Dr. Teeth & The Electric Mayhem

dr-teeth.jpgIt’s astounding, and yet makes perfect sense, that the Muppet movies of the 1970’s were full of great music. Going far beyond the educational songs (catchy in their own right) of Sesame Street, The Muppet Movie (1979) is chock full of quality tunes boasting many a foot-stomping riff.

“Movin’ Right Along” is funny, satirical, and has got a folky-goodness about it. Driving bar-room piano, fast cymbals on the drums — suddenly a string section-kicks in. Sure, the built in jokes sound forced in audio-only, but the musical influences are remarkable if only because the song almost feels as if it could have even sung by any number of acts and been totally plausible: Creedence, The Band, etcetera.

But the stand-out here is “Can You Picture That?” as performed by the inspired Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Actually “inspired” isn’t a strong enough word, as each character embodies the persona they have taken on. Dr. Teeth not only looks and acts like Dr. John, he plays and sings like him on a song entirely driven by a piano-raucous funk-jazz line. Floyd Pepper (a combination of The Beatles dress and Rick Danko’s voice) delivers lines the uninitiated would never expect to see in a Muppets film, “Let me take your picture, add it to the mixture, there is it I got you now!” The Electric Mayhem, though, are more than a conglomeration of celebrity rip-offs, but a sensational band whose lyrics make little to know sense, but capture and embody whatever style they are trying to imitate. Why this song is played while painting a car, I will never know. words/ b. kramer

Download:
MP3: Kermit The Frog/Fozzie Bear :: Movin’ Right Along
MP3: Dr. Teeth & The Electric Mayhem :: Can You Picture That?
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Video: Dr. Teeth & The Electric Mayhem – Can You Picture That?
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Amazon: The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More!

+ Download your music DRM free via eMusic’s 25 free MP3 no risk trial offer
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14 thoughts on “Dr. Teeth & The Electric Mayhem

  1. the muppets are deeply ingrained what makes me who i am. ‘rainbow connection’ is one of the greatest pop tunes ever written.

  2. I am, frankly, astonished that today’s parents are raising children in a relatively Muppet free world. Such a think seems impossible to me.

  3. Little to no sense?

    “Lost my heart in Texas,
    Northern Lights perfectionist,
    I keep it underneath my hat,
    Aurora Borealis, shinin down on Dallas!
    Can you picture that?”

    That burner makes plenty of sense to me. You could find a few closets in the Dallas/Denton area to both clear up the imagery and fog up the picture if you need a little help.

  4. I agree w/ theMike, “Rainbow Connection” is the greatest! Nice post AD – I just recently posted the Ten Best Fictitious Bands From Pop Culture! Look who made my #1…

    10) Sexy Lingerie, The Facts of Life

    09) Sonic Death Monkey, High Fidelity

    08) Stillwater, Almost Famous

    07) Citizen Dick, Singles

    06) Otis Day and the Knights, Animal House

    05) The Be Sharps, The Simpsons

    04) Sexual Chocolate, Coming To America

    03) Fingerbang, South Park

    02) The Cantina band, Star Wars

    01) Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, The Muppet Show

  5. Not sure what to make of this, but the Muppets can currently be seen on the Disney channel, schmoozing with Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and the Jonas Bros… The Swedish Chef and Beaker were on last night.
    Turning on a new generation? A sign of the apocalypse?

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  7. When I was little I used to say I wanted to be a Mupetteer when I grew up. They always had great music. I loved Dr. Teeth (what a fantastic bandname btw) and especially Movin’ Right Along.

    =w=

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