The Simpsons might be past its genre-defying, multi-referencing, tummy-tickling best, but it can still pluck a gag from the most unlikely of sources. And that’s why we love it. But there’s still something a little spurious about taking all the disparate musical items and shoving them out on one CD. It’s a bit like compiling a collection of punchlines without recourse to the rest of the joke. It’s a context thing. Take the situation out of situation comedy and you are left with a pie without a filling, a dog without a bone and a series of amusing non-sequiturs. Not that it matters to most Simpsons fans; a steady roll of repeat showing on SKY alone ensures that we remember the context – and whilst they’re not half as funny as they are ‘in situ’ it would be a cold, cold rib indeed not to be tickled by the likes of ‘Testify’ from the ‘Faith Off’ episode or Copacabana piss-take, ‘Islands of Sirens’ from Tales From The Public Domain.
Anyways, here you are. 41 variously amusing tracks taken from series 10-18 of The Simpsons featuring the unmistakable voices of Springfield: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer and Kesley Grammer.
Stracks include Lady (featuring Ricky Gervais), Everybody Hates Ned Flanders, Homer & Marge (to the tune of Jack & Diane featuring Weird Al Yankovic), Who Wants A Haircut (featuring Baha Men) and the fantastic title track Testify. Also featured on the collection are The B52’s, Jackson Browne and David Byrne.