The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience
Genre: (Various) Grunge, metal, hip-hop, hard rock, etc.
Year: 1993
Album Type: Compilation
Place of Origin: N/A
General Pace: Varied
Band/Tracklist
1. [Nirvana] "I Hate Myself and I Want to Die"
2. [Anthrax] "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun"
3. [Beavis and Butt-Head][Mike Judge] "Come to Butt-Head"
4. [Megadeth] "99 Ways to Die"
5. [Run-DMC] "Bounce"
6. [Aerosmith] "Deuces Are Wild"
7. [White Zombie] "I Am Hell"
8. [Primus] "Poetry and Prose"
9. [Sir Mix-a-Lot] "Monsta Mack"
10. [Red Hot Chili Peppers] "Search and Destroy"
11. [Jackyl] "Mental *@%#!"
12. [Cher with Beavis and Butt-Head] "I Got You Babe"
Well this is a fun one.
In a lot of ways,
The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience was my intro into all of the acts here, except Nirvana, which is quite a statement for an album to make.
Intro + Comedy Skits: Beavis and Butt-Head are a hapless and clueless duo who act much like they did on their MTV show, replete with idiotic and socially inept behavior that shows no signs of abating. The album begins with Beavis and Butt-Head taking the main stage at a presumed rock concert. As the announcer introduces these fine gentlemen, the manic roar of the crowd increases and the pair essentially play air guitar until the skit fades into the first track. From there, the album unfolds much like their show did with Beavis and Butt-Head inserting themselves into various dream-like scenarios, or comedy bits, involving the bands represented. For example, they hop on a bus and party with Anthrax, only to get kicked off after getting into the band's groupie photos in ways they shouldn't. Later, they stop by Run-DMC's place and try to act like they're from "around the way," or Hollis Street, so that the rap group lets them in the door. Even Cher gets involved as her and Butt-Head trade barbs and sing together on a rockier version of "I Got You Babe," showing she has both a sense of humor and a great set of pipes.
Getting to the music:
- Nirvana starts things off with the sludgy and heavy-sounding "I Hate Myself and I Want to Die," which is a lyrical mixture of seemingly unrelated things that Cobain was known to incorporate into his songs. At the time, this song was only available here. Tbh, while respectable, it always felt kind of out of place, and it does even more so now, unfortunately.
- "Come to Butt-Head." An original by Mike Judge, creator and voice actor of both Beavis and Butt-Head. It's a soulful, R&B-sounding jam that is pretty good for an original. I like Butt-Head's line, "I would, like, do homework and stuff, for your love."
- Megadeth's "99 Ways to Die" is definitely awesome and I'd still rock it today. I think it is technically the best song on the album, even if I enjoy some of the others more.
- Aerosmith's "Deuces Are Wild" is soaring, beautiful, and catchy. It's not known for sure, but some indicate it is a tribute to Tyler's daughter Mia.
- Run-DMC's "Bounce" is strong both beat-wise and lyrically, easily allowing the listener to follow along with it.
- Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Monsta Mack." I think it's funny and has a good beat. Better than "Baby Got Back" IMO.
- "I Got You Babe." Mentioned that above. Cher even jokes about Sonny Bono, her former husband and once-mayor of Palm Springs, CA.
- The rest of the music is so-so to disappointing.
How this album got into my collection: This was part of an order I placed with Columbia House, a now-defunct mail-order service for CDs and cassettes. The way it worked is that they would send you catalogs where you could order a bunch of music for a nominal fee, and they would bill you later for the full amount. A lot of parents probably found that last part out by surprise.
Noting for history: Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle" and Guns N' Roses's "The Spaghetti Incident?" were also a part of this order, among others.
Memory Lane: We used to go to this public swimming pool, which is no longer in operation, and I would listen to music on a portable cassette player during the car ride(s). This place had surrounding lakes for paddle boating and fishing, and it also had arcades. During one of the trips, somehow the coin door was left unlocked on
Russian Attack, and my brother and I took the money. We took the money, so that we could play more
Russian Attack. Our parents eventually found out about it and they made us go up to the owner and apologize, which was extremely embarrassing and scary as a young lad. I guess I can say, in a roundabout way, which is a huge stretch, mind you, that Beavis and Butt-Head are a part of a moment where I learned a life lesson.
Not particularly relevant to this review, but this album was as much as I would get into Beavis and Butt-Head. I never saw the MTV show when it ran because we didn't have cable. I only caught bits and pieces of it from when I had a friend record some old music videos on VHS, which I still have. And this was
years later. One of the
clips is of Nirvana winning Best Alternative Video for "In Bloom" at the 1993 MTV Music Awards.
Summation: I wrote more than I set out to because several things were tied together. This disc has some great songs and is worth a spin at least once. The biggest beef I have with it is that the comedy skits are built into some of the songs. There is no separating them, which could be problematic because the skits might be a miss for some. To be sure, there really isn't a way to argue that this is sophisticated content, as the comedy is incredibly juvenile, but find me a person who comes to Beavis and Butt-Head to get Shakespeare or Hemingway. You'll need to keep the mood light if you want to get the full benefit of
The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience.
Best Songs: "99 Ways to Die"; "Bounce"; "Monsta Mack"; "Deuces Are Wild"
Weakest Songs: "I Am Hell"; "Search And Destroy"; "Mental *@%#!"
Would I return to this album?: Yes.