You Eediot!

The concept of a Ren & Stimpy experience without the visuals initially seems pretty strange -- not to mention no new input from the insanely wonderful genius of the show's creator, John Kricfalusi, whose expulsion from the series was one of the worst artistic crimes of its time. But You Eediot!, named after the catch phrase that Ren would so often deliver to his slobbering sidekick Stimpy, is in its own way the reasonable equivalent to a good post-Krisfaluci episode, more competent than deranged and funny but still worth a few smiles. There are thankfully a few dollops of the original songs that Krisfaluci helped co-write, both with lyrics and with music, though with Billy West doing the voices of both Ren and Stimpy in these re-recordings, it's not quite the originals, alas. When it comes to the other random performances, however, there's plenty to love, dipping into everything from sci-fi soundtracks to strange country music from the back of beyond. The Screamin' Lederhosen, who provided some of the most memorable incidental music, get to show off their post-bop/lounge/whatever chops with "Dog Pound Hop" and "Space Madness," while the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles add just the right stirring note to "Kilted Yaksmen Anthem." The varied contributors throughout the album -- a slew of different musicians worked on the show -- make for a bit of an up-and-down listen, but the prime moments are pretty close to genius, such as the deeply tongue-in-cheek swinging advice record "Don't Whiz on the Electric Fence," the multicultural experience of "Log Blues/Log Theme," and in particular the most legendary song of all: "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy" -- allegedly sung by Stinky Wizzleteats -- remains the most demented mock theme song ever, more intentionally goofy and annoying than anything the Barney crowd could come up with. ~ Ned Raggett