Strong TV Songs: Animated Edition

<p>It's time for something a little different, as Kirk takes a look at the theme songs from some of the most beloved animated TV shows of all time.</p> <p>This super-sized episode focuses on five different pieces of music, each of which is the theme for a different animated show. It's a ton of music in a variety of styles, full of frantic key shifts, earwormy melodies, bodacious drum fills, and a surprising number of saxophone solos.</p> <p>The songs, in order:</p> <ul> <li>"The Simpsons Theme" by Danny Elfman, 1989</li> <li>"Duck Tales" by Mark Mueller, 1987</li> <li>"Rescue Rangers" by Mark Mueller, 1989</li> <li>"A Cruel Angel's Thesis" from <em>Neon Genesis Evangelion,</em> by Hidetoshi Satō, Neko Oikawa, and Toshiyuki Omori, 1995</li> <li>"Tank!" from <em>Cowboy Bebop</em>, by Yoko Kanno, 1998</li> </ul> <p><strong>ALSO FEATURED:</strong></p> <ul> <li>"Maria" from <em>West Side Story</em>'s 2009 Broadway cast recording, by Leonard Bernstein</li> <li>The <em>Batman: The Animated Series</em> theme by Danny Elfman</li> <li>"The Disney Afternoon Theme" and "Monkey In Your Tank" performed by The Disney Afternoon Studio Chorus</li> <li>"A Cruel Angel's Thesis: Bike Horn Cover" by <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUamHEvVQy0">Alex Small-Butera on YouTube</a></li> <li>"Front Burner" arranged by Sammy Nestico for the Count Basie big band</li> <li>"Cat Blues" and "Sax Quartet" from the <em>Cowboy Bebop</em> soundtrack, both by Yoko Kanno</li> </ul> <p><strong>OUTRO SOLOIST: Rob Reich<br /></strong></p> <p>This episode's outro soloist is the fantastic bay area pianist/accordionist Rob Reich. Rob performs all over the place with a bunch of different groups, and is a total pleasure to see play. He's got a bunch of albums you can check out and contributes to an array of interesting projects (Live silent-film scores! Circus music!) and experiments. Find more at his website, <a href= "http://www.robreich.com/">http://www.robreich.com/</a>.</p> <p><strong>NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST</strong></p> <p><a href="https://tiny