Much Apu about nothing ...

The Yellow Album
Originally uploaded by eandjtrygg.

(By Erik)

I got on iTunes recently (where I get all of my “world” music) and found only one album by The Simpsons — “The Yellow Album.” I don’t own it, but a few seconds of listening to the previews told me it was no good.

What was far worse, I thought, was the appallingly bad reviews on iTunes. Horrible spelling, bad words, nonsense statements … quite frankly, the Simpsons deserve better. So here’s the review I just submitted:

“Since most of the reviews seem to be written by the barely literate, I’ll put in my two cents. After the phenomenal success of the Simpsons in the early 1990s, a record label released “The Simpsons Sing the Blues,” which featured “Do the Bartman” and “Deep, Deep Trouble,” both of which got radio airplay and even charted.

“The record label prepared “The Yellow Album” as a follow-up, but then shelved it when they realized that it was no good (and started believing that the Simpsons’ album would be a one-hit wonder).

“In the late 1990s the label compiled many of the songs heard on the TV show into “Songs in the Key of Springfield,” which included the show’s title and many of its standards (“Mr. Plow,” “Who Needs the Quickie Mart?” “New Orleans” etc.) The album sold very well and prompted the label to release a follow-up, “Go Simpsonic with the Simpsons.”

“The label also re-released “The Simpsons Sing the Blues” and, for the first time, released “The Yellow Album.” So the album has a 1998 release date, but is composed entirely of material from the early 1990s, before the show hit its stride. The Kamp Krusty song, for example, was brand new when the album was recorded (it was the season premier of the show’s fourth season, I think.)

“So, to sum up, this album was never really considered good by anyone and was released only because of the popularity of the two albums, compiled years later, which contained the songs that helped make the show great.

“Avoid this bad boy. Hopefully iTunes will add the other albums soon.”

Yes, I know, I need a life!