HereÁ¢€™s a wonderful record of songs featuring Batman and some of his DC Comics cast of characters, sung by a group called the Merriettes. Like the ChildrenÁ¢€™s Treasury of Superman Musical Stories, each character gets two songs.
This first track has an intro reminiscent of the Batman TV showÁ¢€™s theme, which I would assume was the reason for the album in the first place. I did find one thing odd, though: on the show, I thought the Caped Crusader was always referred to as Batman, but on this record he’s always called the Batman. I know he’s called that occasionally, but I didn’t think it was happening yet in the ’60s.
HereÁ¢€™s the second song featuring (the) Batman. ItÁ¢€™s a sprightly little tune, even though they sing about Á¢€Å“When someone tries to plot a holdup or a killinÁ¢€™.Á¢€ Yeah, I know they just used the word to have something to rhyme with Á¢€Å“villain,Á¢€ but thatÁ¢€™s still a bit more intense than IÁ¢€™d expect on a childrenÁ¢€™s record!
The next song features Robin the Boy Wonder. (At least they donÁ¢€™t call him Á¢€Å“the Robin.Á¢€) In this one they sing about all the amazing things Robin can do. Heck, if he’s “an acrobat, a pugilist, mechanic, wizard, and scientist,” what does he need Batman for? I do like the jazzy little instrumental break in the middle, though.
You canÁ¢€™t have a Batman album without featuring the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. For some reason, this song seems to have the same intro as Á¢€Å“Casper the Friendly Ghost.Á¢€ I donÁ¢€™t know why, other than the fact that they both have white faces. If I was more creative, IÁ¢€™d edit together scenes of the Joker (Heath Ledger) from 2008’s The Dark Knight and incorporate this song. Anybody else want to try it?
Now, a song about the Penguin: I like Á¢€Å“A Penguin CaperÁ¢€ because itÁ¢€™s actually a little musical story about the squat villain and his gang planning to rob a bank. It makes robbery, mayhem, and skulduggery sound like so much fun. (SPOILER ALERT! Batman and Robin catch the Penguin at the end.)
And whoÁ¢€™s the final character to get a set of songs? The Riddler? Alfred? Commissioner Gordon? No, itÁ¢€™s the Batmobile, described here as Á¢€Å“The Battiest Car AroundÁ¢€! I like how they sing that Á¢€Å“ThereÁ¢€™s never been a car on wheels like the wonderful Batmobile.Á¢€ ArenÁ¢€™t all cars on wheels?
Anyway, if you like these songs youÁ¢€™ll want to get the entire album. Luckily, you can do that here!
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