Search - Patrick Sky :: Songs That Made America Famous

Patrick Sky speaks

Patrick Sky | Chapel Hill, NC USA | 09/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those of you interested I want you to know that I recorded this album over 30 years ago and in spite of selling thousands, I have never received a penny in royalties. I wish to thank all of my fans that have enjoyed the record over the years. If you decide to purchase it I want you to enjoy it.However I want you to know that the recording industry are a bunch a of criminals and have been stealing from the artists for a hundred years. This record is a fine example and is the rule and not the exception. This is why I support "Free" download music because, regardless of how much the recording industry complains, they get 99.9% of the money and the artist never gets a fair shake.All the best,
Patrick Sky
plsky@intrex.net"

Hard to believe Pat would give his own album five stars!

Gaza Cup | Noodles, Kansas | 07/02/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I guess if Pat knew that he wasn't going to get any money he wouldn't have tried so hard!"

Politically correct? Never. Funny as hell? Absolutely ...

Paul Hickey | Fairfax, VA USA | 06/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Guaranteed to offend just about everyone, Patrick Sky's "Songs That Made America Famous" is one of those rare albums that will never be forgotten by anybody who hears it. Perhaps the most amazing thing about this record, however, is that it has held up so well since it was first released 30 years ago. Oh, some of the more topical songs about the war in Vietnam are no longer as relevant as they used to be, of course, but most of the satire still succeeds brilliantly. And it is to Mr. Sky's great credit that he pulled no punches in being an equal opportunity curmudgeon who used humor to attack the hypocrisy of both his critics and his fans. Feminists, racists, Catholics, Jews, rock stars, and yes, even protest singers, are all fair game as targets of Patrick's wrath. Many of the tunes on this CD are disgusting, obscene, perverted, and sick, but most of them are also boldly hilarious, outrageous, and full of the sort of viscious dark comedy that is sharp enough to make you split your sides laughing. And it shows with crystal clarity how much the popular musicians of today have retreated into the safety of the bland and timid kind of cultural commentary that dominates our inhibited modern marketplace now. In our current PC environment, who would dare to create a fictional character named Blind Funk Earwax and interview him for a song called "Child Molesting Blues"? Who would risk being labeled cruel to the handicapped (I mean, disabled) for playing a track like "Ramblin' Hunchback"? Who else would challenge his audience to recognize the bigotry, fear, and narrow-mindedness within themselves, and then turn around and make fun of himself as well? As the late Phil Ochs once observed, humor can be a very powerful weapon that makes a deadly serious point, because it catches listeners when their defenses are down. In the hands of an artist as talented as Patrick Sky, that weapon was deployed with devastating effect.Although I feel I must take off a star to account for the fact that some of the work here has lost a bit of its punch with the passing of time, "Songs That Made America Famous" remains one of the best albums of its type ever recorded. Imagine putting Lenny Bruce together with an acid-crazed Tom Lehrer, and combining that with the most articulate and scathing rants of Bill Hicks, and you will have some idea of what to expect from Patrick Sky. Your ears will burn and your sense of decency will be shocked, but you will also be smiling if you have any capacity at all to laugh at the absurdity of the human condition. And that alone is reason enough to give it a spin and check it out."