After being on tour for decades, The Electric Mayhem finally sat down and recorded an album (see my interview with them here). The recording of this album was also chronicled in the new Disney+ series The Muppets Mayhem (review here). While the story of the Mayhem making their album was told during the series, the band actually was putting together an album. When completed it was released in two formats, digital and vinyl. Each of these I’ll be reviewing separately for while there is overlap, there are also differences that are worth noting and reviewing. For the purposes of this review though, the focus will be on the vinyl (which can be purchased here).
The vinyl record of The Electric Mayhem album arrived at my house just hours ago and I could not wait to put it on the machine. Before getting to the music, though, let’s take a look at the packaging. While this isn’t something I would generally focus on with some vinyl records in my collection, this one definitely deserves the attention. It is very psychedelic and fits perfectly with the band… and their van… and their bus. The moment I saw the album’s front color I was thrown back to watching The Muppet Movie and being introduced to Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem for the first time. I have two different copies of that album on vinyl and my top two favorite songs are Rainbow Connection and Can You Picture That? Since first hearing and seeing the Mayhem perform in that movie way back when I have always wanted more and just looking at the cover, I was about to get it. The back and inside cover didn’t disappoint either. They just added to the sense of excitement as I realized that they really did get this right. I loved watching the series on Disney+ so was fairly certain I would enjoy the soundtrack/album as well, but… I still had some lingering doubts as my hopes and expectations were unreasonably high. The record itself and the jacket it was in also looked wonderful. I was definitely excited already and I hadn’t even hit play.
After spending a few minutes just enjoying how this album was presented (definitely read everything), it was time to put the album on the machine. I will say this upfront, even though I have written several articles about this album and series, I did my best to not look at the tracklist. Because of this, the first time I heard the album or knew what order the music would be released in was the moment the needle hit the record. This was such a good choice I think. It was not in the exact order that I was expecting it to be, and that was a good thing. Within seconds I found myself fully engrossed in the music and rocking out to this band that I had always dreamed I would get to. I was in heaven last fall when I got to see them perform Can You Picture That? at the D23 Expo. This was a very near second, and perhaps a bit louder.
I’m not going to get into the specific songs that are included on this album in case whoever is reading this hasn’t seen the series. I am going to get into some overall thoughts about it, though. First off, I have now listened to this album both on vinyl and also the digital version. The Electric Mayhem’s album is MADE for vinyl. There is a richness that comes from listening to it on a record player and a vibrance that just can’t be replicated. I can’t completely nail exactly what it is, but there was some sort of depth that I absolutely loved while listening to it on the record player. I also really enjoyed listening to the digital but it was almost too perfect, if that makes sense…
While I’m not getting into the specific songs, I will say that the song selection for this was really well done. It has a nice variety that features different members of the band. They are also placed in a good order on the record, which makes for an optimal listening experience. The songs that were picked also match the band’s style and talents as well. All in all, a fantastic selection of songs.
The Electric Mayhem finally has an album, and it is a really good one. It is fun, it is happy, and it rocks. This is definitely one that every fan of the Muppets should have. If you are thinking right now that you don’t have a vinyl record player yet, maybe change that to start thinking that now is the time to get one (I like the audio Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT) Or if you aren’t ready for that, maybe it is time to just grab this record and hold on to it until you visit a friend’s house who has a record player? Either way, this is an awesome album and I absolutely loved it! I will also say this, I hope it is the first but not the last album to come from The Electric Mayhem! I would love to see and hear them do other songs! With all that being said, this album easily gets me to take my hat off to it. I loved it and I hope you do too!
Mr. DAPs Hat Rating Scale
- No Hat – Didn’t meet expectations
- Hat Nod – It was ok
- Hat Tip – It was good
- Hat’s Off – Loved it!
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