror Show is a musical tribute to science fiction B movies and fifties rock and roll written by then-out-of-work actor Richard O'Brien.  The show was championed and directed by Jim Sharman who wanted to put the show on Upstairs at The Royal Court Theatre, a place for experimental theater.  Sue Blane (costume design) and Richard Hartley (musical director) completed the creative team.  The original show premiered in the summer of 1973 and ran for a month at Royal Court starring Tim Curry, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Julie Covington and Richard O'Brien to great success.  The show would move throughout 1973 to the Chelsea Classic Cinema and then King's Road Theatre.  The Rocky Horror Show won the 1973 Evening Standard Award for Best Musical.

Here is the discography surrounding The Rocky Horror Show's first cast recording:

The Rocky Horror Show

"Sweet Transvestite" by the 1973 Original London Cast


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Tom Foolery - Original London Cast (1980)

Tom Lehrer's songs were packaged into a musical revue by legendary theatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh.  The revue premiered in London at the Criterion Theatre on 5 June 1980, Gillian Lynne directing.  The original London cast consisted of Robin Ray, Jonathan Adams, Martin Connor, and Tricia George.

(Tour Guide's Note:  This is the Tour's first foray into the murky waters of theater cast recordings.  Oftentimes without a distinct author/director/producer/performer to claim as the primary artist and multiple performances to chose from, I will organize theater productions by title and go chronologically by available cast recordings of each title.)

Here is the discography surrounding Tom Foolery's first cast recording:

Tom Foolery

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Tom Lehrer - Songs by Tom Lehrer (1953)

"Be Prepared" by Tom Lehrer


Both Dr. Roger S. Payne and musical satirist Tom Lehrer graduated from Harvard.  Lehrer, in fact, graduated with an AB in mathematics by the age of 19 in 1946 and an MA degree the year after.  In his time not spent studying, Tom would write humorous, satirical songs to entertain his friends.  He would extend these private revues to playing local nightclubs to great appreciation while still teaching mathematics at Harvard, MIT, and Wellesley.  Encouraged by the positive feedback, Lehrer would record an independent album Songs by Tom Lehrer in 1953 and sell it locally around Harvard.  His songs did not get any radio airplay, however, because of the delicate and risque subject matters they covered.  Still, his music grew in popularity through word-of-mouth and was spread out enough to warrant concert tours.

Here is the discography surrounding Tom Lehrer's debut album:

Songs by Tom Lehrer

"National Brotherhood Week" and "When You Are Old and Gray" by Tom Lehrer


"The Irish Ballad" by Tom Lehrer


"I Wanna Go Back to Dixie" by Tom Lehrer

"I Hold Your Hand in Mine" by Tom Lehrer

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Dr. Roger S. Payne - Songs of the Humpback Whale (1970)

Field Recording of the Humpback Whale


In the opening of the first song of The Kick Inside, Kate Bush sampled humpback whale songs recorded by Dr. Roger S. Payne.  Roger Payne studied the echolocation of bats and owls before switching to studying whales with an idea towards conservation.  With Scott McVay in 1967, Payne discovered the "complex sonic arrangements" used by the humpback whales to communicate during breeding season.  In 1970, Payne released an album of his field recordings and, in doing so, helped fuel the conservation movement to ban commercial whaling.

Here is the discography surrounding Dr. Roger S. Payne's debut album:

Songs of the Humpback Whale

A Life Among Whales Trailer


On Whale Sneezes


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Kate Bush - The Kick Inside (1978)

"Kite" by Kate Bush


After a string of musical failures, David Bowie briefly considered the possibility that his name was not written in the rock stars.  As an alternative, he pursued the possibility of being an actor and studied acting under legendary mime Lindsay Kemp.  Ten years later, Kemp garnered another musical pupil, Kate Bush, who studied interpretive dance.  Bush took up learning with Kemp while on two-year retainer with EMI Records after being discovered at the age of 16 by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour.  At 19, EMI released her art rock debut The Kick Inside in February 1978.  The album met unexpected success (#3 on the UK charts) due to the chart-topping surprise of her first career single "Wuthering Heights".

Here is the discography surrounding Kate Bush's debut album:

Wuthering Heights (1978 single)
The Kick Inside
The Man with the Child in His Eyes (1978 single)
Live on TV, 1978 (1978 live bootleg)
Them Heavy People (1978 single)
Moving (1978 single)

"Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush with Interview


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