By Cheech & Chong, 2002

'Where There's Smoke There's...Cheech & Chong' features over 2 1/2 hours of their best recordings & comedy routines, including unreleased material on 2 CD's. Rhino Records.When they are on, Cheech and Chong fill a glass with the absurd and toss in a twist of mordant wit.

In a sketch familiar to many, Cheech has this to say about Santa Claus: "Everywhere he went he ran into too much recession, man." Chong points out, "No, man, you mean he ran into too much repression, man." "Recession, repression, man...It's all the same thing, man," Cheech responds. Their style is relentlessly repetitious and off-the-cuff, affording them ample opportunity for casual and delicious sarcasm by which the listener is taken completely off-guard.

Even the album's title embodies the pith of this album; like their sketches, it points out the obvious in a way that is rarely done--in their patented, stoner-speak style. Cheech and Chong have long been a near ubiquitous presence because practically all potheads--current or reformed--have encountered their movies and records. While the size of this collection makes listening to the whole thing at one sitting a bit of a chore, the intent seems to be to make the whole catalog available to fans, and at least parts of it are sure to appeal to both practical and metaphorical "smokers." --Mark Huntsman

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