November the ‘Tar! is the nineteenth album by Moes Haven, released on December 6, 2006. It is the eleventh of twelve albums from the 365 Project, and coming out six days after the end of November, it is the sixth album in the project to come out after its intended month. The album has 24 tracks and a runtime of 30:31.
Around the time of recording the album, Matt Farley and Tom Scalzo had become fascinated with the 1987 film Ishtar, which featured Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as two bumbling, untalented songwriters who score a gig in Morocco and find themselves in a Cold War standoff. Farley and Scalzo saw themselves in the characters, and decided to write short and silly songs in the style of the movie’s protagonists. They decided they would save these songs for the November album early on in their 365 Project efforts.
Because of the duo’s intention to write shorter songs, November the ‘Tar! features their shortest track, “Alien Rockabilly”, which runs a mere 15 seconds long.
The official full title of the album is much longer than its more well-known shortened moniker:
November: The ‘Tar! A Collection of Songs Written in the Tradition of the Compositions of Rogers and Clarke, as Portrayed by Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman in the 1987 Feature Film, Ishtar, a Much Maligned Production Centered on the Meteoric Rise of an Ill-received Singer/Songwriter Duo, Which in No Way Deserved the Almost Universal Disparagement It Received From Critics Who Focused Disproportionately Upon the Picture’s Lavish Budget Instead of Its Groundbreaking Humor and Ribald Social Commentary, Which is Only Now, Some Two Decades Later, Finally Being Recognized by a Select Few Respected Scholars and Erudite Theologians.
Indeed, much like the work of Farley and Scalzo, Ishtar received multiple accolades long after its release. Though it was originally critically panned and a box-office bust, it has become a cult classic, received more praise from reviewers, and even earned two votes in the 2022 edition of the British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound decennial polls.
In the Motern Media No-Jokes Album Guide, Farley says November the ‘Tar! remains one of his favorite Moes Haven albums, citing their strength in writing a lot of songs which are often short sketches. He adds: “We like to inundate listeners with silliness, only to shock them with a little sincerity when they least expect it.”
In March 2007, Mike Loce of Boston’s The Noise reviewed the album, stating: “Simplish acoustic indie arrangements and introspective energy create the framework for what is really a funny collection of songs, in my opinion.” In March 2008, blogger Matt Love said: “You don’t need to be an Ishtar fan to enjoy this
album (though it helps)”.
The 2007 compilation album Victory Is Ours! (For Now) contains the songs “Let Me Tell You ‘Bout A Girl I Met” and “Alone and Sad In My Room”, and the 2009 compilation It Takes a Lot of Guts! contains “(I Sing On Your) Wedding Cake”, “Pretty State Trooper (Please, Won’t You Stop Me?)”, and “Hotwire My Heart”.
Track listing
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Let Me Tell You ‘Bout A Girl I Met | 1:24 |
| 2 | Pizza Delivery Girl | 0:48 |
| 3 | I Found Her Hair on My Sweatshirt Last Night | 0:37 |
| 4 | Hotwire My Heart | 1:18 |
| 5 | Alien Rockabilly | 0:15 |
| 6 | Alone and Sad in My Room | 1:04 |
| 7 | Mr. Ron Howard, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter | 1:58 |
| 8 | A Minute is Like a Day When You’re Falling in Love | 1:56 |
| 9 | The Girl Next Door | 0:25 |
| 10 | Forest of Love | 1:41 |
| 11 | Bikini Girl (Are You Running to Me?) | 1:02 |
| 12 | (I Sing on Your) Wedding Cake | 1:06 |
| 13 | I Thought She Loved Me (But She Was Just Hungry) | 0:41 |
| 14 | Maggie Gyllenhaal | 1:26 |
| 15 | Oh J-Sin | 0:59 |
| 16 | Oh No! | 1:29 |
| 17 | Fishin’ for Love (And I Got Hooked) | 2:30 |
| 18 | V.I.P. | 0:53 |
| 19 | Pretty State Trooper (Please, Won’t You Stop Me?) | 1:34 |
| 20 | Leftover Love (Hostess Girl II) | 2:19 |
| 21 | I Get Sad When I Look at Pretty Girls | 1:42 |
| 22 | You and Me (And A Room by the Sea) | 0:27 |
| 23 | Give Me One Good Reason to Forget About You | 1:34 |
| 24 | X-Mas in a Sweater | 1:14 |