Go Simpsonic With The Simpsons - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons received positive reviews from most music critics upon its release. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album a five out of five rating, writing that "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 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."

Soundtrack.net named Go Simpsonic the Best Compilation Album of 1999. The creator of that website, David A. Koran, said the album features some of his all-time favorites from the show, including the song "Canyonero". He also wrote that "one of Alf Clausen's other great talents besides working well along great lyricists is his ability to parody without sounding like an exact knock-off. In 'The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase' medley, the 'Chief Wiggum, P.I' cue was great invention in the style of Jan Hammer's original orchestrations for Miami Vice." Koran also praised the "Scorpio" and "McBain" songs for their similarities with John Barry's James Bond tunes. Similarly, Elysa Gardner of Los Angeles Times commended the parodic nature of many songs on the album. She wrote that "this showcases the brilliant work of series composer Alf Clausen and his delightful knack of spoofing various musical forms. Included are sendups of musicals, movies (Mary Poppins and Bond themes) and commercials, each lovingly and lethally delivered. There are 53 cuts in all, and most of them, like the show itself, stand up to repeated listenings. A treasure."

Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger was more critical, writing that "Unfortunately, Songs in the Key used up most of the show's best musical inventory, leaving only assorted scraps for Go Simpsonic. There are some wonderful tunes, including the 'Mary Poppins'-ish 'Cut Every Corner,' Bart and Sideshow Bob performing the score to 'HMS Pinafore,' the SUV parody commercial 'Canyonero,' and Homer and Marge's take on the All in the Family theme, but too much of it is filler."