Batman theme covers

[bat-rss]

Hey bat-music fans!

On our TO THE BATPOLES podcast, we’ve done quite a bit of digging into the variety of records released that were related in some way to Batman 66, including numerous covers of Hefti’s theme song.

Since episode 36, we’ve been starting each episode with a different version of the theme. I have a supply, but I don’t think it’s enough to last till our podcast runs out of bat-stuff to talk about. I need more versions! So I thought I’d come here and see if you could help me gather more.

So in order to that, I need to list all the ones I’ve already found.

First of all, here are the ones we’ve already played (in part or in full) on the podcast. So here are the artists and the number of the podcast episode in which their version appeared.

Los Monjes (33)
The Marketts (36)
Nelson Riddle (from the TV soundtrack album) (37)
Sun Ra (38)
City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (39)
The Ventures (40)
David McCallum (41)
The Jam (42)

My supply consists of:
Country Fried TV Tunes
Homemade
The Who
The Bat Boys
The Kinks
Maxwell Davis
The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Al Hirt
Iggy Pop
The Standells
Link Wray
Voivod
The Flaming Lips
The Boss Martians
Sam Chalpin
Labert Ellis
De Maskers
The Revengers
V-Rangers
The Guana Batz
Francesco Alcozer (referencing Duane Eddy and The Ventures)
Bob Kuban and the In Men
Sheena and the Rokkets
Bruce and the Robin Rockers
The Well Paid Scientists
Jan and Dean
The Hi-Fives
Les Hou-Lops
Orchester Friedel Berlipp
The Gallants
Johnny’s Jackey Yoshikawa and his Blue Comets
Washington Dead Cats
The Sharp Five
Skeletal Family
Ettore Cenci Guitar Trio
The Nashville Five
Pellekofficial (I’d want to give to this guy’s Patreon!)
Wurlitzer 145B Band Organ (this one must be heard to be believed)

https://youtu.be/g1Vz3kXcDtg?list=PLdrv ... _QWErmL0tE


Youtube has the following, but with poor sound.
Duane Eddy
Al Caiola
Kolapso 77

I also found these, which are billed as “Batman” but don’t really sound like Hefti’s theme:
The 4 of Us
https://youtu.be/KV_-NljVlM0

John Zorn
https://youtu.be/w8Dt5OEe6p8

The Dislocated (it starts out as Hefti's theme but then goes into its own thing)
https://youtu.be/5zccRXHhleM

Also REM’s “Winged Mammal Theme”
https://youtu.be/X_xV567iJyQ

Additionally, I’m aware of other versions that I haven’t been able to track down.

http://www.juno.co.uk/products/na-na-na ... 510025-01/
This page gives one-minute clips of each version that was collected on a 1966 (of course) album called “Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Batman Theme”. There are still copies of this LP floating around, but I don’t have a turntable, so buying it wouldn’t help me very much!

If anyone can help me obtain better versions of the Eddy, Caiola, or Kolapso 77 versions, or full versions of the ones on “Na Na” that I don’t have (those would be Melvis & His Gentlemen, The Korvals, The Boston Pops, Lions Sound 67, Peter De Angelis Chorus & Orchestra), OR any version not mentioned here (there were surely more!), please let me know!

P.S. Tried to embed the videos, couldn't get it to work...

[Jim K, Bat fan]

I don't know if Los Straightjackets ever recorded the theme, but they do it frequently live.
Here's a clip on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DVWBiTv9lw

[John Mack]

Les and Larry Elgart did a cover. They were both guitarists in Riddle's Orchestra. Sorry I don't have any recording of it but here's the LP it's on.

[bat-rss]

Jim K, thanks for the link!

John, it turns out the Elgart version is also on a SEQUAL to "Na Na Na Na" that I just ran across!
http://www.juno.co.uk/products/na-na-na ... 542512-01/

And another version I just ran across -- "The Dynamic Batmen"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl9ockl1R-E

[John Mack]

Ah yes, the Panda records version. That was my first Batman album. I've learned to appreciate it more and more over the years. Oh, the Golden Records box set that is shown below has that version of the theme on it. I was very disappointed when I found that out. Also, shown is the Dynamic Batmen from the Panda records release front and back covers.

[Progress Pigment]

This was a new on me. And a few more:

http://www.juno.co.uk/products/na-na-na ... 510025-01/

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTjo5v_y8qA[/youtube]

[bat-rss]

John, so those three albums all contain the same version of the theme? Were Panda and Golden different imprints from the same company?

[John Mack]

[quote="bat-rss"]John, so those three albums all contain the same version of the theme? Were Panda and Golden different imprints from the same company?[/quote?]

Actually, it's only two LPs. I showed the front and back of the Panda records, the ones that aren't red. But yes, both those LPs use the Dynamic Batmen theme. The red box set that shows the ring, etc actually has a longer version of the theme, but not by much. They just took a little longer to fade the song out at the end. Still cool to hear more of the song.

[Tom1980]

Over here in the UK there is a well known composer of cover themes in the 1970's called Geoff Love. He released various LP's of TV and movie music. Some of it is quite cool, and I know he did a Batman one in 1978 for the LP "Themes for Superheroes". Some of his work is on Youtube, this may be among them.

[Pat The Batman Fan]

This is great stuff! I'm really loving that Gallants version. There's a couple in that list I need to investigate. Some of them you can't unhear, like the Sam Chalpin version. The Los Monjes version is one of my favorites. I have actually made attempts to reach out to the one remaining member of the band for the documentary, so far unsuccessfully.

Also, the Smithereens do a great live version, as does Brian Setzer (Including the Riddle opening sting). I recently found a really fun vintage rocksteady (a pre-reggae genre) version by an influential Jamaican guitarist named Lynn Tait that I really like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA5kt9ke81k

I just interviewed Chuck Cirino about his late 80's version for the film... so many versions. It's amazing.

Also the "Winged Mammal Theme" by R.E.M. is a track that was considered for inclusion in "Batman Returns" but ultimately rejected.

[dcarty]

"The Horn Meets the Hornet" by Al Hirt is the blast from my past! I never owned the record but checked it out from the library several times just to hear the Green Hornet theme and the only version of the Batman theme I had access to outside of the tv.

Since Hirt performed the trumpet part on the original Green Hornet theme I enjoyed his cover version on the album as fairly authentic. I didn't think as much of the arrangement of the Bat-theme (or the rest of the album, lol) particularly because of the "glug-glug" sound the electric guitars produced to open the song. In retrospect I can certainly appreciate why they did it that way but at the time I really wanted to hear the Hefti original but I took what I could.

Fantastic thread!!

Dave

[John Mack]

Also interesting to note, that on the na na na Batman site you have linked in your first post, it lists a group called, The Korvals from Argentina. It's the Dynamic Batmen. Lol

[bat-rss]

Also interesting to note, that on the na na na Batman site you have linked in your first post, it lists a group called, The Korvals from Argentina. It's the Dynamic Batmen. Lol

After I've heard so many versions, it gets hard to remember which is which! Very interesting that the Korvals and DBs were the same!

Thanks, everyone, keep 'em coming!

[Mr. Deathtrap]

Podcasters,

I'd like to refer you to The Piano Guys "Batman Evolution", which begins with Neal Hefti, moves on to Danny Elfman, and concludes with the theme from the Nolan trilogy.

Here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpG58dKqI-o

Mr. Deathtrap

[bat-rss]

Thanks, Mr. Deathtrap!

John, can you tell us more about the Golden Batman record? From some info I found elsewhere, I take it to have contained a Batman story?