Wednesday, February 22, 2012

K-tel - 25 Polka Greats Vol.1 (1971)


Remember those great K-tel commercials on TV? And how many of you bought K-tel records? I know I have several in my collection! I loved the K-tel records because they were mostly compilations of "20 great hits from 20 great original singers"! Many times, I just liked the hit song that played on the radio, and I didn't want to buy the whole album of a particular musician for that one song, so K-tel records were just perfect compilations for me! Well, this particular record is not one that I bought back in the day, but I couldn't resist it when I saw it at an estate sale. I do love a good polka! And how could I pass up a record with the polka king, Frankie Yankovic, AND Myron Floren from "The Lawrence Welk Show", AND the Six Fat Dutchmen?! Apparently though, there seem to have been several versions of this record - I found three different ones on the internet, all from K-tel with the same name and same number (NC 420). Side 1 seems to be the same on all three versions that I found, but side 2 varies. Maybe they released different versions in different countries or markets? Anyway, it's a fun album and sure to get you up on your feet and polka-ing around the house!

Track listing for K-tel - 25 Polka Greats Vol.1:

Side 1:
1. Lichtensteiner Polka - Six Fat Dutchmen
2. Too Fat Polka - Frankie Yankovic
3. Pennsylvania Polka - Frankie Yankovic
4. Champagne Polka - Six Fat Dutchmen
5. Under the Double Eagle - Frankie Yankovic
6. Hoop De Doo - Myron Floren
7. Emilia Polka - Frankie Yankovic
8. Barbara Polka - Captain Stubby & The Buccaneers
9. Jenny Lind Polka - Myron Floren
10. Clarinet Polka - Captain Stubby & The Buccaneers
11. Ohio Polka - Frankie Yankovic
12. There's a Tavern in the Town - Six Fat Dutchmen

Side 2:
1. Beer Barrel Polka - Frankie Yankovic
2. Who Stole the Kishka - Frankie Yankovic
3. In Heaven There is No Beer - Polka Padre
4. Blue Skirt Waltz - Polka Padre
5. Helena Polka - Polka Padre
6. Jolly Musicians Polka - Bernie Roberts
7. Cuckoo Waltz - Polka Padre
8. Milwaukee Polka - Frankie Yankovic
9. Rush Hour Polka - Polka Padre
10. Ellen Polka - Six Fat Dutchmen
11. Mexican Doll - Polka Padre
12. I've Been Working on the Railroad - Frankie Yankovic
13. Indiana Polka - Six Fat Dutchmen

Here's the commercial that advertised one of the versions of this record:

3 comments:

Bill said...

I've had this record since it came out. Where, when and why I bought it, I can't say. I love to LISTEN to polkas and this one had 20 of 'em I guess. I have to dig mine out and see what is on side 2.

Thanks!--Bill

ChildsPlay said...

What a fun album, and I love the commercial you posted. However,I think there is a skip in the Lichtensteiner Polka.

Esther said...

Yes, unfortunately the previous owners of this record didn't take very good care of it. Several of the songs have skips. Perhaps if someone else has a clean copy, they will share it!

Thanks for visiting!
Esther