THE WORST BAND IN THE WORLD with CD intact

Castigated for defying tradition and playing an original tune on his Splingtwanger, thirteen-year-old Sprocc leaves Planet Bipp in search of musical freedom and enters the annual Worst Band in the Universe Competition. Includes a CD of songs supposedly recorded by the bands in the story.

The author of Animalia expresses a determined nonconformism in this multimedia package, which pits oldies fans against experimental musicians. Beneath the sulfur-orange skies of Planet Blipp, a reptilian Musical Inquisitor fills the airwaves with official Ancient Songs, while Sprocc, an amphibious-looking 13-year-old, challenges the law. "There's more to playing music than the notes upon the page./ I have to call the tune myself, or else forsake the stage," the upstart decides. With his Splingtwanger (think souped-up double-necked guitar) in hand, Sprocc joins an illicit rock group and competes for the title of "The Worst [i.e., most innovative] Band in the Universe"Abut his victory is short-lived. The contest is a sham, and the winners are imprisoned on a slimy, viney planet where they meet other vanished rebel rockers from years past. With relentless rhyme and quirky neologism (jamming is "meshing," and cool dudes are "groobs"), Base explains how Sprocc and the gang triumph over their Orwellian plight. His deliriously detailed panoramas feature decaying postmodern architecture and smooth-skinned, bug-eyed creatures of endless variety; the original Star Wars cantina scene comes to mind. This junior rock-opera even includes a CD recording of the band competition, complete with canned cheers and 1980s synth-rock stylings. Base's imaginative effort, roiling with hot colors and intergalactic weirdness, will baffle traditionalists even as it thrills budding iconoclasts. All ages. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Steven Spielberg meets Lewis Carroll via Jimmy Page in this latest opus from the irrepressible Base (The Discovery of Dragons, 1998, etc.). Young Sprocc from the planet Blipp can't help himself; he takes up his Splingtwanger, turns the volume up to ten and plays a new tune, even though it is forbidden. For this he's banished, and hooks up with a underground group competing in the Worst Band contest. They win, but it's a trick, and they are sent to Wastedump B19 where the great PowerAxe wielder Skat, bitter and cynical, resides. They escape on a music-powered spacecraft, save Blipp from destruction and free the music (with Skat's help). The story is told in the most amazing verse, complete with descriptions of a bad guy ``grobulous with rage,'' and a place where ``All reggoid beats prohibited. No rok, no phfunk, no jyve.'' Base's extraordinary sense of detail and his riot of color are taken to a new dimension here, in almost indescribable scenes of SF mayhem. He thoughtfully includes not only a list of characters but a CD of the music. Reading this one aloud may lead to riotous story hours. (Picture book. 6-12) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Grade 3-6-Welcome to Planet Blipp, a world located "beyond the stars, beyond the sun and moon," where the playing and creating of music is dictated by restrictive traditions and controlled by the all-powerful and malevolent Musical Inquisitor. Sprocc, a 13-year-old Innovator, can't keep his talent on the "Splingtwanger" (cosmic guitar) hidden. When he enters a battle of the bands, he walks right into a trap set by the evil Inquisitor. Sprocc and his buddies are banished to WasteDump B19 where they eventually join forces with the legendary musician Skat. Finally, the Inquisitor is defeated and musical freedom returns to the planet. Told in rhyme with a smoothly flowing, natural rhythm, this rather lengthy, contemporary morality tale is potentially exciting when read aloud. Out-of-this-world illustrations feature alien beings and their surroundings in vivid shades of orange, green, purple, and blue. While Base's message of tolerance comes through loud and clear, the text is too sophisticated for younger readers and the picture-book format lacks appeal for an older audience. A CD featuring music composed and performed by the author is included. An obvious talent can be heard, but once again, audience appeal is questionable. A curious selection indeed.
Alicia Eames, New York City Public Schools
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Here's another memorable, oversized flight to exotic locales from the author of The Discovery of Dragons (1996). Accused of the crime of "musical innovation," 13-year-old Sprocc departs hidebound planet Blipp, is tricked into entering a Worst Band contest that strands him on remote Wastedump B19, then helps build a music-driven spaceship, which gets him back to Blipp in time for a high-volume, onstage face-off with the power-mad Musical Inquisitor. Base displays a talent for versification, expertly keeping the beat in his long, cleverly rhymed text. His illustrations are just as clever, chock-full of mottled, rubbery-looking aliens bearing futuristic instruments and posed heroically against luxuriantly detailed technoscapes. Packaged with a CD of frisky power pop from Base, in the guise of various Worst Band contestants, this fast-paced musical odyssey will--visually, verbally, and sonically--start preteen moshers dancing in the aisles. John Peters