10.29.2005
Flying Saucer the 2nd (Halloween V)
Buchanan & Goodman / Martian Symphony Orch.
Flying Saucer the 2nd b/w Martian Melody (Luniverse, 1956)
Who the hell needs a Halloween without an UFO record and who better to document a visit by a Martian than Bill Buchanan & Dickie Goodman?
My first introduction to the "break in" record was as a kid. While I had probably heard Dickie Goodman's Watergate gag, the one that sticks is Mr. Jaws. Like all "break ins" Goodman took a popular topic of the day and played reporter asking questions of the President, a detective, a shark, a Martian, Santa Claus, or any number of characters. The answers to the question would come in the form of a clip from a popular song.Bill & Dickie were sampling before sampling had its name.
Buchanan & Goodman did their first "break in" back in 1956. The theme was UFOs and the cut was called The Flying Saucer, Parts 1 & 2. The tune was a hit and they followed it up with Flying Saucer the 2nd and then Flying Saucer the 3rd. What came next was a lawsuit from 17 record companies for copyright infringement. The music industry claimed that Buchanan & Goodman were stealing their songs. Bill and Dickie said what they were doing was parody and as such use of the material was okay. Lucky for Bill & Dickie, the country wasn't controlled by corporations and the courts ruled in their favor. In response, they released the "break in" Buchanan & Goodman on Trial.
By 1959, the pair has flooded the market with "break ins" and the novelty wasn't selling. They split with Bill doing "break ins" for several more years before becoming a jeweler. Dickie went back to songwriting, only to return to the "break in" in the mid 60s. He continued with them until he took a gun to his head in 1989.
One of the great things about "break ins" are the flipsides. Meant as throwaways, never to be played, they often are more entertaining than the "break in."
# posted by Scott Soriano : 19:15
