Long before “Weird Al” Yankovic was making parodies of popular music, Spike Jones and his orchestra lived by the motto “They write ’em and I wreck ’em,” deconstructing everything from contemporary hits—the ballad “Cocktails for Two”—to such classical warhorses as Beethoven. Jugglers, midgets, giants and many of Los Angeles’ finest big band musicians play at a breakneck clip, and the mayhem is on screen here for disbelieving eyes. The lively antics of the gum-chewing, pistol-shooting percussionist and his merry mirth-makers are collected on three discs with a bonus music CD. The DVDs contain two Colgate Comedy Hour shows from 1951 and two All Star Revue programs from 1952, and the CD has two never-aired pilot radio shows from 1945. Despite Infinity’s best efforts at digital remastering, the technical quality of the material is lacking. The images retain the often washed out and glowing effects of the original B&W source, most likely kinescopes, and the sound is a split mono for a stereo effect, not Dolby 5.1. It’s hardly a comprehensive collection, but for newcomers to the Jones fold, this box set is a compelling overview of his greatest hits.

Shelf Talk: A forerunner of everything from Adam Sandler’s parody songs to the videos on YouTube, Jones’ work is inventive and influential, and we’re thrilled that it’s seeing some well-deserved preservation and distribution. Infinity will support the title with a national press campaign and targeted online marketing, which could be enough to reach the buffs but a push will be required to reach a new audience.