A List of Spoofs for a Variety of Tastes

Who doesn't love a good spoof? There are some great flicks out there that poke fun -- gently and not so gently -- at genres or particular shows/movies that we have grown to love. I'm sure that once I complete this list of favorites, I'll think of something that I should have included, but nonetheless I'm going to go ahead and give the list a shot.
Here goes!

The Princess Bride: Positively hilarious, this is a riotous ride through fantasy lands complete with romance, adventure, fencing, pirates, Rodents of Unusual Size, a rhyming giant, a torture chamber, a six-fingered man, a batty miracle man, a priest who sounds like Elmer Fudd... Well, you get the picture. This is one bedtime story you'll never forget!

Young Frankenstein: I don't care if it's in black and white. This Mel Brooks monster movie doesn't need color to tickle the funnybone. When the famed scientist's nephew inherits his castle, he isn't too interested in following in his uncle's footsteps. But his creative instinct soon takes hold, and his attempt to form his own perfect being goes awry when Igor brings him an abnormal brain...

Airplane: It doesn't get much funnier than this. This movie is so stupid it's hilarious. It's got more one-liners and sight gags than you can shake a stick at. "Surely you can't be serious!" "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley." A plane's passengers and pilot go down with food poisoning, and it's up to a conflicted fighter pilot to save the day. Can he do it? You may be too busy laughing to notice!

Airplane 2: Not quite as good as the first, but pretty darn close. It's got all the same types of gags, and once again the fate of hundreds of passengers depends on our hero Striker. This time, however, it's a space ship, and it's got a bomb on it. Extra bonus: William Shatner.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail: This naughty spoof of the Arthurian epic is both witty and absurd. A troop of Brits tramping across the countryside in search of the Holy Grail, riding invisible horses whose hoof-steps are simulated by coconuts. Kinda falls apart at the end, but there are plenty of laughs beforehand to make up for it.

Galaxy Quest: A must for Trekkies. This movie places the crew of a syndicated sci-fi hit which bears a suspicious resemblance to Star Trek on an actual space vessel to help a batch of adoring alien fans beat an evil enemy. Tim Allen plays the Captain Kirk-like figure, and he is the most clueless of all when it comes to actually filling his character's shoes. Most fully appreciated by Trekkies, the movie reaches its climax with a band of nerdy groupies who must come to the crew's rescue.

Space Balls: Space is a popular setting for spoofs, and this film, whose storyline focuses mainly on Star Wars, considers most sci-fi fair game. Mixed in with the tale of the valiant hero who must use the Schwartz to defeat the ridiculous villain Lord Helmet and rescue his princess are references to such shows and movies as Star Trek, Aliens and Planet of the Apes.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery: All right, I'll include it. This James Bond spoof features a British special agent from the sixties with bad teeth, an extra supply of mojo, and clothes that would make Elton John cringe. He's got his moments, but the star of this spoof, in my opinion, is Dr. Evil, the much maligned villain who Austin was thawed out to defeat. It's hard to feel too intimidated by this guy, but it sure is easy to laugh at him.

And finally, here's two especially for the kiddies.

Muppet Treasure Island: The remake of the Stevenson classic by Henson's famous crew of muppets. A crew consisting of the scurviest bunch of scallawags ever to be crafted, an island populated by a tribe of savage hogs (including a certain female pig with whom we are all familiar), and of course some rousing Muppet songs...It's a hilarious high-seas adventure your kids will love.

Veggie Tales: Are You My Neighbor?: Just had to include this. It's got not one but two spoofs on it. The first is a rendition of the Good Samaritan told in the style of Dr. Seuss and set against a Seussian background. Second is an adventure which takes Junior Asparagus, Bob and Larry onto the U.S.S. Applepies to help Scooter avoid having the ship hit by a giant popcornball meteor. Yes, these are very gentle spoofs, but they're great nonetheless. You may well even catch yourself giggling.

Well, I won't say this is a definitive list of the ten best spoofs, but they're all pretty good and certainly funny.

You Can Spot it as a Sequel from a Mile Off

I was on Spring Break last week, and during the middle of the week my friend and I decided to take a trek to the mall and its adjoining dollar theater. I'm a sucker for anything Disney and she loves dalmatians, so it was pretty easy to agree on 102 Dalmatians. I was quite impressed with the live-action remake of the animated Disney classic, and I wondered how this one would hold up. Disney did, after all, give us The Rescuers Down Under, Simba's Pride, and Toy Story 2. But when it comes to live-action, most of their recent attempts at sequels have been rather weak (as opposed to sequels to early movies, such as The Absent-Minded Professor, The Shaggy Dog, and The Love Bug). I went expecting a decent but not outstanding movie, and that's what I got.

The movie begins in the prison wherein Cruella DeVil (Glenn Close) is housed. After undergoing an experimental treatment, she seems to be cured of her despicable nature. When she returns home after her release from prison, Cruella (or "Ella" as she now prefers to be called) insists upon having all of her furs locked away because she now cannot bear the thought of harming an animal. She is now ready to re-enter society as a productive citizen.

Her parole officer, Chloe (Alice Evans), is not convinced, and she is very suspicious when Cruella takes over the Second Chance dog shelter, about to be shut down due to lack of funding. While keeping tabs on Cruella and another client who works with the dogs, she meets Kevin (Ioan Gruffudd), who happens to be quite a dapper gent, in my opinion. He has four "dogs" -- one is actually a parrot named Waddlesworth (Eric Idle) who insists he is a rottweiler. A romance begins to blossom between the two of them, and the dog shelter flourishes. It seems that the biggest worry at the moment is helping Oddball -- daughter of Chloe's dog, Dipstick, who appeared as a pup in the first film -- deal with the fact that she has no spots.

But disaster strikes when the resounding chimes of Big Ben cause Cruella to revert back to her old cruel self. Determined once more to get her dalmatian coat despite the judge's stipulation that a repeat offense would lead to the transferral of her entire fortune to the dog shelter, Cruella drags her butler Alonso into the task of kidnapping the puppies. She also employs a French furrier, Le Pelt, to aid her in the creation of her wonder garment. And how does she get away with it? Why, Kevin, of course. The perfect motive: he wanted her money for the shelter. Kevin is framed and thrown in jail, and Cruella prepares to steal Dipstick's pups, which will provide the hood of her coat.

The rest of the movie is, obviously, a race against time to try to keep Cruella from doing her dire deed. This is Oddball's chance to shine, and she proves that the greatness of a dalmatian is not determined by the number of her spots.

There are a couple of twists and turns in this movie, but it's not as entertaining or endearing as the original. Alonso the Butler, who I pitied from my first sight of him in the original, has his moment in the sun in this movie, and I was glad to see that. But the focus in this film is first on Cruella, then on Chloe and Kevin, who weren't even in the original. Their prolonged courtship does strike me as more realistic than Roger and Anita's instant marriage, but I thought there was too much focus on the humans. The dogs have a much lesser role in this film, and I think that's a shame.

Also, there are a couple of little things I don't quite get. How could Cruella not have heard Big Ben all that time? What police department allows a guy to take his pets into prison with him? And how could Kevin just get off scot-free after escaping? Granted, I wanted him to, but I don't think it would work that way.

Still, it's a good movie, and well worth seeing at the dollar theater or renting. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it, but I'd say it'd be entertaining for at least a couple viewings.

Hard Rock Cafe a Delicious Musical Experience

For my end-of-Spring-Break trip, I went to Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But the fun didn't end when we (my mom, my friend, and myself) left the museum. Mom thought it would be fun for us to conclude our adventure with lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.

I have been to this location once before, a couple years ago during the Cleveland Air Show. I also have been to the Hard Rock Cafe in Washington, D.C. Both of these dining experiences occurred on a Saturday night, and the place was packed. We had to wait quite a while before we were seated. Luckily for us, this time around we hit the restaurant around 4:00, avoiding both the main dinner and lunch crowds.

I think the best way to describe the Hard Rock Cafe is as a miniature Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- with food. The walls are lined with artifacts, mostly photographs but also album covers, costumes, guitars, even vehicles (Elvis' Pink Cadillac is in Washington). Even the bathrooms are decorated. Televisions are strategically placed so that you can watch a steady stream of music videos. There's even a gift shop from which items such as t-shirts, caps, pins and playing cards can be purchased.

And, of course, the food. The Cafe has a nice variety of meals to choose from. To get a good sampling of the available appetizers, get the Ringo Combo, which includes onion rings, Santa Fe spring rolls, Tupelo chicken and three sauces. I must admit that I've never tried the appetizers because the meal portions are so generous.

I've had sandwiches on all three visits. They've got several different types of burgers. Their cheeseburgers are great and, as I said, very large. A McDonald's burger is downright puny is comparison. I've also had the Pig Sandwich, a Hard Rock specialty. It is a sandwich piled high with shredded barbecued pork. All sandwiches come with a large helping of crispy French fries. There are also various types of salad, soup, seafood, steak, and vegetarian meals. Drinks include Pepsi products and a wide selection of alcoholic beverages.

I have been satisfied with the three meals I've had there, as were my dinner companions. Our servers were very helpful, and the atmosphere was fun and interesting. Before I went for the first time two years ago, I wasn't sure I'd like it. I figured "hard rock=heavy metal". But just like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, there are musicians represented here which suit a wide variety of musical tastes. We don't have one in Erie yet, but if we ever get one I'll definitely make a point to stop in once in a while. It's one of the most entertaining dining experiences around.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Rocks!

I am not one of those students who plans elaborate trips to Hawaii, Florida, Jamaica or Bermuda for my breaks from school. Just the fact that I’m not in school is enough for me. But there was one excursion that I was really hoping to get in during this year’s Spring Break. My desired destination was the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, and I brought the week to a close with that trip yesterday. I was accompanied on my trip by a friend from college and my mom, who was doing the driving. She ventured out despite the considerable snowfall, and we were on our way.

Two hours later we reached our destination. We arrived at the museum at 10:00 with the whole day ahead of us. It’s a good thing we got there pretty early, because although we had heard from various sources that the museum took two to three hours to get through, we spent five and a half hours wandering through the seven floors.

On the ground level, several exhibits are available for perusal. The Jimi Hendrix Exhibit includes a variety of memorabilia from the life of the late singer. Family photos, lyrics, guitars, costumes, and a fifteen-minute program featuring footage from his Isle of Wight concert are among the artifacts. Rockin’ All Over the World focuses on the relationship between different cities and rock and roll. Many interesting articles, including albums, personal notes, instruments, and drawings, are found in each city’s panel.

Legends of Rock contains items belonging to big-name stars such as Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin, Madonna and the Who. Rave On: Rock and Roll’s Early Years pays tribute to the earliest rock and rollers. Among its featured artists are Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. The Roots of Rock and Roll goes even further back, noting the influence of various musical genres on rock and roll. Blues, bluegrass, gospel, soul, R&B, country, and folk all have representation here.

The floor is rounded out by smaller exhibits: Don’t Knock the Rock, U Got the Look, Rock of Ages: The Early Influences, the Gallery, Atlantic Records, Sun Records, The Rolling Stones, and One Hit Wonders. Keep an eye out for the impressive sight of a large spiral design made up of dozens of signed drumsticks from one man’s personal collection.

Two 12-minute films, Mystery Train and Kick Out the Jams, consecutively shown in two theaters, give a brief history of rock and roll. The first focuses on its roots and earliest manifestations, while the latter turns its attention to the music of the sixties and beyond. This latter film contains some footage and language which is not appropriate for young children. Both films, shown on three screens, contain a barrage of music, images, and commentary from rock and roll experts and artists.

Beyond all of these exhibits, the ground level has three interactive kiosks. Five Hundred Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll allows visitors to search for influential recordings by year, artist, and song itself. As you click on each recording, you hear the song and read information about it. As with all of the kiosk computers, this comes with headphones on either side. We spent quite a bit of time browsing through the lists according to the different criteria. The Beat Goes On ‘ Performer Influence Database features information about different rtists/groups and two artists/groups that influenced them. There are fewer performers to choose from here, but you can select performers from a variety of genres. When you click on an influence, you’ll get some written information about how this artist/group was influential to the other. You will then hear a clip, first of the inspiration, and then of the inspired. Finally, Come See About Me ‘ Performer Database features in-depth information on over five hundred groups and individual performers. Profiles contain photographs, written histories, video commentaries and discographies.

The lobby’s only exhibit is On the Charts, a pretty small collection of items from current singers such as Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, and *N Sync. The rest of the floor is occupied by the ticket booth and the museum floor.

The first thing you’ll see on the second floor is Respect: The Sound of Soul, a wall-long display featuring memorabilia from artists such as James Brown, Al Green, Otis Redding and Steve Cooper. The Memphis Recording Service allows visitors to view equipment from the Sun Records recording studio, where Elvis Presley and other influential artists made their initial recordings. The Big Beat: Alan Freed includes a video and information about the man who is credited with coining the phrase ‘rock and roll’. Behind this display is Rock and Radio, a kiosk allowing visitors to search for DJs by year and by city (unfortunately, there seems to be no way to search by name). Surrounding these stations are radios from the forties and fifties.

Rock and the Movies is another kiosk, this one focusing on the interaction between rock and roll and film. Categories to be searched include rock artists’ favorite movies, worst appearance of a rock artist in a movie, best soundtracks, best animated rock films, best rock and roll movies, and songs taken from movie titles. Video Killed the Radio Star is a 12-minute film shown on a tower of televisions. It uses clips from music videos to demonstrate how visual stimuli have become so ingrained in our musical culture that radio is becoming obsolete. This particular film also contains mature themes, and it is presented in such a dizzying fashion that we were unable to watch the whole thing.

Before leaving this floor, be sure to check out the two-sided display featuring Billy Joel on one side and Bruce Springsteen on the other. Then glance through the Rolling Stone Magazine exhibit, which displays some of the controversial rock magazine’s most famous covers. You’ll notice that Lennon was a favorite subject. Take special note of the cover which appeared on the issue announcing his death. It will appear again on the fourth floor. The unconventional portrait of John Lennon and Yoko Ono was taken just hours before he was shot on December 8, 1980.

The third floor houses the museum cafe. Other than a very small two-sided exhibit dedicated to The Band and U2, this floor’s focus is the Hall of Fame. Not yet featuring the 2001 inductees ‘ about whom information can be found on the ground floor ‘ the theater shows a 38-minute multimedia presentation on three screens showing clips of artists who have been inducted since 1986. Just outside the theater, a television plays a 12-minute series of clips from past induction ceremonies.

Other than the Hall of Fame Interactive Jukeboxes, computer stations containing over 25,000 songs performed by inductees, the fourth floor is John Lennon’s. The fifth and sixth floors contain only material pertaining to Lennon. These exhibits make up Lennon: His Life and Work, a special exhibit running through September of this year. The fourth floor begins the journey into Lennon’s life. A wall of collages which Lennon did, including the ones he created for Ringo Starr, George Harrison and Elton John. The bed he and Yoko Ono shared which was made from church pews. A large array of pictures, notes, and glasses, including the ones Lennon was wearing when he died. And a telephone which rings from time to time; Yoko Ono is on the other end, waiting to chat. We were hoping that would happen while we were there, but no such luck.

Inside the theater, we were treated to a lengthy film featuring interviews of John and Yoko Ono and commentaries from a variety of people associated with them. Through the film, it became clear the Lennon was quite a controversial figure who was not well liked by a number of people. It showed his nasty side, his difficult personality, but it also displayed his genius and the tragedy of his untimely death.

The fifth floor is filled with artifacts from all different times of Lennon’s life. It has clothes he wore as a Beatle, a piano on which he composed many songs, paintings and drawings he did, album covers. Most artifacts come with some printed explanation of their significance. The walls are covered with quotes from and about Lennon. This floor is filled with fascinating facts and items, but my favorite part was the beginning of the exhibit, in which Lennon’s childhood drawings, report cards, and weekly rag are housed. It’s very interesting to read those teacher comments and see what a lousy time he had in school.

The sixth floor contains the manuscripts of more than 25 of Lennon’s songs. Each comes with a printed commentary on the song. Lennon’s music plays continuously in this small room, and guests can circle and stop to read the songs at their leisure. The unique pyramidic architecture of this building causes the entire sixth floor to be nothing but a room, while the lower floors are quite extensive.

It was a cold and overcast day yesterday, but the outer extremities of each floor were extremely bright as the light poured in through the glass pyramid. I would imagine there is a great deal of squinting in the building in the summer. We were quite comfortable, however, and in no need of our coats, which had been checked into the desk on the ground level free of charge. The museum wasn’t terribly crowded when we went, so we had no trouble at all seeing everything we wanted to see. The museum is equipped with both escalators and elevators, so getting from floor to floor is simple. It is open each day from 10:00 to 5:30. This should be plenty of time to get through the museum, though if I lived in Cleveland I think I would be able to make good use of a season’s pass. Daily passes cost $15 for adults and $11.50 for children aged 9 to 11. Younger children get in free. If you have AAA, don’t forget to give them your card for a discount. There is plenty of parking nearby, and we found a place for $5. Not bad at all.

All in all, I would say that if you live near Cleveland or plan to be visiting, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum is a fantastic way to spend the day for a very reasonable cost. No matter what kind of music you like, you’re sure to find something that will strike your interest. Terrific tunes, fascinating facts, and awesome artifacts...it’s a rock and roll fan’s dream come true!

Ten of the Chipmunks' Greatest Hits

Alvin and the Chipmunks have been entertaining children for decades with their high-pitched harmonizing, and The Very Best of the Chipmunks brings together some of their best-loved tunes. Most tracks feature some banter between the boys and Dave Seville, and these spoken bits are hilarious and sometimes even more enjoyable than the songs themselves.

Track one is The Chipmunk Song, the trademark of the the crooning rodents and a holiday favorite among youngsters. In it, the boys sing about their eagerness for Christmas to arrive and list their desired gifts. Alvin is especially hoping for a hula hoop, and he is so preoccupied with his thoughts of this coveted present that he's having a great deal of difficulty concentrating on the song, prompting a good deal of irate prodding from Dave. A Chipmunks classic sure to bring a smile any time of year.

Alvin's Harmonica highlights Alvin's considerable talents with the harmonica, his instrument of choice. Unfortunately, Dave did not intend for Alvin to play his harmonica during this number, and when he does, disaster ensues...at least in the eyes of the uptight parent, who insists that Alvin has ruined a very pretty song. I don't know if this is an actual song; I suspect it isn't. I can't think of too many other words that rhyme with "Veronica". At any rate, it's a delightful display of Chipmunk mischief, only to be rivaled on this album by Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

Ragtime Cowboy Joe is a country-western tune that Alvin is getting into a little more than Dave would like him to. A trouble-making chipmunk and a six-shooter are not a good combination!

She Loves You is just a straight singing of the classic Beatles tune. The Chipmunks are very fond of the Beatles and this is only one of their tunes that have been covered in various Chipmunks albums to date.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is a knee-slapper, opening with Dave announcing this "simple little sentimental song" and discovering, to his horror, that his boys have converted it into a coffeehouse standard. The merits of their jazzy rendition of the old favorite are utterly lost on Dave, despite Alvin's attempts to explain them. Even Simon's straightforward "What Alvin is saying, in his own quaint way, is that this song would be better if it were given a more modern and contemporary treatment, Dad" leaves Dave unconvinced. But never fear, Alvin and the boys will win out in the end.

Witch Doctor is another Chipmunk trademark, and according to their own history, it was their first big hit. "Oo-ee-oo-ah-ah, ting tang walla walla bing bang!" What's not to love?

Track seven, Do-Re-Mi, features a terribly confused Alvin trying to learn how to sing scales. He is assisted in this effort by a chorus of kids who show up in the later tracks, particularly in Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I find them slightly annoying, but I guess their presence is necessary for this song. Not so sure about the other, though.

Tonight You Belong to Me is another straight song, featuring some nice Barbershop style singing by the boys. America the Beautiful is a patriotic rendering of what I still consider a better choice for national anthem than Star-Spangled Banner. And the aforementioned Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is aided prominently by that chorus of kids, whom I could do without, but has a nice running gag of Alvin letting out a Tarzan-esque bellow on the choruses, much to the dismay of Dave.

The picture on the cover is a great shot of the boys at their most two-dimensional. But even when they looked flat on the screen, their antics managed to bring them life and vigor which few cartoon characters have been able to boast. This album gives us a fine glimpse of that energy.

Schulz's Golden Legacy

On February 12, 2000, the world lost the creator of one of the best-loved comics strips ever to grace the pages of the newspaper. Fortunately for us, Charles Schulz decided before he died to create a Peanuts biography in which he would comment on the birth and growth of the strip. This volume is Peanuts: A Golden Legacy.

The books begins with The Early Years, in which Schulz describes his childhood and early adulthood and explains the early influence of comics on his life. His nickname, Sparky, was given to him as an infant, in reference to the horse in the Barney Google comic strip. It was only the beginning of a lifelong interest in this artistic media. In kindergarten, Schulz was told by his teacher upon her viewing of a picture he had drawn, "Someday, Charles, you're going to be an artist." She was right.

The next section, The Beginning of Peanuts, deals with Schulz's creation of the strip which he had hoped to call L'il Folks. He would have to settle for a name he didn't like. Several of his earliest strips are featured here, and the characters are barely recognizable in their initial stages. As each new character emerges, Schulz makes commentary in the margins. Lucy, the "fussbudget", appeared in 1952. Linus made his debut several strips later. November 16, 1952, marked the first time Lucy pulled away the football. Pigpen showed up in 1953, Linus began dragging around his security blanket in the mid-50s, and Lucy set up her psychiatric booth in 1959. Later that year Charlie Brown's sister Sally was born, and that Halloween the Great Pumpkin was first mentioned. By the end of its first decade, Peanuts had basically assumed the shape it would retain for the rest of its life.

Hundreds of Peanuts strips are featured in this book, both in black-and-white and color. Nearly every page contains some sort of commentary by Schulz, and these side-notes are fascinating to read. Also included is a discussion of the Peanuts television specials, of which there have been over 75, and the Broadway production You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. One section features a display of comic strips which have parodied Peanuts; another provides a sampling of letters, both complimentary and complaining, written to Schulz. Strips through August of 1999 are included, and the book ends with a note from Schulz in conclusion. He ends his remarks by noting, "To create something out of nothing is a wonderful experience. To take a blank piece of paper and continue drawing with the same pen and materials as when I started the strip in 1950 is a real privilege. To draw characters that people love and worry about is extremely satisfying. I am happy that I have been allowed to do it for 50 years."

It?s a shame that he couldn't go on doing it for another 50, but he has left an incredible legacy behind him. This book is only the tip of the iceberg, but its 250 pages are a treasure trove of classic strips and memories and will be greatly appreciated by anyone who has grown to love Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang.

I Can Certainly Identify With This!

My aunts often give books as gifts, and my shelves are peppered with books which they have given me. They are not the only source of my extensive collection, however. I get books from a large variety of sources. The greatest majority have come from the Great American Book Sale, Scholastic Book Club, and my grade school book swap which my mom instituted. I am consistently overwhelmed by the number of books I have, despite the 14 shelves I have in my room and the shelves which cover the hallway. I could think of few books more appropriate for me, then, than this one which was given to me by my aunts in eighth grade.

The Library is the delightful story of Elizabeth Brown, a red-haired, near-sighted, awkward woman who ate, slept and breathed books. Written by Sarah Stewart, it uses simple verse to tell the tale of the girl who grew up reading books with a flashlight under the covers, went to college with a trunk full of books, and eventually packed so many books into the house she lived in that she did not have room for one more.

Each page contains no more than six lines of rhymed verse and is mostly taken up by a whimsical illustration by David Small. The repetition in the writing adds to the accessibility of this book for small children. A delight for all ages, it is especially geared towards this age group as it encourages them to embrace the joy of reading, think about ways that they can engage in philanthropic pursuits by sharing the things they love, and take advantage of that noble institution known as the library.

Oldie but Goodie

This Irish Rovers album may date back to 1971, but those boys from Ireland were as adept at spinning those old reels as they are now. Aside from the difference in the band membership, the most noticeable difference between the Irish Rovers then and now is the voices. Joe's voice has already matured to that deep tone which is so ideal for those lovely ballads, but the others have notably higher voices, to the point that they almost sound like a bunch of teenagers. Of course, in 1971, they weren't too far removed from that stage in their lives.

The First of the Irish Rovers begins with The Irish Rover, a rowdy sea song about a downed vessel. I'm not sure where the Rovers got their name, but the song certainly suits them. They are not introduced as "rowdy" and "rollicking" for nothing!

Next comes I Don't Mind If I Do, a clever little ditty in the tradition of the tunes of "that great Irish singer, Bing Crosby". Each verse ends with one of the characters in the song uttering this phrase, and it leads from a shy man paying court to a young lady to his marrying her and beginning to think about having children. Great song.

The Rattling Bog is one of those terrific songs that have essentially no meaning and are just a test to see how good your memory and your breath are. When the song has gone just about as far as it can, its cumulative lyrics are as follows: "Oh, roll, the rattlin' bog, the bog down in the valley-o. Oh, roll, the rattlin' bog, the bog down in the valley-o. Now on this bug there was a hair, a rare hair, a rattlin' hair. Hair on the bug and the bug on the leaf and the leaf on the twig and the twig on the branch and the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the bog and the bog down in the valley-o." Phew!

After that exhausting number, the Rovers slow things down by pulling My Boy Willie out of their bag of tricks. This is one of the most beautiful -- and most tragic -- songs that the Irish Rovers have ever sung, and they certainly do the 100-plus-year-old song justice. A tragedy about true love lost at sea, it will bring a tear to the eye of any romantic.

Coulter's Candy is the only song on this album which was also featured on my favorite Rovers album, Tales to Warm Your Mind. That album is, unfortunately, very difficult to find, but a good number of the tracks have a place on other albums. This particular version of the song is different from the Tales version in that it includes an opening and closing spoken monologue, a rhyming recounting of an encounter with a group of boys playing football spoken over the soft singing of the chorus. This is a song about nostalgia, taking the listeners back to the days when they were "l'il" and could buy a bag of candy for a penny.

Patsy Fegan (last name mis-spelled to accommodate censors...argh!) is a lively tune about a young man named Pat who is out to prove to the world that he is "a decent Irish man." Apparently the world agrees with the first two counts, but he can't seem to shake the label of "boy". One of these days...

Many Young Men of Twenty is a sad song about emigration, recalling all the young Irishmen who left their homeland in search of employment in America and never made it back.

Nancy Whiskey is about a woman who brings ruin in her wake, much like the "ficklesome damsel" in the Rover favorite Black Velvet Band. I'm not really sure what it is about Nancy Whiskey, but I just can't get into it. In fact, it really annoys me. I would've left it out.

My Old Man's a Dustman is the hilarious tale of an elderly garbage collector who's got enough spunk and spirit to make this dirty job loads of fun. The song is preluded by Will's remark that "a lot of people go over to England and get great jobs over there -- look at Prince Philip for instance" but that the "best bloody job" a man could get was that esteemed position of dustman, aka garbage collector. Probably the funniest track on the album.

Mick Maguire is the tale of a young man with a nice inheritance who courts a girl and marries her. This is a very agreeable situation for the girl's mother until she discovers that Mick has already spent his fortune. Then she becomes the mother-in-law from...well, let's just say she's not very nice!

And finally, Donald Where's Your Trousers is the woeful song of a kilt-clad Celt who is always being teased because of his legwear. This rather silly tune brings a close to a fine Rovers album. Unless, of course, you purchase it as a part of the cassette The First of the Irish Rovers / The Unicorn, in which case it only takes up the first side. In either case, once you've heard The First of the Irish Rovers, you can be sure that it won't be the last you'll hear of them!