Album Review - Tenacious D

In tribute to the recent release of the Tenacious D movie, The Pick of Destiny, I'd like to respectuflly re-post another throw-back article from the old DUI.com. Readers of The Wheel, if you haven't experianced The D, I highly recommend it.



Tenacious D "Tenacious D"
Release Date: September 25, 2001
Certification Status: Gold on July 2, 2002
Chart Peak Position: N/A
Singles and Chart Positions: N/A

Track List:
1. Kielbasa
2. One Note Song
3. Tribute
4. Wonderboy
5. Hard F***ing
6. F*** Her Gently
7. Explosivo
8. Dio
9. Inward Singing
10. Kyle Quit The Band
11. The Road
12. C*** Pushups
13. Lee
14. Friendship Test
15. Friendship
16. Karate Schnitzel
17. Karate
18. Rock Your Socks
19. Drive-Thru
20. Double Team
21. City Hall

My Opinion:
Once every so often a band comes along that makes rock n’ roll fun again. At the dawn of the new millennium Tenacious D exploded onto the music scene with “Wonderboy”, a moving power-ballad about a swashbuckling super hero and his nemesis Young Nasty Man. “Wonderboy”, the flagship song of the band’s record was only one of many masterful songs on their self-titled album. The irony of this stirring album’s origin, as well as the band that penned this CD of poetic tunes, was that in a world of punk-metal-hard-rock-grunge amalgams that all take themselves far too seriously, the talented duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass managed to tap into the excitement and passion of rock n’ roll enthusiasts across the nation through comedy.

Yes, Tenacious D is nothing more than a rock music punch line and yet they are so much more. If you knew Jack Black from his higher profile endeavors in Hollywood before you listened to his music then you might not be surprised by his lyrical musings. Kyle Gass, a considerably lesser-known actor, is also an artist in the comedic genre. What they have combined to create is a real life caricature of rock music and musicians. However this rock n’ roll figment is no more a figment then any other creative enterprise that grew from the momentum of its own loyal following. Their tours have sold more tickets than some “real” rock bands and their album can be found on more CD racks than many “legitimate” artists. I use the words “real” and “legitimate” in quotes because while, Tenacious D isn’t a band in the normal sense of the word they are more talented and inspirational than most current bands in the business. The result is a living, breathing version of Spinal Tap.

Of course, like Spinal Tap, Tenacious D may not be for everyone. My wife and I, for instance, have completely different tastes and she is often bored to tears by my choice of music, television, and movies. However, her twin brother, a musician himself in the Reno Nevada area, loves “The D” and put me on to the band in the first place. My recommendation would be to check it out for yourself. Who knows, you may find that you can’t get enough of “Wonderboy”, “F*** Her Gently”, “Rock Your Socks Off”, and “Tribute” to name a few. The album is packed full of hilarity while at the same time being an outstanding work of musical craftsmanship. Just be sure to tell your friends you heard about it here first.