Songs of the Wente Staff
During the summer of 1985, the Staff of Wente Scout Reservation had the opportunity of a life time when they were offered the chance of recording some of their favorite Friday night campfire tunes during a marathon three-hour recording session that took place on Saturday, June 29, 1985. The session took place between the commissary and the old admin building on a warm Willits evening. By the end of the evening you can actually hear the crackle of the campfire during the taping of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. The songs were engineered by Hal Wagenet – lead guitarist of the band, “It’s a Beautiful Day” from 1968-1971.
A total of 100 cassette tapes were produced after the session and sold to staff, campers, collectors and audiophiles for a meager $10.00. The funds raised were used to fight world thirst and eliminate tule encroachment. Today those coveted tapes are said to be worth thousands of dollars on the black market if they could even be found.
However, here for the first time and for your listening pleasure, we are proud to present each song in their as it was originally recorded and envisioned by the staff using 1985 state of the art Dolby B noise reduction.
Music Director & Vocals Coach: Camp Director, Dan Paul
Acoustic Guitar: Camp Director, Dan Paul
Vocals & Background: 1985 Wente Staff
Engineer: Hal Wagenet
Click on Song Title for MP3 Audio File
SIDE 1
(entire group)
(lead – stan pisle)
(lead – jeff peterson)
(lead – glenn phillips, brian sommers,
doug styles, stan pisle)
Be Courteous, Kind and Forgiving
(lead – dan paul)
(entire group)
SIDE 2
(entire group)
(lead – dan paul)
(steve kline, brian sommers)
(entire group)
(lead – brian sommers)
(entire group)
(entire group)
KING SKUNK (tune by Steve Martin, King Tut):
Now when he was a skunklet, he never thought he’d see,
People stand in line to see the skunk king, King Skunk badump…
He is black and white, Funky skunk badump…, He is dynamite,
Born to propagation moved to reservation King Skunk badump, badump, baa dadada…
He built himself a railroad from Willits to Fort Bragg,
People paid good money just to cough and gag, King Skunk badump…
Ladies loved his fumes, Funky Skunk badump…, Dancing to the tunes,
Born to propagation moved to reservation King Skunk badump, badump, baa dadada…
Running through the forest he liked to hop and jump,
One day the ranger came and shot him in the rump, King Skunk badump…
Smelled for forty days, Funky Skunk budump…Sent the camp into a craze,
Born to propagation moved to reservation King Skunk badump, badump, baa dadada…
Now when I die, now don’t think that I’m a punk, Don’t want no fancy funeral, just one like old King Skunk,
King Skunk Badump…Buried in the tower, Funky skunk badump…Never took a shower,
Born to propagation moved to reservation, born to propagation, he’s the best skunk
in the nation, King Skunk.
Oh Wente – Lyrics by Dan Paul (c 1984):
Oh Wente mighty scout camp
We learn from you each day
Camping here are we the Boy Scouts
Of good ole San Francisco bay
Oh Wente
Oh Wente
The memories we make
Camping underneath the heavens
Near your mountain lake
Oh Wente
Oh Wente
Oh Wente, you’re a grand ole camp.
Wente Cheer – by Skip Auleb (c 1982):
Who are We, The Wente Staff
What are we gonna do, Give them the old razzle dazzle
And how we gonna do it, in a big way
YEAH!