Me First and the Gimme Gimmes- Are a Drag

This 1999 album sees the cheesy skate-punk covers supergroup taking on some classic broadway songs. This concept appeals to me on two levels: as a connoisseur of punk-rock (if such a concept exists!) and for the immature enjoyment of hearing these classic songs stripped of their dignity...

Firstly a gripe though. Even in the scheme of skate-punk, the recording quality is very poor. There's no bottom end punch to the bass guitar or kick drum, the "cheese cutter" guitars sound hollow and the cymbals a mess. This is a real let-down since the instruments are well played throughout the album. Anyway, on to the songs...

Somewhere Over the Rainbow is a competent opening song, if a fairly generic effort. I do still like it though, such is the catchiness of the original. Don't Cry For Me, Argentina feels better suited to the punk-rock, with some enjoyment to be had in the very concept of an American frat-boy playing the part of an Argentinian heroine. Also, the 2nd pre-chorus works well (it's nice to hear another chord or two in a punk-rock song occasionally!).

Science Fiction Double Feature feels quite disjointed and the chorus somehow awkward. And I must shamefully admit I'm not very familiar with the original Rainbow Connection, so this song is lost on me.

Summertime is simply awesome. A fantastic adaption that is both a parody and a soaring punk-rock song. My favourite moment is the transition from the (relatively) gentle guitar in the first verse opening to "crank it up to 11" punk-rock soon after. It's the perfect combination of donor song and punk conversion. Brilliant.

Favourite Things frantically bounces along with fantastic energy. It seems they took some liberties with the lyrics:
When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
I don't feel so fuckin' bad
Unless Julie Andrews really did sing that?!

The riff of Phantom of the Opera makes for epic punk-rock! Also, this song seems a bit more layered than others on the album (eg the backing vocals in the chorus), making this song a highlight for me.

While I don't know I Sing the Body Electric, the epic scale of the lyrics makes for a great punk song. A great case study in the improvements to be found in removing broadway fluff and stripping a song back to 2 minute Ramones-esque punk-rock ditty! Also, with an appropriate backing, the lyrics now reveal themselves to be quite epic:
I look back on Venus,
I look back on Mars.
I burn with the fire
Of ten million stars 

It's Raining on Prom Night suits the album art of trashy drag dress-up perfectly. Also it makes for a nice catchy skate-punk song. The lyrics in the bridge are wrong. So wrong. Therefore I can't admit to liking it...

I'm not familiar with the original version of What I Did For Love. <looks it up> Urgh. Turns out this punk-rock version is a huge improvement. But that doesn't count for much...

Cabaret uses a ska guitar beat to great effect. The hedonistic lyrics suit the punk style perfectly, and the build-up to the soaring punk ending is fantastic.

Favourite songs

Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Summertime, Favourite Things, Phantom of the Opera, I Sing the Body Electric, It's Raining on Prom Night, Cabaret

Worthwhile?

As expected, the enjoyment of theses covers is quite dependant on whether I liked the original or not. However there are plenty of covers I dig here, all fantastically re-interpreted. And, as a bonus, a couple of songs I never knew but am now a big fan of, at least in punk-rock form.