Customer Reviews

Songs & More Songs By Tom Lehrer

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I grew up on Tom Lehrer. My parents had both of his 10" LPs and we listened to them often. His 60s albums were dragged out EVERY time we had a party and often just when we had the stereo turned on. I had every single song Tom Lehrer ever did memorized and I have NEVER heard a comedy artist as perceptive or as intelligent as Lehrer.

Then things changed, as they will. I moved away from home, never bought the CDs and pretty much forgot about him. Recently, though, the issue of academic integrity reared it's ugly head in a discussion and I found myself quoting Lehrer's 1955 masterpiece, "Lobachevsky." It was perfect for the moment. I was asked what they hell I was talking about and to illustrate Lehrer's genius, I wound up singing "The Elements" (the entire periodic table sung to a Gilbert & Sullivan tune) and "The Hunting Song" (a brilliant parody/analysis of hunters and gun advocates).

After 35 years, there's not a single song on this collection (first two albums of piano & singing, 4 orchestrated versions and one bonus track) that isn't funny AND perceptive and only a couple have become (only slighty, mind you) dulled by time.

BOB DYLAN, CHUCK BERRY, AND TOM LEHRER, THE THREE GREAT LYRICISTS OF POPULAR AMERICAN MUSIC. These songs are from his original studio releases on two 10" vinyl disks back in the 50's. My parents actually saw him live in NY on his "Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer" tour, and never recovered. As a pre-teen, I was permanently hooked. My original 50's vinyl versions are decimated by endless play on a Webcor portable phonograph. All four releases are a scream, and in fact, if you don't need the original release versions on this CD, the live performances are even funnier.

Hooked on Tom Lehrer ever since hearing him on Dr. Demento, I instantly fell in love with his ingenious satyrical lyrics. I have loaned this album to several coworkers and have received nothing but favorable reviews. Praise to the release of this CD where the original recordings - not only the concert versions - are available to those of us who did not live hear Harvard in the late 1950's. My favorite song has to be Clementine - ala Cole Porter, Mozart, Scat Jazz, and Gilbert & Sullivan - PURE GENIUS! Buy this CD - it will be one of the best in your collection, great for any party or get together when you want all to have a good cderebral laugh. I wish Tom would write and record again.

Tom Lehrer is the most brilliant song satirist ever recorded. This CD contains all two of his studio albums. Both of these albums were later recorded as live albums. Arguably, the songs sound better with an audience's reactions, as well as Mr. Lehrer's spoken commentary on the songs. But even alone in a recording studio with just a piano, the songs are clever and funny. In addition to the two albums, the CD includes the four songs he re-recorded with an orchestra in 1960 (two of which were unreleased at the time) and one song ("I Got It From Agnes") which he used to perform in concert back then, but he considered to be too risque to record at the time (he finally recorded it in 1996). This is a great collection that I highly recommend to fans of funny music.

Buyer beware! Yes, these are the usually great, sometimes brilliant, sometimes annoying Tom Lehrer songs BUT his introductions are gone. These are rather sterile recordings, with no audience reaction and, more importantly, none of the wonderfully funny verbal introductions that were half the fun of Tom Lehrer's music. The songs are there. And most, while not as wonderful without the introductions, do stand on their own. Just know what you're getting.

I just ordered this CD for a friend of mine in the US. I'm not an emotional person, but I respond to the level of Tom Lehrer's excellence. He is first rate - his command of the English language is superb; he don't play or sing too bad either.

If I were to buy just one CD of his work, this would be the one. I was introduced to the music and wit of TL when I was in high school over 30 years ago. I have also personally thanked my high school music teacher (Jay Braman) who first introduced me to TL. Tom Lehrer is a true American treasure.

In the sixties an enlightened uncle bought my brother and me a Christmas Present LP 'Songs by Tom Lehrer, and a year later 'More Songs'.

These 'went down a treat' at twenty-something parties; unfortunately they also 'went down a treat' with one party goer and went with him or her. A recent BBC radio programme ran interviews with the Prof. together with a selection of his songs, and prompted me to search the net successfully for the re-issues.

So, after 30 years the performances are as fresh and cynical as ever, and surprisingly little dated - as is evidenced by the younger reviewers

This is a compilation CD containing songs from Tom Lehrer's first two LPs. It contains a lot of material in one package. Tom Lehrer is brilliant. Unfortunately, the songs alone are only half the experience of listening to him. His original LPs contain satrical monologue introductions to each song which both set the context and, in some cases, are as funny as the songs themselves. They are sorely missed here. For this reason, I can't recommend this particular CD, even though I recommend Tom Lehrer full-heartedly. This CD is only half of Tom Lehrer, so I only gave it half a rating - 3 stars. Do yourself a favor and buy the re-issues of the original LPs to get the full flavor of this artist / satirist.

I had some old tapes of Tom Lehrer, which got lost or damaged, and were replaced by this one CD. I wish I'd bought it earlier. Of course the sad thing is to hear what he sings about and remember the times, and realize he stopped writing songs and performing in part because the world was getting just a little too scary even for him, and really difficult to make fun of.

I've sprung Tom Lehrer's songs upon an unsuspecting group of people more than once, and the reactions are priceless, from shock to uncontrollable guffaws. This re-issue of Mr. Lehrer's first two ourages is a must for any collector of recorded weirdness...