W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Henhouse Five Plus Two - In The Mood (1976)

Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song / album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
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In December 1976, Ray Stevens released this novelty single (Warner Bros. WBS 8301), a version of Glenn Miller's "In The Mood" in the style of a clucking chicken; a Top 40 hit in the US and UK in 1977. This fictional chicken group never released another records ever again.

Few songs make me want to pay an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor to remove my ear drums.
But “In the Mood” by Henhouse Five Plus Too is officially in serious contention.

This novelty song is pure 'chicken feed'. It’s stupid. It’s silly. It’s downright Peckuliar !

Remarkably, “In the Mood” by Henhouse Five Plus Too reached #40 on the Billboard Top 40 in 1977 and that’s good enough to land it here for this month's W.O.C.K On Vinyl candidate, where I believe it shames all other one-hit wonder novelty songs with its sheer insanity - it's  Weird, Crazy and Korny, all in one

The Henhouse Five Plus Two

The Henhouse Five Plus Two is actually novelty songwriter and Grammy Award-winner Ray Stevens who is the same man who bestowed “The Streak” upon the world back in 1974, and released more than 90 singles in a distinguished six-decade career and notched 10 top-40 hit singles. 

Where the name Henhouse Five Plus Two originates from, I’m not sure... I assume it’s somewhat an inside joke or a spinoff from a group (eg, The Firehouse Five Plus Two was a Dixieland jazz band, popular in the 1950s). Either that or a clever twist to the name Henhouse Seven!

A big thank you to Garry (Ozzi Musicman) for sharing this gem. I might just add this is not for the low-level tolerant... to those who can withstand a whole trial of chickens clucking big-band standards, I congratulate you. You do have to be “in the mood” to hear this one!

I’ve now spent more time writing about this song than listening to it. That’s more than enough. I’m no longer in the mood.   Just download this MP3 rip (320kps) and get the cluck out of here....

The Henhouse Five Plus Two Link  (12Mb)