Huck-Yogi and Quick Draw's MAGIC RECORD (Mark 56, 1961)

 

Here is a rarity I've had on my want list for a long time, and until now, there had been ONE copy on Discogs, that being the one used to add it to the database, and NONE had ever sold.  When one suddenly surfaced, I jumped on it.

First, a little backstory:  I've always been fascinated with the fact that records with multiple, concentric grooves actually exist, enabling you to get seemingly random results by dropping the needle.  The first time I ever ran into this, like many collectors, was the famous Monty Python MATCHING TIE AND HANDKERCHIEF album, which I still have.  It turns out the trick was much older than that, and actually goes way back.  (We posted another album that utilizes it during Halloween; see John Zacherley's SCARY TALES for another example that doesn't tell the buyer what's going on!) This 45, however, does let you in on the action.

All over this record--front, back, and labels--the title is strangely written as "HUCK[hyphen]YOGI AND QUICK DRAW'S MAGIC RECORD" and I can't make that make any grammatical sense, no matter how hard I try.

First, the good news.  The "Magic Side" of this 45 gives you three possibilities for what you will hear:  Yogi Bear singing his theme song, Quick Draw McGraw singing his theme song, or...somebody singing Huckleberry Hound's (who may be trying to sound like Gabby Hayes).  Each of these tracks is less than a minute long, and provided kids with a cool parlor trick to show their friends.  The flip side is actually better than the Magic Side, as Yogi demonstrates his piano skills, and Huck won't stop playing the drums ("How do I unplug the drums?!" Yogi wonders.)

However, the bad news is, Daws Butler is nowhere to be heard.  It's instead a sound-alike who shows up for our record.  Now, he's not totally terrible, and spends the majority of his time doing his Art Carney to sound like Yogi, which is passable.  And Huck never speaks at all, which is probably for the best.  

Which leads me to something that I'm wondering about...my copy looks exactly like the one above, the one used for the database entry.  I mean, down to the exact label in the upper corner, which, by the way, says:  "Compliments of ORANGEFAIR SHOPPING CENTER."  Was this record only promotional, and not sold in stores? Was it only given out by the Orangefair Shopping Center? If so, perhaps this explains the use of a sound-alike, and the fact that it's on the Mark 56 label instead of Colpix or Golden or something else Hanna-Barbera would've been on at that time.  Maybe this wasn't intended for retail release, at all.  I hope one day, we will know for sure.  Until then, enjoy this very rare record.  From my searches, you won't hear it ANYWHERE else!

LINK:  Huck-Yogi and Quick Draw's MAGIC RECORD