So why is Tenacious D on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
One of my favorite live music experiences of my life involves Tenacious D.
I’m not a “car guy” by any means, but I worked in the automotive media space for a goodly spell. I attended the LA Car Show one year, and I’ll never forget when a colleague asked me, “Hey, I have a press pass to see Tenacious D, do you want it?”
Uh… that’d be a hard yes, thanks.
So it was that I got to see Tenacious D live in a room of approximately 100 people.
All I know is this, Part I: I stood directly in front of Jack Black a.k.a. Jables. Not so close that I could touch him (while I’m relatively tall, I have fairly short arms for my height – no NBA contract was in the cards for this kid, I’m afraid), but pretty close.
All I know is this, Part II: Tenacious D played for about an hour as though the audience contained 100,000 people and not just 100.
It was insane, it was electric.
It was The D.
While obviously there are very few ways to enjoy (no… experience) The D as much as I did on that magical evening, Tenacious D has many options on tap to take in the acoustic/metal/comedy splendor that is their unique specialty, including the ridiculously fun HBO show from the late ‘90s, and both the outstanding film and soundtrack from The Pick of Destiny (#136 of best 1,000 albums ever).
From an album perspective, the duo’s 2001 self-titled debut album best encapsulates Tenacious D’s many strengths in one package.
Part of the reason for this is that “Tribute” is not only one of the best songs Tenacious D has released to date (in addition to not being the greatest song in the world, of course), but it also perfectly meshes pop craftsmanship, explosive hard rock/metal, and deeply funny and re-listenable comedy that only the combination of Jack Black and Kyle Gass (a.k.a. KG a.k.a. Rage Kage) can pull off.
Take away the amazing music and take away the hilarity, and you still find that Tenacious D laces a strange yet enduring mythology into its music that fuses together with the relationship of the two bandmates and their wild and sometimes supernatural adventures*.
* This is explored further in The Pick of Destiny, which in case it’s not clear, I highly recommend.
It would be one thing if “Tribute” was simply a song about another song being the greatest song in the world. Fine idea, and a worthy one. But on top of that premise, we get an epic tale involving Jables and Rage Kage facing down a demon and living to tell/sing the tale by conjuring the greatest song the world had ever seen… but if only they could remember what it was!
Long time ago, me and my brother Kyle here
We was hitchhiking down a long and lonesome road
All of a sudden, there shined a shiny demon
In the middle of the road
And he said, “Play the best song in the world
Or I’ll eat your soul” (soul)
Tenacious D has an ability that is extraordinarily rare, which is to take an already great song and then crank it up to some new and incredible next level. That moment hits here when we get to the culmination of the tale:
Needless to say, the beast was stunned
A whip-crack went his whippy tail and the beast was done
He asked us *snort* “Be you angels?”
And we said, “Nay, we are but men!” Rock
I’m not exaggerating when I state that this is one of the great moments in rock and roll history right here. It’s sublime.
Rock, indeed.
Sidenote that in some ways, “Beelzebub (The Final Showdown),” off of The Pick of Destiny, is a worthy successor to “Tribute.”
“City Hall” is a hilariously weirdo epic that both doth rock while also represents a strangely cogent critique of the dangers of political revolution and anarchy. Then if you sit through a silent section, you get a bonus of the super silly “I Believe” and “Malibu Nights.”
Speaking of silly, Tenacious D (like fellow musical comedy legends Flight of the Conchords) have no compunction of getting ludicrous and hilarious about their prowess in the uh… love department. See: “Kielbasa,” “F— Her Gently,” and “Double Team.”
Warning: all of these are super catchy, so be careful about singing these lyrics out loud while you’re blasting these tunes via ear buds while out in public, people.
Of these, I never fail to be impressed with the bizarre places that “Double Team” takes us to.
If you’re more of the mode to simply have Tenacious D in full and glorious rock out mode, I’ll direct you to “Lee” and especially “Explosivo.”
Ride, ride, ride indeed.
Some stats & info about Tenacious D
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Hard Rock, Movie Soundtracks, Comedy Rock, Heavy Metal
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was Tenacious D released? 2001
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #91 out of 1,000
Tenacious D on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Tenacious D that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
This is just a tribute, you’ve gotta believe me.
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.