Bugs & Friends Sing the Beatles (Warner/Kid Rhino)

Bugs & Friends

By Mark Clark

It sounds like a cute idea on paper: Having Warner Brothers' Fab Four (Bugs, Daffy, Elmer and Taz — along with "guest stars" Yosemite Sam and the Road Runner) get together and "sing" their favorite tunes by that other fabulous foursome.

But the creators of this package took the idea a step further, subtitling the disc, "a parody" and including liner notes and sleeve artwork that mock Beatles history.

(Anybody remember the book "Paperback Writer"? Same idea here.) The unfortunate result is that listeners have to be fairly steeped in Beatles lore to get most of the jokes. And hardcore Beatles fans may find Yosemite Sam's growling delivery of "Help," for instance, more irksome than amusing.

Children, who won't get the historical allusions, will enjoy this disc only for the Chipmunk-esque laugh of hearing familiar songs sung in funny voices. And, at that, how many kids will remember songs like "Fool on the Hill" or "It Won't Be Long"? Unless you're a hopeless Beatles junkie, you can live without this..