Customer Reviews

"Curb Your Tongue, Knave!"

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had the opportunity to meet Tommy Smothers and tell him that the Smother Brothers were one of the key formative influences on my life. I had all of their records before I was a teenager and from their comedy I learned about satire and from their songs I acquired an appreciation of vocal harmonies. I have been waiting patiently for all of their albums from the sixties, from "The Smothers Brothers at the Purple Onion" to "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" to be released on CD, and now the first one has emerged. "Curb Your Tongue, Knave!" was the fourth Smothers Brothers album and came out in 1963.

This time around we have eight routines: (1) "Church Bells" talks about religious harmony in the boy's home town; (2) "American History 1A" offers Tommy's peculiar take on the nation's past; (3) "Lonesome Traveler" has Tommy convinced he walks by night and knows many things because...he's the Whistler; (4) "Gnus" finds Tommy ready to go to Africa and be a big game hunter who will track down the vicious Gnus, who will knock you to you gnees; (5) "The Incredible Jazz Banjoist," of course, is also Tommy; (6) "I Talk To the Trees" offers the first of the three attempts by Dickie to get through the Broadway hit from "Paint Your Wagon" (the other two are both on their "Sibling Revelry" collection); (7) "Flamenco" offers more of Tommy's cultural unawareness; and (8) "Swiss Christmas" finds Tommy telling of how the holiday is practiced in a small Swiss village, sung to a recognizable and surprising term.

I find it rather interesting that "Curb Your Tongue, Knave!" was the highest charting Smothers Brothers album just because the sound quality on it was the worst (there is considerably more echo off of their microphones on this one than any other; it is not even close). I also think that on balance, this is actually one of their weakest comedy albums as well. But my biggest regret with regards to this album is that the boys do not finish "Lonesome Traveler," which features some of Tommy's best guitar playing. There is just something about sibling harmony, from Tom and Dick to the Everly Brothers, the Judds, et al., that I just like.

Finally, in their hey day the Smothers Brothers were putting out a couple of albums a year, so there is no reason with modern technology that the same sort of schedule cannot be maintained with regards to these albums being reissued on CD (hint, hint, hint).

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 Dīckie 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

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.

Original 1963 pressings of their fourth album "CURB YOUR TONGUE, KNAVE!" (SR 60862) are on MERCURY's black label. 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 Dīckie 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

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.

Original 1963 pressings of their fourth album "CURB YOUR TONGUE, KNAVE!" (SR 60862) are on MERCURY's black label. 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 Dīckie 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

Great remake of classic sixties comedy. Have all the original LPs, but it's nice to hear on CD.

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 .