Brand, Oscar (1920-)

Last Edited: 06-Mar-2014 A Global British Comedy Collaborative document. Edited by John Lucas
Broadcast source is BBC Radio Four unless otherwise indicated. Recording quality is considered good unless otherwise indicated.

A folk singer, songwriter, and author. Original board member of Children's Television Workshop and a Peabody Award Winner. He also is famous for collections of bawdy songs, some of which are included below.

Sources and quality are highly variable. Some tracks are probably from later compilations while others are from the original LPs.

Cross-referenced under Comedy and Music> Folk.


Date Episode Title Cast Parameters


Backroom Ballads (1949-Chesterfield Music Shop, Inc)
  • The Fireship  (2:38, 2480, S)


1949
Bawdy Songs & Backroom Ballads, Vol. 1 (1949-Audio Fidelity)
  • #4 Blow The Candle Out (1:19, 1244, s)
  • #7 Her Name Was Lil (2:06, 2468, s)
  • #9 The Sergeant (1:43, 1616, s)
 
1949
Bawdy Songs & Backroom Ballads, Vol. 2 (1949-Audio Fidelity)
 
1950
Bawdy Songs & Backroom Ballads, Vol. 3 (1950-Audio Fidelity)
  • #2 We Go To College (1:07, 1059, s)
  • #3 The Jolly Tinker (2:24, 2258, s)
  • #11 Ball of Ballynoor (2:26, 2865, s)
  • #12 She'll Do It Again (1:08, 1338, s, INCOMPLETE)


1951
Bawdy Songs & Backroom Ballads, Vol. 4 (1951-Audio Fidelity)
  • #4 Two Maidens (2:17, 2154, s)
  • #6 Green Grow the Rashes (1:51, 1747, s)
  • #8 Sweet Violets (2:56, 2767, s)


1952
Bawdy Songs and Backroom Ballads: Volume 5. Bawdy Sea Shanties. (1952-Audio Fidelity)
  • #2 Good Ship Venus (3:01, 2837, S)
  • #3 We Set Sail (2:41, 2527, S)
  • #4 Can't Ya Dance The Polka (3:14, 3038, s)
  • #8 Turalai (4:43, 4435, s)
  • #9 Backside Rules The Navy (2:00, 1890, s)
  • #13 There's Nothing Else To Do [aka Friggin' In The Riggin'] (1:48, 2690, S)
  • #14 Lulu (2:17, 2144, s)
   
1954
Rollicking Sea Shanties (1954-Audio Fidelity)
  • #1 Hullabaloo Belay (0:38, 601, s, poor encoding, INCOMPLETE)
  • #3 Come All Ye Young Sailors (2:19, 2188, S)
  • #6 A Yankee Ship (0:52, 825, s, INCOMPLETE)
  • #7 Paul Jones (1:14, 1173, s, poor encoding, INCOMPLETE)


1955
Bawdy Hootenanny (1955-Audio Fidelity)
  • #1 Cindy (2:30, 2345, m, clipping)
  • #9 Blinded By Turds (2:11, 1959, m)
 
1955
Bawdy Songs Goes To College (1955-Audio Fidelity)
  • #5 Seniors in Town Again (1:59, 1868, s)
 
1956
The Wild Blue Yonder (1956-Elektra)
  • #1 Save a Fighter Pilot's Ass (3:25, 3223, s)
  • #2 Come and Join the Air Force (2:37, 2471, s)
  • #3 Give Me Operations (2:26, 2295, s)
  • #4 Itazuke Tower (1:41, 1592, s)
  • #5 Sidi Slimane (2:17, 2163, s)
  • #7 Bless 'Em All (1:39, 1561, s)
  • #8 Glory Flying Regulations (2:48, 2640, s)
  • #9 The Goddamned Reserves (1:54, 1802, s)
  • #10 Barnacle Bill, The Pilot (2:08, 2014, s)
  • #11 Fighter Pilot's Lament (2:30, 2363, s)
  • #12 I Wanted Wings (2:57, 2776, s)
  • #13 The Poor Co-Pilot (1:48, 1701, s)
  • #14 Cigareets and Sake (1:48, 1709, s)
  • #15 Wreck of the Old Ninety-Seven (2:32, 2399, s)
  • #16 Let's Have a Party (3:16, 3074, s)


1960
Cough! Army Songs Out Of The Barracks Bag (unknown-Elektra)
  • #3 Hearse Song (1:25, 1342, S)
  • #6 Paratrooper Song (1:04, 1003, s, INCOMPLETE)
  • #11 Caisson Song (3:05, 2896, s)


1960
Every Inch A Sailor (1960-Elektra)
  • #1 Destroyer Life (1:49, 1710, s)
  • #3 Guantanamo Bay (2:14, 1577, m1, two channels one empty)
  • #9 Didn't She Ramble (2:10, 2041, s)


1960
Tell It To The Marines (1960-Elektra)
  • Gee But I Wanna Go Home (2:30, 2358, s, clipped)


1960
Oscar Brand Sings For Adults (1960-ABC Paramount)
  • #5 Red Light Saloon (3:24, 3204, S)


1961
Out of the Blue (1961-Elektra)
  • #2 Will You Go Boom Today (2:40, 2513, S)
  • #3 I Learned About Flying From Them (3:03, 2865, S)
  • #5 Air Force Ground Crew (2:11, 2064, S)
  • #7 Pilot's Heaven (2:22, 2225, S)
  • #10 The Prettiest Ship (2:09, 2025, S)


1969
Pie In The Sky (1969—Tradition)
  • The Mormon Engineer (2:05, 1968,s))


1976
Oscar Brand: X (1976-roulette)
  • #8 and #9 My Name It Is Sam Hall/The Hairs On Her Dicky Dido (6:30, 4574, S)


1999

Bawdy Songs Rides Again (1999-Gypsy Hill)
  • #1 On The Old Chisholm Trail (1:22, 1288, S)
  • #10 I Don't Want To Join the Navy (1:03, 1001, S)
  • #12 The Money Rolls In (3:26, 3231, S)
  • #15 The Indian Maid (redwing) (1:43, 1623, S)
  • #17 Humoresque (1:13, 1154, s)
  • #18 Do Ye Ken John Peel? (2:55, 2747, S)
 
1999

Presidential and Election Songs: 1789-1996 (1999-Smithsonian/Folkways)
(and one or more other recordings, possibly by other artists?)
italic = missing from track list; bold = present but not in track list
  • 1790 Free Elections [In General] (0:29, 569, S)
  • 1789 Follow Washington [George Washington] (1:02, 985, S)
  • 1796 Adams and Liberty [John Adams] (1:38, 1930, S)
  • 1800 For Jefferson and Liberty [Thomas Jefferson] (0:42, 660, S)
  • 1808 Huzzah for Madison, Huzzah [James Madison] (1:25, 1666, S)
  • 1816 Monroe Is the Man [James Monroe] (1:31, 1790, S)
  • Little Know Ye Who's Coming [John Q. Adams]
  • Jackson and Kentucky [Andrew Jackson]
  • Rock-A-Bye Baby [Martin Van Buren]
  • 1840 The Harrison Yankee Doodle (William H. Harrison) (1:14, 1160, S)
  • 1840 Rockabye, Baby (Martin Van Buren) (1:26, 1690)
  • 1840 Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too! [John Tyler] (1:17, 1523, S)
  • 1844 Come the Raise Banner Polk [James K. Polk] (1:02, 985, S)
  • 1844 Jimmie Polk of Tennessee [James K. Polk] (1:40, 1956, S)
  • 1848 Rum a Dum Dum [Zachary Taylor] (1:21, 1599, S)
  • 1852 The Union Wagon [Millard Fillmore] (1:44, 2037, S)
  • 1852 Pierce and King [Franklin Pierce] (1:38, 1930)
  • 1856 Buchanan and John Breckenridge [James Buchanan] (1:14, 1464, S)
  • 1860 Lincoln and Liberty Too [Abraham Lincoln] (2:12, 2593, S)
  • 1864 Little Mac Shall Be Restored (MacClellan) (1:55, 1802, S)
  • 1864 Rally Round The Cause(Lincoln) (1:44, 1628, S)
  • 1868 Just Before Election, Andy [anti-Andrew Johnson] (1:44, 1629, S)
  • 1868 Grant, Grant, Grant [Ulysses S. Grant] (1:28, 1731, S)
  • 1868 Hurrah for Grant [Ulysses S. Grant] (1:14, 1160, S)
  • 1870 Victorias Banner [Womens Suffrage] (0:45, 718, S)
  • 1876 Boys in Blue [Rutherford Hayes] (1:03, 988, S)
  • 1876 For Hayes and Wheeler Too [Rutherford Hayes] (1:22, 1612, S)
  • 1880 If the Johnnies Get into Power Again [James A. Garfield] (1:47, 2109, S)
  • 1884 For Victory Again Blaine & Logan (1:16, 1203, S)
  • 1888 Grover's End [Grover Cleveland] 
  • 1888 He's All Right [Benjamin H. Harrison] (1:23, 1628, S)
  • 1888 His Grandfather's Hat(anti-Harrison) (0:54, 848, S)
  • 1892 Anti-Cleveland (3:18, 583, M)
  • 1892 Tammany (no candidate) (1:51, 1744, S)
  • 1892 Democrats, Good Democrats [Grover Cleveland] (1:40, 1967, S)
  • 1896 Bryan (1:02, 184, M)
  • 1896 Marching with McKinley [William McKinley] (2:06, 2473, S)
  • 1900 Then & Now [Prohibition] (2:37, 2457, S)
  • 1904 Roosevelt the Cry [Teddy Roosevelt] (1:18, 1220, S)
  •  Get on a Raft with Taft [William H. Taft]
  •  Wilson, That's All [Woodrow Wilson]
  •  Harding, You're the Man for Us [Warren G. Harding]
  • 1920 Profiteering Blues (3:26, 3231, M)
  • 1924 Keep Cool and Keep Coolidge [Calvin Coolidge] (2:20, 2192, S)
  • 1928 East Side, West Side [Al Smith] (0:59, 929, S)
  • 1928 If He's Good Enough for Lindy [Herbert Hoover] (1:38, 1929, S)
  • 1932 Cactus Jack and FDR (0:54, 851, S)
  • 1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt's Back Again [Franklin Delano Roosevelt] (1:52, 1756, S)
  • 1940 We Want Willkie (0:51, 800, S)
  • 1948 I'm Just Wild About Harry [Harry S. Truman] (0:49, 781, S)
  • 1948 I've Got A Ballot [Henry Wallace] (1:02, 975, S)
  • 1952 I Like Ike [Dwight D. Eisenhower] (0:43, 705, S)
  • 1960 Buckle Down with Nixon (1:19, 1555, S)
  • 1960 Marching Down to Washington [John F. Kennedy] (1:06, 1035, S)
  • 1964 Hello, Lyndon [Lyndon B. Johnson]
  • 1968 Buckle Down with Nixon [Richard M. Nixon] (1:19, 1243, S)
  • 1976 I'm Feeling Good About America [Gerald R. Ford] (1:24, 1319, S)
  • Why Not the Best? [Jimmy Carter]
  • California, Here We Come [Ronald W. Reagan]
  • This Land Is Your Land [George Bush]
  • 1988 Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow [William J. Clinton] (2:21, 2768, S)
  • The Same Merry-Go-Round (Third Party)
  • Song of the Presidents


undated
The Best Of The Worst (unknown-Roulette)
  • #2 All About Turds (3:25, 3212, S)
  • #8 Maryanne McCarthy (2:48, 2633, S)
  • #11 The Ball of Kerrimuir (4:25, 4156, S)


undated
Newport Folk Festival
  • Talking Atomic Blues (2:46, 2602, s)



Documentaries and Collateral Material

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