The Pinball Song, Again
Long time readers may know of my ongoing search for information about the Sesame Street 70s funk classic The Pinball Song. Last time, it was established that the song is known as J Imagination (Lower) and was penned by Walt Kramer (not Herbie Hancock as previously rumoured). The singers on the track could be The Pointer Sisters, but I havent confirmed that yet.
I was puzzled that doing a Google search for Walt Kramer came up with no relevent information, not even anything about a Walt Kramer being a musician. The latest information I have thanks to a chap called Chris is that Kramer should in fact be spelled Kraemer. Entering this correct spelling into Google offers up more information about Walt, including a brief biography and this page, which lists Walt as the sound and synthesizer effect supervisor on the Star Wars spoof Hardware Wars.
As far as I know, The Pinball Song doesnt feature on any Sesame Street compilation albums and decent MP3 versions of it are like gold dust, which is a shame because judging from the number of search referrals I get to previous posts Ive written about The Pinball Song, theres a lot of interest in it.
UPDATE: Since posting the information below, Walt Kraemer, composer of the Sesame Street Pinball Song, wrote to me with some definitive information about it. Click here to read Walt’s letter.
7:41 am on 13 July 2003 :::
MacDara Says:You are talking about the ‘one-two-three FOUR FIVE! six-seven-eight nine TEN! *eleven twelve*!’ song, aren’t you? I love that one! And I didn’t even know it had a name…
7:48 am on 17 July 2003 :::
gordyBoy Says:The Pinball Song is on the Sesame Street DVD The Great Numbers Game.
Also you may be interested in this video…
http://freespace.virgin.net/gordon.robertson/pinballsongv3.wmv
Cheers
gordyBoy
12:45 pm on 19 July 2003 :::
MIchael Says:The “Pinball Number Count” is track 1 on disc 2 of the upcoming Sesame Street CD box set, due for release in North America by Sony Wonder on 2 September 2003. The track listing does indeed credit the song to the Pointer Sisters. Whee!
2:52 pm on 19 July 2003 :::
Matt Says:Great news Michael, thanks!
6:43 am on 21 July 2003 :::
Tu Says:Does anyone remember the Capital I song from Sesame Street, and who wrote that?
3:03 am on 24 July 2003 :::
ZiggyNYC Says:I found this press release at
http://www.ninjatune.net/forum/
———-
Re: pinball number count
Solid Steel [22.07.03, 18:01:06]
Well this is a turn up for the books – what’s Sesame Street doing on Ninja Tune? Just in time to celebrate the 35th anniversary of their very first show in the US, Sesame Street & Ninja Tune have teamed up to release a super rare disco remix by Larry Levan and the previously unavailable and much loved ‘Pinball Number Count’ by The Pointer Sisters.
It all started a couple of years ago when Strictly Kev, part of DJ Food, desperately wanted to include the infamous ‘Pinball Number Count’ on the first ‘Solid Steel Presents’ mix CD. You know the track, it was super funky and was accompanied by the cool animation of a pinball rolling around strange landscapes. Now this track is the stuff of legends within beat digging circles, DJs have scoured record bins for decades in the hope of finding it included on old Sesame compilations but alas, it was never on any of them.
Fortunately Kev knew this and rang Sesame Workshop in New York asking for a copy of the tape. It never actually made it onto the mix CD but that’s another story. What you have here is a composite of numbers
2-12 of the ‘Pinball Number Count’ animations (number 1 was never created). Kev has re-edited all the key elements and cleaned up the sound while he’s at it. And cooing those syncopated numbers and “do-do’s” in the background is only the Pointer Sisters on a session singing assignment.
If that wasn’t enough, also included on the release is an extremely rare disco mix of ‘C is For Cookie’ by Cookie Monster (the original can change hands for up to £100). This fantastic remix is by the late Larry Levan; DJ legend and driving force behind the New York club,The Paradise Garage for 10 years. Many people credit Larry as being the first DJ to play a very eclectic and open-minded mix of music. This was the first remix he did before going on to have a very successful studio career,introducing the dub aesthetic into dance music. As he said at the time “Tommy Baratta one day said to me ‘you want to mix a record?’ There was this song from Sesame Street, called ‘C Is For Cookie’, and I mixed it, not serious, not getting paid for it or nothing”
Finally, the last track is another beat diggers break nugget and an alternate disco mix of ‘C Is For Cookie’. This time late Manhattan disco DJ Roy Thode was the man controlling the faders. Involved in the NY disco scene in the 70′s he did remixes for Vanguard Records
and was resident at clubs like 12 West and the Saint. His remix is full of thumping disco breaks that make this more than your average kids record and rounds the package off beautifully.
With all these ingredients in the mix you know exactly what this special release from the Solid Steel crew is doing on Ninja Tune. Look out for more rare Solid Steel selections in this irregular series.
–
‘PINBALL NUMBER COUNT’ * THE POINTER SISTERS
DJ Food Re-edit – Special extension by Strictly Kev (2:41)
‘C IS FOR COOKIE’ * COOKIE MONSTER & THE GIRLS
Funky version – Special Disco Mix by Larry Levan (6.09)
‘C IS FOR COOKIE’ * COOKIE MONSTER & THE GIRLS
Sweet version – Special Disco Mix by Roy Thode (7:35)
12:57 pm on 4 August 2003 :::
Jay Says:I have been looking for this track for ages too. The closest i came was when i was told by a record store owner in Camden (London) that he’d had a copy knocking around for a couple of years without being able to shift it. He told me that he’d ended up giving it away!!! But did tell me that it was on an obscure kids album that hadn’t got anything to do with Sesame Street or CTW but couldn’t remember what it was called. If its true then we still live in hope and if not he’s just added to its urban legend status.
7:40 pm on 14 August 2003 :::
brianne Says:They still play this on the new sesames—my husband is going to throw it through his 4 track and get it on CD-
Im trying to get his band Juggling Suns to cover it—
they are psychedelic funky grateful dead phishy style stuff—
should really f-in sweet:)
brianne
12:10 am on 18 August 2003 :::
falloutboy Says:i was always of the opinion that it was written by Frank Zappa?
thats the story that i was always told
12:31 pm on 19 August 2003 :::
INVISIBLE FRIEND Says:THIS IS DRIVING ME MENTAL……………………..
CAN SOMEONE PUT THIS BLOODY WONDERFULL TUNE UP ON THE SITE – ORIGINAL PLEASE NO WANKY BLEEPS VERSION. I AM DESPERATE AND HAVE SPENT AGES TRYING TO TRACK THIS DOWN … HELP.
2:11 pm on 20 August 2003 :::
ZiggyNYC Says:I have some more information on the Pinball Number Count remix. The 12” vinyl will be available on September 15th and the song is also included on the 3 CD boxset that Sesame Street has coming out on September 1st.
Ninja Tune has released the artwork as wallpaper you can download and use as a background on your computer. The the Pinball wallpaper uses frames from the original animation.
Check it out at http://www.ninjatune.net/downloads/
5:38 pm on 20 August 2003 :::
ZiggyNYC Says:More Ninja News. If you go to http://www.ninjatune.net/home/ they now have some more info on the release on the front page of their website and if you go to
http://www.ninjatune.net/ninja/release.php?id=763
they have the songs in real audio format.
1:57 am on 9 September 2003 :::
Walt Kraemer Says:I am the composer of the Pinball Song and would like to post a few comments about it. How do I do that?
11:38 am on 9 September 2003 :::
Matt Says:Well you can use form below (as you just have done), or you can email me at matt_jones@blueyonder.co.uk and I will post your comments on the front page of this site.
9:50 am on 10 September 2003 :::
Matt Says:Please read A Letter from Walt Kraemer
Walt has been kind enough to send me detailed information about the history of the song.
4:21 pm on 24 September 2003 :::
Archangel Says:Hi ho,
This tune did , and indeed still does rock.. Its a feel good tune that rivals such feel good themes from “Airwolf” , “TerraHawks” , “Ghostbusters” and the age old fave from “Thundercats”… Here is a link you may find mildy amusing
http://www.milkandcookies.com/article/1884/
Its a Funky remix of the old tune with a nice video to go along..
Enjoy and Remeber the 80′s was the best age for Kids TV.. I spent my youth listening to counting vampires , magical hats , talking rodents and look how I turned out !
4:22 pm on 24 September 2003 :::
Archangel Says:Hi ho,
This tune did , and indeed still does rock.. Its a feel good tune that rivals such feel good themes from “Airwolf” , “TerraHawks” , “Ghostbusters” and the age old fave from “Thundercats”… Here is a link you may find mildy amusing
http://www.milkandcookies.com/article/1884/
Its a Funky remix of the old tune with a nice video to go along..
Enjoy and Remeber the 80′s was the best age for Kids TV.. I spent my youth listening to counting vampires , magical hats , talking rodents and look how I turned out !
10:42 pm on 4 October 2003 :::
Zet Says:Anyone still trying to see the original versions of this series might want to check current airings of Sesame Street. The Pinball series probably gets included in current shows more than any of the classic (70′s) S.S. segments.
It was easy to view the Pinball series when the Noggin network was airing old Sesame Street shows regularly, under the title Sesame Street Unpaved. That started in 1999 but has pretty much ended. Actually you may still be able to watch S.S. Unpaved, but if so it’s relegated to something like 5 a.m. timeslot about once a week IIRC.
5:13 am on 13 October 2003 :::
chewy96216@aol.com Says:I’m looking for a song also a very old song about a kid who keeps singing I don’t Care and then a lion eats him and then changes his mind, it sounds like carol king. Not sure
old cartoon & music
Chewy
12:11 am on 23 October 2003 :::
Leversnob Says:That’s probably from “Really Rosie” by Maurice Sendak. A musical based on his books. The story is called “Pierre”
1:32 am on 6 November 2003 :::
cookie monsta Says:can some 1 plz post a workin link to the pinball tune pleeasssssseee !!!!
AS THIS LINK IS DOWWWWWNNNN….
http://www.milkandcookies.com/article/1884/
10:59 pm on 30 November 2003 :::
sara Says:there is a new boxed set of 63 songs from sesame street called songs from the street….check it out, it has this song
12:05 am on 16 December 2003 :::
ranma-tim Says:This link is currently up:
http://www.gordyboy.net/pinballsongv3.wmv
Thanks for all the fantastic detail on this legendary song!
4:15 pm on 12 April 2004 :::
Beej Says:You are my hero!
I recorded this song for an upcoming album, but have had no luck in the copyright research. Happening upon your site today may permit me to finish this project!! Could you put me in contact w/ Mr. Kraemer?
Many thanks!
~~B.J. O\’Shea
4:20 pm on 12 April 2004 :::
Beej, again Says:Clicking on the www link above will take you to the mp3 of my group playing the song. No crazy vocals, but the sax is a fellow named Tracy Patterson, & the pianist is Shane Ohlson.
Distribute freely, just remember from whence it came.
Thanks.
4:26 pm on 12 April 2004 :::
Beej, last time Says:Well, it didn\’t work that way, let\’s try _this_ instead:
\”link text\”:http://ihost.it-mate.co.uk/users/bjoshea/files/bjoshea_pinball.mp3
7:03 am on 22 April 2004 :::
george_from_new_zealand Says:The song is called _Pinball Number Count_ and it\’s performed by _the Pointer Sisters_. I believe it\’s on a CD called *Sesame Street – Songs From The Street-35 Years Of Music (Disc 2)*
I know this for sure, because the video clip for it was just requested and aired on C4 (New Zealand\’s equivalent of MTV).
if anyone knows a place where I could download it, I would very m,uch appreciate it.
6:35 am on 23 April 2004 :::
george_from_new_zealand Says:Got the song now, don\’t worry
6:12 pm on 27 May 2004 :::
chris Says:where the hell can i download the damn cartoon?!!??
email me: acdcriot@san.rr.com
1:06 am on 29 May 2004 :::
rachel Says:hey
you can get the video as well as a mono version of the song (as if it was recorded off the tv hahaha) in kazaa lite.
I can\’t believe this: I\’ve been playing it over and over again.
10:41 am on 13 June 2004 :::
mat from NZ Says:Yo wicked tune. You know what would be the coolest – Drum and bass remix by DJ Zinc!!! It is so god damn funky!
7:15 am on 24 June 2004 :::
Parallx Says:There is also an extended version of this song with a GREAT xylophone jam out there, I used to have it. Probably off Kazaa lite.
This was the original version, but much longer. Was almost 5 minutes if I remember correctly.