The Craig Machine

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The Craig Machine
Stephen Lynch Craig Machine.jpg
Live album by
ReleasedOctober 4, 2005
RecordedMay 9 and 16, 2005 at Symphony Space, New York City, New York
Genre Comedy
Length41:47
Label What Are Records?
Stephen Lynch chronology
Superhero
(2002)
The Craig Machine
(2005)
Cleanest Hits
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

The Craig Machine is a live album by comedian Stephen Lynch, released on October 4, 2005 on What Are Records?. The CD was recorded live at Symphony Space in New York City on May 9 and 16, 2005. The Craig Machine debuted at #2 on Billboard Magazine's Comedy Charts and at #129 on the Billboard 200.

Contents

The title is lifted from a lyric from the fifth track on the album, which is from the point of view of Jesus Christ's brother, Craig. The quoted lyric asks of the listener "not 'What Would Jesus Do?' but 'Where will you be when the Craig Machine comes partyin' through?'"

Songs and Lyrics

Reception

Album reviewer Dylan P. Gadino wrote, "On his third disc, The Craig Machine, Lynch continues his reign as one of the nation's most skilled singing comedians. Armed with a voice sweeter than most all-too-earnest contemporary singer/songwriters...a keen sense of pop song structure and a wickedly vile sense of humor, the Michigan native keeps us guessing and, more importantly, laughing throughout the new 14-song collection. For Lynch, the guitar clearly isn't a novelty. It's the vehicle for every punchline. As a result, he's careful to construct real songs — as in the type you'd hear on traditional pop albums, the kind that people will listen to repeatedly. Of course, there are a few quick throwaways — see "Love Song" and "Not Home" — peppered throughout for cheap, hard, laughs. But largely, there are plenty of hooks on which to grab hold. ... Part of Lynch's draw is that he commits equally to both music and joke on each track." [2]

The TVParty site reviewer wrote, "Stephen Lynch's musical tour de force through his demented psyche begins with a heaping hunk of blasphemy followed by even more sacrilegious tuneage along with peppy songs about dating white girls, loving Nazis, wishing for his grandfather's death, and a cute ditty about Satan (more blasphemy). But it works. This guy can really write some funny tunes and he has the vocal chops to pull it off." [4]

Track listing

All tracks composed and performed by Stephen Lynch.

All tracks are written by Stephen Lynch.

No.TitleLength
1."Vanilla Ice Cream"3:10
2."Baby"3:30
3."Halloween"2:46
4."Love Song"1:23
5."Craig"3:30
6."Beelz"2:54
7."Albino"1:52
8."Mixer at Delta Chi"2:06
9."Little Tiny Mustache"3:40
10."Pierre"2:01
11."Whittlin’ Man"2:51
12."Classic Rock Song"2:12
13."Not Home"1:14
14."Voices in My Head"4:09
CD bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
15."D&D (2005 Bonus Version)"4:27
16."Lullaby (Live in NYC, 05_2005)"3:14

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2005)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [5] 129
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [6] 3
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [7] 7
US Top Comedy Albums (Billboard) [8] 2

References

  1. The Craig Machine at AllMusic
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gadino, Dylan P. (September 25, 2005). "Stephen Lynch: The Craig Machine". LaughSpin. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  3. Lynch, Stephen (2007). "stephen lynch grandfather smashing tiny nazi ladies 10". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  4. TVParty (2008). "2008 New Show Reviews". tvparty.com. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  5. "Stephen Lynch Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  6. "Stephen Lynch Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  7. "Stephen Lynch Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  8. "Stephen Lynch Chart History (Top Comedy Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2018.