Search - Smothers Brothers :: "Curb Your Tongue, Knave!"

Tommy in Bizarroland

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 05/20/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thomas Smothers III (b. 2/2/37) and Richard Smothers (b. 11/20/39) hold the distinction of being the longest-running comedy team in Show Biz history (52 years as of 2010). Their father was an Army major who died in WWII while a prisoner of the Japanese. The boys were raised in L.A. by their mom.



This CD exactly reproduces the contents of their fourth MERCURY Records album, "CURB YOUR TONGUE, KNAVE!" (1963). It was recorded "live" at Mr. Kelly's in Chicago, IL.



SIDE ONE-- "Church Bells" rewrites the Mayflower story, with Pilgrims landing at San Diego. "American History--1A" covers Johnny Appleseed and a hero of Tommy's (and no one else's!) "big tough Ben Covington." Tom stops midway through "Lonesome Traveler" to claim he's various comic book characters. In the Smothers universe, "Gnus" is pronounced 'guh-news."



SIDE TWO-- Tom's spastic playing on "Incredible Jazz Banjoist" thoroughly destroys "Whispering" and "Nola." After Dïckie complains that his vocal of "I Talk to the Trees" keeps getting interrupted, Tommy squelches him with this album's title. "Flamenco" features in Tom's words, "La Rosa Malagueña Grenada." The final track ("Swiss Christmas") concludes with a breakneck rendition of the Israeli folk song, "Tzena Tzena Tzena, Tzena."



PROGRAM--



[4:25] Church Bells

[5:09] American History--1A

[4:16] Lonesome Traveler

[2:29] Gnus



SIDE TWO

[4:24] The Incredible Jazz Banjoist

[3:40] I Talk to the Trees

[2:51] Flamenco

[4:35] Swiss Christmas



TOTAL TIME: 31:49"

A Very Funny Album

Brent Hilton | Layton, Utah USA | 07/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A Very Funny Album Well worth the buy i've already bought some of their other titles on CD, It must have been something i said and AESOP'S Fables. i just hope they release some other smother brothers albums too.



P.S. I hope Laugh.Com Releases some more titles of smothers ."