Frasier: Tossed Salads & Scrambled Eggs and Other Frasier Favorites

It was announced this week that the hit television show "Frasier", which has been on the air for eight seasons, will be renewed for three more seasons. It's hard to believe that Dr. Frasier Crane has been entertaining us for almost 20-years now (he first showed up in a little show called "Cheers", remember?), and it's fitting that a soundtrack album was finally released for this award-winning television show.

Beginning with the classic theme from "Frasier", "Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs" is more of a jingle than a song, featuring studio singers in perfect "doo-wop" mode. While it's not the simpler version heard at the end of every episode, this full version featured lyrics I didn't know existed, and runs a lot longer than I thought it would. After that intro, we now get into the pattern for the album: dialogue (with music or song) from the show, and then a licensed song that made an appearance (usually tied in to the dialogue preceding it). The hysterical episode where Frasier tries to write his own theme song (and ends up writing a small operetta) is featured here, with dialogue and music (and audience laughter). Appropriately enough, Etta James' "Miss Pitiful" immediately follows.

The Crane's have always been "above" us, as part of the Seattle social elite. But weekly millions of viewers tune in to watch how even the socialites in America can screw things up. One thing they can't seem to mess up, however, is their good choice of music. Ella Fitzgerald's "Isn't It Romantic?", Rosemary Clooney's "I Don't Want To Walk Without You Baby", Nat King Cole's "Mona Lisa", and many others are all included on this album.

As you can probably figure out, the music is rather smooth and easy to listen to - this isn't Linkiln Park. Some of the dialogue bits are preceded by small bumper cues of score from the show by David Lloyd and Paul Kreiling. The liner notes indicate that one song on the album has never been used in the show: "Frasier (The Sensuous Lion)", sung by Sarah Vaughn. It's included mainly because of the title (obviously), but it's a song that is not stylistically out of place with its neighbors on the disc. Running a little over 50-minutes long, this album will surely bring a smile to your face, even if you haven't seen the show (which you should).