The Single For "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" Is Not Worth Hunting Down.

The Good: Three wonderful, quirky songs, Great collectible value
The Bad: SHORT, Vastly overpriced, nothing unique
The Basics: Very limited, both in content and in production, the three-track single of "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" is valuable more as a collectible than a musical collection.


The expense of virtually everything I review comes into play when I review items, so it seems strange sometimes how little the value of music is considered in most reviews of the subject. But, just as I tend not to recommend a collectible toy that I believe is overpriced, I refuse to recommend overpriced music, even when the recording has songs I enjoy. More often than not, I find that comes in the form of c.d. singles, which oftentimes make terrible use of the c.d. medium, but have great collectible value. Discovering, for example, that the Crash Test Dummies single for "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" sells for over a hundred dollars has to make one wonder if it is truly worth it.

It is not. The single for "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" includes the title track and another song from God Shuffled His Feet (reviewed here!). The maxi single also includes "Superman's Song," which was on at least one other common-release Crash Test Dummies album. All three tracks are the studio, album-released cuts of each song, so listeners can get a whole lot more on two albums than they can on this one c.d. single.

With only three songs occupying around fifteen minutes, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" is very much the work of the band the Crash Test Dummies, a quirky Canadian band that reached its greatest U.S. chart success with their song "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm." The band is a Canadian pop-rock band who made pretty mellow, quirky music.

The Crash Test Dummies have a unique sound which blends the guitar, bass and keyboard with more eclectic instruments like the mandolin. The percussion is fairly light, but noticeable. All three songs are light pop ballads which have a folk sensibility for the lyrics as the band sings musical storysongs.

Vocally, the Crash Test Dummies are led by the overpowering, bass vocals of lead singer Brad Roberts. Roberts has a voice that is deep and gravely, the result of his respiratory problems. Still, he sings melodically and the highlight of these three songs is the clarity of his vocals which easily convey the lyrics. He harmonizes perfectly with the bass and keyboard on songs like "How Does A Duck Know?"

As for the lyrics, the three-track "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" is a collection of three weird storysongs and musical musings. After all, it is uncommon for a pop-rock song to ask "How does a duck know what direction south is / And how to tell his wife from all the other ducks" ("How Does A Duck Know?") and the Crash Test Dummies sing such songs with a sense of humor and irony to them. The uniqueness of the band cannot be understated; "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" was made famous, in part, by the eclectic stories of child abuse, accidents and their effects and weird children and how they act.

But those who have only heard "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" or "Afternoons & Coffeespoons" (the other radio hit for the Crash Test Dummies) are likely to find the song that is not on God Shuffled His Feet equally fun. The comparison between Tarzan and Superman in "Superman's Song" is weird, like the stories in "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm." With lines like "Hey Bob, Supe had a straight job / Even though he could have smashed through any bank / In the United States, he had the strength, but he would not / Folks said his family were all dead / Their planet crumbled but Superman, he forced himself / To carry on, forget Krypton, and keep going / Tarzan was king of the jungle and Lord over all the apes / But he could hardly string together four words: 'I Tarzan, You Jane'" ("Superman's Song") Crash Test Dummies create an ironic and fun song that might sound like traditional pop-rock in its instrumentation, but is anything but from its lyrics.

But ultimately, the problem with the maxi single for "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" is not the music that is on it, it is the fact that the music is easily available elsewhere for far less money. Fans would do well to not pick this up; though those who have it might well be sitting on a decent investment, but those who just want good music will find it less expensive elsewhere, especially as digital music makes these songs easily available on the cheap.

For other, original groups, check out my reviews of:
Then: the Early Years - They Might Be Giants
Opiate - Tool
Twisted - Del Amitri

3.5/10

For other music reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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