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Muhammad Ali’s Community Service Hours Well Spent?

I’m sure you don’t need to hear it from me, but please take care of your teeth. Why do I say that? Well, I just sank eight grand into mine after twelve years of not going to the dentist. The bad news is that it costs so much, but the good news is that I’m squared away and will be going routinely now.

I wouldn’t normally bring this up in the confines of this site, but flipping through my record collection made me think to myself that it was about time for me to post "Ali and His Gang Vs. Mr. Tooth Decay" which is a priceless artifact from 1976. Featuring guest appearances by Frank Sinatra, Richie Havens, Jayne Kennedy, Ossie Davis, Arther Morrison and Howard Cosell, it makes me think that all of these folks had some serious community service hours to pay off. Why do I think that? Because a full length album about tooth decay just seems a bit excessive even by mid-70’s standards.

The production of the album is, in a word, "bad". However, the badness only enhances how completely retarded (yes, it was made by and for the mentally handicapped, ladies and gentlemen) this album is. All of the children reading their lines in unison? Oh, just cringeworthy. And how does it hold up thirty years later? Oh man, not well. Not well…..

I was lucky enough to snag a pristine copy of this album at the Lakewood Flea Market about five years ago while shopping with my buddy Garth who, coicidentally, was the guy who turned me onto this album. It was the best twenty bucks I had spent for a while.

Yes, that’s the back cover with Frank, Ali and Richie Havens…..

As a post script, I should also add that I own the "sequel" album with Jimmy Carter and many of the celebs on this outting called "The Fall of Mr. Tooth Decay". Hopefully, I will one day post it as well.

Man, there’s torture tapes galore, but there’s only one Ali vs. Mr. Tooth Decay.

Enjoy. And remember to floss.

Ali & His Gang Vs. Mr. Tooth Decay – Side 1

Ali & His Gang Vs. Mr. Tooth Decay – Side 2