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:

Myron Floren - Lawrence Welk Presents Myron Floren Polkas (1963)

Here's a treat for you polka lovers! I couldn't resist buying this album when I saw it because I grew up with "The Lawrence Welk Show" and loved Myron Floren. I remember watching the show with my parents and aunt every Saturday evening (the only other option was "Hee Haw" and we definitely were NOT a "Hee Haw" type of family) when I was a little kid in the 1960s and early 1970s. Myron was one of my favorite performers on the show, along with Bobby and Cissy (my very favorites), and the guy with the great tenor voice. My younger cousins, Abel and Sammy, also grew up with the show, and we used to play that we were on "The Lawrence Welk Show". Now, how many of you can say that you used to do that??? I would be Lawrence Welk (after all, I was the oldest and therefore, the boss), and then I would be several of the girl singers (mostly Ana Cani, because she was from Mexico). Abel and Sammy would be the various guy singers, but Abel would be Bobby to my Cissy (Sammy was the youngest and the shortest at the time - he's the tallest now). But the best performer of all that we all wanted to be was Arthur Duncan, the tap dancer. He completely wowed us! I remember we would dance ourselves into complete exhaustion trying to imitate him (none of us knew how to tap dance). Who knew that pretending to be on "The Lawrence Welk Show" could be so much fun? Years later (in the 1980s), my mother got to see Myron Floren at some festival back home. The venue was packed with all the other senior citizens that had arrived before her, so she watched the show from outside one of the windows of the place. She didn't mind - she loved it. After all, it was Myron Floren!

So, there's my trip down memory lane. Back to this album... There are some really fun polkas on this album and you'll recognize most of the tunes. You may even want to play this at your next polka party! After listening to this (and getting my aerobic workout by dancing around the room to it - and scaring my cats), I think that I'll have a polka party after I move into my new house!

Track listing for Lawrence Welk Presents Myron Floren Polkas:

Side 1:
1. Helena Polka
2. Hoop-Dee-Doo
3. Julida Polka
4. Pennsylvania Polka
5. Emilia Polka
6. Beer Barrel Polka

Side 2:
1. Jenny Lind Polka
2. Champagne Polka
3. Strip Polka
4. Happy Norwegian Polka
5. Medley: Little Brown Jug; Skip to My Lou; Polly Wolly Doodle
6. Medley: Tavern in the Town; Hot Time in the Old Town

And here's a video clip of Myron Floren on "The Lawrence Welk Show" playing "Dance of the Comedians":