Music For Animals

Is the lead off track of an extended play single to the Laurel Canyon Animal Company up and coming “Bird Beat” CD.

I’m A Green Chicken features the lyric and vocal talents of Carla Mitchell, a double yellow head Amazon parrot combined with the talents of the Laurel Canyon Animal Company. It’ s a lot of fun for bird lovers and non-bird lovers alike. Be careful or you’ll find yourself walking down the street singin “I’m a green chicken”

$14.95 + S+H

Three days later we made arrangements to sign recording contracts and bring Carla into our studio to record her for a song we had written specifically for her. (That’s right, we did sign her to a recording contract)

I asked Laurie, Carla’s guardian, if there was anything we could do to make the studio more comfortable for Carla. Divas are divas. You know, small room. Big room. Hot, cold, champagne. . . whatever.

Laurie said, “A brunette would be good.”

“A brunette?!” I said, somewhat startled. “You mean a hooker?”

Laurie said. “No a brunette. Carla is very comfortable when she’s sitting on a brunette’s shoulder. It practically guarantees her launching into her repertoire.”

So here we were in our studio in Topanga getting ready to record an Amazon parrot named Carla. We had Amber, our brunette ready in front of the microphone. If was great that Amber wasn’t afraid to let Carla sit on her shoulder. She was the only brunette we could find on short notice who wasn’t afraid of a parrot on her shoulder. Actually she a Carla got along really well.

We set up the recording and video equipment, Laurie put Carla on Amber’s shoulder and the session began.

We waited. Then we waited some more. After about ten minutes of the sounds of silence Laurie said, “She likes Judy Garland. If we a sing Judy Garland song she’ll probably start singing her head off.

“How about Over The Rainbow?” I asked.

“Carla loves it”

So there we were, all of us singing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” to the green and yellow parrot sitting very happily on Amber’s shoulder. It was uber stupid – and fun. After the fifth round of Over The Rainbow” Carla got loose enough and started singing her heart out directly into the microphone

We got our “Green Chicken” vocals from Carla in one take. She was good. The photo was taken at the exact moment Carla sang, ‘Zippidee Doo Dah! I’m a Green Chicken!”

“I’m A Green Chicken” turned into (what I consider) a very good recording. Carla ended up singing the lead vocal in the chorus of the song and also added some very south of the border ai. ai. ai’s in the vamp.

After we released ‘I’m A Green Chicken” I ended up lipsyncing a duet with Carla in the back room of the Culver City American Legion Hall for the West L.A. Bird club.

But that’s another story.