Cha Cha Cabaret Chez Vous

by N/A

Overview

One of the most irrefutably strange records of the late 1990s, this may be a compilation, but there's a thematic linkage in that the performers are mostly women of the way-underground indie variety. The album, too, is a cabaret of sorts in the jigsaw of styles, sounding like nothing so much as an alternate universe, a feminist counterpart to, say, early Frank Zappa albums. There's a lesbian fantasy about an older woman, the dialogue delivered with all the finesse of a junior high class skit; "Goldfinger" changed into a song about James Bond's secretary, with nothing but kazoo accompaniment; smooth lounge tap-dance fare; a faux torch ballad; a surrealistic spoken call-and-response piece with abstract heartbeat background noise, and incredibly over-the-top greasy intros and outros, delivered by some wag with an atrocious fake Latin accent, who bungles his way through the worst Queen tribute you could imagine. And then, to throw things further off balance, there are occasional folk-punk and riot grrrl-ish pieces that are much more typical of the product identified with the K Records label. It's hard to say what exactly Cha Cha Cabaret Chez Vous is trying to prove (probably nothing), but it's certainly an avowedly uncommercial exercise; these are art-damaged performers who are doing exactly what they want to do. Whether that translates to product that others might find interesting is questionable. But it does distinguish itself by virtue of its very oddness, which makes it an anomaly even in the can-you-top-this rock underground. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	05/27/1997
Label:	K Records
UPC:	0789856106622
Rank:	183521

Tracks

1. Hello My Friends  - Simplement Jacques
2. Miss Lady Hand Grenade Anthem  -  Old Time Relijun  -  Skirts  - Simplement Jacques
3. Leaving Texas  -  Lookers
4. Eatin' Words  - Vicki Lewis  - Melissa Klein
5. Cowboys from Outer Space  -  66% Chick
6. Surrender  - Hallie Ruth
7. Money Penny  -  Skirts
8. Stompin' at the Savoy  - Benny Goodman  - Bryce Panic  - Andy Razaf  - Edgar Sampson  - Chick Webb
9. Chansons d'Amour  -  Miss Lady Hand Grenade
10. Fashion Show Walk  -  Old Time Relijun
11. All About You  -  Panties
12. Something Going Wrong Here  - Nikki McClure
13. Chicken in a Can  -  Ben  -  Godzilla  -  Cybelle
14. Lucky Little Shark  -  Cocozelle
15. Diagnostic  - Miranda July
16. Starts with Laughter  -  Flying Tigers
17. Afternoon at the Abandoned Mine  -  Agnes And Hattie's Eastside Witches' Revival
18. Cha Cha!  -  Old Time Relijun
19. Queen Medley  -  Old Time Relijun  - Simplement Jacques
20. Bye Bye  -  Miss Lady Hand Grenade

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Melissa Klein   Primary Artist
Cybelle   Primary Artist
Godzilla   Primary Artist
Miss Lady Hand Grenade   Primary Artist
Cocozelle   Primary Artist
Panties   Primary Artist
66% Chick   Primary Artist
Hallie Ruth   Primary Artist
Simplement Jacques   Primary Artist
Agnes And Hattie's Eastside Witches' Revival   Primary Artist
Ben   Primary Artist
The Skirts   Primary Artist
Bryce Panic   Primary Artist
Nikki McClure   Primary Artist
Vicki Lewis   Primary Artist
The Lookers   Primary Artist
Flying Tigers   Primary Artist
Old Time Relijun   Primary Artist
Miranda July   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Calvin Johnson   Engineer,Mixing
The Lookers   Performer,Composer
Paul E. Schuster   Engineer
Flying Tigers   Performer
Antonia Gogin   Engineer
Ben   Performer
Bryce Panic   Performer
The Skirts   Performer
Old Time Relijun   Performer
Miranda July   Performer
Nikki McClure   Performer
Vicki Lewis   Performer
Edgar Sampson   Composer
Benny Goodman   Composer
Chick Webb   Composer
Andy Razaf   Composer