Tenacious D - Tenacious D The Pick of Destiny

a weak effort overall

tenacious d is a great band who expertly mix rock and comedy and this soundtrack from their film and the most of the songs are keepers,bit overall this cd doesn't mesh well and alot of the songs get old after awhile and this just isn't their best. but if you liked the movie or their first cd then i reccomend it completely April 2, 2008

Brilliant!

What can I say? The D rocks. It does take a certain eclectic taste to truly enjoy their music, but once you have that under your belt... heh. Especially fond of "Beezelboss", and the cameo from Dio on the opening track. December 5, 2007

Not their greatest work

I know it's out of the movie, but it's targeted AT the movie and not just a general mush of music.

Their regular music is much more hardcore than what's on this album.

Though I gotta give Kickapoo and The Final Showdown the honors for the greatest songs on the album. They almost compete with Tribute and Wonderboy August 1, 2007

Better than the movie - give it a chance and you'll love it!

It has been several years that Tenacious D fans have been waiting for a new album from The D, and as a fan, this album satisfied my hunger for new content but failed to deliver as a worthy successor to their self-titled debut CD. The main reason for this is that the album plays much more like a soundtrack (which it is advertised as) rather than a full-blown album. That being said, this has to be one of my favorite movie soundtracks of all time and still captures the unique sound (and humor) that I love about Jack and Kyle.

From the moment the first track "Kickapoo" begins and you hear the signature D-like acoustic riff, you know your in for a treat as Jack playfully weaves a story about a young JB, rebelling against his father by embracing Rock in a way that only he can ("Twas I who f---ed the dragon!"). Keep in mind that I first heard this CD before even watching the movie, and the first minute of acoustic guitar combined with Jack Black's aggressive, completely ridiculous lyrics brought such a huge smile to my face that instantly felt the wait for this song alone was worth it. Vintage Tenacious D. Meatloaf and Dio also contribute to make the opening so strong that it really is difficult for the rest of the album to maintain the momentum this track brings from beginning to end.

"Classico" is the first of several tracks on the album that pays homage to tunes from the band's past work (same Bach piece Kyle played in "Rock Your Socks Off" from the first album) while adding a new spin to it. Many reviewers have complained that some of the songs on this CD are too short to enjoy but this is a great example of one that is just long enough to appreciate - once again, brilliant combination of KG's masterful guitar-playing and JB's over-the-top lyrics ("When you rule, you f---in school, all of the fools, out of their jewels).

Unlike, "Classico", "Baby" is one song I really wish was longer than it turns out to be on the album. It's a soulful tune that provides just enough harmony and guitar that it might have earned some playtime on the radio if it were fleshed out into a full song, especially when you consider there are no swear words involved. It's of my favorite songs to sing along to, even if it only lasts barely over a minute.

Although "Destiny" only serves as a transition track with a couple lines from the movie, what's nice about the small snippet is that Jack sings the same short vocal riff that preceded each of the HBO specials, the same one that would play as they entered the open-mike night bar - another treat for hardcore D fans. This is nicely followed by "History", another song that longtime D fans would undoubtedly recognize from the HBO specials and other appearances. This version is slightly extended, with added lines like, "We've run with wolves, we've climbed K2, even stopped a moving train", and it's nice to finally have a real version to play.

"The Government Totally Sucks" has drawn some comparisons to "City Hall" from the first album, but I find it to be lacking in their trademark tongue-in-cheek humor, as the music seems a little lazy and repetitive and the lyrics are definitely short on inspiration. It's no wonder this track was cut from the movie.

"Master Exploder" is, just like "Classico", just enough Tenacious D brilliance and ridiculousness to warrant repeated playbacks even though it is a short piece. With lines like "I did not mean to blow your mind, but that sh--happens to me all the time!", this track is a perfect example of why Tenacious D fans can't get enough of them - if you understand the sarcasm behind their seemingly over-the-top arrogance, you can't help but enjoy them for what they pretend (believe?) to be: the greatest band on earth.

"Papegenu" may seem a little strange if you haven't seen the movie, but once you see the scene you'll understand the meaning behind the weird use of a recorder and lots of dialogue between JB and Sasquatch (hint: mushrooms are involved). Again, longtime D fans should notice the second half of the song is similar to the one played with Sasquatch in another of the HBO specials.

More songs follow along with the movie, with "Dude I Totally Miss You" describing the duos time apart. Like "Baby", it's another soulful song but adds a bit of man-crush humor that is a traditional theme in D songs. "Break-In City" and "Car Chase City" are less Tenacious D, more generic rock and roll. Although Jack still works his unique styling into the songs, the music doesn't seem typical of something him and KG would perform in a club.

This all leads into a climactic battle with the Devil in "Beelzeboss", and MAN what a climax it is! JB and Kyle challenge the Devil to a rock-off, and the back-and-forth music and lyrics between the foes turns out to be an awesome rock opera that takes laugh-out-loud humor, hard metal, slow acoustic, and head-banging solos to create by far the best track on the album. Played with a passionate snarl by Dave Grohl (always a contributor to D songs but never quite like this!), the Devil proves to be a worthy adversary to Jack and Kyle, vocally and stylistically. This song provides an idea of what really happened in "Tribute" from their first album. I cannot get enough of this song and would recommend the album for this track alone.

The album finishes off with "POD", which is a fun recap of the movie that doesn't sound very Tenacious D-like but is still enjoyable, and "The Metal", which is a bit harder than the Bluesy sound we're used to hearing but, again, is very enjoyable.

I pre-ordered this album and it came out before the film actually was released, and the best compliment I can give the CD is that the movie did not live up to the soundtrack. I fell in love with a lot of the songs on the album, but I was disappointed that the scenes in the movie that were accompanied by some of the tracks in this album (mainly "Kickapoo" and Beelzeboss") did not live up to the excitement I felt just listening without a visual to go with the lyrics. Don't let the below average movie keep you from purchasing this CD, as I promise you that if you give it a chance, Tenacious D's music will invade your mind just like it did mine so many years ago.
July 23, 2007

Only good if you have seen the movie

I am a big fan of Tenacious D's music, and I didn't like this album upon first listen. I was skeptical about the massive amount of profanity throughout the album, and overall did not think it was that funny. After watching the film, however, I think that this album is hilarious. Tenacious D is comical in all aspects of their art, and this soundtrack only further proves this. Great album. June 29, 2007

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