The Beverly Hillbillies Soundtrack (1965)

So I was listening to some Flatt and Scruggs stuff online when I came upon this album.  I don’t know why but I figured it was the television theme plus some background music and some numbers from when they guest-starred on the show.

That would have been nice.

Instead what I got was the television theme plus a whole mess of songs sung by the cast - in character.   Oh they all get their turn.  Jed, Granny, Ellie Mae, Jethro….even a duet between Mr. Drysdale and Miss Hathaway about the love of money.

At first listen it sounds like some kind of horrible novelty record.  After subsequent listens….it’s still bad.

For instance, everyone wants to know what’s in Granny’s pot in “Vittles:”

We got owl soup
jowl soup
and a little fowl soup
fried bits
dried bits
skinny and wide bits
hog belly
frog belly
cooked a nice possum jelly
that’s what’s a-cookin’ in my pot

So that’s pretty much how the whole thing goes.  Outside of the main theme the music itself isn’t that interesting and I feel strangely violated after listening to this. To whoever marked this as a Flatt and Scruggs recording, I hope you’re happy.

Oddly enough, you can but the whole thing on MP3 on Amazon.  Even more odd, someone gave it five stars.