America's favorite family doesn't really exist except through the magic of cartoons, but the Simpsons are back with their second album, Songs In The Key of Springfield.
Whereas the debut Simpsons disc Sing The Blues combined members of the Springfield community with famous musicians in original tracks, serious fans of the show will recognize these songs - for all have originally appeared before on television.
That fact shouldn't detract from the value of this disc, as these songs and outtakes have never appeared outside of their television context. And the pairing of highlights from the Simpsons show (songs plus dialogue), showcases the creative brilliance not only of the Simpsons writers, but of series composer Alf Clausen, the man responsible for creating most of the music on this disc.
The tracks themselves are often witty takeoffs of other songs, themes and ideas. "Flaming Moe's" owes much to the theme of "Cheers"; "Dr. Zaius" is a direct parody of Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus", and Mr. Burns' "See My Vest" parodies Beauty & The Beast. The ending of "Baby On Board" references the Beatles ("Did we pass the audition?"), while Jack Sheldon recreates his "Schoolhouse Rock" vocals on "The Amendment Song".
There's more; eleven different interpretations of the Simpsons theme; "Chimpan A To Chimpan Z", from "Planet of the Apes - The Musical!" pokes fun at the cheezy lyrics in many Broadway musicals, and a quite different version of "In A Gadda Da Vida". Guest stars abound, including Tony Bennett, Robert Goulet and Tito Puente. And, if there was any question of the mysterious voice singing "Happy Birthday, Lisa", we find out (officially) that the song was published by MIJAC Music. Say hello, Mr. Jackson...
More volumes will be coming out in the future, so we'll have to wait for Volume 2 to hear the Ramones ("Happy Birthday") and Sting ("We're Sending Our Love Down The Well"). A must for Simpson-philes. File under comedy.
