Even before this CD came out, I was a big fan of Jack Black as an actor. But when I heard about this comical rock album coming out, I was a bit reluctant about buying it. But I mustered up the courage to pay for it and was pleasantly surprised with the CD. In fact, it's one of the best CDs I own. JB and KG (Kyle Gass) are brilliant rock geniuses that sing songs of love, heroes, politics, and none other than; Satan. And although the two main guys are Black and Gass, other popular musicians do appear (i.e. Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Phish's Page McConnell, Dust Brothers, and Steve McDonald). Here, for anyone who doesn't believe, is a short overview of the 21 tracks (14 songs, 7 skits).
1. Kielbasa - starts off the CD with the line 'dude we gotta fxckin write something here'; letting us know they're singing without a care in the world. The song is hilarious, and very catchy.
2. One Note Song - it's not really a song; it's more of a skit, as JB devises a plan for a song containing only one note (with a bendy).
3. Tribute - aka "the Greatest Song in the World". Here's an excellent tale of JB and KG on a hitchhiking trip in which they run into a demon who asks them to play a song for him. It was a single, and with good reason.
4. Wonderboy - this song kind of sounds like a comic book story. Two characters are introduced: Wonderboy and Young Nastyman, two enemies who later form the band Tenacious D. It was the first single, although not the best.
5. Hard Fxcking - here's a skit about hard fxcking. Pretty funny intro to...
6. Fxck Her Gently - this is a 21st century love song that talks about what women really want during sex. It's very good, and as JB says: 'fellas, listen closely'.
7. Explosivo - this one is a short song with some catchy lyrics and music. I don't really know what it's about; maybe girlfriends or a demon-Satan creature, I don't know. It's good, though.
8. Dio - a rhyme about Ronnie James Dio, in which the D lets us know they'll be taking over for Dio. No questions asked.
9. Inward Singing - JB again comes up with a brilliant plan for rock and roll in this hilarious skit. I believe "Inward Singing" has more swears than any other track. It's very witty, and leads us into...
10. Kyle Quit The Band - 'but now we're back together'. This is one of my favorite songs on the CD, and it tells us how Tenacious D plans to spend the money they'll be earning from becoming famous.
11. The Road - the start has a country-feel to it as Jack Black talks of the hardships being on the road brings him. It's one of the weak points of the album, though.
12. Cxck Pushups - funny, but too unbelievable to believe.
13. Lee - not about too much, it's mostly just words that rhyme with 'lee'.
14. Friendship Test - this skit is funny, as JB tells Kyle he loves him; only for him to realize it was a test. It's not that great, maybe worth an F+.
15. Friendship - 'as long as there's a record deal we'll always be friends', proving time and time again how real the love in Tenacious D really is.
16. Karate Schnitzel - Jack Black doing karate in a skit; hilarious.
17. Karate - this is probably the shortest song on the CD, but also the best. You'll find yourself singing along to the beautiful melodic harmony in this song over and over again.
18. Rock Your Socks - this song starts with a Dave Grohl shout of '1 2 3 4 5 6-6-6!' What more do you need to know? It's awesome.
19. Drive-Thru - this is the best skit on the CD, where JB and KG go through a fast-food drive-thru and order anything from a 4-piece 6-nugget meal to a jr. western bacon-chee.
20. Double Team - here's the best love song I've ever heard. Not really, but this song is so hilarious and pleasant-sounding you will certainly sing along. For some reason, though, they finish it off with a 'hail Satan' chant. Go figure.
21. City Hall - ahh, the epic ending. This is a 6½-minute ode to a new world ruled by two kings: Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who rewrite the rules of man, transportation, and politics with ground-breaking decrees.
Hiddens. "Malibu Nights" (as it's dubbed by JB) evens the score at 1 to 1, going back to the "One Note Song" skit. It's really a hidden gem.
***
As you can imagine, Tenacious D is not for everyone. They are not your average rock & roll band, and their lyrics might be beyond you if lack a sense of humor. But if you do have a sense of humor and you'd enjoy a new twist on rock, Tenacious D is for you. All the songs/skits are good, if not excellent. Jack Black has really taken his career to a new level; and he's taken us fans along with him. Don't overlook the D because they lack real-life lyrical value or because they may be sexist bastards (not really). Their music is very catchy and you will find yourself singing along to it; I guarantee it.
The self-titled album by the comedic duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass is simply too hilarious. The lyrics are raunchy and by no means should be heard by impressionable youths. I was dying of laughter as I listened to the entire album. In between songs were dialogue by Jack and Kyle which are just unbelievably funny. One of my particular favorite moments of the cd is when Jack pulled the "Friendship Test" on Kyle on track #14 by saying he loves Kyle and seeing what Kyle's reaction is. That is one of the few cleaner moments of the cd. Another favorite is "Kyle Quit the Band". Kyle unleashes a barrage of obscenities which just killed me. I love "Wonderboy". The song reminds me of something that Ronnie James Dio would have sung back in his heyday with Dio. "Drive Thru" is simply too funny when Jack wants only four chicken McNuggets as opposed to six because he is watching his weight. My particular favorite moment in the track is when he orders a large soda, filled with half diet coke and the other half regular coke. Jack lists all these ridiculous tracks while Kyle orders only two items. Normally I don't go for comedy albums but "Tenacious D" proved to be one big laugh riot.
Ever since I saw High Fidelity (one of the greatest and most underrated movies ever) I have been a huge Jack Black fan. Picking up this CD was a good decision. It's got such a great sound on all the songs. Sometimes it sounds like Lynyrd Skynyrd ("The Road") sometimes AC/DC ("Dio") and sometimes like Crosby, Stills and Nash ("Tribute") It's all these great classic rock band sounds but with all this humor. The funniest track by far is "Inward Singing." I heard this in the car and started laughing so hard I almost cried. This CD seems immature at times, and often foolish, but you know what? Back off. Jack Black is rampant in all of us. Let this CD bring the JB out in you. It's funny, the songs are actually pretty darn good, and it's like nothing you've heard since the days of Hendrix, Zeppelin and Skynyrd. Pop it in, you won't be sorry.
I have been a fan of Tenacious D for a few years now and I must say that this album is a step in the right direction from their live act. While nothing can replace the unforgivable error of not including Sasquatch, Jesus Ranch or Bowie on this recording, it is still worth the money for the glorious rock that bleeds from their souls like wine. Every note of their music is carefully placed so as to increase the total amount of rocking possible. The consensus amongst my friends is that "Wonderboy" is officially the greatest rock song of all time, closely beating out "Stairway to Heaven" That's how good this album is! So, buy this album and find some of their bootleg live shows. Study their every detail so that when your children in the near distant future comes home from school, you'll be able to talk with them about the "D" and even read over the multiple chapters about them in your child's history books!
Comedy CDs have always struck me as dumb. I figured if you want comedy - go to a movie (maybe a Jack Black movie) or a stand-up or something. Tenacious D has single-handedly changed my mind about comedy CDs with their debut self-titled album.
Cleverly mixing music and skit humor, Black and guitarist/friend/patsy Kyle Gass tackle issues that most people above fourty or under twelve would find offensive. Black's voice almost has a way of conveying feeling on you when you hear it, in that you can sense a certain seriousness or anger to it. This makes his comedy all the more effective, and is on display on this album. If you like Black in the movies (Shallow Hal, Orange County most recently) then you'll most likely enjoy him here as well.
Perhaps the best reason this CD can be labeled a success is the length of the tracks. Many comedy artists (see:Adam Sandler) sometimes make tracks so long that it is hard to stay focused on them, or it takes too long to get to the punchline. Never fear here, however, for Tenacious D has kept most of there tracks to a comfortable 2-2:30 length and also mixed in a good deal of music to spice it up.
Here's the real kicker. All that I've been preaching about is the comedy, but this group is actually passable as an excellent music group. Guitar-work at times is fantastic, and Black is a more talented singer than some other artists I can think of who don't have his humor to back it up.
Simply put, this is an album like no other, and must be experienced to be understood. If you are offended by profanity, or references to the male anatomy, however, you might want to steer clear of this album. The rest of you, give this a spin - you probably won't regret it.
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