The Best of Spike Jones
Sure, you'll laugh at the zany sound effects (gunshots, auto horns, and sounds that can only be described as semiflatulent) and delightfully loopy monologues from the great Doodles Weaver (his absurd horse-race call on "The William Tell Overture" is classic). But Jones and his City Slickers display impressive musical chops as well. Just how easy can it be to play "Dance of the Hours" on a cowbell, anyway? "Der Fuehrer's Face" has huge historic interest, but the faux earnestness of the vocal is just as funny today as when it was recorded. An icon of irreverence, Jones turns the bland tunes of the day into infectious outbursts of madcap craziness.--Heidi MacDonald