Ugly Duckling - Taste the Secret

Taste the Secret manages to be Ugly Duckling's most unexpected, most odd, and yet most highly-enjoyable album all at once. This is a concept album, but it's nothing like the albums by Pink Floyd and The Who that the term "concept album" calls to mind.

Taste the Secret tells the tale of a fast food restaurant called Meat Shake and its hippie rival Veggie Hut. Everything on the menu at Meat Shake has meat in it (Yes, everything. Just look at the picture on the left). They're rude to their customers and claim no responsibility for the weight gain and heart stoppage they incur. Hilarity ensues as the employees of Meat Shake harangue the employees of Veggie Hut, leading to a final confrontation. The story of Meat Shake is generally included as interstitials between the non-Meat Shake songs that make up the majority of the album.

There are a number of absolutely excellent songs on the album, the best of which is "Opening Act" which tells the tale of what it's like to be the band nobody wants to see at the beginning of a concert. I also really love the Mexican flavor of "La Revolucion." Of course the tale of Meat Shake that is woven throughout the album is both engaging and hilarious. This album has not stopped being awesome or funny even though I have listened to it literally dozens of times since purchasing it. I honestly cannot recommend this album highly enough.