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April 8, 2005
Too Novelty or Not Too Novelty – Me First and the Gimme Gimmes vs. The Ukranians
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – Ruin Jonny’s Bar Mitzvah (Omnium Recordings)
Ah the memories of growing up a San Fernando Valley Jewish American Princess. The private schools, the Hebrew lessons, the dermatologists, the psychiatric therapy, and let’s not forget, the Bar Mitzvahs. Because I now live in Orange County and have become painfully aware of the fact that the rest of world is not like the suburbs of LA and is sometimes ignorant of a few major points in Jewish culture, I will take the time to define a Bar Mitzvah.
“bar mitz·vah or bar miz·vah n.
1. A 13-year-old Jewish boy (or girl, girls do this too in the more progressive sects), considered an adult and responsible for his moral and religious duties.
2. The ceremony that initiates and recognizes a boy (girl) as a bar mitzvah.
3. An opportunity for obscenely wealthy Jewish parents to prove their love for their spoiled brat by throwing a bigger party than the Silverblats down the street.”
The musical entertainment usually consists of a DJ who spins all the top 40 hits and that one version of “Hava Nagila” that they all seem to have. If there was a band, I may have only been 13, but trust me, the band was always a cover band and never very good. Would your parents have hired the Spazmatics? I didn’t think so.
Enough rambling, back to the CD. I don’t know how Me First and the Gimme Gimmes wound up recording this live at Little Jonny’s manhood party, but bravo. Bravo to the parents for being that cool. Bravo to Jonny’s friends and family for digging it. Bravo to the Gimmes for having a great sense of humor which translates well on the CD. I have never heard “Auld Lang Syne” and “O Sole Mio” played with so much angst.
My personal favorite is “Hava Nagila” sung to the tune of “Feliz Navidad.” It’s such a natural fit, I’m surprised someone didn’t do it sooner.
Final verdict – Too novelty. Just like any other comedy CD, this is not the kind of album you want to listen to over and over again. Once you know all the jokes, it gets old fast.
The Ukrainians – Istorya (Fat Wreck Chords)
I have been a very bad reviewer. A very very bad reviewer. I have been sitting on this CD for the last six months and had absolutely no idea what to write about it other than the fact that it’s good. It really is good and I don’t know why.
We have all the elements of a novelty album. A historical compellation of the band’s original rockin’ Iron Curtain “hits” mixed with popular covers of Morrissey and Sex Pistols songs sung in the Ukrainian mother tongue.
(Think “Big Mouth” sung in a language you’ve never even heard before but you completely understand because you know the original version so well.)
The bottom line is that this is a talented and practiced band, and it’s audible. It’s not a cacophony of Eastern European folk instruments brought together on a lark. It’s a purposeful, well thought out band that knows what they’re doing when they go into the studio time and time again.
Final verdict – Not too novelty. Rock and roll your FOB grandma will love (and you; you’ll love it too).
Posted by xx - Ms. Lauren - xx at April 8, 2005 9:06 PM
