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:: The Four Freshman - Holiday ::

You've probably heard of The Four Freshmen. You know their jazzy
harmonies influenced Brian Wilson. Well forget all that shit, we're
talkin' "Holiday", motherfucker! The fact that this song was done by a
band I admire makes it hard to make fun of, but Jesus Christ, you
can't not make fun of this record. It's an easy target and a cheap laugh, but it keeps getting better as it goes along.

The Four Freshmen were a great, innovative vocal group. And on this,
their first album, they did all the instrumentation as well.
"Holiday" was probably something from their live act; the part of the
show where the individual members got to take solo turns. I don't know
which freshman this is, but WOW! And those lyrics! I think these fresh
guys might have influenced Mel Brooks more than The Beach Boys or the
Manhattan Transfer.



I recently attended the dedication ceremonies for the Beach Boys
California State Landmark, at the site of Brian Wilson's boyhood home
in Hawthorne, CA. We were honored by the presence of Bob Flanigan, the
original high voice of the Freshmen, whom Brian emulated. I certainly
mean no disrespect for The Four Freshmen, but this is some funny shit.


Mike

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