A spectacularly unfunny comedy album -- the vinyl equivalent of National Lampoon's European Vacation, if you will. Given
Chevy Chase's surprising musical gifts (he was a member of the soft-psych band
Chamaeleon Church, which cut a 1968 LP for MGM) and obvious comedic prowess (well, it was still somewhat apparent at this point, at least) it's fair to expect something much more original and substantial than the tepid song parodies and silly voices that dominate these proceedings. Covering
the Beatles' "Let It Be" in a
Chipmunk-high register or rewriting
Randy Newman's satirical "Short People" as a celebration of midget living is hardly the stuff of groundbreaking farce. The only thing worse than the ideas is the execution.
Chase sleepwalks his way through the material with the same arrogance and detachment that defines all of his worst work.