An Album A Day # 7 Sounds Of North American Frogs

[fearlessfreap]

Charles M. Bogert - Sounds Of North American Frogs
Smithsonian Folkways 1958

No, this isn't a Peter and the Test Tube Babies outtakes collection.  In the 1950's The Smithsonian Institution released a series of records, mostly proto-world beat the enjoyed sharing shelf-space on beatnik record shelves with Under the Milkwood and Field Holler recordings.  This was a one-off where biologist Charles M. Bogert introduced the world to the fascinating and mellifluous vocal stylings of native amphibians.  Bogert sounded a bit like Captain Beefheart, though this was released while the good Capt. was still in high school with Frank Zappa.  Bogert would introduce various frogs and play their mating calls in 30 or so second snippets.  I certainly appreciate Bogert's knowledge and interest in our webbed footed friends, but I can't help wishing there was a bonus track on the CD of 20 minutes of just the frogs.  That would be a fantastic track.  You could get Eno or the Orb to provide backing music to it.  Now amphibians are becoming endangered due to a number of factors - the building of unneeded housing developments, pollution, pesticides, environmental changes.  Forget the impact on nature's balance for a minute --- the loss of these awesome creatures would deprive future generations of this peerless music.



Seriously, wouldn't you rather hear this on the radio instead of Boston or Back In Black?



Here we have the Geddy Lee of the frog world.



Some Skynyrd Frogs



We go south of the border for a Mexican/Ohio duet.  Trump may think that the Mexican Frog is a murderer and rapist, but we all know he's an idiot.

[Deleted]

There simply are not enough drugs in the world to make me dig this.

[oh oooh]

The last one is close to Terry Riley/Steve Reich sort of noise.

It's difficult to know what else to say, really!

[~ / % ? *]

I love this album! I have used this and the various birds' sounds albums in the series numerous times as samples for some of my own stuff.

[~ / % ? *]

Oct 6, 2021 13:26:45 GMT @littlejimmyosmond said:

There simply are not enough drugs in the world to make me dig this.

Slowed, or detuned a smidge of reverb and echo this is the original swamp rock. Run Through the Jungle, indeed.

[Charlie O.]

I went to Bermuda with my extended family sometime back in the late '90s. The tree frogs there sounded seriously spooky/spacy. I'd buy their CD. (Nobody else in my family remembers them, which surprises me. They were hard to miss.)

[fange]

Thanks Freap, those clips made me smile There are some frogs/toads around here in Brisbane that sound like those Southern ones, maybe they're related. Or Skynyrd fans too.

[bungo the mungo]

Oct 6, 2021 13:51:57 GMT ~ / % ? * said:

some of my own stuff.

are you a musician, Gav? any of your stuff out there?

i'm guessing you're an ibanez kinda guy who likes to shred from time to time.

[DarknessFish]

This really does need a director's cut without the narration. I mean, why not just provide a text to accompany the sounds, it really ruins the potential of each track.