Search - NATIONAL LAMPOON :: Greatest Hits of the National Lampoon

Some incredibly funny stuff, some not so much...

Tom Munroe | Chicago, IL United States | 09/27/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to remember what a cultural force Nat Lamp was in the 1970's. Only an institution such as the Lampoon could have helped to create the keystone epic "Animal House" and, of course "SNL", arguably the two most important and influential comedy forces of the decade. So it is with this in mind that I try to remain at least mildly unbiased in my assessment of this disc as, frankly, some of it absolutely first rate, even thirty years later. And some of it is, well...



So, why should you buy this disc? Well, here's why you shouldn't: "Save The Whales" is good for one listen only, and frankly, should have been done much better; "I'm A Woman" is a testiment to the fact that Gilda Radner was both overrated and, at times, incredibly annoying (although, in all fairness to her, the material itself was dated and silly probably 18 months after it was first recorded and would have been if anyone else had done it); "Pizza Man", a "tribute" to vocal stylings of 1950's rock/doo-wop that comes across as one of those "Is this supposed to be funny or just stupid?" moments; and "Those Fabulous Sixties" which is a head scratcher in terms of why in the hell this one was included. So, you ask, what is left? What is left indeed. The remaining tracks teeter between incredibly funny to sheer, total brilliance. "Deteriorata" is an amazing, and amusing, parody of the incredibly insipid "Desidorata", one of the top selling singles of the early 70's. "Colorado" demonstrates that not only was Chevy Chase once funny, he was also undeniably multi-talented; "Well-Intentioned Blues", a hysterical blues parody by Christopher Guest, and, arguably, the best thing on this CD; "Mission:Impeachable", another Chase gem that both amusingly and chillingly distillates the entire Watergate scandal in about two minutes; "Kung Fu Christmas", another funny song, "Mister Roberts", a howlingly funny (and loving) take on Mr. Rogers, with both Guest and Bill Murray displaying their collective genius in what is the funniest bit on the disc; "Gymnasty", a short, shockingly funny bit that will bring back memories of anyone who remembers the 1976 Olympics; "The Immigrants", a funny take on documentaries and, finally, "Magical Misery Tour", with lyrics that I believe must have been lifted directly from interviews that John Lennon gave in the 70's (there is no way that anyone at the Lampoon could have written anything both this brilliant and twisted!) So, there you have it. Most of the CD is terrific and you will listen to it over and over again. And thanks to the digital age for being able to move quickly past the dumb stuff. Buy it today!"

Magical Misery Tour

Ron Evry | 05/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Actually, every word in the "Magical Misery Tour" was lifted from John Lennon's famous Rolling Stone Interview, which was even released as a paperback book. Or as Yoko said, "The Dream is Over.""