By Rob Bricken in
Cartoons, Daily Lists
Monday, Nov. 3 2008 @ 5:05AM
By Jon Gutierrez
If you're like us, you planned your future adulthood on all the things you saw in ‘80s cartoons and you planned on being a superhero, space explorer or ghostbuster when you grew up, just like your favorite cartoon heroes. But there was one profession that clearly topped all others: music star. It seemed like every cartoon had at least one musical character that would be dragged out for a special episode now and then , if not an actual band as the stars of the show (hey, even the Transformers had Jazz and Blaster...even if they never cut actual albums). But all this musical cartoon mayhem begs the question...which animated band rocked the most?
We at Topless Robot are out to answer that question with our list of the ten best, based on the criteria that regular bands are judged: how much money they make, how popular they are, both in the real world and their show’s world,and how often you can listen to their songs without bashing your head in with a rock (if only real bands were judged the same way).
10) The Galaxy Rangers
While you may (or may not) remember them as a team of intergalactic Western-themed crime fighters (and no, not the intergalactic Western-themed crime fighters you're thinking of), they did win a galaxy-wide battle of the bands contest while undercover as a group called...the Galaxy Rangers. Unfortunately, that's not their only un-creative move, as all their instruments were played for them and even that was only their own theme song. Oh, and they won the contest by default. Still, their theme song was kinda catchy in a Foreigner-power-ballad sorta way, their guitars shot lasers and they were the closest we'll get to seeing a young Clint Eastwood front a band—all of which has to count for something.
9) Kidd Video
If you don't remember this ‘80s Saturday morning cartoon, it features a lead singer Kidd Video and his band (egotistically also named Kidd Video), pulled into a cartoon world called "The Flipside" where they had to avoid being exploited by the evil and tubby record executive Master Blaster. Now, they're not entirely a cartoon band, as they also appeared in live-action videos throughout the show (Look closely and you'll notice that Robbie Rist, the Brady Bunch's cousin Oliver played Whiz in both), but as they're infinitely less annoying as cartoons, they get on this list. While the music is straight '80s bubble-gum pop, they were at least popular enough on the show to be getting record company offers from another dimension—which is a type of popularity not even Rolling Stone can get you.
8) Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids
Perhaps the ultimate garage, er, junkyard band, they clawed their way up from poverty to, well, more poverty. But, they did deliver some catchy, soulful tunes that also coincidentally contained the message of each day's show. They also showed us that musicians don't need amazing instruments—just some rusty radiators and bedsprings. Although how they got that amazing funky bass sound out of all those pipes that remains a mystery. (Also, how did no one die of tetanus?)
7) The Neptunes from Jabberjaw
The Neptunes would seem to have a lot of strikes against them: They only tour underwater cities, they're in the future (where they have to compete more robot bands, presumably)...oh, and they have a shark that sounds like Curly from the Three Stooges as a drummer. Oh, and just about everything about the show was stolen from earlier shows as far back as Gracie Allen. But despite all that, they put out some peppy scooby-doo-esque music that fit well into the scooby-doo-esque chase scenes. And they have to be pretty popular to have these undersea cities waste their precious air, especially on these cardboard stereotypes.
6) Jet Screamer from The Jetsons
This one-hit wonder held Judy Jetson's teenage future brain hostage with his space-hunkiness and space-grooves, but his real strength is his ability to make space hits out of garbage. After all, he was able to take a nonsense phrase from Elroy's creepy made-up, Nell-like Martian language and craft it into the hit "Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah," a song so catchy it's one of the few things most people remember about the Jetsons and was even covered by the Violent Femmes. Sure he never appeared again, but the Big Bopper only really had one hit, right? Oh, and anyone who can sing while accompanied by the whitest guy in the future, George Jetson, obviously has some musical chops.
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28 comments
Comments
Frito said:
I lost a good chunk of my hearing at a Dethklok concert.
In London, some dude chopped off my fingers and threw 'em up on stage. Murderface rolled 'em up and smoked 'em! MURDERFACE!
MikeHell said:
Dethklok at #1! No question about it...those guys (and Metalocalypse on [adult swim]) rule!
dksp said:
Achem.
How about the Gorillaz?
Just sayin. They're in Guiness as the most successful "virtual band" in history. And they're cartoons.
Photoboy said:
It's been a long time since I saw the Groovy Ghoulies, it really was the king of reusing footage wasn't it?
Algerine said:
What?! No Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids? A travesty, I tell ya!
Hembree said:
I just remembered this - what about Madballs? In the cartoon they left the plane Orb, fleeing from a fascist government to win a battle of the bands on earth by playing Jerry Lee Lewis covers. Honorable mention? lol
Jesse said:
Goot, as soon as I saw the title of your list, "Cold Slither" immediately popped into my head. Thanks for not letting me down.
Too bad the Archies didn't make the cut. Everybody knows "Sugar Sugar," but "Bang-Shang-a-Lang" was another catchy ditty.
ThatCostumeGirl said:
I expected to see the Archies a well. No love for the Chipmunks? I know they're not edgy, but I bet they've sold more albums than most on this list. They didn't really start out as cartoons though. Nevermind.
How about the B Sharps?
JosephMcKlay said:
Fat Albert had Herbie Hancock to thank for its awesome theme.
I guess I'm in the minority with Dethklok. I think Brendon Small is generally hilarious, Home Movies is still one of my favorite shows of all time, but Metalocalypse just doesn't do it for me.
cKHAVIKk said:
I guess I have to agree with JoeMcKlay here... Dethklok was funny for a few minutes, but why does it continue? They're just recycling the same old jokes and cliches now.
Paul said:
Cold Slither is classic. I'm hoping someone makes little instruments so I can form the band with my 25th Joes.
LBD "Nytetrayn" said:
I was just waiting for Cold Slither to show up. But I was sort of hoping, deep down, that their 200X successors, Cold Steel, would show up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXXEwUi4S48
--LBD "Nytetrayn"
Snoodle said:
No Chipmunks?
Double points for the Groovie Ghoulies though
Paige said:
Well the Gorillaz are pretty awesome, I don't think they belong on this list, this list is bands from cartoons, so they don't fit they never had a show.
I am just a couple years too young to really have been able to see most of this stuff (pity) though I owned one Josie and the Pussycats movie the only stuff I ever saw of them.
Somehow they ended up on a rocket launched into outerspace where they made a friend of an alien Bleep with a horn as a mouth, their cat hated him and they solved an intergalactic crime while makeing various entire planets huge fans of their band. Solving entire interplantary wars more or less. If that is not super stardom I don't quite know what is.
Krauser said:
WHERE THE FUCK IS DMC?!
v said:
I completely forgot about Kidd Video until just now. Omg!
Rattrap007 said:
I would have complained if Cold Slither had been left off. Glad to see it at least at #5.
Captain friend said:
Timmy. And. The. Lords. Of. The. Underworld!!
Dr Horrible said:
I second the call for Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kids.
It also featured Socrates - the world's only supercomputer allergic to dogs!
Dani said:
Don't know if they count because though a cartoon band, their songs were pre-existing and not written for them specifically, but Interstella 5555 (from the anime based around Daft Punk songs) were pretty awesome as well. Not saying they should be number one (because Dethklok is destined for that spot) but that they'd make honorable mention at least.
Alan Bryan said:
I don't think they were in a cartoon but The Sugar Bears album Presenting the Sugar Bears was pretty good.
[I have it on vinyl and Mp3.]
[Sugar Bear was a cartoon bear selling a brand of cereal]
Their single "You Are The One" b/w "Someone Like You" made the top 40 and Kim Carnes was one of the band/songwriters.
You could buy them on vinyl AND their songs were sold as part of the cereal box. You could cut out the single and play in on your turntable. [I know I did!]
TestType said:
What, no Daft Punk (Crescendolls)? I was so positive they would be number one, but they don't even get mentioned.
thebeets said:
The Beets!
Ky said:
How about the Beats from Doug, on Nickelodeon. They are the best!
Ky said:
How about the Beats from Doug, on Nickelodeon. They are the best!
m said:
where's the Gorillaz? I was sure they'd share the top spots with Dethklok.
Beast said:
Where the FUCK are The Beets?!
Otherwise, good list.
Domino said:
Other than having Josie& the Pussy Cats and Fat Albert's Junk Yard band, who ever did this list blew it! (How the hell are you not gonna include the Archies? Pleeeze!) So get in your "Way-back" machine and check these out:
• Timmy & the Lords of the Underworld
• Eric Cartman's Christian rock band "Moop"
• Jem & The Holograms
• The Impossibles
• The Bugaloos
