boffo's Full Review: Yodeling the Classics by Mary Schneider
I am a musical maschocist. It took me quite a while to realise this simple fact. But now I know the truth. I subject myself to a lot of angry, painful, hateful or downright nasty music. A lot of it I listen to because I think it is good in one way or another. Then there's music I listen to just because it's vile. Like this album.
Take a look at the woman smiling at you from the cover of this album. Would you entrust her with control of your speakers or headphones? Note the self-explanatory album title Yodeling The Classics. Does this sound like a good idea to you? Does it???
Mary schneider is an Australian yodeler and performer. She say's the idea came to her in a dream. Now I've had my share of surrealistic dreams and nightmares. I've said strange things, I've gone to odd places and I've performed various sexual acts with people that I am certainly not attracted to. Upon waking from such dreams i generally shrug my shoulders and start my day. What I don't do is act on them!
The classic music given the yodeling treatment here vary from soothing to cheerful. But when being yodeled everything becomes, well... it sort of gets on your nerves... a bit... quite a lot...
The backing music is perfomed by an australian symphony orchestra, nothing wrong there. And Schneider is actually quite a good yodeler. She is actually an amazing yodeler, you wouldn't think a person could sound like that without swallowing their tounge or coughing up their lungs. Further compliments include the fact that her normal singing voice is pleasant enough, she has a clear soprano voice with a good reach.
But the fact that she yodels these tunes renders all compliments moot. when I wan't real pain and suffering I don't put on a death metal or grindcore record, this is far more painful listening.
If you've seen the hilarious movie Mars Attacks! remember when the aliens heads explode when they hear Slim Whitman yodeling in the song "indian love call"? That is how this music makes me feel. And Slim whitmans yodeling isn't half as painful as this. Schneider would have blasted the aliens to tiny pieces not just blown up their heads!
Now how do I rate such an album? On one hand it's technically well done and all but on the other hand it's still horrible to listen to. But that's the reason why I listen to it! I'm going to give it a low rating but it still holds a morbid fascination.I wonder when just jazz yodeled or Yodeling rocks! is due...
Thank you for reading and god help you if hear this one.
Some people actually like yodeling...
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