Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 28, 2024, 03:56:28 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Comedy groups that are actually brilliant.

Started by bgmnts, August 07, 2019, 03:11:02 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

kalowski

Quote from: DrGreggles on August 10, 2019, 11:03:01 PM
It's not the latter.
I accidentally heard their dentist song the other day and it caused shit to pour from my ears.
It's not the former either
Perhaps it's the Heebeegeebees.

purlieu

I suppose V/Vm would probably count. Despite the many beautiful and heart-breaking records he's made under different names since, the early V/Vm stuff is blatantly intended to make people laugh. Sick Love is a fantastic album. Doesn't start on a great note, but it's mostly well known pop songs auto-tuned to sound absolutely hideous. 'Lady in Red (Is Dancing With Meat)' is probably the best known, but for me 'Angels' wins, just because of how much it distorts the sickly sweetness of the original. The attempt to make the main synth melody from 'Take My Breath Away' go up instead of down is superb too.

The other stuff they did is a bit laboured, but 'Understanding Marx' by Red Shadow would be a really really nice 60s R and B tune if it wasn't a novelty song about communism. The line 'it's by Lenin' gets me every time.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz6c6kaFG5E&ebc=ANyPxKod69sbDDt_HDwgHFwO8UJSJ2za4z3D7cHfF9I9H84l0-8sJepp7InQR-ddwU6BPQej-XiNYHcS0iTa6hdAnhzn9FQBGg

Also a good song rather than a great act, but Katie Lee, who did comedy songs about psychiatry in the fifties called stuff like 'Repressed Hostility Blues', a bit weak really, did strike utter gold with this jaunty Disney-esque song about messing your life up, 'Will to Fail'. Very funny, but also poignant and re-listenable because, well, its a bit close to the bone.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O_jBaN9fZig

object-lesson

Quote from: kalowski on August 10, 2019, 11:13:40 PM
It's not the former either
Perhaps it's the Heebeegeebees.

'Meaningless Songs In Very High Voices' is the best parody song ever performed. It's brilliant when something so hugely popular and annoying is parodied so accurately, though I don't think they ever nearly reached those heights again. Even better live which is pretty impressive, though God knows what these Swedes made of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlWqNl4Yips

NoSleep


Lordofthefiles


NoSleep

Albertos Y Los Trios Paranoias were fun in their day. I went to see them live in Fox Club at The Greyhound, Croydon one Sunday night in the mid-70's, feeling rather down in the dumps when I arrived, and they managed to cure that for me, which I felt was an achievement. Most memorable was the performance of a track called "Anadin", based on the persona of Lou Reed.

Unfortunately their recorded output doesn't really give a taste of what they could achieve live, apart from the "Snuff Rock" EP, which is based on their musical, "Sleak", about a musical fad based around artists committing suicide for fame. This is because it is based on the current sound of punk rock & reggae. Unfortunately much of their other output was based on spoofing stuff that has largely been forgotten but seemed valid targets at the time.

jobotic

Quote from: purlieu on August 11, 2019, 12:07:48 AM
I suppose V/Vm would probably count. Despite the many beautiful and heart-breaking records he's made under different names since, the early V/Vm stuff is blatantly intended to make people laugh. Sick Love is a fantastic album. Doesn't start on a great note, but it's mostly well known pop songs auto-tuned to sound absolutely hideous. 'Lady in Red (Is Dancing With Meat)' is probably the best known, but for me 'Angels' wins, just because of how much it distorts the sickly sweetness of the original. The attempt to make the main synth melody from 'Take My Breath Away' go up instead of down is superb too.

The Christmas Album is great too, particularly Mull of Kintyre and Fairytale of New York.

I was wondering whether to include plunderphonic people like Negativland and People Like Us. I don't think they are comedy acts, there's much much more to them than that, but they can be very funny.

Rizla


Bennett Brauer

I was going to say I was surprised no one has mentioned The Firesign Theatre, and then I realised I hadn't played any of their stuff for years.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dztfz4fL8s

Bob & Ray meet Neil Hamburger blah blah blah

Bennett Brauer

Quote from: object-lesson on August 11, 2019, 03:03:07 AMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlWqNl4Yips

Quote from: NoSleep on August 11, 2019, 09:04:33 AM
Angus Deayton on the left there. The same group did a spoof of The Police as I recall.

They did two albums, man. And I've heard they're getting back together again this year, presumably for shows (will the falsettos hold up?), but new material might be great.

A couple of parodies linked in the Radio Active thread - https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,74103.msg3890043.html#msg3890043


Famous Mortimer

Quote from: Lordofthefiles on August 11, 2019, 09:19:56 AM
Star Turn on 45 Pints

Live at The Whitley Bay Social Club:

https://youtu.be/iHRB3Hy0Xu0
Eeh, this brings back many a memory. Mostly of teen me in my bedroom playing it, but still.

Blimey, they were on Top Of The Pops!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG79-FSQ7hQ

hummingofevil

There are two sides to this. Acts that are genuinely funny ( corky and the juice pigs) and acts that are genuinely talented musically when making comedy songs  (as above The Rutles win hands down - I Must Be In Love  by The Rutles is my favourite The Beatles song) in music sphere. But assuming this is about the latter it has to be Kurupt FM. A huge part of the soul of the comedy comes from the fact that Grindr is a genuinely ace MC and they easily pass as a legit garage krew.

Just watch People Just Do Nothing or listen to the album  but this is fucking lovely. It's the perfect pastiche as it's almost indistinguishable from the original but just with added funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPdPpetOSJ8&t=5s




hummingofevil

If you want the opposite then you need to see Lizzo live. Her patter is up there with most stand ups. This is really, really, really good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFiLdByWIDY

Edit: and fuck me... that voice. She is SO good.

object-lesson

Quote from: Bennett Brauer on August 14, 2019, 12:47:35 AM
They did two albums, man. And I've heard they're getting back together again this year, presumably for shows (will the falsettos hold up?), but new material might be great.

Quote from: object-lesson on August 11, 2019, 03:03:07 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlWqNl4Yips

I think this is right up there with the best of The Rutles:

QuoteThe world is very very large
And butter is better than marge
And love is better than hate
The world is very very big
And bacon comes from a pig
But it's you I really want on my plate

So I'll sing you
Meaningless songs in very high voices...

NoSleep

Was (Not Was) must belong here. I know them mostly from their second album Born To Laugh At Tornadoes, which somebody played to me because they wanted me to check out the sound of the group and was slightly puzzled (having missed the absurdist lyrics) that I was laughing all the way through my first listen. The music was slickly produced and fitted safely into its era whilst the lyrics were quirky and dangerous at times.

[Return to the Valley Of] Out Come the Freaks: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjTCBLxn8k

The outstanding track for me is Zaz Turned Blue, sung by Mel Torme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxLpAq24hgA

Well worth checking out the whole album on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nJD6OGg5OOL9yXXzCKVMd0n9bbSHi-KZA

NoSleep

I'm puzzled that nobody has mentioned Half Man Half Biscuit yet. I don't really know too much about them but I know they have fans on here and would have thought they fit the bill.

hillbillyholiday


Norton Canes

Quote from: Lordofthefiles on August 11, 2019, 09:19:56 AM
Star Turn on 45 Pints

"Can somebody help Mrs Patel out, she's having one of her funny turns"

Desolation.

gmoney

The Roches made some beautiful, tongue in cheek music. I wouldn't class them as comedy per se, but they are very funny a lot of the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq5Qaukjvj4 - Quitting Time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA-U5H4VoX8 - Hammond Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG5fUlecZms - The Train


Swoz_MK

Quote from: phantom_power on August 07, 2019, 07:21:44 PM
Some of their best stuff isn't even on an album, like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoS8DrrlnTQ

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAYL5H46QnQ

Stork Patrol is my favourite. Mainly for the "suck on your beak" line and Samberg's note perfect Scarface (or is it Willie D? Same difference innit)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH9giCg3Nro

NoSleep

Daevid Allen infused Gong and his various solo projects with humour throughout his career. In the space of a single song you could chance upon the sublime and the ridiculous.
Fellow ex-Soft Machinists Robert Wyatt & Kevin Ayers had their moments, too.

Likewise Sun City Girls. Brilliant instrumentalists that were equally at home presenting their theatre of the absurd, whether it be through narration, song and even (especially!!!) puppetry.

object-lesson

Quote from: hillbillyholiday on August 14, 2019, 11:49:31 AM
Ylvis are an annoyingly talented bunch:


A song about Stonehenge, better than Tap's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbyzgeee2mg

Mr. Toot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASywAfBAVrQ

Old Friends : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2NtlTFQznA

The Stonehenge one speaks to my soul it's so accurate, but Old Friends is quite disturbing. It's extremely clever but I couldn't quite laugh at something like that. Is it supposed to be the song Simon and Garfunkel never sang but should have?

NoSleep

No mention of Zappa as yet. He even did a number about former members complaining that they were going to leave the "comedy group" and start their own band; something "heavy, like Grand Funk or Black Sabbath".

I believe "We're Only In It For The Money" was originally conceived as a collaboration with Lenny Bruce.

poodlefaker

Ludo by the Ivor Cutler Trio (prod. by George Martin at Abbey Road) is wonderful. And Keynsham by the Bonzos is one of the best British albums of the 60s.

wosl

It's a bit of a stretch to call them 'brilliant', but Trio and their 'Neue Deutsche Fröhlichkeit' provocations probably deserve a mention.  Da Da Da is a brilliantly singular and deadpan one-off, for sure. 

ajsmith2

#56
Quote from: NoSleep on August 14, 2019, 06:53:03 AM
I'm puzzled that nobody has mentioned Half Man Half Biscuit yet. I don't really know too much about them but I know they have fans on here and would have thought they fit the bill.

Probably a reticence among their fans to pigeonhole/undersell them solely as a 'comedy group'. It's true that they are largely a comedy group though, but the thing is (as all on here will already appreciate of course) is that there are loads of different kinds and levels of comedy. HMHB's brand of humour is very much of the subtle, dry and sometimes darker variety. I think it took decades for this to be general appreciated though to the point now where they're given their proper recognition. Their conspicuously daft name (about 300% more wacky than their actual music) surely didn't help.

I always say it seems mental that 'comedy music' is generally seen as a slur, people get away with saying 'I hate comedy music' when no one would ever say something as dumb as 'I hate those comedy films' or 'I hate comedy books'. It's just as stupidly ignorant a statement as either of those 2. I still wonder why music has a stick up the arse about this.

NoSleep

That's why I've been mentioning bands who aren't afraid of having a sense of humour in what they do, perhaps as opposed to viewing themselves as "comedy groups".

One of the joys of going to see "serious" free improvisation artists like Derek Bailey, Han Bennink or Tristan Honsinger was to see what humorous antics they would incorporate into their performances.

Cuellar

Quote from: hummingofevil on August 14, 2019, 02:26:45 AM
If you want the opposite then you need to see Lizzo live. Her patter is up there with most stand ups. This is really, really, really good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFiLdByWIDY

Edit: and fuck me... that voice. She is SO good.

Shit man, I mean I'd seen Lizzo on a big stage (on the telly etc.) but this is intense. Goosebumps everywhere.

Bloody love it that she plays the flute as well. Nuts.

hillbillyholiday