Toxic Swamp and Other Love Songs

Kenny Young | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 6, 1998)
• Original Release Date: July 6, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Coney Island
• ASIN: B00000K1SQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #850,600 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine mix of frivolous and intense., April 11, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Edinburgh, Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toxic Swamp and Other Love Songs (Audio CD)

A mixture of very humourous surreal songs and some excellent serious ones. My favorite surreal one is Toxic Swamp, in which the swamp reptiles manage to find a way round the technological problems inherent in not having an opposable thumb. Of the serious songs, I'd recommend "Don't Get Obsessed" and the cover version of "Help Me Rhonda" which is much better than the original. Kenny's voice can genuinely send a shiver down your spine.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most fun you can have with a six foot squirrel, December 13, 1999

By 

"mbwrite" (Queens, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toxic Swamp and Other Love Songs (Audio CD)

The Eggplants' second album artfully displays the band's talent for combining catchy melodies and riffs with smart, funny, sometimes touching, and often off-center lyrics.

Songs like "Earl the Squirrel" and the "The Aye Aye Song" will have you singing to yourself long after the CD has gone off, the wordplay in songs like "There's Something Funny in the Water" and "Don't Get Obsessed" will have you discovering new angles with each listen, and, songs like "Alien Love Song" and the Beach Boys' "Help Me Rhonda" are downright pretty (yes, you read correctly, listen to the CD to see for yourself).

Every song on "Toxic Swamp" is strong, from the gonzo humor of "Rambo Goes Shopping" (with its refrain of "Forget the sales dear, let's go home") and the title track (which actually gets a laugh out of the phrase "opposable thumbs"), to the plaintive ballad "Love is Adventurous," to the wistful "The Kebob Shop" (the slow version), to the flamenco-influenced instrumental "The Cookie Song."

"Toxic Swamp" features meatier production and arrangement than the band's debut CD. Fortunately, the tweaking works, not interfering with the band members' abilities to perfectly fill their roles: singer/guitarist Kenny Young, bass player (and blood-curdling screamer) Gil Shuster, and percussionist Ed Logue.

"Toxic Swamp" is one of those rare discs that can be termed "smart," while also being one of the most fun collection of songs you'll hear. Maybe that's why these guys enjoy some serious popularity in the U.K. Do yourself a favor and pick up this disc. You won't be disappointed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Toxic Swamp Rocks!, December 6, 1999

By 

Ube (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toxic Swamp and Other Love Songs (Audio CD)

The Eggplants display their stunning pop sophistication on their sophomore effort, "Toxic Swamp." The CD combines great tunes, surreal funny lyrics, and surprisingly complex melodic textures. Listen to this CD a few times and you'll find yourself humming "Kebab Shop," "Alien Love Song," and "The Aye-Aye Song" without being aware you're doing it. Listen a few more times and you'll begin to hear new parts in each song that are so subtly blended in you'll swear you never heard them before. Truly a cool CD, well worth trying, with high replay value. Highly recommended.