So why is Flight of the Conchords’ Live in London on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Some bands Some bands and artists just make me happy.
Flight of the Conchords is one of them. Like the acoustic-metal compatriots who comprise Tenacious D, they blend comedy and music in an exquisite and effective way.
The key for both acts is that first and foremost they’re tremendously talented musicians who excel at songwriting and crafting narratives through their music.
There are so many magical things about Live in London, and I’ll only get to touch on some of them here in this piece. One of them is that at 22 tracks that run over an hour and a half, it’s simply more time that we get to spend with New Zealanders Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie – always a good thing.
Beyond the hilarious banter between songs – several bits of which turn into full-blown mini-skits themselves – Live in London features a bunch of songs (and amazing songs) that have not been included in any of their studio albums to date.
While live versions of songs that have been released elsewhere (both via studio album and as part of the great HBO TV show that not surprisingly matches the name of the band) are also well worth checking out – among them a “Mutha’uckas–Hurt Feelings” medley, “Robots” (arguably their greatest song of all, even if it spotlights the fact that the humans are dead), and a nearly seven-minute version of “Foux du Fafa” – I’ll focus on the standout original to Live in London songs for the rest of this piece.
“Iain and Deanna” alone puts Live in London in contention for the best 1,000 albums ever. It’s that good. It has some connective tissue with the brilliant “Business Time” in that it’s a hysterical take on romance among the office working warriors of the world.
Jemaine takes on the role of “Deanna from human resources” and Bret “Iain from accounting.” We know this because they remind us of the following throughout the song:
Ooh, just two irresistible forces
The tension is mounting
Ooh, I’m Deanna from human resources
And I’m Iain from accounting
It’s hilarious, it’s catchy, it has an incredible narrative to it, and it rocks. This one song alone blows me away, and the live performance is – to borrow a word from the Brits – smashing.
And speaking of narratives, “Bus Driver” (just over five minutes long) and “Stana” (nine plus!) are right up there in terms of full-blown stories that the fellas wonderfully launch into flight (pun intended, I guess!).
“Bus Driver” has a gorgeous throwback vibe while showcasing the tale of an Australian tour bus driver. Just right there: this ain’t the kind of musical fare you’re likely to find in too many other musical quarters, yes?
And then “Stana” has a really old time-y Western vibe, as in we’re talking 1800s Spaghetti Western vibes. As the boys let us know early on, this is the “weirdest tale that you ever lived with,” and man, I love that they are absolutely correct.
“Back on the Road” heralds the life of being road musicians, and that good old “one more complimentary muffin” – also a callback to fun banter that occurs earlier in the concert – that one can often expect at budget hotels worldwide.
Pop culture stuff that has something to do with Flight of the Conchords’ Live in London
Jemaine Clement is a character actor who has been in many TV shows and movies in recent years, and Bret McKenzie of late has been producing “comedy free” music with his own band. And, in fact, Songs Without Jokes, which certainly has its own old school vibes, was released in 2022.
Some stats & info about Flight of the Conchords – Live in London
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Comedy Rock, Live Albums
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – not rated!
- When was Live in London released?
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #176 out of 1,000
Flight of the Conchords’ Live in London on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Flight of the Conchords’ Live in London that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Ooh, just two irresistible forces the tension is mounting. Ooh, I’m Deanna from human resources, and I’m Iain from accounting.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.