Customer Reviews

Tenacious D

5 star:		(129)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. Jack Black and Tenacious D are definitely a beautiful thing. Witty, insightful, sometimes rude but always talented - kinda like Barenaked Ladies with some bite. This album is mostly some tight, 3-minute songs intermingled with short comedy skits, all from TenD's HBO specials. The humor is definitely dark and twisted, with lots of nasty words and black situations. I personally love it, and the band certainly shows that they can make some jokes without the nastiness. One skit has Jack and guitarist KG going through the drive-thru - Jack makes an impossibly long order, then berates KG for taking 30 seconds to order 2 things. Jack then asks KG to pay for it, and when they don't have enough money, Jack tells them to "cancel the last two things in the order." Hilarious.

Yet hiden behind the humor is some outstanding music. I don't understand what problems people find here - Tenacious D has no problem moving from 80's metal to rock opera to love ballad, all in a single 3 minute song. Their technique is rock-solid, and their writing is amazing. One song even had a snip of Bach on the classical guitar! Jack Black's vocals are crystal clear with an amazing range, almost like Jewel in that JB can twist his voice into sounding like 3-4 different people, and KB can absolutely wail on the guitar, and play any style you can think of.

Most of the songs were produced for Tenacious D's HBO specials, and if you haven't seen them, some jokes won't make as much sense. For example, the song "Lee" refers to an obsessed fan who hangs out way too often and knows more about the band than they know themselves. So, they decide to turn the tables on Lee, and start obsessing about HIM, haha. "Skinny-dipping in a sea of Lee/I proposed on bended knee" is the line that I always lose it on, and the video definitely shows some wackier stuff, liking invading Lee's house at 3am to discuss socks. Check it out.

Even before this CD came out, I was a big fan of Jack Black as an actor. But when I heard about this comical rock album coming out, I was a bit reluctant about buying it. But I mustered up the courage to pay for it and was pleasantly surprised with the CD. In fact, it's one of the best CDs I own. JB and KG (Kyle Gass) are brilliant rock geniuses that sing songs of love, heroes, politics, and none other than; Satan. And although the two main guys are Black and Gass, other popular musicians do appear (i.e. Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Phish's Page McConnell, Dust Brothers, and Steve McDonald). Here, for anyone who doesn't believe, is a short overview of the 21 tracks (14 songs, 7 skits).

1. Kielbasa - starts off the CD with the line 'dude we gotta fxckin write something here'; letting us know they're singing without a care in the world. The song is hilarious, and very catchy.

2. One Note Song - it's not really a song; it's more of a skit, as JB devises a plan for a song containing only one note (with a bendy).

3. Tribute - aka "the Greatest Song in the World". Here's an excellent tale of JB and KG on a hitchhiking trip in which they run into a demon who asks them to play a song for him. It was a single, and with good reason.

4. Wonderboy - this song kind of sounds like a comic book story. Two characters are introduced: Wonderboy and Young Nastyman, two enemies who later form the band Tenacious D. It was the first single, although not the best.

5. Hard Fxcking - here's a skit about hard fxcking. Pretty funny intro to...

6. Fxck Her Gently - this is a 21st century love song that talks about what women really want during sex. It's very good, and as JB says: 'fellas, listen closely'.

7. Explosivo - this one is a short song with some catchy lyrics and music. I don't really know what it's about; maybe girlfriends or a demon-Satan creature, I don't know. It's good, though.

8. Dio - a rhyme about Ronnie James Dio, in which the D lets us know they'll be taking over for Dio. No questions asked.

9. Inward Singing - JB again comes up with a brilliant plan for rock and roll in this hilarious skit. I believe "Inward Singing" has more swears than any other track. It's very witty, and leads us into...

10. Kyle Quit The Band - 'but now we're back together'. This is one of my favorite songs on the CD, and it tells us how Tenacious D plans to spend the money they'll be earning from becoming famous.

11. The Road - the start has a country-feel to it as Jack Black talks of the hardships being on the road brings him. It's one of the weak points of the album, though.

12. Cxck Pushups - funny, but too unbelievable to believe.

13. Lee - not about too much, it's mostly just words that rhyme with 'lee'.

14. Friendship Test - this skit is funny, as JB tells Kyle he loves him; only for him to realize it was a test. It's not that great, maybe worth an F+.

15. Friendship - 'as long as there's a record deal we'll always be friends', proving time and time again how real the love in Tenacious D really is.

16. Karate Schnitzel - Jack Black doing karate in a skit; hilarious.

17. Karate - this is probably the shortest song on the CD, but also the best. You'll find yourself singing along to the beautiful melodic harmony in this song over and over again.

18. Rock Your Socks - this song starts with a Dave Grohl shout of '1 2 3 4 5 6-6-6!' What more do you need to know? It's awesome.

19. Drive-Thru - this is the best skit on the CD, where JB and KG go through a fast-food drive-thru and order anything from a 4-piece 6-nugget meal to a jr. western bacon-chee.

20. Double Team - here's the best love song I've ever heard. Not really, but this song is so hilarious and pleasant-sounding you will certainly sing along. For some reason, though, they finish it off with a 'hail Satan' chant. Go figure.

21. City Hall - ahh, the epic ending. This is a 6½-minute ode to a new world ruled by two kings: Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who rewrite the rules of man, transportation, and politics with ground-breaking decrees.

Hiddens. "Malibu Nights" (as it's dubbed by JB) evens the score at 1 to 1, going back to the "One Note Song" skit. It's really a hidden gem.

***

As you can imagine, Tenacious D is not for everyone. They are not your average rock & roll band, and their lyrics might be beyond you if lack a sense of humor. But if you do have a sense of humor and you'd enjoy a new twist on rock, Tenacious D is for you. All the songs/skits are good, if not excellent. Jack Black has really taken his career to a new level; and he's taken us fans along with him. Don't overlook the D because they lack real-life lyrical value or because they may be sexist bastards (not really). Their music is very catchy and you will find yourself singing along to it; I guarantee it.

I bought Tenacious D on the basis of one track that I listened to off my friend Mike's CD. It made me laugh myself sick and wake up my parents. A few months later, my faithful service as a customer to the BMG Music Service allowed me the chance to order it for free. So I did. I popped it in, and heard one lyric before I was laughing so hard I couldn't hear the rest of the song. I knew that I'd got my money's worth... well, you know what I mean... I did pay for shipping and handling, after all.... Bah... backed into a corner....

Well, needless to say, if you check my record, I don't review much music on this site. I mostly stick to movies and occasionally books. I could probably count on one hand all the albums I've reviewed, most recently James Newton Howard's score to "Signs," which goes back to movies ultimately. I never stray too far from my chosen profession. But I decided to make the exception for Tenacious D. This is one of my absolute favorite albums. A collection of songs, satire, and humorous musings put together simply for the purpose of good old fashioned entertainment that makes you laugh. And if you understand who Lee is, and Dio is, you laugh even harder; you're in on the joke. But make no mistake about it: This music isn't for everyone. It's rude, crude, vulgar, profane, and totally hilarious. The satire is there for us to find, but you kinda have to look around a bit for it. It's sly, except for the last track, "City Hall." But to simply call it satire masked in rude obscenities is to completely miss the intelligence of the album, which uses its satire very wisely and uses very well done music to communicate the humor in the lyrics even better. Anyone can write lyrics that are good, but without the music to accompany it, they suffer in the translation (i.e., the music of John Mayer. His two best songs had music co-written with a partner. Go figure...). Tenacious D has the entire package, the wide scope of instrumentation on "Wonderboy" being the best example. It's probably the best overall song on the album. But if you're looking for the most fun, listen to "Tribute" or "Rock Your Socks," as well as the hilarious "F**k Her Gently" with its preceeding dialogue. The skits are just as funny as the music on the album, but Tenacious D is really all about the music, not just the "Inward Singing." Not only do they make great music, but they also pay homage to great music. There's a lot more going on in this album than weird groin exercises and drive thru orders.

Bottom line: This is an album that puts out all the stops to entertain its audience. The more reserved ones among us will sigh at the profanity (it comes in great abundance) and mock the seemingly immature humor. The rest of us will look beyond the facade Tenacious D seems to put forth and recognize that Jack Black and Kyle Gass knew what they were doing when they made this album, and whether we like it or not, they're here to stay. And I for one, am glad.

The self-titled album by the comedic duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass is simply too hilarious. The lyrics are raunchy and by no means should be heard by impressionable youths. I was dying of laughter as I listened to the entire album. In between songs were dialogue by Jack and Kyle which are just unbelievably funny. One of my particular favorite moments of the cd is when Jack pulled the "Friendship Test" on Kyle on track #14 by saying he loves Kyle and seeing what Kyle's reaction is. That is one of the few cleaner moments of the cd. Another favorite is "Kyle Quit the Band". Kyle unleashes a barrage of obscenities which just killed me. I love "Wonderboy". The song reminds me of something that Ronnie James Dio would have sung back in his heyday with Dio. "Drive Thru" is simply too funny when Jack wants only four chicken McNuggets as opposed to six because he is watching his weight. My particular favorite moment in the track is when he orders a large soda, filled with half diet coke and the other half regular coke. Jack lists all these ridiculous tracks while Kyle orders only two items. Normally I don't go for comedy albums but "Tenacious D" proved to be one big laugh riot.

Jack Black and Kyle Gass... What can I say - hilarious!

The first but hopefully not the last Tenacious D album is fully deserving of the four stars I have awarded it.

Every song on this C.D (bar a few) is unbearably funny - I've had friends at school almost in tears laughing at Drive-Thru, it's that good!

I've rated the songs on this album, and have given each song a short description...enjoy.


1. Kielbasa: 9/10: Great start to the album. Not the funniest song on the album, but very smart lyrics.

2. One Note Song: 8/10: The first skit Tenacious D put on offer. Jack creates a song consisting of only one note, and then has a go at Kyle about it.

3. Tribute: 10/10: The D's main claim to fame. Incredible song paying tribute to 'The greatest song in the world.' Almost everyone I know has heard of this song.

4. Wonderboy: 9/10: I always thought that Jack and Kyle were a bit different... know we find out that they're super-heroes! This funny song, tells the story about how the D came to be.

5. Hard F******: 6/10: Rude skit, not really very funny, leads into...

6. F*** Her Gently: 7/10: Pretty catchy song, about what women what during sx.

7. Explosivo: 8/10: Cool Song about...I have no idea! Jack doesn't seem to know either.

8. Dio: 8/10: Funny song about Ronny James Dio - apparently Jack and Kyle want to take over for him. (After they lock him away in an old person's home)

9. Inward Singing: 9/10: This skit is a definite contestant for the most profanity EVER recorded. Jack explodes big time during this track. Very funny, the turning point in the album.

10. Kyle Quit The Band: 8/10: Another load of swearing in this track, but it definitely adds to the humour of the song, very funny intro.

11. The Road: 8/10: Jack sings about his experiences on 'the road'. Really upbeat song, catchy.

12. C*** Pushups: 8/10: Very funny, rude skit. Completely unbelievable...or is it?

13. Lee: 8/10: I have no idea why I like this song; it pretty much just repeats the word 'Lee' over and over and over and over....

14. Friendship Test: 8/10: Funny skit, Jack tells K.G that he loves him.

15. Friendship: 10/10: Hilarious song, really funny, about what true friendship is.

16. Karate Schnitzel: 9/10: One of the funniest skits on the C.D. WARNING: NEVER STEAL JACK BLACKS FOOD!

17. Karate: 10/10: Very funny lead on from Karate Schnitzel, with some quirky lyrics.

18. Rock Your Socks: 10/10: Definitely my fav. track on this album, very catchy, very clever lyrics, very funny.

19. Drive-Thru: 9/10: The D's final skit - and their funniest. Don't you just hate those drive-through folks?

20. Double Team: 9/10: Funny love song, very weird lyrics.

21. City Hall: 10/10: The D's Best song...ever! This hilarious song covers the rise and fall of two leaders, K.G and Jack Black, an epic ending to an awesome C.D.

22. Malibu Nights (Hidden track): 7/10: Follow on from one note song. Evens out the score - weird, weird lyrics.


This album is not for the faint of heart. Lots of profanity is used throughout the C.D, but fittingly. This C.D is for anyone with a sense of humour - and no one wants to be known as humourless do they? So go buy this C.D, you won't regret it.

Note: If you've read this, and you find it even mildly interesting, or learn something - however small, please take a few seconds of your time to vote this as being a helpful review.

Thanks, ThE mEtAl MaN

This CD is utterly hilarious. Though they do not include some of the acts on their HBO show and live show, (I can't believe they didn't have Jesus Ranch!) this CD shows you not only how to become the next D, (It's tough going, picking T-shirts, gaining fourty pounds, and waking up at the crack of noon every single day) it also tells you how non-stop rocking is possible! I now use their method, Inward Singing, often, but people laugh. I have no idea why... I guess it's because I'm following the masters of rock. City Hall, the last song of the CD is an epic tale of the Two Kings JB and KG in their rule and decrees. Overall, Tenacious D's debut is one of the greatest comedy albums of the moment.

Ever since I saw High Fidelity (one of the greatest and most underrated movies ever) I have been a huge Jack Black fan. Picking up this CD was a good decision. It's got such a great sound on all the songs. Sometimes it sounds like Lynyrd Skynyrd ("The Road") sometimes AC/DC ("Dio") and sometimes like Crosby, Stills and Nash ("Tribute") It's all these great classic rock band sounds but with all this humor. The funniest track by far is "Inward Singing." I heard this in the car and started laughing so hard I almost cried. This CD seems immature at times, and often foolish, but you know what? Back off. Jack Black is rampant in all of us. Let this CD bring the JB out in you. It's funny, the songs are actually pretty darn good, and it's like nothing you've heard since the days of Hendrix, Zeppelin and Skynyrd. Pop it in, you won't be sorry.

This is some of the funniest stuff I have ever heard. It's like a really long slapstick comedy musical movie without a point. I love the way this album sounds like the hilarious Jack Black and Tenacious D's guitarist Kevin Gass just sat in a recording studio and messed around for not much longer than the album took to record. This may be true, I don't know. Only a few of the songs actually start in with music, and msot of them have some hilarious intro that gets one the impression that Jack Black is jsut sitting around and decides he wants to record something (see "One Note Song"). The music on this isn't bad, it's pretty actually pretty good thanks to people like David Grohl. Things in the songs like the awsome drums (Grohl) in "Rock Your Socks" or the above average chors progressios of Gass on songs "Kielbasa" and "Kyle Quit the Band" actually impressed me, a musician. It's nothing most experienced musicians coulldn't play, but Kevin Gass shows here that he's somewhat an experienced musican, or a fast learner. However, the music is definately not this album's strong point it simply ties together Jack Black's hilarious bits of comedy. Things like when jack Black buys about 5 different Jr. items at MacDonald's because he's "watching his figure" are just hilarious. Other funny moments are "C*** Pushups","Play the greatest song in the world or I'll eat your souls" and when there's a music break and Black shouts "Arigagugu Rigagugu" and "Fligoogageegooogooogee". These all crack me up. This album is well worth your money, there's bits of this album that you, like it or not, will hear and will not get out of your head for the rest of your life. As annoying as that may sound, this album is much more hilarious than annoying and, at this sad time in music, is some of the best stuff out there overall. If your looking for something hilarious or some pretty good music, or both, I suggest this album.

Comedy CDs have always struck me as dumb. I figured if you want comedy - go to a movie (maybe a Jack Black movie) or a stand-up or something. Tenacious D has single-handedly changed my mind about comedy CDs with their debut self-titled album.

Cleverly mixing music and skit humor, Black and guitarist/friend/patsy Kyle Gass tackle issues that most people above fourty or under twelve would find offensive. Black's voice almost has a way of conveying feeling on you when you hear it, in that you can sense a certain seriousness or anger to it. This makes his comedy all the more effective, and is on display on this album. If you like Black in the movies (Shallow Hal, Orange County most recently) then you'll most likely enjoy him here as well.

Perhaps the best reason this CD can be labeled a success is the length of the tracks. Many comedy artists (see:Adam Sandler) sometimes make tracks so long that it is hard to stay focused on them, or it takes too long to get to the punchline. Never fear here, however, for Tenacious D has kept most of there tracks to a comfortable 2-2:30 length and also mixed in a good deal of music to spice it up.

Here's the real kicker. All that I've been preaching about is the comedy, but this group is actually passable as an excellent music group. Guitar-work at times is fantastic, and Black is a more talented singer than some other artists I can think of who don't have his humor to back it up.

Simply put, this is an album like no other, and must be experienced to be understood. If you are offended by profanity, or references to the male anatomy, however, you might want to steer clear of this album. The rest of you, give this a spin - you probably won't regret it.

I have been a fan of Tenacious D for a few years now and I must say that this album is a step in the right direction from their live act. While nothing can replace the unforgivable error of not including Sasquatch, Jesus Ranch or Bowie on this recording, it is still worth the money for the glorious rock that bleeds from their souls like wine. Every note of their music is carefully placed so as to increase the total amount of rocking possible. The consensus amongst my friends is that "Wonderboy" is officially the greatest rock song of all time, closely beating out "Stairway to Heaven" That's how good this album is! So, buy this album and find some of their bootleg live shows. Study their every detail so that when your children in the near distant future comes home from school, you'll be able to talk with them about the "D" and even read over the multiple chapters about them in your child's history books!