The Muppet Alphabet Album



The Muppet Alphabet Album was the first Sesame Street album that was hosted solely by the Muppets without assistance from the human cast. It was originally packaged in a gatefold sleeve, featuring visualizations of each letter of the alphabet by Smollin Associates. The original package contained 26 small punch-out letter-shaped books illustrating the songs, plus a letter-shaping pipe cleaner, a blackboard and chalk. It was also released simultaneously in a "Carry About" boxed set of 45s. The LP edition reached #189 on Billboard's Top LP's chart in early 1972. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children, but lost to the cast album from The Electric Company.

The 1976 reissue dropped the inserts, and the gatefold contained new "Learn Your Letters" artwork which did not directly correspond to the content of the songs. In 1977, the album was reissued as part of the 3-LP boxed set, Letters, Numbers and Signs.

This album was reissued many times over the years on records, cassettes and 8-tracks, sometimes with slight title changes. More recently, a new CD and cassette edition was released, under the title Sing the Alphabet, with some minor changes (see below for details).

Track listing
Side One
 * 1) The Opening - Cast
 * 2) The Sound of the Letter A * - Big Bird Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
 * 3) Oscar's B Sandwich - Oscar Music by Joe Raposo, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
 * 4) C Is for Cookie * - Cookie Monster Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
 * 5) Dee, Dee, Dee * - Ernie Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
 * 6) E What's My Letter * - Guy Smiley and Prairie Dawn Written by Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo
 * 7) Four Furry Friends - Grover, Herry Monster, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
 * 8) Two G Sounds * - Grover and George Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
 * 9) Ha Ha - Harvey Kneeslapper, Herry Monster and Big Bird Music by Joe Raposo, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
 * 10) I Stand Up Straight and Tall * - Grover Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
 * 11) J Friends * - The Anything Muppets Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
 * 12) K Herbert's Silly Poem - Herbert Birdsfoot Written by Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo
 * 13) La, La, La * - Bert and Ernie Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
 * 14) M-M-M Monster Meal * - Herry Monster and Cookie Monster Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
 * 15) The Noodle Story - Big Bird and Oscar Written by Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo

Side Two
 * 1) Would You Like to Buy an O? * - Lefty the Salesman and Ernie Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
 * 2) P My Favorite Letter * - The Anything Muppets Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
 * 3) The Question Song * - Grover and a Little Girl Music by Jeff Moss, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
 * 4) The R Machine - Ernie and Bert Written by Jim Henson
 * 5) Sammy the Snake * - Sammy Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
 * 6) The Tale of Tom Tattertall Tuttletut - Herbert Birdsfoot and the Anything Muppets Written by Jerry Juhl, Muisc by Joe Raposo
 * 7) U Lecture - Professor Hastings Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
 * 8) Very, Very Special Letter - Big Bird Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
 * 9) The National Association of W Lovers * - Bert Music by Joe Raposo, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
 * 10) X Marks the Spot! * - Sherlock Hemlock Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
 * 11) Y Just Because* - Grover and a Little Girl Written by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo
 * 12) The Zizzy Zoomers * - the Anything Muppets Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
 * 13) The Closing - Cast


 * * this track is known to have been performed on the show

Edits
On some later non-record editions of this album, the following section of dialogue has been cut from the end of side 2, after Big Bird says, "What's the alphabet?" and everybody groans:


 * Bert: Well, don't just sit there. Turn the record over and let's start again.


 * Big Bird: Hey, if they turn the record over, won't we all fall off?

Then the closing music plays, on all versions.

Sing the Alphabet


Released in 1996, Sing the Alphabet is a retitled CD and cassette reissue of The Muppet Alphabet Album. The opening and closing dialogue tracks from the original album are included. The opening is combined with "The Sound of the Letter A", and the closing, which is combined with "The Zizzy Zoomers," omits some dialogue mentioning that this is a record album (see "Edits" section above). This version of the album opens with a new recording of ABC-DEF-GHI, sung by Elmo, and includes a lyric booklet.

This album was reissued on CD by Koch Records on March 4, 2008. The re-released album included the same track listing; however, it featured new cover art.

Credits

 * Produced by Jim Henson
 * Associate Producer for the Muppets: Diana Birkenfield
 * Written by Joe Raposo, Jeff Moss and Jerry Juhl
 * With the talents of Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, Jerry Nelson, Fran Brill and Jim Henson
 * Original Concept and Design by Arthur Shimkin
 * Visuals by Smollin Associates

Cast

 * Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar
 * Kevin Clash as Elmo (Sing the Alphabet versions only)
 * Frank Oz as Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover and Harvey Kneeslapper
 * Jerry Nelson as Herbert Birdsfoot, Sherlock Hemlock, Herry Monster, Sammy the Snake and George
 * Fran Brill as Prairie Dawn and various Little Girls
 * Jim Henson as Ernie and Guy Smiley