Rockin' Through the Decades
Rockin' Through the Decades | |
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Created by | Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. (characters) |
Written by | Ross Bagdasarian Jr. Janice Karman |
Directed by | Steve Karman |
Starring | Will Smith (host) Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. Janice Karman Ben Vereen Richard Moll Kenny Loggins Raven-Symoné Shelley Duvall Markie Post Little Richard |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producers | Steve Karman Walt Kubiak Elana Lesser Cliff Ruby |
Running time | 19 minutes |
Production companies | Bagdasarian Productions Murakami-Wolf-Swenson |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | December 9, 1990 (1990-12-09) |
Rockin' Through the Decades is a live-action/animated TV special based on characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was directed by Steve Karman, produced by Bagdasarian Productions, and premiered on NBC on December 9, 1990.[1]
The special was released on VHS by Buena Vista Home Video in 1992 as Rockin' with the Chipmunks and aired on The Disney Channel the same year. Most recently, the special has been re-released on September 8, 2009, by Paramount Home Entertainment on the DVD The Very First Alvin Show alongside A Chipmunk Reunion.
Cast
- Will Smith - Himself (credited as Fresh Prince)
- Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. - Alvin and Simon (voice)
- Janice Karman - Theodore and Brittany (voice)
- Ben Vereen - Himself
- Richard Moll - Himself
- Kenny Loggins - Himself
- Raven-Symoné - Herself
- Shelley Duvall - Herself
- Markie Post - Herself
- Little Richard - Himself
- Michael Jackson - Himself (archive footage)
Rockin' with the Chipmunks
Rockin' with the Chipmunks made significant changes to the featured songs.
- "Witch Doctor"
- Intro medley, done by Alvin in different styles
- Little Richard (style of "Tutti Frutti")
- Elvis Presley (style of "Blue Suede Shoes")
- Jimi Hendrix (style of "Foxy Lady")
- Bob Dylan (style of "Like a Rolling Stone")
- Michael Jackson (style of "Billie Jean")
- Bruce Springsteen (style of "Born in the U.S.A.")
- Intro medley, done by Alvin in different styles
- "Tutti Frutti"/"Heartbreak Hotel" (medley, 1950s)
- "Surfin' Safari"/"She Loves You"/"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (medley, 1960s)
- "Crocodile Rock" (1970s)
- "Smooth Criminal"/"Beat It"[2] (medley, Alvin added to the original music videos, 1980s)
- "Sleigh Ride" (original Christmas-themed hip hop song, 1990s)
Segments from two episodes of The Alvin Show, A Chipmunk Christmas and an episode of The Ed Sullivan Show are also featured. "Alvin's Harmonica" can be heard in the background while Fresh Prince is on the 1950s set. Fresh Prince also does a rap introduction to the "Sleigh Ride" segment, giving his perspective on what to expect of the 1990s.
Soundtrack album release
Rockin' Through the Decades | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | January 25, 1991 | |||
Recorded | November 1988 (track 1), July–September 1989 (tracks 2-11), December 1990 (track 12) | |||
Genre | Children's music | |||
Label | EMI America (US), Virgin (International) | |||
Producer | Tom Chase, Steve Rucker (track 1), Ross Bagdasarian, Janice Karman (tracks 2-11), Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis (track 12) | |||
The Chipmunks chronology | ||||
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Rockin' Through the Decades is also the title of a soundtrack music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks, released by Chipmunk Records in 1991, and contained all of the songs from the TV special, alongside three added tracks.[3]
- "Witch Doctor (Decades Mix)"
- "Tutti Frutti"
- "She Loves You ('90s Reprise)"
- "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
- "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" - The Chipettes
- "Beat It ('90s Remix)"
- "Heartbreak Hotel"
- "Crocodile Rock"
- "Surfin' Safari"
- "Oh, Pretty Woman"
- "Johnny B. Goode"
- "Sleigh Ride"
References
External links
- Rockin' Through the Decades at IMDb
- v
- t
- e
- The Alvin Show (1961–1962)
- Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983–1990)
- episodes
- Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks (2015–2023)
home video
- A Chipmunk Christmas (1981)
- A Chipmunk Reunion (1985)
- Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990; guest appearance)
- Rockin' Through the Decades (1991)
Animated |
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Live-action |
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Direct-to-video |
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- Alvin and the Chipmunks
- Nickelodeon Super Brawl
- "Witch Doctor"
- Bagdasarian Productions
Category