10. City Hall/I Believe/Malibu Nights Medley (Tenacious D, 2001)
It might be strung together with the not overly funny skit I Believe and the hidden-track hair-metal fluff of Malibu Nights at the end of their debut but City Hall itself is a massive slice of revolutionary zeal, triumph and betrayal. This is the D at their most epic.
9. Roadie (Rize of the Fenix, 2012)
‘I'm standing at the threshold of your dreams/ Without me there'd be no sound from those amps/ Without me there'd be no lights on the stage/ But you don't applaud for me’. Sheer poetry really and the best song about the warriors of the flight case this side of Motörhead’s We Are The Road Crew.
8. Fuck Her Gently (Tenacious D, 2001)
Long before Steel Panther were staining the power ballad format with their potty mouths, Tenacious D were offering their own invaluable romantic advice. It also came with a decidedly NSFW animated video from John Kricfalusi, the creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show.
7. Master Exploder (The Pick of Destiny, 2006)
The masters of tongue-in-cheek self-aggrandisement outdo themselves here as Jack Black declares, ‘I don’t need a microphone/ My voice is fuckin powerful!’ Thing is, he’s not entirely wrong. There’s some incredible screaming on this and Kage is no slouch on the six-string. The ludicrous escalation of bad-assery in the movie is also a delight to behold.
6. The Metal (The Pick of Destiny, 2006)
As you might expect, this is one of the D’s most gleamingly metallic songs, with a simple drilling riff and some ball-bursting classic metal screams from J.B. And, with a list of all the musical genres and eras that have tried and failed to kill The Metal, it’s message lives on as strong as ever.
5. Wonderboy (Tenacious D, 2001)
Wonderboy was the band’s first single and hence the first real taste of the ever-building legend of Tenacious D. They don’t hold back either, portraying themselves as literal hydra-slaying superheroes - the Wonderboy of the title and young Nastyman, who has the power to kill a yak from 200 yards away. It’s all set to a sweeping sense of musical grandeur that boosts the silliness to absolutely epic levels.
4. The Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Kage (Rize of the Fenix, 2012)
This, though, is perhaps the finest of Tenacious D’s personal mythology treatments, detailing Kage’s mental dissolution as Hollywood Jack abandons him for the movie big-time. There’s a kernel of truth that makes it both funny and affecting and the music rides a tight acoustic groove to a huge emotional crescendo. Marvelous.
3. Kickapoo (The Pick of Destiny, 2006)
This is Jack Black’s origin story as a rock-loving youngster escapes smalltown attitudes and disapproving parents to chase his dreams and a partner to rock out with. It also features sterling guest appearances from Meat Loaf as the young JB’s restrictive father and Ronnie James Dio as his sagacious self.
2. Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown) (The Pick of Destiny, 2006)
You can’t really go wrong when you have Dave Grohl as Satan declaring, ‘I'm the Devil, I love metal/ Check this riff, it's fucking tasty’. And he’s right, it’s delicious. The demonic rock-off of Beelzeboss is the set-piece finale of the film and also an absolute banger of a song in its own right.
1. Tribute (Tenacious D, 2001)
This might not be the greatest song in the world – only a tribute – but this retelling of the ‘Devil at the crossroads’ myth remains Tenacious D’s finest hour. Apart from the one referenced in Tribute itself of course, when they really did write the greatest song in the world before subsequently forgetting how it went. Beelzeboss is essentially an extended remix of the same idea but the execution of Tribute was already perfect. It’s catchy as hell, with an amazing vocal performance and its very own selection fucking tasty riffs. Proof that the Devil doesn’t always have the best tunes.
The brand new issue of Metal Hammer, guest edited by Tenacious D, is on sale now. Buy it here and have it delivered straight to your door.
