Way Out Wednesday: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, “Coming Out of Their Shells”

You know how I mentioned last week that you canÁ¢€â„¢t stage a live rock concert with people in animal costumes? Well, it turns out that you can, as long as youÁ¢€â„¢re dressed like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In 1990, after their first movie was so successful, it was decided to stage concerts with the characters. This album (which was a premium from Pizza Hut) is the soundtrack to that show. Stay tuned for a special surprise at the end of this post.

The first song here takes its title from the name of the concert tour, Coming Out of Their Shells. This sounds like some sort of acoustic Bon Jovi reject. And, while I donÁ¢€â„¢t know if he was involved with this, the lead singer sounds to me like Á¢€Å“Mouth of the SouthÁ¢€ Jimmy Hart.

Coming Out of Their Shells

Next we have Á¢€Å“Pizza Power,Á¢€ a song that was so identified with the Heroes in a Half Shell that it was used in the arcade game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time.

Pizza Power

Now for the song that most kids probably skipped: April OÁ¢€â„¢NeilÁ¢€â„¢s Á¢€Å“April Ballad.Á¢€ It was probably put in the show in case the kids needed a bathroom break or something from the concession stand. IÁ¢€â„¢ve decided to do the same favor for you. DonÁ¢€â„¢t worry, sheÁ¢€â„¢ll probably still be singing when you get back.

April Ballad

IÁ¢€â„¢ll end this sample of songs with Á¢€Å“Cowabunga,Á¢€ a word that the Turtles (and Bart Simpson) helped put in every little kidÁ¢€â„¢s vocabulary back then. You get to hear these rad reptiles rap about each other. ItÁ¢€â„¢s kind of goofy, but itÁ¢€â„¢s better than anything Vanilla Ice put out.

Cowabunga

If youÁ¢€â„¢d like the whole thing, itÁ¢€â„¢s waiting for you here!

I promised a surprise at the end, and here it is. Not only did the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tour the U.S. with their concert, but they also filmed it! Here are some clips of the concert from Radio City Music Hall.

This is the start of the tape, where youÁ¢€â„¢ll see the guys come out to maddening applause. They also do Á¢€Å“Coming Out of Their Shells.Á¢€ This is where you hear Splinter (who looks especially creepy here) talk about how music is more powerful than any weapon. Nice job trying to make the Turtles more acceptable to parents, guys. Besides, that only works against Blue Meanies.

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HereÁ¢€â„¢s a clip of them doing the song Á¢€Å“Pizza Power.Á¢€ In case you forgot the sponsor of the tour, take a gander at the dancers and the pizza boxes theyÁ¢€â„¢re carrying.

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Here they are being interrupted by members of the Foot Clan, who they subdue with some particularly wussy fighting moves. This does the job until arch-villain Shredder appears on the scene, causing them to fall in a hole that, had they been able to see out of their masks better, they could have seen outlined on the stage.

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On this last clip from the show, zip ahead to about four minutes in and observe Shredder heckling the audience! Best line: Á¢€Å“Is that your Mom? How would you like a one-way ticket to my Technodrome?Á¢€ (IÁ¢€â„¢m not sure what that means, but it sounds dirty.)

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For our bonus clip, hereÁ¢€â„¢s the Turtles and April appearing on Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee. Enjoy!

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See you next time with another installment of Way Out Wednesday!