SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS GREATEST HITS (1995) *** ½

Back in the ‘90s, compilation CDs were all the rage.  Saturday Morning Cartoons Greatest Hits was an awesome compilation that was basically a bunch of alternative bands doing covers of theme songs from old Saturday morning cartoons.  I had the CD in heavy rotation back in my younger days and I eventually played the shit out of it.  I never knew there was a companion VHS tape, starring Drew Barrymore (back when she was in her sexy pixie phase).  Until now. 

This is basically just a collection of music videos for the songs found on the CD.  Naturally, there are clips from each cartoon sprinkled throughout the videos.  Most are for Hanna-Barbera productions.  Among the highlights are Matthew Sweet singing “Scooby-Doo, Where are You?”, Sublime doing “Hong Kong Phooey”, The Ramones playing “Spider-Man”, Liz Phair with Material Issue covering “The Tra La La Song” from The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, Juliana Hatfield and Tanya Donelly performing “Josie and the Pussycats”, and The Violent Femmes absolutely shredding “Eep Opp Ork-Aha” from The Jetsons. 

There really isn’t a whole lot to the videos.  Some are more thought out than others, but most are just the bands playing (sometimes in random locations like a carnival or mini-golf course or simply just standing in front of a greenscreen) with clips of the shows edited in.  They were probably rushed into production to coincide with the CD.  Not that it matters.  It’s still a lot of fun. 

The linking device has Drew and her roommates (one of whom is her longtime-producing partner Nancy Juvonen) sitting on the couch and making commentary on the cartoons and music.  Their interruptions weren’t really necessary, but they don’t detract too much from the overall experience.  Some of the cracks are kind of funny (“I like being a couch potato lounge lizard loser!”), and it’s amusing when some of the characters from the shows drop by the house.  Plus, the sight of Drew in her prime rolling around the couch in tiny shorts doesn’t hurt. 

If you’re looking for a jolt of ‘90s nostalgia filtered through the prism of ‘70s nostalgia (or vice versa), you should definitely check it out.  It’s all very Gen X coded.  If you weren’t there you might not understand. 

The complete line-up is as follows: Matthew Sweet ("Scooby-Doo, Where are You?”), Sublime (“Hong Kong Phooey”) Butthole Surfers (“Underdog”), The Ramones (“Spider-Man”), Wax (“Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy” from Ren and Stimpy), Frente (“Open Up Your Heart and Let the Sunshine In” from The Flintstones), The Murmurs (“H.R. Pufnstuf”), Face to Face (“Popeye the Sailor Man”), Collective Soul (“The Bugaloos”), Toadies (“Goolie Get-Together”), Mary Lou Lord and Semisonic (“Sugar, Sugar” from The Archies), Tripping Daisy (“Friends: Sigmund the Sea Monster”), Sponge (“Go, Speed Racer, Go”), Helmet (“Gigantor”), Liz Phair with Material Issue (“The Tra La La Song” from The Banana Splits Adventure Hour), Juliana Hatfield and Tanya Donelly (“Josie and the Pussycats”), Reverend Horton Heat (“Jonny Quest” and "Stop That Pigeon” from Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines), and The Violent Femmes (“Eep Opp Ork-Aha” from The Jetsons).