Rockin' Through the Decades

Rockin' Through the Decades
Created by	Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. (characters)
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(s)	English
Production
Running time	23+15/2=19 minutes
Production company(s)	Bagdasarian Productions Murakami-Wolf-Swenson
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	January 13th, 1991 (as Rockin' Through the Decades) 1992 (as Rockin' with the Chipmunks)

Rockin' Through the Decades is a live-action and animated television special based on characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was directed by Steve Karman, produced by Bagdasarian Productions, premiered on NBC on January 13th, 1991. It was released on VHS by Buena Vista Home Video in 1992 as Rockin' with the Chipmunks. Most recently, the special has been released September 8, 2009 by Paramount Pictures on the DVD The Very First Alvin Show along with A Chipmunk Reunion.

Cast

• Will Smith - Himself (credited as Fresh Prince)
• Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. - Voice of Alvin & Simon
• Janice Karman - Voice of Theodore & Brittany
• Ben Vereen - Himself
• Richard Moll - Himself
• Kenny Loggins - Himself
• Raven-Symoné - Herself
• Shelley Duvall - Herself
• Markie Post - Herself
• Little Richard - Himself
• Trey Parker - Additional voices
• Michael Jackson - Himself
• Thomas H. Watkins - Soda Jerk

Rockin' With The Chipmunks

Rockin' With The Chipmunks made significant changes to the featured songs.

1. "Witch Doctor"
   1. Intro medley, done in various styles
      1. Little Richard (style of Tutti Frutti)
      2. Elvis Presley (style of Blue Suede Shoes)
      3. Jimi Hendrix (style of Foxy Lady)
      4. Bob Dylan (style of Like a Rolling Stone)
      5. Michael Jackson (style of Billie Jean)
      6. Bruce Springsteen (style of Born in the USA)
2. "Tutti Frutti"/"Heartbreak Hotel" (fifties)
3. "Surfin' Safari"/"She Loves You"/"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (medley, sixties)
4. "Crocodile Rock" (seventies)
5. "Smooth Criminal"/"Beat It"^[1] (medley, Alvin added to the original music videos, eighties)
6. "Sleigh Ride" (original, Christmas-themed, hip hop song, nineties)

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 Will Smith is on the fifties set. Smith also does a rap introduction to the Sleigh Ride segment, giving his perspective on what to expect of the nineties.

Soundtrack album release

Rockin' Through the Decades
Soundtrack album by The Chipmunks
Released	January 18, 1991
Recorded	November 1988 (track 1), July–September 1989 (tracks 2-11), December 1990 (track 12)
Genre	Children's music
Label	EMI America, Geffen
Producer	Tom Chase, Steve Rucker (track 1), Ross Bagdasarian, Janice Karman (tracks 2-11), Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis (track 12)
The Chipmunks chronology
Born To Rock (1989) Rockin' Through the Decades (1991) The Chipmunks Rock the House (1991)

Rockin' Through the Decades is also the name of a soundtrack music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks, released by Chipmunk Records in 1991, and contained all of the songs from the documentary, along with three added tracks.^[2]

1. "Witch Doctor (Decades Mix)"
2. "Tutti Frutti"
3. "She Loves You ('90s Reprise)"
4. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
5. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" - The Chipettes
6. "Beat It ('90s Remix)"
7. "Heartbreak Hotel"
8. "Crocodile Rock"
9. "Surfin' Safari"
10. "Oh, Pretty Woman"
11. "Johnny B. Goode"
12. "Sleigh Ride"

References

1. Video on YouTube
2. Rockin' Through the Decades

External links

• Rockin' Through the Decades at the Internet Movie Database