Friday – 27 July 2007
Four down, one in the chamber.

I don’t know what happened, but I must have been phenomenally tired last night. I slept like a proverbial rock. I even slept in a little this morning.

The Best
Many moons past, I was given the Schoolhouse Rock! Box Set. All of the Schoolhouse Rock! songs that many of us grew up singing along with… in glorious CD form. Some of ’em in stereo, even!

Fast-forward a couple of years: I discovered Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks, covers of fourteen Schoolhouse Rock! songs.

Fast-forward again, to the near past: Given my new hobby in determining “The Best” versions of songs, I wondered who would win in an SR! vs SR!R battle. So, I listened to the originals and covers. Below is my take on the songs1:

 

Song

 

Original Artist

 

Cover Artist

 

Best Version
I’m Just a Bill Jack Sheldon Deluxx Folk Implosion Original
Three Is a Magic Number Bob Dorough Blind Melon Original2
Conjunction Junction Jack Sheldon Better Than Ezra Original3
Electricity, Electricity Zachary Sanders Goodness Cover4
No More Kings Lynn Ahrens Pavement Original
The Shot Heard ‘Round the World Bob Dorough Ween Original5
My Hero, Zero Bob Dorough Lemonheads Draw
The Energy Blues Jack Sheldon Biz Markie Original6
Little Twelvetoes Bob Dorough Chavez Original
Verb: That’s What’s Happening Zachary Sanders Moby Original
Interplanet Janet Lynn Ahrens Man or Astro-Man Draw7
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly ,Get Your Adverbs Here Bob Dorough Buffalo Tom Original
Unpack Your Adjectives Blossom Dearie Daniel Johnston Original
The Tale of Mr. Morton Jack Sheldon Skee-Lo Cover

And there you have it.

Coming soon: The Best – Classic Cartoon Themes vs. Saturday Morning Cartoons’ Greatest Hits

Stray Toasters

Notes (The Best):

  1. Results may vary, by user
  2. Blind Melon did a nice job of trying to keep some of the sound and feel, but the original hits all the marks.
  3. C’mon… it’s Conjunction Junction. Do I really need to spell this one out for you? Jazz.
  4. As much as I like the late Mr. Sanders’ work, Goodness makes this song their own.
  5. Ween did a great homage to Bob Dorough’s version… but came up a little short.
  6. The was very close: You’d almost swear that Biz Markie was channeling Jack Sheldon.
  7. This is a photo-finish. Both versions have merit for their respective sounds.

Up out.

Namaste.