Tuesday, October 27, 2015

THEY'RE COMING TO TAKE YOU AWAY, HA-HAAA!!

They're coming to take us away, ha-haaa!

Here are XVI responses (answer records) to Napoleon XIV's novelty hit, "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" (Warner Bros 5831), recorded by audio engineer Jerry Samuels posing as Napoleon Bonaparte. I one-of-a-kind hit record that proves that the history of rock 'n' roll is not always what it seems.

The source below list (w/ more info) corresponds to the title listed.

1. Josephine:  "They Took You Away, I'm Glad I'm Glad"
2. Josef:  ""Took You Away, I'm Glad I'm Glad
3. Josephine XIII:  "Down On The Funny Farm (Oy Vey)"
4. Josephine XV:  "I'm Happy They Took You Away, Ha-Haaa!"
5. Henry The IX:  "Don't Take Me Back, Oh- Nooo!"
6. The Emperor:  "I'm Normal"
7. Teddy & Darrel:  "They Took You Away, I'm Glad I'm Glad"
8. Rose Brooks:  "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!"
9. Kim Fowley:  "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!"
10. VIX Noelopan:  "!Aaah-Ah, Yawa Em Ekat Ot Gnimoc Er'yeht"
11. Floris VI:  "Ze Nemen Me Eindelijk Mee, Ha- Haaa!"
12. Floris VI:  "Ahah Eem Kjilednie Em Nemen Ez"
13. I Balordi:  "Vengono A Portarci Via Ah, Aah!"
14. Napoleon Puppy:  "Ellos Me Quieren Llevar"
15. Boots Walker:  "They're Here"
16. Beatrice Kay w/ Mitchell Ayres & His Orch.:  "Hoooray, Hooray, I'm Goin' Away"


1. Valiant 745-A, 1966
2. Valiant 745-B, 1966
3. Cameo 427, 1966
4. Warner Bros. LP 1661 (They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haa! LP), 1966
5. Showcase 9810
6. Current 111, 1966
7. Mira LP 10,000 (These Are The Hits, You Silly Savage!), 1966
8. Soul City 750, 1967
9. CBS (UK) 202243, 1966
10. Warner Bros. 5831, 1966 (flipside to orig. hit)
11. Decca (Netherlands) 10223-A, 1966
12. Decca (Netherlands) 10223-B, 1966
13. Durium (Italy) 7494, 1966 (acc. to Roberto Lanterna, "The Italian lyrics were by their producer Luciano Giacotto, and they're a bit different from the original -- here the band are taken away to a mental hospital because their music is too loud!")
14. CBS (Argentina) 21779; wr. cr. "NapoleĆ³n Bonaparte" (acc. to Ayrton Mugnaini, "The record plays at 33rpm. In the vinyl era Brazil and Argentina shared the dubious honour of being the only major phonographic markets not to produce singles at 45rpm.")
15. Rust 5115, 1967; aka Ernie Maresca
16. Columbia 37922, 1947

Track #10 above is the B-side to the hit single, and was a mirror-image (both sonically and graphically) of the topside. It is listed (among the album's other contents) on the front cover to the Napoleon XIV album, but, for reasons unknown, was replaced on the actual disc with the Josephine XV track (#4 above).

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