Search - Bobs :: Best of the Bobs: 20 Songs From 20 Years

Definitely worth owning. Also get their first 4 albums.

Chris bct | San Diego, CA USA | 01/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's no question, their first 4 albums have the most hits. I admit, I don't have this CD. However, I do own 10 of their 13 albums. I particularly mention that as I read a review on rarb.org that said this album had some live versions, at least one in particular, 'Cowboy Lips' that is superior to the studio version. I've seen the BOBS about 5 times over the last 20 years and find that their live versions are fairly close to the studio versions. They definitely do a great show and are always worth seeing live particularly as they do not tour that often.



Three features of the BOBS worth keeping in mind:

A) Almost all their songs tell a story.

B) Almost all their songs are humerous. Can humerous songs be listened to over and over? Their songs can. Can you listen to the same comedy album over and over? Let's put it this way, if you wanna buy pristine old used albums go to the comedy section, even JONATHAN WINTERS lps from the 60's will be typically virtually unplayed. Why? Because even classic lps like 60's BILL COSBY records go so far, then you master the jokes. Ok, ok, I'll admit it, when I was a young teenager I listened to several BILL COSBY albums so often I was spouting numerous comedy sentences from them for years. The difference here is that the BOBS' songs are not just about humor. No, the other piece is:

C) They have a remarkable ability to arrange songs in the a cappella form using their vocal instruments, and occasional other body parts and rarely, a spare instrument here or there, mostly on the Plugged album. If you love harmony they interweave their voices so well it's musical art. As a result, I find that I listen to the BOBS consistently over the years which is saying a lot because I get burned out hearing the same songs over and over. Sometimes I need 5 years inbetween hearing songs like of the BEATLES or the DOORS. The BOBS I listen to 'em sometime just about every year.



I understand from the other review that there's some unreleased songs on this album, Best of the Bobs: 20 Songs from 20 Years (2003), quite likely 'The Boxer', 'Giant Robot Store', 'Weekend in Cincinnati' and 'Bee Bop I Love You'. So, I can't say if they are hits or not. Those songs do not appear on any of their other albums so they must be the unreleased ones (The BOBS have appeared on several compilations so those songs may be from that source. They also released a fans only cassette in the 80's with some songs they did on PBS and they have a very small number of 7" vinyl records).



Aside from those caveats, if I were going to pick their 20 best songs from 20 years here would be my choices:

From this album:

1) 'Share a Load' a marvelous story of a guy and a gal who end up sharing their laundry load at the laundromat. (Songs For Tomorrow Morning 1988)

2) 'Please Let Me Be Your Third World Country', an excellent commentary on left wing causes and a man's desire to enhance his love life with his politically charged girlfriend. (My I'm Large 1987)

3) 'Helmet' One of their 8 best ever songs. Lyrically so believable, almost childlike in the narrator's enthusiasm for helmets plus their ever clever vocal arranging. (My I'm Large)

4) 'Art for Art's Sake' I almost get lost in this song from the vocal gymnastics they do on this. (s/t 1983)

5) 'Cowboy Lips' There's just no song in the world of entertainment that covers this subject. More lyrical fun and vocal artistry.

and 6) 'Helter Skelter' The bravery exhibited in taking on this song is enough to give them credit. (Sing the Songs of...1991)

I would add:

From their first album, The Bobs:

7) 'The Deprogrammer' a serious song, possibly their only serious song, with only a somewhat humerous refrain, given the intense subject matter.

and 8) 'Psycho Killer' which does TALKING HEADS proud. As with the best covers, it gives you a reinvention of the original.

9) 'Through the Wall' One of their top 8 songs. This could easily also be called one of their true masterpieces. An emotional love song about a subject you never hear about in songs with a humor thread throughout. Touching, about yearning and some of their finest vocal arrangements ever.

From My I'm Large:

10) 'My I'm Large' one of their 8 most mighty songs. Mental imagery wise and vocally they soar. Humor, as usual. A very different subject than typically found in the world of entertainment, which they manage to do on several of their best self written songs. This song is as exciting to me today as it was 17 or so years ago, as with all their best songs.

11) 'My Husband Was a Weatherman' Maybe it's just the kicker line at the end, but it also grasps an essence of marriage somehow.

12) 'Valentino's' Wot a story. Again, a surprise in how it ends up, female lead vocal. How can they do love songs with subjects that one does not hear from other sources given that the majority of pop songs are love songs? Incredible. This is so funny and, as per usual with their best songs, mighty vocal soaring.

13) 'Little Red Riding Hood' Probably their best cover and even better because the album version is live and the audience is howling at the end of the song. They improve on the original. Way. I can't get enough of this song. One of their top 8 songs.



14) 'My Shoes' One of their best ever 8 songs it's emotional. Fantasy lyrics, shoes with a mind of their own, one of their finest songs musically. I just get totally swept up in this song, still.

From Songs for Tomorrow Morning:

15) 'Santa Ana Woman' Not just one of the 8 best, likely their masterpiece. Noir story with a humor twist at the very end. One of the best songs ever, period. Emotion, humor, story, vocal intensity. Whew.

16) 'But Then, A Week Ago Last Thursday' A humorous tale, a bit fanciful, as usual, with great vocal sense of interplay. The lyrics never get tired for me, year after year and typically, I'm not much of one for lyrics unless it's praise songs at church. These guys just combine humor/story/and a cappela in a way that can be magical.

17) 'Corn Dogs' Holy smokes! I can't get enough of this song. I should make it one of the top 8 of theirs, making it 9. All about growing old together and battling the bulge so humerously and with such a great harmony refrain.

18) 'Boy Around the Corner' What a delightful tale of yearning. As ever, not a common topic despite being a love song and their great ability to harmonize, this time with the female lead vocal.

A bonus track on this album's CD version (the song comes from one of their 7" records if I recall correctly) is

19) '(First I Was a Hippie, Then I Was a Stockbroker) Now I Am a Hippie Again' Well, you can imagine, they take the story all the way through this subject in a delightful way as only the BOBS do and make it musically entertaining the entire way as well.

From Sing the Songs of (1991):

20) 'You Really Got Me' They almost always do a very refreshing take on their many covers, two albums worth. I'd also pick 'Purple Haze' and 'Whole Lotta Love' from this album but I said I'd stick with 20 total. Heck, 'You Can't Do That' and 'Fever' are on here too along with the aforementioned 'Helter Skelter' and 'Psycho Killer'. Obviously, an album worth getting all by itself. Really, just go out and buy their first four albums. Even their less than strongest songs on those four are still great. That does not end up being true with the albums that come after them beginning with:

Shut Up and Sing (1993) still has the last of their 8 amazing songs:



21) 'Mr. Duality'. (ok, ok, I cannot select simply 20 greatest hit songs from the BOBS. I confess. There's a number I could still include, and even mentioned above but did not number. Again, mainly from the first 4 albums). At their best in fantasy story telling. Very clever lyrics about a guy with two sides to him, in so many ways. Presented, as ever in their finest songs, with incredible vocal arrangements.

Bobs Cover the Songs of...(1994) has two songs that won't fit in my 20 but I'll mention them anyway:

'White Room' and 'Wind Cries Mary' probably because I love CREAM and JIMI HENDRIX and love hearing great covers of their work and these songs are terrific. One could not imagine hearing these songs done a cappella (along with Whole Lotta Love which they did with Gunnar Bob live doing an unbelievable vocal drum solo) and done so well. It's all in how they re-arrange the songs.

Plugged (1995) has:

22) 'Kill Your Television' which could have been a radio hit except they have one of their rare off color words but only because it's from a bumper sticker. Who could have thought of a song consisting of nothing but sayings from bumper stickers. Great.

I can't find my Too Many Santas (1996) CD otherwise I'd probably have 1 or 2 hits from it.

I Brow Club (1997) has:

The incredible story of 23) 'Change of Heart' which I must call one of their 8 top classic songs because it has the best they bring: story/humor/passion/uncommon topic/vocal harmony as sweet as one could imagine.

Best of the Bobs (2000), an import from Germany has 17 songs from the first four albums.

Coaster (2001) has:

24) 'She Made Me Name You Earl' which lyrically alone is one of their most clever songs and emminently listenable. The number of names they list for, ahem, well, it's just another tremendous song for all their best reasons.

They have another album called Rhapsody In Bob which is apparently their most recent.



Ok, there ya go, 24 best songs in 20 years. And what's even worse is, I'm missing access to a few of their other songs because they have some bonus trax on 1 or 2 of their early albums that I don't have and they have those few 7"s and that elusive fan club only tape. You got that stuff? I implore you, kindly contact me and we'll arrange some sorta trade of some kind? Thanks, chrisbct@hotmail.com"