Try some Cheese and prepare to Lounge Against The Machine
Written: Jun 10 '02
Product Rating:
Pros: Great song remakes, extremely funny, great music and a nice change of pace
Cons: His next CD won't be out for a while
The Bottom Line: "Lounge Against The Machine" by Richard Cheese is a wonderful change of pace from the garbage cluttering the radio. It's funny, it rocks, give it a try.
Doodlebug's Full Review: Lounge Against the Machine by Richard Cheese & Lou...
Are you like me? Are you tired of the majority of the music you hear on radio and MTV nowadays? Disgusted by all the middle finger waving, allegedly angry-at-the-world "singers" who are actually filthy rich and should have nothing to be angry about? Turned off by the "rage rock" of Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach, the goofy "light punk" of Blink 182 and Offspring, and the depression and angst of Nine Inch Nails? If you're tired of all this musical garbage, then I have something for you, something that will quench your thirst for good music, something that will have you running for the nearest record store.......CHEESE!!
Richard Cheese is the swinging musical alter ego of Los Angeles comedian Mark Jonathan Davis, and his debut CD "Lounge Against The Machine" (available from Oglio Records) deserves your attention. Richard Cheese has taken some of the biggest "punk" and "alternative" hits of the 80's and 90's, stripped away the wailing guitars and the angry vocal delivery, and re-recorded them as lounge music covers. Equally brilliant and hilarious, "Lounge Against The Machine" is a solid mix of great swing and jazz music, mediocre song lyrics and slapstick comedy. There's not even anything on the market I could compare it to, it's that original and that good. Backed by his appropriately cheese-named band members (Buddy GOUDA on drums, Bobby RICATTA on Piano, and "deep" Gordon BRIE on bass) Richard Cheese draws influence from Sinatra, Wayne Newton, and Tony Bennett with just a smidge of Weird Al Yankovic thrown in for good measure. Take all that, add add in the martinis and the tiger skin tuxedo he wears during his concert encores, and you have the ultimate lounge lizard recording the ultimate lounge CD. Prepare to stop waving that finger, and start snapping them.
The Tracks (not in order)
Wrong Way - Sublime
"Wrong Way" is one of the many highlights on "Lounge Against The Machine". Gone is the highly dancable ska music of the original Sublime version, and in it's place is a slow, beautiful piano accompaniment. The song is sung at less than half the speed of the orignal, and Cheese masterfully croons the lyrics so that the song becomes remniscent of Ol' Blue Eyes belting out one of his greatest love songs. The song is complete with typical lounge style intro "Waitress, can I have a vodka martini with a twist of Sublime?", and even features a cigarette break just before he sings the last two words of the song (listen closely).
What's My Age Again? - Blink 182
Suck My Kiss - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Smack My B-tch Up - Prodigy
Rape Me - Nirvana
Another highlight, "Rape Me" begins with a tasteless but humorous "This one goes out to the ladies", before launching into a fast paced but quirky organ/xylophone (sp?) groove. Once Richard Cheese begins singing in a highly energetic, almost enthusiastic fashion, you can't help but wonder what Kurt Cobain would think if he could hear it.
Only Happy When It Rains - Garbage
Nookie/Break Stuff (medley) - Limp Bizkit
Perhaps the funniest song on the CD, the Nookie/Break Stuff medley has never sounded so good. Done with a super swingin' groove, this (the first song on the CD) sets the tone for the rest of the album. Fred Durst once yelled and cursed his way through these songs (flippin' the bird like he wished he was Eminem), but Cheese manages to not only jazz up the vocal delivery, he also does the most perfect deadpan voice when he sings the curse words, carefully enunciating each "f"-word so that it will have you rolling on the floor laughing every time he does it. Also funny is Cheese's chorus "stick it up your yeah, stick it up your yeah", you just have to hear it for yourself.
Last Resort - Papa Roach
Holiday In Cambodia - Dead Kennedys
Guerilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine
Could you imagine a Rage Against The Machine song with a bossanova beat? Well here it is, and it's too funny.
Fight For Your Right To Party - Beastie Boys
Creep - Radiohead
"I was talking to my honey the other day, my Pablo Honey. I said to her, Pablo Honey, you go to my head. My Radiohead". And so begins Richard Cheese's version of "Creep". This song is extremely dancable (believe it or not after hearing Radiohead's original) and features a strong piano and a heavy-hitting horn section. Cheese even takes the liberty of changing a few lyrics here and there "I'm a creep, I'm a nut job, I'm a pig in a cage on antibiotics, THANK YOU!!"
Come Out And Play - Offspring
Closer - Nine Inch Nails
Another instant classic, and just as funny as the Limp Bizkit jam. "Closer" feature none of Trent Reznor's trademark growls and painful screaming, and also features none of the heavy industrial groove found in the original. What you will find is a happy little tune that sounds like it was lifted right from the Brady Bunch. If you've ever heard the song "Accidently Kelly Street" by Frente!, that will give you an idea of what the new version of "Closer" sounds like. Cheese is hilarious during the song's chorus as he once again deadpans the cursing, just imagine a silky-smooth Wayne Newton type voice singing the lines "I wanna f-ck you like an animal, I wanna feel you from the inside". Good stuff.
Bullet The Blue Sky - U2
The Rockafella Skank - Fatbot Slim
Mark Jonathan Davis is a man with a simple idea, one that has been tried many times before but never with this amount of success. He plays the role of a stereotypical lounge singer who parodies popular songs. He delivers the most original take on an unoriginal idea, and puts out a CD that is worthy of a Grammy for Comedy Record Of The Year, if not for Best Lounge Album (if such a catagory exists). This is not Weird Al, this is far superior than any Yankovic effort I've heard. If you're looking for something funny, or if you're like me and you need a refreshing change of pace from the usual crap on the radio lately, take my advice and try some CHEESE.
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