Gang Violence = Okay when the foe is Mr. Tooth Decay
December 12, 2008 8:44 AM Subscribe
Ali and His Gang Vs. Mr Tooth Decay
Although he had been soundly defeated by a certain mouse decades earlier, Mr. Tooth Decay re-emerged in the mid-1970's to once again threaten the youth of the world. Knowing that the potent combo of butterfly-floatin' and bee-stingin' alone wouldn't be enough, Ali recruited a gang (Side 1) to help him in the fight (Side 2). The post-fight photo is priceless.
Although he had been soundly defeated by a certain mouse decades earlier, Mr. Tooth Decay re-emerged in the mid-1970's to once again threaten the youth of the world. Knowing that the potent combo of butterfly-floatin' and bee-stingin' alone wouldn't be enough, Ali recruited a gang (Side 1) to help him in the fight (Side 2). The post-fight photo is priceless.
I had this record when I was a kid. The first song on the record is a total blast. It is a little-known historical fact that Muhammad Ali was responsible for not only putting the crack in the Liberty Bell, but also for dumping the tea in "Boston Bay".
ALIIIIIIIIIII!
posted by Spatch at 8:50 AM on December 12, 2008
ALIIIIIIIIIII!
posted by Spatch at 8:50 AM on December 12, 2008
Oxford American included the theme song for this album on one of their annual music issue CDs a couple of years ago. I've been looking for mp3s of the rest of it ever since, so this is supremely awesome.
I played the theme at my office the day after I got the OA sampler, and for weeks someone would ask something like "Hey, who normally does the maintenance on the LetterWriter app?" and invariably someone else would yell "Al-liiiiiiiiii, AL-LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" over the cube wall.
posted by middleclasstool at 9:00 AM on December 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
I played the theme at my office the day after I got the OA sampler, and for weeks someone would ask something like "Hey, who normally does the maintenance on the LetterWriter app?" and invariably someone else would yell "Al-liiiiiiiiii, AL-LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" over the cube wall.
posted by middleclasstool at 9:00 AM on December 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
I can certainly understand why these fellows agreed to make such an important cultural milestone. After all Howard Cosell, Frank Sinatra and Muhammad Ali with their well-known short-lived, unimpressive careers, barely made any money.
This post reminded me to do my once-every-3-years search for a recording of "Oral Hygiene" by Bongos Bass & Bob. Once again I have failed. The internets will not be complete until it is on there. I wonder if I still even have the mixtape I got it on...
posted by DU at 9:00 AM on December 12, 2008
This post reminded me to do my once-every-3-years search for a recording of "Oral Hygiene" by Bongos Bass & Bob. Once again I have failed. The internets will not be complete until it is on there. I wonder if I still even have the mixtape I got it on...
posted by DU at 9:00 AM on December 12, 2008
Dude, I own a copy of this gem, after raremusic.com tipped me off a decade ago. Frank Sinatra's excellent as the storekeeper.
The album says that next up, after tacking tooth decay, Ali and his gang were going to take on Peter the Pusher and his fat-cat friends. Start small, y'all.
Ali's theme song is awesome - especially when you substitute "OJ" for "Ali"
Ali's always getting blamed,
For things he didn't do
posted by porn in the woods at 9:02 AM on December 12, 2008
The album says that next up, after tacking tooth decay, Ali and his gang were going to take on Peter the Pusher and his fat-cat friends. Start small, y'all.
Ali's theme song is awesome - especially when you substitute "OJ" for "Ali"
Ali's always getting blamed,
For things he didn't do
posted by porn in the woods at 9:02 AM on December 12, 2008
If Ali could defeat tooth decay, he truly was the GOAT.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:15 AM on December 12, 2008
posted by Joe Beese at 9:15 AM on December 12, 2008
Perhaps the best thing about that site is that an anti-flouride truther showed up IMMEDIATELY to set the record straight about the poison that is flouride.
posted by yhbc at 9:16 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by yhbc at 9:16 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
My goodness -- how did I miss that cartoon when I was digging up links for this post?! Thanks, jquinby!
posted by lord_wolf at 9:16 AM on December 12, 2008
posted by lord_wolf at 9:16 AM on December 12, 2008
Perhaps the best thing about that site is that an anti-flouride truther showed up IMMEDIATELY to set the record straight about the poison that is flouride.
Who put the fluoride in the Crest?
ALIIIIIIIIIII!
posted by Spatch at 9:27 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
Who put the fluoride in the Crest?
ALIIIIIIIIIII!
posted by Spatch at 9:27 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
Perhaps the best thing about that site is that an anti-flouride truther showed up IMMEDIATELY to set the record straight about the poison that is flouride.
I occasionally visit wingnut websites for laughs and I was astonished to see that they were still going on about flouride. [I guess compared to creationism, it's a low anti-intellectual hurdle to clear.]
"Getting back to the roots of conservatism"... you're doing it wrong.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:27 AM on December 12, 2008
I occasionally visit wingnut websites for laughs and I was astonished to see that they were still going on about flouride. [I guess compared to creationism, it's a low anti-intellectual hurdle to clear.]
"Getting back to the roots of conservatism"... you're doing it wrong.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:27 AM on December 12, 2008
It's hard to convey what the seventies were like to anyone who wasn't around for them. This is surreal now, but it was par for the course in the old days.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:30 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:30 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
This is surreal now, but it was par for the course in the old days.
This was enjoyed without irony.
Most people didn't know what "irony" was.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:37 AM on December 12, 2008
This was enjoyed without irony.
Most people didn't know what "irony" was.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:37 AM on December 12, 2008
Why was I thinking it would be Ali G? I don't know.
posted by boo_radley at 9:38 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by boo_radley at 9:38 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
I also first encountered this on raremusic.com. I loved that site. Still looking for an mp3 of the Guitar Ramblers' El Torito.
posted by dithered at 9:39 AM on December 12, 2008
posted by dithered at 9:39 AM on December 12, 2008
Ali doesn't get enough credit as a proto-rapper. I like the Julius Hemphill and the Last Poets and the Watts Prophets as much as the next guy (actually, probably orders of magnitude more), but I am the Greatest! has almost as much swag as Hustler's Convention.
Also, like mct, I heard this on the Oxford American cd a few years ago. The OA is a pretty good magazine--check it out while you have the chance.
posted by box at 9:51 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
Also, like mct, I heard this on the Oxford American cd a few years ago. The OA is a pretty good magazine--check it out while you have the chance.
posted by box at 9:51 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
This was enjoyed without irony.
Most people didn't know what "irony" was.
As was this.
posted by jquinby at 9:54 AM on December 12, 2008
Most people didn't know what "irony" was.
As was this.
posted by jquinby at 9:54 AM on December 12, 2008
So the minute I saw this link, I zoomed up to yon search box and tried to 'previously' it. I was just damn sure that MeFi'd covered this before, or at least that it was so supremely MeFi-iable that it must have been on up here. Also, I've never 'previously'd' anyone.
Looks like it's new.
Furthermore, it's an excellent record to (re)introduce. And anything with Ali can only make the world a little better.
::grumble::
goodjoblordwolfyajerkyjerk
posted by ford and the prefects at 10:39 AM on December 12, 2008
Looks like it's new.
Furthermore, it's an excellent record to (re)introduce. And anything with Ali can only make the world a little better.
::grumble::
goodjoblordwolfyajerkyjerk
posted by ford and the prefects at 10:39 AM on December 12, 2008
Mighty Mouse and the cavity fighting ingredient Gardol. Money shot at :25.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 10:55 AM on December 12, 2008
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 10:55 AM on December 12, 2008
The tooth-brush rap PSA tradition continues to this day.
posted by FatherDagon at 11:19 AM on December 12, 2008
posted by FatherDagon at 11:19 AM on December 12, 2008
I first heard a clip from this on the When We Were Kings soundtrack. One of my favorite albums ever.
posted by marsha56 at 12:32 PM on December 12, 2008
posted by marsha56 at 12:32 PM on December 12, 2008
When I get to the molars, we gonna get it on, because we don’t get along with plaque, I’m gonna brush ‘em up.
posted by Smedleyman at 2:35 PM on December 12, 2008
posted by Smedleyman at 2:35 PM on December 12, 2008
Oxford American included the theme song for this album on one of their annual music issue CDs a couple of years ago.
aaaarrrrggghhh!!!!!!!! dammit! i picked these things up faithfully until the big hiatus. then i'd buzz the bookstores & their web site periodically to see if it was resurrected. then i forgot all about it. and now they want $75 for southern music issue #2. godDAMMIT!
thanks for reminding me it's still around. great magazine all around, and those music issues are amazing.
posted by msconduct at 4:59 PM on December 12, 2008
aaaarrrrggghhh!!!!!!!! dammit! i picked these things up faithfully until the big hiatus. then i'd buzz the bookstores & their web site periodically to see if it was resurrected. then i forgot all about it. and now they want $75 for southern music issue #2. godDAMMIT!
thanks for reminding me it's still around. great magazine all around, and those music issues are amazing.
posted by msconduct at 4:59 PM on December 12, 2008
I got this from my dentist when I was a kid and listened to it a lot. I had totally forgotten it until now!
posted by JennyJupiter at 7:34 PM on December 12, 2008
posted by JennyJupiter at 7:34 PM on December 12, 2008
Whitney Matheson from USA Today's Pop Candy blog put the title track on her podcast when the Oxford American magazine came out. That set my musical stage for the next few months, I couldn't stop singing that tune. I got the magazine. I read more about the album online, mad that the good oral hygiene of my youth kept me away from this album. I bought a copy from E-Bay soon after, but no longer have a turntable.
I like how some of the kids are incomprehensible. Richie Havens and Ossie Davis make appearances also. My favorite part is Howard Cosell doing rhyming commentary, I really hope he wrote it himself.
posted by dr. fresh at 9:32 AM on December 13, 2008
I like how some of the kids are incomprehensible. Richie Havens and Ossie Davis make appearances also. My favorite part is Howard Cosell doing rhyming commentary, I really hope he wrote it himself.
posted by dr. fresh at 9:32 AM on December 13, 2008
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posted by jquinby at 8:49 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]