Speak-N-Spell

In 1984 I needed a shop project for my electronics AA degree, so I built a speech synthesizer circuit board for my Apple II+ computer from plans in Byte magazine.
A few years later I created these cover versions of well-known songs using my speech synthesizer for vocals.

WILD THING
Originally a mid-1960’s hit for The Troggs (Chip Taylor).
The speech synthesizer intones the lyrics. 
Instead of a guitar solo, there is a bassoon sample playing the opening notes of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and a blues lick. 
Followed by a breakdown using Indian sitar/tabla, Indonesian gamelan and Japanese shakuhachi/shamisen, 
Verse 3 leads in with the Ramayana Monkey Chant.
Bonus points for identifying the lyrics from well known ‘I-IV-V’ based songs quoted going out.

LOW RIDER
Early 1970’s hit by the band War which had lyrics more spoken than sung. (This was the only one I would ’sing’ in Call Me Bwana) 

A fairly straight rendition here, just using the speech synthesizer to speak the lyrics.

EXPRESS YOURSELF
A 1970 funk classic by Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. 

Here the speech synthesizer just says the title line. Instead of verses there is one of the most annoying sounds on the planet:  a baby crying.

GLORIA
The hook in this 1960’s hit by Them (Van Morrison) was spelling out the title. 

I speak the verses with the speech synth saying the letters. A fairly tame synth backing track, except maybe using the Gagaku sho sample to answer. 

Call Me Bwana’s second album has it’s own sped-up ska version of Gloria.