A Boozehound Named Barney

Throughout its near-decade-long run, The Simpsons has maintained an astounding level of high quality, turning out episodes dense with verbal wit, visual humor, and musical parodies. Since each episode moves so swiftly, it's easy to take the high quality for granted, especially as far as the music is concerned. It's presented without any fanfare — it's just simply part of the Springfield universe. That's why Go Simpsonic with the Simpsons, Rhino's sequel to the first collection of Simpsons music Songs in the Key of Springfield, is so welcome; it serves as a reminder of the sheer brilliance of the music within this peerless show. Much of that musical brilliance is due to Alf Clausen, who co-writes, arranges, produces, and conducts nearly all the music on the show. Hearing all of this music, ranging from the first to the ninth season, in one place confirms how Clausen and his collaborators can master everything from show tunes to commercial jingles. What's really impressive is that the music is every bit as funny, sometimes more so, than the lyrics — and that's no easy trick to pull off. Go Simpsonic not only picks up where Songs in the Key of Springfield left off in 1997, but it compiles some overlooked highlights from 1990-1996, adding four previously unreleased alternate versions and tunes along the way. Sure, in one sense it's an archival release, a way to get the "Cape Feare" medley on the same disc as Kirk VanHouten's immortal "Can I Borrow a Feeling?," but the best thing about Go Simpsonic is that it never feels like a sop to the show's rabid fan base — it's simply a hell of a listen on its own terms as it winds its way through 53 tracks, each one as good, if not better, than the one that came before it. It's a sequel that's truly equal to its predecessor.

• Contains complete lyrics

* May not be appropriate for children. Why?