The Ventures  “Batman Theme”  b/w  “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”   Liberty Records (Japan)

Tsuburaya Monster Boosuka   Musicolor Records (Japan)

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.   “Theme Song” b/w “The Vagabond” by the Gallants   (l-r)   Leo G. Carrol, Robert Vaughn (Napoleon Solo) and David McCallum (Illya Kuryakin)   The series which ran on NBC stations from 1964 – 1968 included contributions from James Bond creator Ian Fleming, Robert Towne (Chinatown) and Sci-fi author Harlan Ellison.   U.N.C.L.E. of course stands for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.   U.N.C.L.E.’s archenemy was a vast organization known as THRUSH.   The original series never explained what the acronym THRUSH stood for, but in several of the U.N.C.L.E. novels   it was expanded as the Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity.   THRUSH’s aim was to conquer the world.     I learned about the cold war from watching TV like this.     (I’ll post the equally awesome “Girl from U.N.C.L.E.” album soon)

BATMAN!   Friedel Berlipp   Mocambo Records   “Dreamy Piano” !!

“Kamen Rider…one of the best shows in the 60s and 70s in Japan”

Peggy Lipton Ode Records   (1968)     For me she’ll always be “Julie” from the “Mod Squad” (which was on during my formative, and heavily TV influenced, pre-teen years).   But she’s also been Mrs. Quincy Jones, Norma Jennings on “Twin Peaks” and is the mom of Rashida Jones’ (from “The Office”).   This is the first of two LPs that she made.   Each includes a composition by Laura Nyro:   Stoney End (1968), and Lu (1970) and they both made the Billboard Charts.   (As did many others with Nyro songs – Barbara Streisand, Three Dog Night, The Fifth Dimension, etc.).   It’s not as bad as most of the “golden throats” recordings by TV stars.   And the cover shot of Lipton, a former Ford model isn’t bad either.

“The Whistler and His Dog”   Golden Crest Records     This was the theme song for a 1960s local TV show in New York , Officer Joe Bolton’s Fun House.   This piece was written in 1905 by ARTHUR PRYOR (1870-1942), who was a trombonist/arranger in John Philip Sousa’s band.

Japanese superhero show on Nippon TV (Any info on this out there?)

“Thunderbirds Are Go!”   Cliff Richard Sings “Shooting Star” with The Shadows   Columbia EMI Records (UK)   A 1966 film based on the popular British TV series featuring marionettes set in 2065 .

“Grannys Mini-Skirt”   Irene Ryan (of the top-rated CBS TV Show “The Beverly Hillbillies” I always loved the Beverly Hillbillies and especially Granny who was always fixin’ up some strange vittles and shooing Jed and Jethro and other varmints out of the kitchen.