South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut [Soundtrack]

All 12 songs from the film appear here, and these alone would make a fine, if somewhat short, soundtrack album. Unfortunatly to build on that 30 minutes of melodic magic and whimsical wizardry, someone decided it would be a good idea to include 'Interpretations'. Indeed it is, but not when you give a gang of 'Gangster Rappers' lisence to massacre Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman's works of genius. I won't go on about it, as much as I'd like to, all I'll say is that you won't listen to these more than once. It amazes me; this album is for people who want to appreciate these songs for their musical value, out of the context of the movie. Surely people who want this aren't going to like the style of remixes.

But then who whould you get to redo already perfect songs. I don't know of many American bands but I think Blink 182 would do a great cheeky version of "Uncle Fu**er"! Perhaps the producers of the album could get together some of the artists that worked on Chef Aid; "Up There" could have written for Meat Loaf, of cause it'd have to be a 10 minute long epic! Chef could not only lend his vocal talent to the ONE good 'not-in-film' track "Good Love" but a saucy version of "I Can Change" as he pleads with one of the many ladies he's cheated on! Elton John could do a bluesy rendition of "I'm Super" or he could duet with Big Gay Al on his own song "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", that would be hillarious! All silly ideas (and several years too late) but thats the kind of creativity and thinking that went into the original music.

This CD warrents a purchase purely for the first 12 tracks.

So why the next eight?

The eight tracks "inspired by the movie" are fairly naff, with a couple of exceptions; "What Would Brian Boitano Do? Part II" by D.V.D.A. is utterly stunning (and, contrary to the album's insistence, did actually appear in the film; it played over the end credits), and the consistently good Violent Femmes' track, "I Swear It (I Can Change)" is also class. But why RuPaul? Why the young skool of gangsta rappas? It's unneccessary. Obviously they needed Isaac Hayes to offer something; and if they wanted another track, then the song I heard during a trailer for the film (Styx's version of the Eric Cartman classic "Come Sail Away") could easily have made it.

But the first twelve tracks are great enough to propel this to the heights.

My favorite tracks are the most controversial ones. Although pretty short in length, the Terrance and Phillip cut Uncle F**ka is hilarious and really set the mood for the movie and album at the outset. Then there is Kyle's Mom' a B**ch from the one and only Eric Cartman, backed up by a big chorus for this version of his greatest hit. I can listen to this song over and over again. I have to give special praise to the La Resistance medley; it ingeniously incorporates elements from a number of the movie's songs, bringing in the voices of kids, parents, Satan, and others in a magical, energetic vocal tour de force.

Then we have the extra, non-movie tracks featuring celebrity versions of a few songs. It is unfortunate that we only hear Chef sing a few lines in the movie, but the inclusion of his Good Love helps make up for the loss. RuPaul's version of I'm Super is interesting, as is the collaborative O Canada performed by Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson with some help from the clearly Canadian Terrance and Phillip. As a big Violent Femmes fan, I was thrilled to hear their version of I Can Change. The other extra songs disappointed me, however, even the Joe C.-Kid Rock version of Kyle's Mom's a Big Fat B**ch.

Obviously, only South Park fans will want this album. For those folks still on the fence concerning this show they have heard about but perhaps never watched, the album has the potential to pleasantly surprise. As long as you don't take this music seriously, it will provide countless hours of feel-good, hilarious entertainment.