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I love the Simpsons. Well ok, that love affair's been interfered with the last 5 seasons or so, but back in the day, the
Simpsons was the coolest thing ever. I subscribed to the old Topps Simpsons Magazine, I had a Bart skateboard (For a day,
anyway....then it got stolen), and the first video game I ever beat was Bart vs. the Space Mutants, a fact that I remained
proud of until I eventually I realized the game blew....these days, I can't even get past the first level. Speaking of which,
I still to this day can't believe that guy coming out of the bar is Moe....c'mon Acclaim, even with 8 bits....that's not Moe.
The capper of the original Simpsons Mania, was of course, the immortal album Simpsons Sing the Blues. I bought this puppy.
Not once. Not twice. Not thrice. Yes....four times....even sadder than that, that fourth time was in recent history, probably
98 or so. My first cassette copy was worn down. The second cassette copy was lost. The third cassette copy was once again
worn down (Wow...scary that not only did I buy it all these times, I actually played it enough to wear it down. TWICE). The
fourth copy, which I wised up and bought on cd (Though if you buy it more than once, do you really "wise up"?), still proudly
sits in my collection, those half faces taunting me every time I open up that particular binder and it stares out at me. "You've
sunk almost 80 bucks into this crappy album! LOSER!!!!!!"
| Behind the scenes at a real recording studio!!! |
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| Here's Nancy's entry for the Adam Curry lookalike contest |
But hey, Do the Bartman was it! I had no shame in listening to that song, learning the words, even after I learned the
horrible truth that Michael Jackson wrote it. The song has a rightful place in the audio on my computer, as does Deep Deep
Trouble....the "Play That Funky Music" follow up to "Ice Ice Baby", if you will. At least that song was a step up in talent.
I'd much rather hear DJ Jazzy Jeff making an ass of himself than Michael Jackson (Besides...how many times do I have an oppurtunity
to hear, see, read about etc. the latter?). I also have a fondness (Hell, I flat out love the song) for "Look at all These
Idiots", the lone track featuring a non Simpson (Mr. Burns and Smithers).....see kiddies, back then, the secondary characters
were actually secondary. The track had a cheesy 80s synth groove, and Mr. Burns raps!
| Maggie's smart, she realizes no matter how many |
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| pathetic attempts Julie makes, we know she's Marge |
| Here, Mr. Burns poins out more things Harry |
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| can bitch about next season |
| Here's Yeardley! Yes...well...um..... |
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| Whatever the hell happened to Herman's Head anyway? |
| While I'm sure Dan's a nice guy, if I ever saw him |
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| on the street, I'd warn my niece to stay away |
Much like the show itself in recent years, I have a love/hate relationship with this album I can remember times when I
enthusiasticly chose to listen to this in my walkman on field trips or whatnot. It's certainly not as horrible as say, the
Simpsons Yellow Album, though I spent 10 bucks on that...not 80. Still, 80 dollars for Simpsons Sing the Blues compared to
ten for the Yellow Album....might've just ended up being the better deal.
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And now on to the tracks
Do the Bartman
Insert your favorite Michael Jackson joke here. I never, in fact, did the Bartman. I'm sure when this came out, in the
back of my head, I knew this was a horrible song....at least I hope I did. What's even sadder is the video, which can be found
in all it's glory on the second season dvd set, did not age well. Can you believe this was a hit? I even remember when it
hit number one on the MTV countdown...it knocked out that insiped Extreme song after like, a bazillion weeks at number one.
It's tidbits like that that make me wonder what happened to my life. Still, despite the awfulness, this song does have a charm
to it. And as I said earlier, I do like it, for all it's crappy glory. Just don't tell anyone.....
School Days
*Sigh* I remember when I was ten and actually had the energy to hate school and nod along with anything that agreed. Hey....school
sucks! Yeah, I hear what you're sayin! What ten year old would ever realize this was a cover....and in fact, the dude doing
the singing, was not the great Chuck Berry, but in fact, that wacky lovable (While never being wacky nor lovable) Buster Poindexter
(BTW, I wasted years trying to figure out if Buster Poindexter was indeed the same Poindexter in Revenge of the Nerds and
wondering how that was possible because they looked nothing alike). There was a time when this was the best song on the album....sad,
isn't it?
Born Under a Bad Sign
It's hard to remember, but there was once a time that Homer was a). Not a complete idiot and b). not the star of the show.
Let's face it...it was total Bartmania back then, and just about everyone who bought this album (At least if you were "cool")
skipped the non-Bart tracks. Nowadays, I can appreciate this song (And would much rather listen to it than most of the other
drivel on this album) because Dan Castelenetta can flat out sing. Well maybe he can't...I dunno, I've never heard the guy
actually sing in his own voice, but as Homer (Or his zillion other characters), he can. Back then, too many of us were idiots
to not see this.
Moanin' Lisa Blues
Who was the genius Fox or Geffen executive who demanded a full version of Lisa's blues song from Moanin Lisa? The song
was fine the way it is, for a Lisa thing (More on my feelings about that character later). There is never a good enough reason
to change a one verse song to a three+ verse song....that includes you, Boss of Me (Yeah, I just slagged They Might Be Giants...yeah,
I'm shocked too. Oh well). What's even worse is they made it an uptempo modern blues number here. Damn it, I felt for Lisa
and that cupcake in the episode! No emotion here whatsoever...
Deep Deep Trouble
This song (And even the video) was infinitly better than Do The Bartman, but let's face it....1990. The days when Michael
Jackson was untouchable....er, in the good way. DJ Jazzy Jeff's work on this song (Which I could even recognize at that age
as being "awesome")....and there's no damn moth balls going near anything in this song!!!
God Bless the Child
Yes, I believe I can trace the exact moment of when I started hating Lisa back to the first time I heard this song! As
I listen to the album now as I write this, I believe I'm listening to this song (After that bizarre moment where Lisa speaks
to the producer) for the first time ever on cd (Hey, on tape...you couldn't hide from it unless your fast forward skills were
precise!). Let's see how it holds up together!
...hmmm, yes well...
See, I realize it's a cover of a well known song. I'm not slagging the original (Not that I'm the least bit familliar with
the original), but anyone who bought the album for this track alone deserves to be shot. What's even weirder is the random
cameo by Bleeding Gums Murphy.....why wasn't he on Moanin Lisa Blues? At least that would make sense!
Of course, I'm probably just not ready for an 8 year old yellow soul sister. I might need to free my mind....
I Love to See You Smile
The lone example of intelligence on this album. The producers realized no one would buy this for a Marge track, so they
stuck her here. With Homer....and then they put her on the follow up track, where she doesn't sing.This song takes you back
to the days where Homer was just a sympathetic jackass, rather than a total asshole when it comes to his wife. Yeah, they
loved eachother once. Seriously.
Springfield Soul Stew
I hate instrumentals. Even when my favorite artists turn in an instrumental track, I listen to it, and say, yeah that's
nice....now how about a real song. It's not that I don't appreciate a showcase of talent like that, it's just I always feel
robbed of a real song. Since this is the obligatory Marge and Lisa track, I'm not gonna complain that much...plus, it's actually
kind of funky.
Look at all Those Idiots
Even when I had no idea what half of the words meant, even when I didn't really give a crap that Mr. Burns actually got
a song on the album, I knew this was the best track. And more importantly, on an album that features characters from one of
the funniest series in television history, it's the only funny song on the album. "I believe they call it the breakdown, sir"
"Breakdowns, I can't have any breakdowns here, what if there's an inspector laround?" That line still cracks me up.
Sibling Rivalry
Awful song. Truly awful. What's even scarier is that if there was a third single, this would probably've been it. Remember,
BartMania. What makes this song truly awful? The constant tempo changes....the background singers...the fact that it seems
like it refuses to end....Lisa? After listening to it for (Much like God Bless the Child) the first time in a long, long time..I've
reached the conclusion it's all four. Plus Bart.
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