Dum dum, dum dum, dum dum, dum dum....

August 13, 2009 5:20 AM

Inspired by this question, I am looking for a clean, full copy of the song Powerhouse by Raymond Scott, performed by Carl Stalling, that I can purchase / download.

I've known the name and composer of the song for some time, but most of the official Raymond Scott versions are too... light? Jazzy? Not driven enough. I needed the Looney Tunes version, dammit! After reading the linked question, I learned about Carl Stalling, which helped. I hit iTunes, and downloaded the first Carl Stalling project... only to find the song "Powerhouse and other cuts" was a mash-up of songs, and lacked a segment longer than 15 seconds of Powerhouse itself.

I can't seem to find a full-length version of the Carl Stalling version outside of YouTube, and I'd like to legally purchase one if I can (as opposed to ripping it from a YouTube or DVD, which has other issues), or at the very least download a copy.

posted by GJSchaller to media & arts (9 comments total)

From the song's Wikipedia page: "Stalling, who spiced his scores with “Powerhouse” dozens of times, never created a complete version of the work; his adaptations exist as truncated quotations."
posted by mediareport at 6:26 AM on August 13

Hey, that's the song that plays in my head anytime I work on a physical project, building something or plotting revenge against that stupid cat!
posted by cptnrandy at 6:34 AM on August 13

I have both of these CDs of The Carl Stalling Project (1, 2), and, though I haven't listene to them in a while, I am pretty certain that both discs have "Powerhouse" in some form or another, usually as part of a medley of other pieces (some adapted from Scott, some not), as mediareport has reported.

Both discs are exceedingly excellent.

Also, for further information/history about Stalling and Scott, check out these books, which may interest you.
posted by Dr. Wu at 7:03 AM on August 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

Mediareport - thank you. I never figured the song was popular enough to have a Wikipedia entry... guess I was wrong!

So I'll turn to the next best thing - is there another artist who did a version / mix that is close in feel to Stalling's performance, but is more complete? All the ones on iTunes are more jazz-oriented.
posted by GJSchaller at 8:05 AM on August 13

Don Byron's version, from his album Bug Music, is terriffic.
posted by kindall at 8:18 AM on August 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

On harmonicas? It's actually quite good.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:46 AM on August 13

Seconding the Don Byron rec. The whole Bug Music album is terrific, if you like this sort of thing.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 8:48 AM on August 13

Thank you, guys - that looks like it'll scratch that musical itch for me. ;-)
posted by GJSchaller at 9:00 AM on August 13

You can listen to a full mp3 of the Byron version here, btw.
posted by Rhaomi at 12:55 PM on August 13