In the late '80s and early '90s, two of the funniest characters on Saturday Night Live were the Sweeney Sisters, a Las Vegas-style lounge act that mercilessly butchered everything from Tin Pan Alley standards to Motown hits.
Played to perfection by Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn, the Sweeney Sisters were the ultimate parody of cheesy, campy Vegas lounge acts.
Like those SNL characters, Richard Cheese has a good laugh at the expense of lounge music on Lounge Against the Machine.
But this goofy CD doesn't butcher Tony Bennett or Frank Sinatra; instead Cheese turns his attention to mostly alternative rock hits of the '90s.
In Cheese's hands, everything from Nirvana's "Rape Me," Garbage's "Only Happy When It Rains," and Radiohead's "Creep" to Rage Against the Machine's "Guerilla Radio" and Limp Bizkit's "Nookie" gets a lounge makeover.
The songs' angst-ridden lyrics and Cheese's frivolous, Vegas-minded arrangements make for odd, ironic contrasts, and that's exactly what the singer is going for.
In addition to lampooning lounge music, Cheese is laughing at the abundance of angst that one hears in a lot of alternative rock.
One could say that he is making fun of two idioms (Vegas lounge music and alternative rock) at the same time.
But Lounge Against the Machine doesn't need to be analyzed to death.
This CD should be taken for what it is: A cute and amusing novelty item.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nookie/Break Stuff | Richard Cheese | Play | 02:35 | 5 MB | 18 MB |
| 2 | Guerilla Radio | Richard Cheese | Play | 02:15 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 3 | Come Out and PlayBrian Holland | Richard Cheese | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | CloserTrent Reznor | Richard Cheese | Play | 02:21 | 5 MB | 17 MB |
| 5 | Wrong WayBrad Nowell, Eric Wilson | Richard Cheese | Play | 02:16 | 5 MB | 13 MB |
| 6 | Bullet the Blue SkyAdam Clayton, Dave Evans, Paul Hewson, Larry Mullen, Jr. | Richard Cheese | Play | 02:55 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 7 | CreepColin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Mike Hazelwood, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway, Thom Yorke | Richard Cheese | Play | 02:56 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | Last ResortDave Buckner, Jacoby Shaddix | Richard Cheese | Play | 01:40 | 3 MB | 11 MB |
| 9 | Rape MeKurt Cobain | Richard Cheese | Play | 01:55 | 4 MB | 13 MB |
| 10 | Smack My Bitch UpLiam Howlett, C. Miller, M. Smith | Richard Cheese | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 11 | Fight for Your RightMichael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Rick Rubin, Adam Yauch | Richard Cheese | Play | 01:55 | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| 12 | Only Happy When It RainsShirley Manson | Richard Cheese | Play | 02:03 | 4 MB | 11 MB |
| 13 | Suck My KissFlea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith | Richard Cheese | Play | 00:56 | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| 14 | Holiday in CambodiaJello Biafra, Klaus Flouride, East Bay Ray, Ted (Bruce Slesinger) | Richard Cheese | Play | 01:44 | 3 MB | 12 MB |
| 15 | The Rockafeller Skank | Richard Cheese | Play | 02:05 | 4 MB | 9 MB |
| 16 | What's My Age Again | Richard Cheese | Play | 01:23 | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| 34 mins | 79 MB | |||||
| 34 mins | 228 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jello Biafra | Composer |
| 2 | Gordon Brie | Producer |
| 3 | Dave Buckner | Composer |
| 4 | Richard Cheese | Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 5 | Adam Clayton | Composer |
| 6 | Kurt Cobain | Composer |
| 7 | Tom DeLonge | Composer |
| 8 | Michael Diamond | Composer |
| 9 | East Bay Ray | Composer |
| 10 | Dave Evans | Composer |
| 11 | Flea | Composer |
| 12 | Klaus Flouride | Composer |
| 13 | John Frusciante | Composer |
| 14 | Colin Greenwood | Composer |
| 15 | Jonny Greenwood | Composer |
| 16 | Mike Hazelwood | Composer |
| 17 | Paul Hewson | Composer |
| 18 | Brian Holland | Composer |
| 19 | Mark Hoppus | Composer |
| 20 | Adam Horovitz | Composer |
| 21 | Liam Howlett | Composer |
| 22 | Anthony Kiedis | Composer |
| 23 | Jeff Kravitz | Cover Photo |
| 24 | Shirley Manson | Composer |
| 25 | C. Miller | Composer |
| 26 | Larry Mullen, Jr. | Composer |
| 27 | Brad Nowell | Composer |
| 28 | Ed O'Brien | Composer |
| 29 | Trent Reznor | Composer |
| 30 | Bobby Ricotta | Chart, Piano Arrangement |
| 31 | Rick Rubin | Composer |
| 32 | Phil Selway | Composer |
| 33 | Jacoby Shaddix | Composer |
| 34 | Chad Smith | Composer |
| 35 | M. Smith | Composer |
| 36 | Myke Smith | Design |
| 37 | Ted (Bruce Slesinger) | Composer |
| 38 | Eric Wilson | Composer |
| 39 | Adam Yauch | Composer |
| 40 | Thom Yorke | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |