59. Lorne Greene--Welcome to the Ponderosa

#59. Lorne Greene--Welcome to the Ponderosa (1964)

Top-Notch Songs: "Bonanza," "Ghost Riders In the Sky," "Ringo."

Album Depth: "Saga of the Ponderosa," "Alamo," "Sand," "Endless Prairie," "Pony Express," "Blue Guitar."

Weak Links: "An Ol' Tin Cup (and a Battered Ol' Coffee Pot.)"

Stand-out Lyrics: "Welcome to the Ponderosa, my friends, for an evening of songs and stories about the American West. A land of legend, of romance, of friendship and loyalty, and courage. A motherlode of remembrance. A true bonanza!"--"Bonanza"

"If anyone fights any one of us, he's got a fight with me!"--"Bonanza"

"They're riding hard to catch that herd, but they ain't caught 'em yet."--"Ghost Riders In the Sky"

"The town began to shout and cheer; nowhere was there shed a tear for Ringo."--"Ringo"

"Husky, and jolly, and hardly ever cross; my wife named him Eric, but I called him Hoss."--"Saga of the Ponderosa"

Welcome to the Ponderosa

Album Cover: 7 out of 10. Pretty good. It's as homey as the album itself. (An extra point for the backwards chair. Nothing says homey quite like a backwards chair.)

Comments: For years, I used to tease my kids by asking them if they wanted me to do specific things that I knew would annoy them, like, "do you want me to tickle your armpit?" or "do you want me to poke you in the head with a sharp rock?" One such thing I would frequently say is, "do you want me to sing you songs about the American west?" They would always answer, emphatically, "No!" Until one day, my youngest child, shocked and surprised me by contemplating for a moment, then saying, "Yes." I was stunned by this unexpected response. And so, I was thus forced to sing to him the theme from "Bonanza."

Actually, my family's love of the song "Bonanza" goes back a little further. (Or is that farther?) I used to have a child sit on each of me knees and bounce them up and down as if they were riding a horse, all while singing the "Bonanza" theme. For years, my children have requested, "Daddy, do Bonanza Horsies!"

And while "Bonanza" is the clear favorite, it's not the only great song. If you don't feel the need to sing along with "Ghost Riders In the Sky," there's something definitely wrong with your "yippee-yi-yay." And then there's the mournful "Ringo" and the meandering "Saga of the Ponderosa," which takes as long to tell the story of the ranch's name as the actual crossing of the plains. (Also, advice to women: don't fall in love with Ben Cartright.)

The album itself is pretty darn fun. There's the spoken introductions to most of the songs. There's the deep baritone voice. There's the style--is he singing?--is he talking?--is he (land sake's alive!) rapping? Musically, there's some good horn work throughout the album. And any album that mentions buffalo chiggers is just dandy in my book!

(I know, you're probably thinking, "That's great, but how could he possibly rank this album higher than "The Dark Side of the Moon?" Well, let me answer that with a question: Are there buffalo chiggers on "The Dark Side of the Moon?" I didn't think so.)

Up next: Right down the middle of the plate.