Favorite Cartoon Cheesy-Fake-Rock Music Band?

**Anthonynotes** · 03-29-2003, 08:53 PM

What the title says---who's your favorite "cheesy fake rock song"-playing group?

1. The Archies: consisted of Archie (lead singer/guitar), Betty (tambourine?), Veronica (keyboard), Jughead (drums), and Reggie (backup guitar). Noted for "Sugar Sugar" (a song recorded by a real-life group and was the #1 song of 1969, as I understand...ah, the wacky "Flower Power" era...)

2. Josie and the Pussycats: those fantastic Earth *and* "in outer space" based group of female singers...

3. The Neptunes: from "Jabberjaw", the 70's H-B cartoon that took place in the future (where society's living underwater), about a "Three Stooges" Curly-voiced shark who played with a rock band of humans---and always complained about getting "no respect" as a shark.

4. Fat Albert and the Junkyard Gang: they managed to turn Filmation-style junkyard junk into actual functional instruments. Let's see the other groups do *that*!

5. The Muppet Babies: guess I'll count these guys, since they sang in every episode (and Baby Rowlf, at least, played the piano).

6. Teenage Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm and Friends as the "Bedrock Rockers": a bunch of the 70's Flintstones cartoons had the teenage offspring/friends of Fred, Barney & co. as rock musicians...

7. Jem and the Holograms: this 80's cheesy-fake-rock-song group was, well, pretty popular in the 80's (my sister had a Jem doll).

8. Other: someone else I've missed (which I probably have---seeing as the "cartoon teen rock group" genres seems pretty popular...)

**The Landstander** · 03-29-2003, 09:46 PM

though not on the list, Scab (from Home Movies) would probably be my fav...though they are more of just a garage band (and they actually aren't cheesy).

out of the choices, ill say Fat Albert.

**Howard** · 03-30-2003, 01:51 AM

What about The Brady Kids? They were a cheesy sining group in both animation and real life! (Plus, it looks like Filmation just traced the animation for The Archies and turned them into Bradys!)

**Anthonynotes** · 03-30-2003, 05:14 AM

Originally Posted by Howard

What about The Brady Kids? They were a cheesy sining group in both animation and real life! (Plus, it looks like Filmation just traced the animation for The Archies and turned them into Bradys!)

Thought about them too late---plus figure being one of the my least favorite TV shows (let alone cartoons) ever made, they don't deserve the dignity of their own poll spot ;-)

**EightOh** · 03-30-2003, 12:12 PM

Hey, hey, hey!

**sockhead** · 03-30-2003, 12:35 PM

What about "The BEETS" (from Doug) "killer tofu!"

**MultipleSifl** · 03-30-2003, 03:10 PM

Fat Albert's band was awesome. They were so funky, brotha!

**Shawn Hopkins** · 03-30-2003, 04:36 PM

I vote for Kidd Video!

**Sharklady** · 03-30-2003, 04:37 PM

"Oh-oh-ohoo, sugar sugar,
Ah, honey honey!
You are my candy girl,
An' you got me wanting you..."

Ah, nolstalgia!

None the less, I have to cast my vote for 'Other'. Because for sheer unadulterated Cuteness, nothing tops the Powerpuff Girls warbling "Love Makes The World Go Round."

**FuriousFreddy99** · 03-30-2003, 04:55 PM

*drum rolls and guitar riffs begin*
*electric keyboard notes begin to play*
*singer takes a breath*

Jo-siiieee and the Pussy-CATS
LONG tails and EARS for HATS
GUITARS and SHARPS and FLATS
meet
sweet
a groovy SONG
you're invited, come ALONG

*drum roll*

HURRY, HURRY!
SEEEE all of Persia
or maybe friends
WEEEE could be in India
O-or by chance
GROOOOVE with us in Bangok
MAKES no difference
everywhere the action's at
We're all in this and that!

c'mon along now!

Jo-siiieee and the Pussy-CATS
no ti-ime for PURS and PATS!
Won't run when they hear SCAT!
There's where the posse is (yeah)
C'mon now, because we're...
Josie and pussy-CATS!
Josie and the Pussy-CAAA-AAAATS!
YEa--ahha---ahhh

*snicker*
*drum roll*

**Mek** · 03-30-2003, 05:42 PM

Gotta go with Jem! She's truly outrageous!

Somebody shoot me now.

**Dee** · 03-30-2003, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by Mekairinek

Gotta go with Jem! She's truly outrageous!

Somebody shoot me now.

truly TRULY truly Outrageous... ooooooo Jem...

lol

I even remember watching this in the hospital when I was really little.

My belt buckle is actually a picture of Jem with a mic. I love it!!

**Sandoz** · 03-30-2003, 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by Mekairinek

Gotta go with Jem! She's truly outrageous!

Yes, yes she is.

::glomps Jem doll::

**Anarky** · 03-30-2003, 10:08 PM

MYSTIK SPIRAL!!!

"You're an angel in black,
You sure have the knack
For putting my heart
on the shelf in the back.
I'm waiting my turn
Oh, when will I learn?!?
My poor heart,
You're giving it Freezer Burn!!!
Yeah!!"

-from "Icebox Woman"

**Elven Moon** · 03-30-2003, 10:28 PM

I voted for Jem before I realized there was an option for the Muppet Babies - I like the Muppet Babies songs more, but Jem is still cheesy in her own right

**Howard Fein** · 03-31-2003, 11:08 AM

You forgot the Cattanooga Cats, who were the 'hosts' of the H-B series that premiered on ABC in fall 1969. It was obviously commissioned due to the previous season's tremendous successes of The Archies on CBS and The Banana Splits on NBC. The latter is another ersatz rock band, although technically not animated. The Splits were costumed actors.

While there were only nine episodes in which they appeared (whereas the other elements of the show-AROUND THE WORLD IN 79 DAYS, IT'S THE WOLF and AUTOCAT & MOTORMOUSE- had 16, 24 and 32 episodes produced respectively), each hour-long show had two music videos. The Cats' style seemed a combination of light rock and what would later be termed Rockabilly. Mike Curb is credited as music coordinator for the show. Some have stated that Rupert Holmes wrote some of the songs. When CN began rerunning the CATS (who, for whatever the reason, never seemed to be rerun throughout the seventies and eighties), I was rather shocked at two song titles: "How Do You Like Me in My Birthday Suit?" and "My Girlfriend is a Witch."

At least one of their songs, "Olly Olly Oxen Free" is not an original.

The following season saw CBS spin the Groovie Ghoulies off from the Archie franchise (they were supposed to Sabrina's cousins). Thanks to regular repeats on network and in syndication, people tend to remember the Ghoulie songs. Like the Fat Albert band, they played whimsical versions of your routine cartoon drums, keyboard and strings- and sang much better than their speaking voices would suggest. It was always the three 'lead' Ghoulies- Frankie, Drac and Wolfie- who would play the songs. Every show also had one of three recurring 'guest bands' do a number, which was obviously played and sung by the same artists. One was 'The Mummies and The Puppies', an amusingly obvious and dated take off of the very popular band- with Cass Elliott depicted as an obese mummy! As with all animated rock bands, abstract images (some in stock footage) would be used during their songs.

Around 1975, I stumbled upon a Ghoulies album in a Sam Goody outlet. Costumed actors made up to look like the three Ghouls appeared on the back of the cover. The songs were taken from the masters, without the standard Filmation SFX used for the actual show, or the even more standard canned applause framing them- a convention of countless comedy/variety shows. (Remember them?

)

If anyone remembers H-B's 1972 AMAZING CHAN CLAN on CBS, Charlie's ten kids appeared to 'moonlight' as a rock band- but this was not alluded to in every episode. One early ep actually had a 'chase song' (a weekly feature of JOSIE, JABBERJAW and other shows that didn't even contain a band- think SCOOBY-DOO and HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS)- but that feature was never used again.

**Good Ol' Batmanuel!** · 03-31-2003, 12:57 PM

Kidd Video. None of those choices are even close, in my mind.

**Anthonynotes** · 03-31-2003, 01:08 PM

>>You forgot the Cattanooga Cats, who were the 'hosts' of the H-B series that premiered on ABC in fall 1969. It was obviously commissioned due to the previous season's tremendous successes of The Archies on CBS and The Banana Splits on NBC. The latter is another ersatz rock band, although technically not animated. The Splits were costumed actors.

While there were only nine episodes in which they appeared (whereas the other elements of the show-AROUND THE WORLD IN 79 DAYS, IT'S THE WOLF and AUTOCAT & MOTORMOUSE- had 16, 24 and 32 episodes produced respectively), each hour-long show had two music videos. The Cats' style seemed a combination of light rock and what would later be termed Rockabilly. Mike Curb is credited as music coordinator for the show. Some have stated that Rupert Holmes wrote some of the songs. When CN began rerunning the CATS (who, for whatever the reason, never seemed to be rerun throughout the seventies and eighties),

You just answered why in the above paragraph---not enough episodes *to* put in syndication. I've never seen this series, myself...

>>
The following season saw CBS spin the Groovie Ghoulies off from the Archie franchise (they were supposed to Sabrina's cousins). Thanks to regular repeats on network and in syndication, people tend to remember the Ghoulie songs. Like the Fat Albert band, they played whimsical versions of your routine cartoon drums, keyboard and strings- and sang much better than their speaking voices would suggest. It was always the three 'lead' Ghoulies- Frankie, Drac and Wolfie- who would play the songs. Every show also had one of three recurring 'guest bands' do a number, which was obviously played and sung by the same artists. One was 'The Mummies and The Puppies', an amusingly obvious and dated take off of the very popular band- with Cass Elliott depicted as an obese mummy! As with all animated rock bands, abstract images (some in stock footage) would be used during their songs.

Heh...guess I'd like to see a mummified "Mama" Cass!

>>
Around 1975, I stumbled upon a Ghoulies album in a Sam Goody outlet. Costumed actors made up to look like the three Ghouls appeared on the back of the cover. The songs were taken from the masters, without the standard Filmation SFX used for the actual show, or the even more standard canned applause framing them- a convention of countless comedy/variety shows. (Remember them?

)
<<

Somewhat--- at least Carol Burnett... :-) (I was *born* in 1975, BTW!)

>>If anyone remembers H-B's 1972 AMAZING CHAN CLAN on CBS, Charlie's ten kids appeared to 'moonlight' as a rock band- but this was not alluded to in every episode. One early ep actually had a 'chase song' (a weekly feature of JOSIE, JABBERJAW and other shows that didn't even contain a band- think SCOOBY-DOO and HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS)- but that feature was never used again.[/QUOTE]

Had considered "chase songs" being included, but decided against it...

Geez, all you people managed to come up with various cheesy-fake-rockgroups that'd slipped my mind!

-B.

**Bakasama** · 03-31-2003, 02:52 PM

What? There's no option for Cold Slither? (Cobra's very own rock band)

**Jade_GL** · 03-31-2003, 09:29 PM

I voted for Jem and the Holograms, one of my favorite 80s cartoons. It's just such a big nostalgia kick for me that I have to vote for them.

And what was the *evil* band? I am drawing a complete blank on this. Oh, I am such a bad fan!

Ok, now I know, the Misfits.

Check out more Jem here:

http://www.80schildren.com/television/jem.htm