Muhammad Ali. He knew all about butterflies and bees. He rumbled in the jungle and thrilled in Manila. Apparently he also cared about the dental wellbeing of our nation’s youth and claimed to have set fire to the ship sitting in the Boston Bay circa 1773.
Along with such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Richie Havens, and Howard Cosell, Ali made it his goal to give tooth decay a knockout punch right smack on it’s fragile glassjaw on the album, “Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay”. He also took it upon himself to rewrite the American history books. This may seem strange considering Ali was classified 1A in 1966 and refused to fight in ‘Nam on the account that “no Vietcong ever called him a nigger” and was considered an American seditionary for a brief period.
At its most unadorned essence, this track, “Ali’s Historical Theme Song” is extraordinary because it’s a peculiar amalgam of soul music, self-absorption, historical narration, and ludicrousness. Suffice to say, it has a respectable groove and can stand on it’s own musical merits.
Ali’s second album, “The Dope King’s Last Stand” focuses on the perils of cocaine abuse and somehow earned a Grammy in 1977 for “Best Recording For Children.” This will clearly be fodder for a forthcoming post on this blog.
Listen: Muhammad Ali "Ali's Historical Theme Song"
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