Friday, August 09, 2013

"SIXTEEN TONS" parody by Sammy Shore worth $45 BUCKS?

Some fool paid $45 for a not too hilarious parody of Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons." What's funny is there were two other bidders coming in with offers over $40 for it.
What's really funny, funnier than Shore's song, is that at the same time these stooges were bidding, the item was (and probably still is) available for a FOURTH of the price, in the same condition! But some clowns only know one way to get a record: EBAY. That way, they can over-pay. And hey hey, it makes a seller's day.

It's rare when there's a big pay day on any 45 single. Almost all the "good stuff" has been re-issued on CD, and is all over iTunes (not to mention YouTube and blogs). It's even rarer when that pay day involves a comedy or novelty single, because denizens of that genre are known to be cheap fucks. And why pay a lot for a curiosity "novelty" item they might only play two thousand times alone in the basement? Spending a fortune on something stupid gives them no bragging rights, and they don't have that audiophile excuse that they're spending the money because the vinyl quality on that Dickie Goodman break-in is so superior to what's on Spotify.

At best, you'll spot the "Demento" head hunched over the cardboard box of bilious boot-sale banalities, cursing to himself over anything stickered with more than a "1" on it. Obese and sweaty with a backpack Charles Laughton would've used to impersonate Quasimodo, the misshapen fool will pass by anything high-priced. So will the other typical "Demento" stereotype, the over-medicated, smirking jackass who is convinced he's a WILD AND CRAZY GUY for buying crap that none of his friends want to hear. PS, he has no friends. Just some on-line orangutans who might swap mp3s and want-lists and tolerate his shitty jokes so he'll tolerate theirs. They've never outgrown a cackling fondness for any reference to fish heads or farts.

$45 for a VG (not mint) copy of vinyl? The same record, in the same designated VG condition, is sitting on one of the many well known record collector sites for a fraction of the eBay price, and no BIDDING is required:

This is just another ordinary parody single, despite two or three maniacs bidding wildly for it. According to Sammy Shore, "Sixteen Tons" was still on the charts when somebody decided he might be the best choice to cut a comedy version. Shore was not a very well-known stand-up at the time, but this was the era where unknowns could, with luck and Payola, become overnight sensations. He claims that the disc sold over 100,000 copies. If that were true, it would have charted, and the single would be on eBay most every week. A little more common, but also not exactly hits, are the parody versions from Mickey Katz and Homer & Jethro. Shore later developed his "Brother Sammy" character and put out a full-length album for Liberty in the 60's (which didn't sell 100,000 copies either). He continued to work the clubs, mostly ones that also had a fondness for a Shecky or Dreesen. Today he's unfortunately best known as either the ex-husband of "Comedy Store" founder Mitzi Shore, or the father of the very annoying Pauly Shore. With those options, being known for a minor parody of "Sixteen Tons" isn't so bad.

Some fans out there still love Sammy. And no, that's not a Photoshop job, that's art:

SAMMY SHORE drops jokes like they were SEVENTEEN TONS Instant download or listen on line.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's a big 'dance' record in certain circles, believe it or not. Look up the 'Belgian Popcorn' scene!