No, I don't mean the text of a song as an example. Rather the musical content of a given piece of music, which by listening to it, be it in concert or at home in front of your rig, has made you laugh out loud or grin or smile, because it was funny or amusing in a clever way.
Get the gold CD of "Bob and Ray Throw a Stereo Spectacular". It's fun and an excellent system tester. I don't expect most of you 'philes to be old enough to remember Bob and Ray so just trust me. If I recall correctly the CD is on DCC, which is one of the reasons why it sounds so good.
I have a Mercury CD of Leroy Anderson's music. Song titles like the Waltzing Cat, Typewriter Song, Syncopated Clock etc. What is fun is telling a child (no older than 8 or 9) the name of the song and playing it and watching their reaction when they "get it". I've done it a few times and most kids really get a kick out of it. In turn so do I.
My favorite is Spide Jones "Let's Sing a Song of Christmas". I have the original LP my parents bought in 1956. It is now out on CD. I get a big smile on my face ever time I play it. I bought a copy of the new CD for the rest of the family for Christmas last year. Brings back those good old memories as a kid. The one song some of you may have heard that is on the record is Spike's version of "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth".
"not for kids only," with jerry garcia and david grisman, makes me at least smile every time. another humorous cd from roughly the same genre is by christine lavin, "getting in touch with my inner bitch." -kelly
Anything performed by "The 101 Strings". Funnier than a good standup comic and more camp than a John Waters production. They put Muzak to shame in this particular venue.
Some of most clever and original sounding music that made me smile broadly -- well, maybe I even laughed once or twice because the music hit a responsive chord -- can be heard on recordings by the Microscopic Sextet, and the Willem Breuker Collective. Both groups play a style of off-center jazz that still has what Stanley Crouch calls "the sound of surprise". For those whose jazz tastes may not be ready for these two groups, you might start with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
We have a CD - Dudley Moore "Live from an Aircraft Hanger" that is very funny. I used to know the slang meaning of "aircraft hanger" in the UK, but can't seem to remember what it is right now. Anyway, the CD's a hoot.
Of course, that's not really fair, I could play all the notes, just not all the time. And there are 100's of orchestral inside jokes. The music? There are works with humorous themes like Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks and Lt. Kije but they don't "sound" funny and Till is hanged. How funny is that? Like a Shakespeare comedy, everybody still dies but they all die happy. I forget who said that. I've got it, Charles Ives oh oh, brain cramp, you know the one where the marching bands each play a different march and crash into each other at the intersection? I don't recall any fatalities from playing that. Maybe Gallagher narrating "Carnival of the Animals" or "Peter and the Wolf"? He could bring the hunters out in a Toyolet. That would be funny.
Katharina: Yes, the 101 Strings listed above (if you consider unintentional camp to be funny) and Victor Borge (SP) mentioned by Kitch. If you are under 40, you may have missed Mr. Borge. Although not always classical, many of the works of Henry Mancini show a great deal of humor (to me anyway).
Katherina: If you want funny classical "Music" There is Mozart's "Ein Musikalischer SpaB" (A Musical Joke). It's catalog number is KV522. ------ There is also Bedrich Smetana'a "Dance of the Comedians" ------ Next listen to Sir Malcolm Arnold's "Grand Grand Overture". In addition to the orchestra, it is scored for 3 vacuum cleaners, a floor polisher, and 4 rifles.
Not to mention some of the pieces from the suite Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens. Amusing but not "ha ha" funny. He wrote it for his own amusement but wouldn't permit it to be played in his lifetime. Ironically enough it is probably the most popular of all his music next to maybe Danse Macabre (sic) I think.
A couple of entries in the category of having some clever moments include Joni Mitchell's "Raised on Robbery" (I'm a pretty good cook, I'm sitting on my groceries / Come up to my kitchen, I'll show you my best recipe") and Bare Naked Ladies' "It's All Been Done". Based on Stereophile's recent article highlighting the Austin Lounge Lizards (April issue?) I bought a couple of their CDs. One of my favorite selections is "Rasputin's HMO", recounting the problems that a Rasputin would have presenting himself to a modern health-card provider. Then there's the guilty pleasure of Weird Al Yankovic. His recounting of "Star Wars: the Saga Begins" sung to the melody of "American Pie" on his "Running with Scissors" CD is a classic.
The album on "Rough Trade" recorded in Spicewood Texas by Two Nice Girls, has a cut titled, "Spent My Last $10.00 On Birth Control and Beer." ( "I was better off when I was sober and *****." ) Guaranteed to get a smile at any high end audition.
As for music that always makes me laugh with delight, it's Etta James and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, "The Early Show." Recorded live at Marla's Memory Lane in Los Angeles. This is on Fantasy Records, and mine is an LP. In addition to impossible energy levels, this is one of the best live recordings I own.
I'll nominate Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. Lyrics aside, the music is eclectic, unconventional and downright loopy -- it's got the elements of surprise and delight that make me laught. At the same time, they're a tough-minded rock band whose music has a lot of guts and drive.
Dekay: If you want to have a real cleansing, you should hear him do "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". Sounds like somebody put a hit of acid in Capt. Kirks' replicator
Just discovered Kinky Freedman, but it is the lyrics, not the music. In clasical music, in Orff's Carmina Burana, the lament of the swan, as he's being roasted -inspite of the topic - is musically very funny and to remain with the same composer: " Die Kluge" is full of musical wit, as well as "Der Mond".
Kid Creole not only writes hilarious lyrics (see "No More Casual Sex" his Reagan era lament for the passing of the sexual revolution), but he also has a great, sly sense of musical humor. Check out his disco version of "Edelweiss".
There is a Tom Waits song where he recites a hundred or more catch phrases from TV, radio and print advertisements. I have drawn a complete blank on the song's name and the album but I expect many of you know which one I'm reaching for. It's a panic and it always makes me laugh.
Ricjard Cheese and "Lounge Against The Machine" is funny in that they take popular and heavy metal songs and perform them in a lounge act, pretty funny.
there is a lot of program music that the composer intends to be humorous. here are some examples:
mozart "musical joke" strauss "til eulenspiegel's merry pranks" some music of jean francaix some music of francis poulenc some music of darius milhaud saint-saens "carnival of the animals" boy, those french composers sure have a sense of humor.
In an idiom similar to the Waits tune Astock cites, the Tom Kirchen (ex-Comander Cody lead guitar) live shows feature Kirchen playing a medley of famous lead licks "quoted" on guitar while Kirchen shouts the original player's names in rapid succession. The crowd is always laughing by the mid-way (say 15 or 20) point and usually howling by the end.
Please lets get back to the actual meaning of my topic. I didn't mean funny lyrics or anything like that, but the musical content just by itself. Marty, I think had a good point here, as well as Katharina and Mrtennis. Zappa, apart from his bawdy lyrics could be very funny, as far as Jazz goes, Carla Bley's "Dinner Music" just came to mind, I'm sure, there must be much more.... Cheers,
Lots, but here's a few from old memory bank; Kevin 'bloody' Wilson. Half man, Half biscuit. 'I'm going slighty mad'-queen. 'Wynonas big brown beaver'-Primus. Anything after 1980 by plink ployd 'Benny the Bouncer'- ELP Any Dread Zeppelin. 'Rabbit'-Chas and Dave.
Root Boy Slim (RIP, Root) was hilarious live & not bad on album either. The first time I saw him live was in the 70's in a seedy bar outside Baltimore. Before the show I walked into the mens room to relieve myself & I was treated to the sight of Root sitting on the stool, stall door wide open, cigarette & Heineken in hand with a look on his face like the cat that just ate the canary.
Tom Lehrer made folk music relevant almost fifty years ago (An Evening Wasted With...). Randy Newman's songs reward close listening (Sail Away, Trouble in Paradise, Little Criminals...). Martin Mull could outsmarm anybody - his whitebread blues are the best...whitebread blues (...and His Fabulous Furniture in Your Living Room). Billy Connolly, once you get used to the accent, is a great stand up comedian who happens to play guitar and banjo extremely well (Billy & Albert, Songs & Music). Occasionally I still love to listen to National Lampoon's Lemmings - some pretty decent musical parodies.
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