Track Listing

1. Kielbasa
2. One Note Song
3. Tribute
4. Wonderboy
5. Hard Fucking
6. Fuck Her Gently
7. Explosivo
8. Dio
9. Inward Singing
10. Kyle Quit the Band
11. Road
12. Cock Pushups
13. Lee
14. Friendship Test
15. Friendship
16. Karate Schnitzel
17. Karate
18. Rock Your Socks
19. Drive-Thru
20. Double Team
21. City Hall

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3697 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2001-09-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

Amazon.com
Biting, sometimes base satire and humor populates this 21-cut comedy-rock debut from actor-musician Jack Black and his band, Tenacious D. Sort of like a trashier, more casual and less musical Beck, vocalist-guitarist Black and guitarist-vocalist Kyle Gass, with help from Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, Redd Kross's Steve McDonald, and Page McConnell of Phish, deliver oddball musings that will appeal mostly to fans of the talented Black, whose earned a following thanks to memorable, frenetic turns in the films Hi Fidelity and Jesus' Son. The songs and "bits" include the wonderfully, intentionally melodramatic "Wonderboy," Black ordering "four Chicken McNuggets" on "Drive Thru," and the funny ode to vocalist Ronnie James Dio, where Black observes, "Dio has rocked for a very long time / Now it's time for him to pass the torch." With often intentionally droll and dumb humor smartly executed like a latter-day version of Bob & Doug McKenzie with a dash of Spinal Tap, this more-comedy-than-rock debut is likely to achieve cult status. --Katherine Turman

Customer Reviews

H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S
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.

Stylish and radiant rock music
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.

Long live the D!
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.