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South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
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Co-Composed, Co-Produced, and Lyrics Co-Written by:
Trey Parker
Co-Composed, Arranged, Co-Produced, and Lyrics Co-Written by:
Marc Shaiman
Conducted by:
Pete Anthony
Female Voices Performed by:
Mary Kay Bergman
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LABEL & RELEASE DATE
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ALBUM AVAILABILITY
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Regular U.S. release.
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AWARDS
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The song "Blame Canada" was nominated for an Academy Award.
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ALSO SEE
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Buy it... if you like your musicals served up with lyrics that typically make the bodies
of good, church-going folk seize up.
Avoid it... if you have no tolerance for the childish and offensive
television show, because the feature film's musical numbers, while
impressive in their orchestral and vocal mix, are the ultimate in
similarly obnoxious parody.
BUY IT
 | Shaiman |
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut: (Trey
Parker/Marc Shaiman) If you're offended by such words as shit, bitch,
fuck, anti-Christ, etc, then both the following review and the music it
discusses won't be your cup of tea. Cease reading here. Otherwise, take
what you read with a grain of salt, because your opinion of the music
for South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is so directly correlated
to your tolerance for the show that nearly all the parties interested in
this album will be those who support its 10+ year run on the Comedy
Central cable station. The longevity of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's
"South Park" concept is somewhat amazing given the tendency of some fans
to "grow out of it." The phenomenon was intriguing in its plainly
offensive nature when it started, introducing people to the pleasures of
alien anal probes and a talking piece of fecal matter. Somewhere along
the way, however, the show lost its unique appeal. Fortunately, the
feature film adaptation of the show, even far wilder and more disgusting
than the television version, opened in 1999 when "South Park" was still
making waves. The premise is basically the same: four animated
grade-school boys living in the redneck town of South Park, Colorado,
use running gags and, in this case, a war against Canada to stir up
controversy. It's parody at its most juvenile, which makes it an odd
combination of extreme smarts and tiresome immaturity. The film's
musical format allowed Parker to really flourish in his sense of humor,
using the formula of a 1990's Walt Disney blockbuster to guide its
structure. It was a surprising success at the time, too, winning Chicago
and Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for "Best Music" and
nominated for an Oscar for one of the less verbally offensive songs. Its
performance at the ceremony was something to behold. To flesh out the
songs with an orchestral accompaniment suitable for any Broadway
production, Parker brought veteran composer and songwriter Marc Shaiman
onto the crew. That choice is among the most admirable of South
Park, because the composer's personal sense of humor and great
knowledge of musicals paid off.
The production numbers for South Park are so
brilliantly obnoxious that this is one of the very few albums that you
simply can't write about while listening to it. In a technical sense,
Shaiman and Parker (who collaborated on most of the songs; Parker
handles the non-orchestral numbers himself) offer songs that so
perfectly emulate the sound of Alan Menken and a host of Broadway
staples that you can't help but be fascinated by them. Shaiman uses some
of the best orchestrating talents in the industry (Jeff Atmajian, Pete
Anthony, Frank Bennett, and Patrick Russ, among others) to provide a
rich and pleasant symphonic backing for many of the major songs, which
is just what they need to create the necessary parody environment. After
all, you can't tweak Menken fans with subversive lyrics and wacky voices
unless you have that full ensemble playing at its most wholesome. In
terms of melody, Shaiman and Parker break no new ground in South
Park, relying so heavily on stereotypical musical song structures
that there's frightfully nothing original about it outside of its
magnificent compilation of arrangements. The recording of the orchestra
is crystal clear and could be, given a different mix, an addendum to any
number of Menken works. In striking contrast, the voices and lyrics in
all of the songs are, obviously, ridiculous and offensive. The voices
come with the territory; a few accents here and there are tonally
enjoyable, including Satan's contribution, but the characters of Stan
Marsh and Eric Cartman are simply not meant to be heard singing. Period.
That's why they're funny, though, and the layers upon layers of vocal
performances (necessary considering that just a couple of people
actually performed all of them) are extremely well balanced. By the time
you hear "La Resistance," with many of the character voices forming a
truly full cast performance, the recording is extremely impressive. It's
a shame that the orchestral recordings, along with any of Shaiman's
actual underscore, can't be heard alone on album.
For those who aren't fans of the show, the South
Park is difficult to recommend. From the standpoint of a veteran
collector of musicals, though, the recording could remain a fascination.
Like any musical, this one has its highlights. The first eleven songs
are original pieces that advance the story of the film, with a standard
reprise of the opening song at the end to appropriately close out the
happy ending with a crescendo of voices, bold brass, and banging chimes.
That opening song is "Mountain Town," a delightful introductory piece
that is, for all intents and purposes, a parody of "Belle" from
Beauty and the Beast. Among the more popular numbers because of
its profanity is "Uncle Fucka," and its reach to the Golden Age of
Broadway hoedown style is unmistakably mismatched the the flurries of
"fucks" in the song. The Oscar-nominated "Blame Canada" is an outrageous
mutilation of the Canadian national anthem and takes every opportunity
to roast everything that comes from what they refer to as "not even a
real country anyway." The 70's pop style of "What Would Brian Boitano
Do?" is inspired from the upbeat half of Evita. The longing "Up
There" takes the lyrics of "Part of Your World" from The Little
Mermaid and applies them to Satan and a pseudo-gospel tone. The
medley of "La Resistance" balances "God Help the Outcasts" from The
Hunchback of Notre Dame with the Broadway production of Les
Misérables before launching into overlapping fragments of "Blame
Canada," "Uncle Fucka," and "Up There" (and some counterpoint from Satan
mirroring the climax of The Phantom of the Opera). The Saddam Hussein
song "I Can Change" is modeled after "Arabian Nights" from
Aladdin, and advances the homosexual innuendo of the scene. The
remainder of the songs isn't as strong, but none is completely off
course with the overall program. Like the show itself, the album can be
funny while listening to it (and it's certainly engaging... nobody can
argue with that), but it could leave a bitter aftertaste. Countering the
positive influence of Shaiman's musical talent are a number of
detriments working against this album. First among these are the eight
"interpretational songs" at the end of the album, of which only one
appears over the end credits of the film.
The more problematic aspect of South Park is the
fact that the trashy humor of the lyrics is so excessively juvenile that
the overall product eventually gets tiring. Part of this exhaustion of
patience also comes from the fact that Parker and Shaiman never let up
with the explosive pacing of their music. But, in the end, the sharp
edge of the lyrics can only sustain themselves for a short while and, as
expected, the voices are fucking irritating! It's one thing to
hear Stan and Cartman's high pitched tones during the show, but nobody
should be submitted to the torture of hearing them attempt to sing for
as long as this. Protests against South Park and its music were
generally more concentrated on the blasphemous, racist, sexist, and
bigoted aspects of the lyrics. They target just about everybody, and
it's by no coincidence that this album vilifies certain racial groups.
Satan, with his gospel ensemble, is clearly black. Arabs are stereotyped
as a bunch of brutes. Canadian listeners will hear their anthem
crucified. Religious advocates will hear Jesus at the butt end of every
other joke (literally). And that doesn't even address what Anne Murray,
Brian Boitano, and Celine Dion think of it. While valid to a point,
though, these arguments do miss the purpose of the production. Overall,
the South Park musical numbers definitely earned Shaiman some
respect. While many listeners will only be familiar with his fluffy,
sappy music for the likes of Patch Adams and The American
President, those who had the privilege to hear his improvised
on-stage song performance about the state of film scoring in 2008 at an
ASCAP event (before melodramatically collapsing to the floor) will know
better. If only some of his score had been placed on this album instead
of the wretched and inexcusable cover versions of the songs at the end,
it would have been a product that could be recommended to people who
can't tolerate the show. Still, although the film has just too much
trashy music for some to enjoy, it's a splendid culmination of efforts
from the South Park team. If only they could have worked in the
lyrics: "Oh my God! They killed that Disney song! Those bastards!" @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
- Music as Written for Film: ****
- Music as Heard on Album: **
- Overall: ***
Kennys Dead Song??? Expand >> Josh Behymer - March 20, 2005, at 11:55 a.m. |
2 comments (3511 views) Newest: April 18, 2005, at 10:25 a.m. by Aaron |
south park ben - February 1, 2005, at 9:28 a.m. |
1 comment (1878 views) |
Total Time: 50:34
Songs from the Film:
1. Mountain Town* (4:27)
2. Uncle Fucka** (1:06)
3. It's Easy, Mmmkay* (1:54)
4. Blame Canada* (1:35)
5. Kyle's Mom's a Bitch* (1:15)
6. What Would Brian Boitano Do?* (1:34)
7. Up There** (2:23)
8. La Resistance (Medley)* (1:52)
9. Eyes of a Child** (3:39)
10. I Can Change** (2:05)
11. I'm Super* (1:26)
12. Mountain Town (Reprise)* (1:02)
Interpretations: (recordings not contained in the film)
13. Good Love (3:31)
Written and performed by Isaac Hayes
14. Shut Yo Face (Uncle Fucka) (3:59)
Written by Trey Parker, Trick Daddy, Trina, Money Mark, and Corey - performed by Trick Daddy, feat, Trina & Tre, + 6
15. Riches To Rags (Mmmkay) (4:31)
Written by Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman, and others - performed by Nappy Roots
16. Kyle's Mom's A Big Fat Bitch (3:54)
Written by Trey Parker, R.J. Ritchie, Joseph Calleja, and M Shafer - performed by Joe C. and Kid Rock
17. What Would Brian Boitano Do? Pt. II (2:14)
Written by Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman - performed by DVDA
18. I Swear It (I Can Change) (2:44)
Written by Trey Parker and Gordon Gano - performed by Violent Femmes
19. Super (4:04)
Written by Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman, RuPaul Charles, Bobby Gay and Ernie Lake - performed by RuPaul
20. O Canada (1:10)
Written by C. La Vallee/R.S. Weir - performed by Geddy Lee/Alex Lifeson of Rush
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* written by Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman
** written by Trey Parker
The insert contains extensive credits for each track as well as an excess
of pictures from the film.
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