Los Cochinos

by Ed RivadaviaFollowing a near chart-topping smash with their second comedy album (1972's Big Bambu had climbed to an amazing number two on the Billboard charts), soon-to-be-subversive teenage role models Cheech & Chong quickly returned to action with their third effort, Los Cochinos. Released the following year, the album essentially played it safe, continuing to expand upon many of the skits and characters introduced by prior outings. But such was the quality and depth of these road-tested sketches, that most of them remained as fresh and entertaining as parts one and two -- most notably fan favorites Pedro de Pacas and Man (revisited here via the hysterical "Pedro and Man at the Drive-Inn") and the side-splitting "Sargent Stadenko" (which picks up the story line introduced a year earlier by "Sister Mary Elephant"). Further standouts include the poop-obsessed "Cheborneck" and arguably the pair's most memorable musical number, the hilarious "Basketball Jones."