rightbrain's Full Review: Golden Throats: The Great Celebrity Sing-Off!
Synergy is the interaction of elements that, when combined, produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements. Well, dis compilation got dat synergy, baby!
None of these cuts had any impact during their initial releases, but together they make a treasured time capsule of a culturally divisive time in America. Mom and Dad's TV stars extend a hand to the kids and say, "See? We're not the enemy. We like your music."
But these recordings go even beyond that. In addition to being bogus, they're exceptionally bad. So bad that they go through a black hole into an alternate universe where they come out ridiculous! And who doesn't love ridiculous?!
Leonard Nimoy's (Dr. Spock, Star Trek) Proud Mary sounds very much like he has an active colon and he needs to finish this song quickly and without too much effort from his diaphragm. And he displays as much emotion as his Vulcan character. Makes you ask, "Why? Why?"
Sebastian Cabot's (Mr. French, Family Affair) It Ain't Me Babe is done with a classical string arrangement and he recites all the lyrics like a really suspect middle school teacher. Creepy.
Eddie Albert's (Oliver Douglas, Green Acres) Blowin' in the Wind just plain blows. I don't think Dylan wanted that much drums and that much vocal backup "aahs".
William Shatner's (Capt. Kirk, Star Trek) Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is high art. He speak-sells those lyrics with the desperation of...of...of an actor whose marketability has already peaked.
Noel Harrison's (who is this guy?) A Whiter Shade of Pale is pale all right. Uninspired.
Frankie Randall's (Sinatra crony) I Can See for Miles is just as bad as Noel Harrison's cut. Do the vocal backups keep singing "chup-chup"? Can't be sure.
Jack Webb's (Sgt. Friday, Dragnet) Try a Little Tenderness is recited throughout with just a teensy bit more emotion than Webb showed in his Dragnet role. This is surprising, because Webb was known for his musical ability. And, one would think, taste. It doesn't show here.
Mae West's ("Come up and see me sometime.") Twist and Shout is a real showstopper. Although she was well into her 70s when she recorded this, she belts it out with the rawness of a Shatner. And her strong vibrato punctuates every bar. The genuine article done to perfection.
Andy Griffith's (Sheriff Taylor, Andy Griffith Show) House of the Rising Sun sounds like the soundtrack to a PBS special on the Old South. His bluesy rendition might work, if he could only convince us he was black. And he doesn't.
William Shatner's (Capt. Kirk, Star Trek) Mr. Tambourine Man manages to outweird his Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. He begins by beckoning Mr. Tambourine Man earnestly and progresses to choke up the song's lyrics in his inimitable "jingle (pregnant pause) jangle" fashion. He concludes this abomination by shouting, "Mr. Tambourine Man! Mr. Tambourine Man!" like a strung-out junkie and we can't help but chuckle. It's wonderful!
Jim Nabor's (Gomer Pyle, USMC) You Are the Sunshine of My Life is total easy-listening with its pillow-soft arrangement and Jim's clear, rounded all-American voice. Major-league boring.
Sebastian Cabot's (Mr. French, Family Affair) Like a Rolling Stone is just as creepy as his It Ain't Me Babe and even more annoying. When he demands, "How does it feel? How does it feel?," one can only think of that pedophiliac middle school teacher. Yecch!
Joel Grey's (Emcee, Cabaret) White Room manages to devoid the song of all its original punch. His 8-year-old-boy voice reaches hammy soprano heights when he's not employing a stylistic lilt. The song ends with a jazzy measure and you wonder, 'What was that?'
Leonard Nimoy's (Dr. Spock, Star Trek) If I Had a Hammer convinces us we'd know what to do with that hammer. He wails along weakly until midway through the song there's a bizarre segue into America the Beautiful and he becomes a patriotic preacher. So bad it stays bad.
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