'Zabagabee: The Best of Barnes & Barnes,' featuring Bill Mumy and Robert Haimer, coming in June

LIBERATION HALL ANNOUNCES FIRST-TIME REISSUE OF ZABAGABEE: THE BEST OF BARNES & BARNES   BARNES & BARNES WAS THE AVANT-WEIRD MUSICAL DUO OF ROBERT HAIMER AND BILL MUMY   THE DUO’S 1979 VIDEO “FISH HEADS” WAS AN EARLY MTV HIT  AND CURRENTLY HAS OVER 3 MILLION CUMULATIVE VIEWS ON YOUTUBE   ZABAGABEE: THE BEST OF BARNES & BARNES  WILL BE AVAILABLE JUNE 19 ON LP, CD, AND DVD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | April 15, 2026 – The early years of the enigmatic musical duo Barnes & Barnes will be celebrated with the June 19 release of Zabagabee: The Best of Barnes & Barnes. Originally released in 1987 by Rhino Records, this 16-track compilation—featuring the early MTV hit “Fish Heads”—will be available again on LP and CD, and for the first time on DVD. All formats are released by Liberation Hall and distributed by MVD Entertainment Group (USA) and Wienerworld (UK).    Pre-order the CD and LP (Amazon) or DVD (Amazon).    Barnes & Barnes was formed in 1970 by Los Angeles high school classmates Robert Haimer (1954-2023) and Bill Mumy. Mumy was already an established actor known for his work in the popular television series Lost in Space and The Twilight Zone, among other credits. By 1978, the pair had become darlings of the musical underground with “Fish Heads,” a novelty tune which went on to become the #1 most requested song in the history of the “Dr. Demento Radio Show.” A video for “Fish Heads,” directed by and starring actor Bill Paxton, aired on NBC-TV's Saturday Night Live in December 1980. Eight months later it was in rotation on the newly launched MTV cable channel.    When recording or performing as Barnes & Barnes, Haimer and Mumy adopted the pseudonyms of Art Barnes and Artie Barnes, respectively — supposed twin brothers from the fictional civilization of Lumania. The names were derived from the “Art Films” they had created as teenagers with a Super 8 motion picture camera.    Zabagabee: The Best of Barnes & Barnes was the duo’s first full-length compilation of their music recorded 1978-1987. It includes five tracks from debut album Voobaha (1980), two from Spazchow (1981), four from Amazing Adult Fantasy (1984), two from Sicks (1986), and three additional non-LP cuts. In his review of the album, AllMusic Guide’s Neg Raggett wrote, “Perhaps the big open secret of Barnes & Barnes is that they have a lovely knack for commercial but not slick new wave/modern rock of the '80s variety, with synthesizers, hooks, and just enough guitars and drum machines, over which they then proceeded to sing all sorts of bizarre lyrics. A good chunk of the songs have something to do with sex, polite or otherwise.”

YOUTUBE SHARE: "Fish Heads" by Barnes & Barnes

In addition to showcasing Haimer and Mumy’s instrumental and songwriting talents, Zabagabee: The Best of Barnes & Barnes features an eclectic lineup of guest artists. Bob Casale of Devo produced the duo’s remake of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “What’s New Pussycat?,” while Gerry Beckley of the band America produced and sang on “Blithering.” Additional vocals on “Don’t You Wanna Go to the Moon” are provided by Beckley and his America bandmate Dewey Bunnell, Journey’s Steve Perry, Toto’s Joseph Williams, and Jay Gruska.    Following Zabagabee: The Best of Barnes & Barnes’ original release in 1987, Haimer and Mumy recorded an additional nine collaborative albums before Haimer’s death in 2023. The duo also produced a pair of albums for Wild Man Fischer.    Longtime fans of Barnes & Barnes will be especially pleased to finally be able to add the DVD of Zabagabee: The Best of Barnes & Barnes to their collections. Previously only available on the VHS format, this 40-minute collection features seven videos of songs featured on the album. Intercut between the videos are comic testimonials to the genius of Barnes & Barnes from Mark Hamill, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Barret Eugene Hansen (aka “Dr. Demento”), Stephen Stills, Rosemary Clooney, Woody Herman, José Ferrer, Devo’s Booji Boy,”and other celebrities of the era.     TRACKLIST: LP (LIB-2174) & CD (LIB-2173) 1. Fish Heads | 2. Blithering | 3. Soak It Up | 4. Ah Ā | 5. Boogie Woogie Amputee | 6. Life Is Safer When You’re Sleeping | 7. Unfinished Business | 8. Pussy Whipped | 9. What’s New Pussycat? | 10. Party in My Pants | 11. Don’t You Wanna Go to the Moon | 12. Pizza Face | 13. Love Tap | 14. I Don’t Remember Tomorrow | 15. Cemetery Girls | 16. When You Die   TRACKLIST: DVD (LIB-2183) 1. Fish Heads | 2. Love Tap | 3. Soak It Up | 4. Ah Ā | 5. Party in My Pants | 6. Pizza Face | 7. When You Die   All songs produced by Art and Artie Barnes except “Blithering” (Gerry Beckley) and “What’s New Pussycat?” (Bob Casale).

Bill Mumy and Robert Haimer of BARNES & BARNES