While uploading my step-dad’s old CD collection to my computer, I came across a very peculiar CD that caught my eye: a plain, black CD with the words “Tenacious D.” A few words in, I came to the revelation that Jack Black has a band – a comedy rock duo with Kyle Gass.
Jack Black and Kyle Gass were solid friends throughout their 20s, creating music and performing live throughout the mid-90s. But it wasn’t until Jack Black’s breakthrough success in acting with his involvement in the 2000 film, High Fidelity, that the first record deal opportunity came to be.
In 2001, the rock duo created Tenacious D, a CD composed of several comedy sketches as well as a few solid standalone rock ballads. From what I understand, Kyle Gass primarily plays the guitar to support Jack Black’s vocals, which are iconic in and of itself. Within the first few seconds of pressing play, my face lit up of excitement for what the next 51 minutes entailed. After coming across the gem that is the 2003 blockbuster School of Rock earlier last year, this preluding rock album was exactly what I needed in my life.
The album is composed of brassy chords, humorous vocal tenacity, and pure creative goofiness. The time period this reflects upon (nearly 24 years ago) shows me the younger antics Jack Black put out in his early career, closer to around my age.
This album doesn’t take itself too seriously, with parody-esque songs such as “Explosivo” and “Double-Team” bringing out that teenage boy feeling with its grunge rock presentation of dirty jokes. One thing about “Double-Team” I absolutely love, though, is the use of some digitized sound incorporated into the funk-inspired bridge to the chorus.
It is by absolute surprise after listening to this album that he landed the role in School of Rock, which I can only assume had some strings attached (shoutout!) to this album; after being primed with the cleansed family-friendly image of Jack Black all my life, the juxtaposition to the juvenile nature of this album took me by surprise. It was almost refreshing, in a sense, to see that even he had a juvenile sense of humor, seen in the comedy bit, “Cock Pushups.” The vulgar language and sexual contexts gone over in this album was spun in a humorous, almost nostalgic way that made it comical and endearing.
It is by no surprise, then, that there are a few rock ballads that stand alone as solid songs themselves. “Rock Your Socks” makes a mockery of the devilish, satanic fear mongering surrounding the early conception of Rock and Roll, adding an excerpt from Bach to show that they are classically trained from the “…School of Hard Knocks.” Probably the most recognizable, the third track “Tribute” starts with a comfortable, blues-like riff that unfolds into what is claimed as the “best song in the world.” The song is a story of how a demon challenges the duo to “play the best song in the world, or I’ll eat your soul.”
“Wonderboy” is a genuine rock ballad that borrows orchestral elements from The Beatles, catchy chord progressions from Green Day, and even a little bit of the Chicano solo skills of Santana. By far this was my favorite track on the album, encompassing many elements of Rock n’ Roll I personally find appreciable.
Overall this project is inspiring in the way that the songs are so silly, and that they truly are a testament to how easy it is to make a song; with the right friends around, a solid concept, and a good riff, you got the formula to create a staggering rock ballad.
