The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • Holiday Gift Guide
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

Re-eh-sue Theory

December 7, 2010 By Mike Duquette 3 Comments

Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. Today’s focus is on two hosers from the Great White North and the strangely funny musical legacy they left behind.

The first flurries of the new winter stuck to the lawn outside The Second Disc HQ yesterday. Inevitably, we’re going to need something to warm us up into the holiday season and the bitterest cold months of 2011. Sweaters? Check. Tuques? Check. Beer? Check.

Well, that’s not everyone’s recipe for warmth, but it’d do for the likes of Bob and Doug McKenzie, the lovable hosers on sketch show SCTV in the early 1980s. The dopey duo, played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, were among the first runaway successes of late-20th-century North American sketch comedies, not only on television but in film and – yes – on record. After the jump, take a look at the history of the McKenzies and the albums they recorded. Good day, eh?

The creation of the McKenzie brothers began with a bizarre request: the Canadian Broadcasting Company requested in 1980 that the cast and crew of the show – at the time in its third season – add a “distinctively Canadian” bit of programming to the mix. Two bemused cast members, original member Thomas and newer member Moranis, complied and threw together as many Canuck cliches as possible. Bob and Doug McKenzie covered a wide variety of topics including beer, back bacon, donut shops, beer, smokes, winter wear and beer. Like all hilarious comedy sketches, it’s best in small doses, although there was one installment of the “Kanadian Korner” (as it was first called) for each episode in SCTV‘s 1981 season.

Though they were intended as fillers for the Canadian broadcast, the bits began finding their way into SCTV‘s U.S. broadcasts on NBC. Thus began a wave of popularity for the duo, which unintentionally set the tone for most Canadian-themed humor in the decades since. (You’ve probably heard enough Canadian references ending in “eh?” for three lifetimes.) Not all was rosy with the rest of the cast as far as “The Great White North” was concerned. While most of the clips were improvised between Moranis and Thomas, cast members began to grouse that Thomas, the head writer, was using his influence to further push Bob and Doug into the spotlight. Some actually left for that reason, beginning the show’s eventual disintegration. (Before the show ended, however, Moranis and Thomas devoted a 1982 episode to the McKenzies getting their own special – which promptly flopped.)

But Bob and Doug remained notable faces long after SCTV went off the air. Moranis and Thomas reprised the role occasionally in commercials and other films (including the Disney animated film Brother Bear and a 2009 online series produced by both actors but featuring fellow Canuck Dave Coulier in place of Moranis), and the duo’s Two-Four Anniversary was chronicled in a CBC documentary in 2007. Both actors have come around to recognize the McKenzies – for better or worse – as the characters that kick-started their careers as high-profile comedians.

There were two McKenzie LPs released during the wave of McKenzie-mania. The first, The Great White North, is easily the best, featuring some fun liner notes including pre-written answers to the 13th track, “You Are Our Guest.” There were two notable hits, even: “Take Off” was a U.S. Top 20 hit with guest vocals from (who else?) Geddy Lee of Rush, and a Canuck-themed take on “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The disc is, interestingly, still in print on both CD and with digital retailers.

Bob & Doug McKenzie, The Great White North (Anthem ANR-1-1036 (CA)/Mercury SRM-1-4034 (U.S.), 1981)

  1. This is our album, eh?
  2. The Beerhunter
  3. School Announcements
  4. The Miracle of Music
  5. Peter’s Donuts
  6. Gimme a Smoke
  7. Take Off (featuring Geddy Lee)
  8. Coffee Sandwich
  9. Welcome to Side Two
  10. Doug’s Mouth
  11. Elron McKenzie
  12. Black Holes
  13. You Are Our Guest
  14. Ernie’s Mom
  15. The Twelve Days of Christmas
  16. Ralph the Dog
  17. Okay, This is the End, eh?
  18. Honest

The follow-up album was one of the last nails in the McKenzie coffin: the soundtrack to Strange Brew, a 1983 film featuring the McKenzies uncovering a conspiracy at their local beer brewery. It’s a cult classic, to be sure, but easily as successful as your average film based on a Saturday Night Live sketch. The LP, which is out of print, was a distillation of the film – some of it taken directly from the film, complete with underscore by Charles Fox. Fox, of course, worked on several great film themes including “Ready to Take a Chance Again” by Barry Manilow from Foul Play (1978) and the title track from 9 to 5 (1980), as sung by Dolly Parton. This LP has never been released on CD, nor has any of the score been released on its own. But one can always hope, eh?

Bob & Doug McKenzie, Strange Brew: The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie (Anthem ANR-1-1042 (CA)/Mercury 81404 (U.S.), 1983)

  1. This Isn’t Our Second Album
  2. Welcome to Our Movie/Mutants *
  3. Mutants of 2051 II *
  4. I Didn’t Do It, You Knob
  5. Mouse in a Bottle
  6. Strange Brew – Ian Thomas with Bob & Doug McKenzie
  7. Behind the Scenes
  8. Shakespeare Horked Our Script *
  9. The Game *
  10. I Did It, You Knob
  11. The Chase *
  12. I Did It Again, You Knob
  13. The Love Theme *
  14. Another Strange Brew – Ian Thomas with Bob & Doug McKenzie

* includes score by Charles Fox

Categories: News Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Reissue Theory

Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette

Michael Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he discovered there was more than one version of John Williams' soundtrack to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his intended profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small, from vintage soul to stirring film scores. His passion for reissues turned into a profession in 2014 with co-producing credits on two best-selling vinyl singles for Sony's Legacy Recordings: a 30th anniversary "ecto-green" pressing of Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" and a celebratory pressing of Wham!'s "Last Christmas" on red and green vinyl. Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with an ever-expanding collection of box sets and vinyl.

Connect With Mike:

You Might Also Like

  • Reissue Theory: Joe Jackson, “Live in Tokyo: The Big World Tour”
  • Reissue Theory: Fleetwood Mac, “Tango in the Night”
  • Reissue Theory: “Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker”
  • Special Weekend Reissue Theory: Madonna, “Madonna: 30th Anniversary Edition”

Comments

  1. Hank says

    December 7, 2010 at 8:33 pm

    A few years back, I was able to download the “Strange Brew” soundtrack album, along with some bits Thomas and Moranis recorded–apparently–for radio syndication. Can’t remember where I found them, however.

    The soundtrack album is a gem, however, containing dialogue and music from the film, but also containing much new material recorded by the McKenzies specifically for the album.

    I know this isn’t a DVD column, but I did manage to snag a copy of the “Two-Four Anniversary” special on DVD from amazon.ca (no, it’s never seen official stateside release). It came with a free bottle opener, and the bonus features include plenty of vintage and recent Bob & Doug video and audio.

    Reply
  2. Will says

    December 8, 2010 at 2:38 am

    They were also literally days away from rolling film on a sequel a few years ago, when funding was unexpectedly pulled.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • The Hot Rats Sessions
    Frank Zappa
    December 20, 2019
  • GarciaLive Vol. 12: January 23, 1973
    Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
    December 20, 2019
  • More Than a New Discovery [Limited Violet Mono Vinyl Edition]
    Laura Nyro
    January 10, 2020
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 3,620 other subscribers

Widgets In Tabs

  • Popular

    • Holiday Gift Guide Review: MoFi Gives the Audiophile Treatment to Dylan's "Blood on The Tracks" and J. Geils' "The Morning After" posted on December 10, 2019 | under Holiday Gift Guide, Reviews
    • Dreaming of Jeannie: Real Gone Brings "Miss Barbara Eden" to CD, LP in January posted on December 11, 2019 | under News
    • Cream's Long 'Goodbye' Compiled For New Box Set posted on December 10, 2019 | under News
  • Comments

    • Return To Itchycoo Park: Small Faces' "Here Come The Nice" Deluxe Box Set Arrives In January [UPDATED 12/3] 77 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 3, 2013 | under News
    • British Invasion! The Beatles Unveil "The U.S. Albums" Box Set in January 69 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 12, 2013 | under News
    • Out of Their Heads: Stones Plan Mono Box Set 47 comments | by Mike Duquette | posted on August 10, 2016 | under News

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popblerd
  • Popdose
  • Record Racks
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Viva La Mainstream
  • Wolfgang’s Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Raven Records
  • Real Gone Music
  • Resonance Records
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2019 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and amazon.co.uk.