"Look At Us" by Sonny and Cher (August, 1965)

Dad's Take:
I'm afraid this album will always remind me of the time Dave Jensen and I sang "I Got You Babe" to each other during a karaoke shindig at work, making up most of the words as we went. Sonny and Cher will always be associated with that day.

There are two hits, the #2 "I Got You Babe" and the #3 follow-up, "Just You." The album went to #1 in both the US and the UK.

I'm not really sure what makes this album such a classic. It wasn't unusual in 1965 for an album to contain a lot of cover versions as filler, but this one takes that trend to new heights. Nearly every song was a cover. That, despite the fact that Sonny Bono was a fairly respected songwriter and producer, who wrote the megahit "Needles And Pins," recorded several times, but most significantly by the Searchers in 1964.

The problem is, the covers include several excellent songs, but the recordings have that unmistakable filler feel. "Then He Kissed Me" is particularly jarring as Cher sings "then he kissed me" in the chorus while Sonny sings "then I kissed her," and the two don't blend well. On the other hand, there's something charming about their whitebread version of "You've Really Got A Hold On Me."

Overall, the record has a bit of a Hollywood Argyles feel, fun but lightweight. The arrangements and production are interesting and enjoyable, but not spectacular. The Phil Spector influence is strong on Sonny's production, including the use of some of Spector's (and most of L.A.'s) studio musicians, which adds to the poppy charm of the album. The influence is no surprise, considering that Sonny had worked for Spector.

In short, it's not a bad record by any means, but it's not exactly groundbreaking or overly original. The version we listened to includes two Spector-like bonus tracks, which add to the fun and make it so the disc ends, ironically, with a little spoken thing called "Hello."

While I might not agree with giving this record classic status, it is still a fun record, with its proto-hippy L.A. sound. The record never takes itself too seriously, foreshadowing the schtick of the Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour on TV. It's one of those albums you pull out every once in a while, just for fun, then put it away and forget about it for several months.

Brad's Take:


I've never really been too familiar with the dynamic duo Sonny and Cher. I've heard "I've Got You Babe" a few hundred times, but that's about as far as I've gone in their discography.

Look At Us is full of cover songs, like my dad said, and a couple originals. The originals definitely surpass their covers though. It's too bad there weren't more originals on this. It could have made listening to this more enjoyable. Because, honestly, this album was hard for me to get through.


This whole album kind of felt like I was listening to a drunk couple singing karaoke. This feeling especially came during the song "It's Gonna Rain." Sonny and Cher's off-key vocals are bad enough, but then when they try to harmonize with each other, it sounds like the Titanic hitting the iceberg. Also, I second my dad's opinion on "Then He Kissed Me." You can't sing "me" and "her" at the same time. It just doesn't work.

Overall, Look At Us felt like a waste of my time. I would have much rather reviewed another Bob Dylan album than sit through off-key karaoke.