Richard Cheese- Lounge Against The Machine

Lounge Against The Machine is Richard Cheese's debut album, which was released in 2000.

Right from the first album, there's a great amount of comedy and re-arrangement talent to enjoy, but some songs on this album suffer from low-rent production values. Nookie / Break Stuff works great as a lounge parody, but is undermined by some awful sounding drums (although I really enjoy the Chatanooga Choo Choo joke at the end).

It's a similar story for Guerilla Radio and Bullet The Blue Sky. The cover of Creep is well executed (particularly the wonderfully terrible Radiohead puns at the start) but this is one of few times where I prefer serious emotion (i.e. Frank Bennett's wonderful version) to the tongue-in-cheek of Richard Cheese. The lyrics for Closer make for a hilarious jazz cover, but the big-band version from Sunny Side Of The Moon has more musical depth.

The laid-back style- with xylophone- of Come Out And Play works brilliantly with the lyrics. As does the comically overdone climax. At the other end of the scale, Nirvana's dark and disturbed lyrics of Rape Me make for a ridiculous contrast to the bouncing latin-jazz style of Richard Cheese's version. It's very cringeworthy, and doesn't pretend to be anything else.

The immature and lite-rebellion lyrics of What's My Age Again and Fight For Your Right have been my favourite aspect of these songs' original version. So these covers which further magnify the silliness are a guaranteed success.

Wrong Way doesn't work for me. Maybe because I enjoy the original on an emotional level. So a version in this style seems a bit... ahem... wrong. But maybe that's the joke? However, Holiday in Cambodia is a different story. Somehow I enjoy both the vehemence of the original and the non-sequitur comedy of this cover. Both versions are brilliant in their own way.

Suck My Kiss is over before you know it. And I think that's the secret to Richard Cheese's comedy- quitting while you're ahead before the joke grows tired.

Favourite songs

Come Out And Play, Rape Me, What's My Age Again, Holiday In Cambodia, Crazy

I diggit?

Sure do. Even with all the other Richard Cheese albums in my collection, the joke never gets old.

Midnight Oil- 20,000 Watt R.S.L.

This mid-career Best Of was released in 1997.

Jumping straight in, there's no denying that the vocal delivery is quite harsh (not helped in many cases by the 1980s-spec overdone reverb effect on the snare drum). At their best, Midnight Oil balance this vocal venom and protest lyrics with syrupy melodies and catchy choruses. Unfortunately, the latter are lacking from What Goes On and White Skin Black Heart, therefore I find the songs bleak and unenjoyable.

Power And The Passion drags out a bit, and I've heard it far too many times. But the horns in the bridge are wonderfully regal and build up to a tremendous climax. So even though I'm "over" the song as a whole, this section is still a great highlight for me.

Kozciusko is an example of Midnight Oil at their best. Pop-friendly and easily accessible, yet with great insight and poetry to the lyrics. A minor blemish is that aside from the wonderfully catchy chorus, the rest of the song is a bit disjointed. The Dead Heart is where it all comes together, with the highlights being a catchy chorus and an unforgettable singalong melody. It's wall-to-wall brilliance.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, Blue Sky Mine, Beds Are Burning and King Of The Mountain are all the same joyful story. They all use the same proven recipe, yet are varied enough to each be fresh and enjoyable. In particular, Beds Are Burning is protest rock perfection, and King Of The Mountain has wonderfully vivid imagery in the lyrics.

Elsewhere, I'm not so convinced. Best Of Both Worlds is unfortunately just lacking the great chorus required to join the above list. One is a dog's breakfast. Truganini has a great message, but there isn't enough pop appeal to balance the depressive and preachy lyrics. Back On The Borderline is probably my favourite of the "non-hit" songs. The Clash-esque style works a treat, but unfortunately the chorus is quite awkward. Maybe these songs are hard to properly appreciate outside of the political/social context that inspired them, though.

Finally, Forgotten Years has a brilliantly passionate story, great energy and a smorgasbord of hooks. It is my equivalent to how a lot of people view Hunters and Collectors' Holy Grail.

Favourite songs

The Dead Heart, Blue Sky Mine, Beds Are Burning, King Of The Mountain, Forgotten Years

I diggit?

I thoroughly enjoy the hits listed above.

 ...but I bought this compilation to more thoroughly understand and enjoy Midnight Oil; this didn't really happen so I think I'm best off approaching Midnight Oil as a band that I'm happy to hear on the radio occasionally.

Baby Animals- self-titled

This is the debut album from the Baby Animals, which was released in 1991.

I bought the album purely for One Word. Thanks to the endless catchy hooks, inspiring lyrics and snappy breaks, this song is drunken singalong nirvana. Hopefully this snappy single also leads to an album of great substance?

Rush You and Early Warning have similar intoxicated appeal, although not quite to the same level as One Word, so you'll need to be a bit more wasted! Nonetheless, they are still a very enjoyable way to spend 4 minutes.

Painless is getting far too close to Dixie Chicks for my liking. The verses are passable, but the chorus is awfully uninspired. Break My Heart also has an awful chorus, and not just due to the depressive lyrics.

Ain't Gonna Get is a somewhat enjoyable headbanging romp, but nothing to write home about. Apart from that, the rest of the album holds no appeal for me.

Favourite Songs

One Word, Rush You, Early Warning

I diggit?

The answer to the question posed at the start is mostly a disappointing "no". Despite that, the couple of hits grant this album niche appeal for when the time is right (although I must admit that I'd go for the Sin City EP instead most of the time).

Metallica- S&M

S&M is Metallica's eighth album. It was released in 1999, two years after Reload.

And it's an intriguing concept: rock supergroup plus symphony orchestra. The possibilities are very exciting, but it is also fraught with danger. Such as whether the often simplistic Metallica songs would actually benefit from the addition of an orchestra? And whether the arrangements can seamlessly integrate an extra 81 instruments within a rock song designed for 4?

I'm not familiar with the original version of The Call Of Ktulu, so it's hard to comment on the "orchestral conversion". But judged in isolation, the leitmotif isn't especially memorable and the song drags on without much purpose to its structure. The biggest disappointment is that it never unleashes the full power of the orchestra; it's always "rock band plus strings" or "rock band plus horns", etc.

On the other hand, I really like the original version of Master Of Puppets. However, I'm not convinced that the occasional orchestral fluff really adds anything to this version. In fact, it jumps around so much that it's very hard to get into the groove of the song. Of Wolf And Man is similar in the failings of the orchestral integration. It's like they've tried to find gaps in which to squeeze an orchestra, and the result is just background noise more than anything else. The Thing That Should Not Be is also just too busy and often the orchestral parts lack any coherence with the underlying rock song.

The recording quality of the quieter sections shows very good character, subtlety and balance. Unfortunately the louder sections can get quite messy (in particular, a muddy sound in the upper-bass frequencies) and the hi-hat is harsh and overbearing on several songs. However, I don't envy the people tasked with shoehorning a raging Metallica -  plus a full orchestra - onto a CD, so some slack must be cut.

For Fuel, it seems the band have let the orchestra loose with some of the main riffs of the song, and the result is brilliant! And in the quieter sections, the swirling instruments works a treat to build drama. So, with the extra room for the orchestra to express itself, suddenly the whole concept makes sense. Phew!

The highlight of No Leaf Clover is the great contrast provided by the gentle chorus. Throughout the song, the orchestral parts adds a grand sense of scale, which is fantastic. Devil's Dance is also a wonderful result of combining "S" with "M", however I find the song lacks any effective hooks to make it memorable. Until It Sleeps is also a great arrangement of a lacklustre rock song.

For better or worse, the original of Nothing Else Matters is quite a crude and lumpy rock-ballad. I personally enjoy it for what it is, but there is definitely scope for a more sophisticated approach. But you won't find that here, unfortunately it's just a case of orchestral fluff in background adding nothing worthwhile to the song. Similarly, the S&M version of Enter Sandman also doesn't interest to me at all, perhaps because the original version's appeal is built around its... ahem purity as mindless, headbanging fun. That timeless riff is obscured (perhaps being unrecognisable if you weren't familiar with the original song) and the overall impression is of diluted rather than enhanced.

The instrumental preamble of For Whom The Bell Tolls is brilliant. The rest of the song features wonderful integration of band and orchestra, although I find it lacking in hooks. It's a similar story for -Human. To finish this review with some highlights, Wherever I May Roam, Outlaw Torn and Sad But True hit the nail on the head and deliver everything I'd hoped for when a great rock band is combined with a symphony orchestra.

Favourite songs

Fuel, No Leaf Clover, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Wherever I May Roam, Sad But True

I diggit?

During the first few songs, I was thinking this was a stinker of an album. But once it finds its feet, this is wonderfully immense experience.

Richard Cheese- Tuxicity

Tuxicity is Richard Cheese's second album. It was released in 2002, two years after Lounge Against The Machine.

She Hates Me is vintage Richard Cheese: a gently, catchy jazz song, with the novelty of a profanity-laden chorus!

On the other hand, Fell In Love With A Girl lacks the grubby language, but more than makes up for it with the catchy music. As does Hate To Say I Told You So.

Similarly, the originals of Hot For Teacher and More Human Than Human doesn't give them much material to work with. But the frenetic energy injected into this cover makes them great songs in their own right.

Down With The Sickness is brilliant. Starting with a great soft opening, it gently builds up in line with the increasing depravity of the lyrics. Which all leads to a grand, and hilariously over-the-top, ending.

It's not really a song, but I do enjoy the joke of getting the band to...ahem... Shut Up. Similarly, the gag at the end of Crazy is comedy gold.

If I may get a little philosophical, this album had me considering the nature of parody albums. Whereas a Frank Bennett album (also lounge covers of pop hits) would have me considering intellectual aspects such as the arrangements and creativity in the adaption, for Richard Cheese I immediately go looking for the LOLs (i.e. gentle crooning laced with as much profanity as possible!). The timing of the comedy is executed very well here, with most of the covers being much shorter than the original versions, to avoid the joke getting stale by the end of the song. Midway through listening to Shut Up and Crazy I was thinking that they weren't as strong as the other songs, and perhaps Mr Cheese recognised this since these songs are essentially used as the build-up to the joke at the end. 

Favourite songs

Fell In Love With A Girl, Down With The Sickness, Hot For Teacher, More Human Than Human

Worthwhile?

Absolutely.

Jackson Jackson- Tools For Survival

Tools For Survival is Jackson Jackson's second album. It was released in 2008, one year after The Fire Is On The Bird.

Although I tried not to, comparisons with its predecessor are unavoidable. And unfavourable. Where The Fire Is On The Bird had enormous variety, this album focusses on a narrower range of electronic-rock styles. Since I lack much experience with electronic music, I'm probably missing a lot of the context that this album is built upon. So unfortunately this album is at a handicap right from the outset.

Love Man is a nice trancey prog-rock effort to kick things off. I don't find it particularly memorable, but it works well as an opener. Hope For The Future is very similar.

The contrast of humble and emotive lyrics with ridiculously hektic electronica works a treat for The Devil In Me. It's a neat party trick, but unfortunately it grows old as the song drags out a bit.

All Alone has a brilliantly catchy groove for the chorus. Again the verses are contrasting, which works well and flows very nicely. The highlight for me is the lyrics, which have incredibly vivid imagery. I also really like that there is no clear narrative, just a journey through a collection of images loosely around a theme.

Looking So Hard For Love is nice, light-hearted fun. And Take Me Back works well both on its own as a humbling ballad, and to inject some variety into the album.

Somehow, the pre-chorus of Til The Heavens Fall is my favourite moment of the album. It's such a simple set of short phrases, yet it works brilliant as a lead-in, and builds perfectly with the song. Overall, the song is very similar to Eliza. In other words, it's the perfect build-up from humble beginnings to an epically grand finish. Brilliant.

Tools For Survival uses the same recipe with a bit of aimless wandering at the start. Once it gets into its stride, though, it is headbanging prog-rock brilliance.

Favourite songs

All Alone, Til The Heavens Fall, Tools For Survival

Worthwhile?

It's difficult to consider this album on its own merits without being influenced by the long shadow of its brilliant predecessor. To use a cooking analogy, it is a fine recipe that Jackson Jackson has used for both albums, and you wouldn't turn down a delicious cake just because you've eaten one of the same type before. Therefore, this is also a great album.