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| Disclaimer: If you don't like Christian Parodies of Rock music, you won't like Mark Bradford. That being the case, why waste your time reading this stuff? It would be much better for you to go praise the Lord in a way that is acceptable to you rather than get all caught up in the emotions associated with this subject. | |||
| RPM Volume One (Released prior to 1996) Tracks: 1. Y Not 2 Day? (parody of "Y.M.C.A" by the Village People) | |||
| Mark Bradford takes a completely different approach to parodies than ApologetiX and Nick Alexander. ApologetiX tends to choose the songs for their albums by their ability to perform the songs (okay, sometimes they're a little weak in this department, but by and large they stay away from stuff that they can't or aren't willing to play and/or sing). Unfortunately, this limits them somewhat. There are many fine songs that ApologetiX won't do (e.g., songs that definitely require a female vocalist). Nick Alexander, on the other hand, writes parodies as he's inspired, even if his vocal style isn't the most appropriate for that song. So Nick is less limited than ApologetiX, but the resulting performance may be lacking in quality somewhat. Mark Bradford, like Nick Alexander, doesn't limit his work by his ability or inclination to perform the songs. Instead, he chooses songs that make good parodies and then supplies the lyrics. However, rather than attempt an inappropriate performance, Mark gets someone else to sing the songs that are not within his vocal range and style or are otherwise inappropriate for him to perform (again, the example being a song that requires a child or a female vocalist). This allows the RPM project to work amazingly well despite the very wide range of vocal talent required for the songs that appear on these CDs. One thing you should note is that the RPM series does not attempt to mimic the original tunes as closely as, say, ApologetiX does on their later CDs. Although many of the tunes are very close to the originals, the RPM series concentrates on providing good coverage of the original tunes while adding a personal signature to the tunes. Some of them are dead on, while others are different but still quite good and professionally done. Yes, there are a few songs that just aren't up to the quality of the original tune, but overall these are very good. All of the CDs in the RPM series are very professionally produced. Mostly comparable to the work ApologetiX put in on their "Keep the Change" CD (or better). About the only complaint I have about this series is the value. The RPM series seems to shoot for about 30 minutes of music per CD (less than half the capacity of the CD). Given the number of "novelty" CDs that Mark has produced, it would have been a bit kinder to double the music on the CDs to make this a better deal. Oh well, I guess he's got to make a living (and I don't believe that he's selling these CDs independently, so the label probably needs to make some money too). Y Not 2 Day?Lyrics: fair to good Comments: Well, if you like Y.M.C.A. you'll have fun with this one. Kinda hard to do the hand motions, though. The vocals could have used a little more compression, but otherwise a good production. Pharaoh, PharaohLyrics: good Comments: Mark used child vocals on this number; while that's not surprising considering that this is a popular kid's number, the fact is that this one has already been done (assuming I've got the chronology correct, which may not be the case; see the Brentwood Kids, Hallelujah Hop 2). In any case, I've heard this one done by adult vocalists and it was much better that way. Oh well, the kids will love it. I'll Be ThereLyrics: good Comments: Mark carefully chose which words to keep and which to change from the original tune. The vocals (youth) are a little muted on this number, but it's otherwise a good performance. Come On Christian, Get on FireLyrics: good Comments: Well, I really never liked the Doors and I especially don't like "Light My Fire," so that clearly prejudices me when reviewing this remake. If you like the Doors, you'll probably like this song, so I'll leave it at that. All I Wanna DoLyrics: fair Comments: Not at all familiar with the original song, so I can't comment on this one. The lyrics are a bit weird in my opinion, though. This song just doesn't do anything for me. Heavenly PieLyrics: good Comments: About the only complaint I have with this song is the phrase "Heavenly Pie" that simply doesn't make a whole lot of sense, frankly. Obviously the phrase was chosen just to connect this parody with the original song. The good news is that the vocals are strong and the remaining lyrics are actually quite good. If you like "American Pie" you'll be laughing throughout this tune. The rhymes aren't as potent as in the original, but still quite good. I'm a BelieverLyrics: good to excellent Comments: This is probably the most obvious secular song to "Christianize." Mark isn't the first do redo this one, there have been others since (e.g., Dean-o and the Dynamos), they all won't be the last. That's okay, because this is a good song to Christianize. Mark does a good job with the vocals on this one. Probably prove a popular tune with kids since the release of the Smash Mouth version with Shrek. The Great PretenderLyrics: good to excellent Comments: This is one of the great songs on this CD. The message is really potent. Good music and good vocals too. Been I while since I heard the Platter's version, but I instantly recognized this one. I'll Get a CrownLyrics: good to excellent Comments: Beach Boy parodies are hard to do. Except for one falsetto part, the vocals on this tune are actually quite good (the weak falsetto is all that prevents the vocals from being rated "excellent" on this number). Weak harmony aside, this is a good number that's fun to listen to. One of Mark's better lyrical plays on the CD. Lean on HimLyrics: good Comments: Very close to the original song. Good vocals on this one. | |||