Here’s a fun artifact from the glory days of the exploitation LP. It’s another of the uncountable number of Batman-related releases from the mid-60’s, this one on the Movietone Records subsidiary of ABC Records. With songs written by Billy Page and arranged by Gene Page (father/son team perhaps?), they’ve managed to tap into the offbeat, campy humor of the original TV series on this “Trip To Gotham City.” The album is chock full of groovy go-go beats filling out songs devoted to the various villains in the series, plus of course, an extremely silly one for Robin, the Boy Wonder. But the most surreal song of all is Catwoman, featuring a bevy of feline Gothamettes repeating “meeoooowww” over and over while the band vamp on. The Joker is a sly tune that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Neal Hefti’s original Batman soundtrack LP, and Fantastic Voyage features a melodic spy theme with subtle fuzz guitar and a bit of an exotica feel via a nice set of vibes. Definitely a trip worth taking.
Filed under: Garage / Freakbeat, Lounge / Exotica
I have this record and dig it! The night before I was going under the knife as a six year old for a tonsillectomy in 1966, my parents eased my fears by taking me to see the new Batman movie. Batman was my hero…until I discovered Clint Eastwood movies. I’m always a sucker for a nice slice of domestic exploito cheese. Thanks for the memories!
Glad to have stimulated some positive memories for you! It’s a fun listen, this LP.
Damn you, now I’ll be going “Meeeeoow” in public for a day or two. And by “Damn you,” I mean Thank You.
Catchy, ain’t it?
Outstanding. I love me some obscuro exploito. “Fantastic Voyage” also came out as a 45 on the 20th-Century label. Had no idea that they had a whole LP.