Weird Al Yankovic

“Weird Al” Yankovic – Running With Scissors (1999/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 49:52 minutes | 653 MB | Genre: Rock, Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Volcano

Like many of Weird Al’s 1990s albums, Running With Scissors is something of a mixed bag, although devoted fans will definitely find enough of interest to add it to their collections. As usual, the highlights tend to be song parodies: “The Saga Begins” is a retelling of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace from Obi-Wan Kenobi’s point of view set to the tune of “American Pie,” while “Jerry Springer” is a clever rewrite of the Barenaked Ladies’ “One Week.” Not all of them quite hit the mark, though: “Pretty Fly for a Rabbi” has the same borderline ethnic condescension of the Offspring’s original, and Yankovic’s mimicry of the sound of his source material on the Puff Daddy takeoff “It’s All About the Pentiums” isn’t quite up to his usual standards. The originals tend to come off as forced, as though Yankovic is trying way too hard to live up to his nickname; although the snarky rip of “My Baby’s in Love With Eddie Vedder” hits pretty close to the mark, the 11-minute closer “Albuquerque” is interminable. Overall, there are some songs worthy of adding to Yankovic’s next best-of, and some more that no one will miss.

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“Weird Al” Yankovic – Bad Hair Day (1996/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 42:18 minutes | 532 MB | Genre: Rock, Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Volcano

As Weird Al Yankovic gets older, his albums get more reactionary and less focused, and Bad Hair Day is no exception. Although the first single, a parody of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” entitled “Amish Paradise,” was a hit, that was due to timing, not its quality; the song is one of the more hackneyed and condescending tracks he has recorded. Furthermore, the music on Bad Hair Day not only lacks the humor, it lacks the impish energy that made Weird Al’s first albums such fun. If you find “Amish Paradise” funny, chances are you’ll be more satisfied by a single than the album. Or you should just wait for the next, inevitable Weird Al greatest-hits collection.

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“Weird Al” Yankovic – Alapalooza (1993/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 41:35 minutes | 528 MB | Genre: Rock, Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Volcano

One can tell just by listening to Alapalooza that Weird Al Yankovic was having a hard time writing clever material to coincide with the current musical trends. The album’s title is indeed appropriate – the musical content varies from track to track. Many of the parodies on the album, such as “Jurassic Park” and “Achy Breaky Song,” must have been meant to be on an earlier album meant to satirize the real songs when they were on top of the charts, but somehow were never released until now. With that in mind, only the poor timing keeps Alapalooza from being such a blast, as the entire album sounds sloppy and mostly like a compilation of old B-sides.

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“Weird Al” Yankovic – Off The Deep End (1992/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 41:35 minutes | 528 MB | Genre: Rock, Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Volcano

Following his exposure in the mid-’80s, Weird Al Yankovic’s career stumbled with the poor-selling Polka Party in 1986 and his feature film UHF that tanked in 1989. Clearly, many people had grown tired of Yankovic’s presence, just as they’d grown tired of the artists he was satirizing. Thus his chance for a comeback came in 1992, when Nirvana stormed the scene with “Smells Like Teen Sprit,” a song that turned the music world upside down and ended the careers of many of the artists Yankovic had once used to heighten his success. Not too surprisingly, “Smells Like Nirvana” was the first single off of Off the Deep End, Yankovic’s first album in three years. The song, which pokes fun at the original version’s incoherent lyrics, was a smash hit, and not undeservingly – it reveals the kind of brilliant writing Yankovic was still capable of doing. Though no other parody on the album matches the cleverness of “Smells Like Nirvana,” satires such as “I Can’t Watch This” and “Taco Grande” come quite close. In addition to re-establishing his satirical craftsmanship, Deep End showcases some of Yankovic’s best originals ever; “Trigger Happy,” “When I Was Your Age,” and “You Don’t Love Me Anymore” prove to be the album’s greatest songs. As his best album since In 3-D, Off the Deep End is the answer to those who questioned Yankovic’s credibility as an evolving artist.

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“Weird Al” Yankovic – UHF: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack And Other Stuff (1989/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 42:32 minutes | 552 MB | Genre: Humour
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Volcano

“Weird Al” Yankovic has always been one of pop music’s guilty pleasures, and his 1989 release UHF/Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff is no exception. As the title suggests, this album not only commemorates UHF’s soundtrack highlights but also additional material recorded between 1988 and 1989. Under returning producer and veteran rock guitarist Rick Derringer, UHF’s parodies sound increasingly similar to their originals (i.e., “Isle Thing” and “She Drives Like Crazy”), while a handful of original compositions deliver the beefiest guitars ever heard on a Weird Al release (i.e., the title track, “Let Me Be Your Hog,” and “Generic Blues”). Despite this evolving creativity, UHF demonstrates a slump in Weird Al’s songwriting abilities as popular music’s premier comedian, notably endorsed by his deplorable original “Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters From a Planet Near Mars.” Possibly worse, the Fine Young Cannibals’ irritating “She Drives Me Crazy” sadly resurfaces via Weird Al’s equally irritating “She Drives Like Crazy,” which tries the patience of even the most devoted Weird Al fan. Nevertheless, Weird Al rescues listeners’ tormented ears and vindicates his artistic credibility with “Gandhi II” (à la “Theme From Shaft”) and “Spatula City,” two remarkable commercial parodies that prove why he’s still America’s favorite musical satirist. In addition, UHF’s remaining parodies – “Isle Thing,” “Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies,” and “Spam” – genuinely highlight Weird Al’s renowned fixation with food and television, the undisputed formula behind his well-deserved reputation. All things considered, UHF endures artistically as a transitional album between his ’80s heyday and the imminent artistic makeover revealed on 1991’s Off the Deep End. Recommended for both moderate and genuine Weird Al aficionados, UHF remains nearly as accessible as subsequent compilations Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, The TV Album, and The Food Album, which together incorporate only three of this album’s 13 selections.

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“Weird Al” Yankovic – Even Worse (1988/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 37:39 minutes | 473 MB | Genre: Rock, Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Volcano

Trust Weird Al Yankovic to name an album “Even Worse” even as his recordings were getting better again. After a bit of a slump, he rebounded in 1988 by making fun of the same old guy again, Michael Jackson. Video played a big part in the success of “I’m Fat,” based on “I’m Bad.” In fact, one could say it was a whole new ball game for parody artists if they were expected to provide a video with state-of-the-art special effects such as the fat suit Yankovic had designed for himself, which probably cost more than the entire budget of a Homer and Jethro album. There was also a change in the relationship between Yankovic the satirist and his target, Jackson, as the latter star’s hold on his audience was beginning to wear thin by the late ’80s. The arrogance of “I’m Bad” was perfectly trumped by Yankovic’s musical pile of lard, the appeal of the video’s visuals clearly not the only ace in the hole. Near the end of the tune, Yankovic gets into a mockery of Jackson’s vocal style that is both sublime and ridiculous. This is just the beginning of an album that gets richer as it gets along, with the maestro obviously benefitting from a period of reflection. He doesn’t just stick to covers of what was contemporary at the time, perhaps realizing that the shallowness of the music on the radio was not going to result in great hilarity. “I Think I’m a Clone Now” takes us back to Tommy James and the Shondells and is one of Yankovic’s best efforts, a perfectly realized satire that manages to come off better than the original, something of a soft rock classic to begin with. Then there is “Twister,” which raucously takes the hi-octane filth and funk of the Beastie Boys and weds them to a stupid children’s party game. Funster Yankovic seems to be getting practically savage in his attacks, an intensity both appropriate and enjoyable. George Harrison’s final and forgettable hit “I’ve Got My Mind Set on You” gets reborn as “This Song Is Just Six Words Long,” Yankovic obviously relishing the opportunity to croon lyrics such as “Can’t think of any lyrics.” Apparently running on full, Yankovic even manages to shatter all previous barriers and comes up with some funny original material as well. “Good Old Days” is a great idea, using an original number in order to lampoon yet another pop icon, in this case the simpy James Taylor. But it is “Stuck in a Closet With Vanna White” that is the real winner for Yankovic, because this was the first song he wrote that his supposed target audience of 11 year olds actually liked as much or even more than his parodies. Of course, the problem with tracks such as this is they date over the years; a time will come when nobody will remember who Vanna White is, and then listeners will wonder what the big deal is about getting stuck in a closet with her.

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“Weird Al” Yankovic – Polka Party! (1986/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 34:05 minutes | 435 MB | Genre: Rock, Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Volcano

Just about anyone could feel let down by this album, especially since the cover is so funny and seems to suggest that an entire album of polka is in the works. That would have been great. The front cover shows Weird Al Yankovic, clad in lederhosen, performing for a bunch of enthusiastic punkers. Now anyone that has spent time with a punk audience in the mid-’80s would probably agree that if a really great polka act came onstage and played, the punk crowd would probably go wild. That’s because polka is a rich musical tradition; good polka music is timeless. A really good parody is the same way, but what about a parody of a hit song that is so insubstantial that it is completely forgotten 15 years later? That’s the big problem with this set. The only really great track is, predictably, the knock-down, drag-out polka medley which is the only place on earth where one can hear “Venus,” “Sledgehammer,” “Sussudio,” “Shout,” and other claptrap played on the accordion in rapid succession. Good thing, too. Actually, it is something of a masterpiece, Yankovic’s band attacking each turn of the arrangement with manic intensity. It is really too bad nothing else here is really worth listening to. “Addicted to Spuds”? Not really a good enough song to parody, and if it was, yet another devotional tract dedicated to some form of food was getting a little bit old by now. “Living in America” in its original version has all the overblown grandeur needed to make a good parody target, but “Living With a Hernia” just isn’t funny. The originals are horrid as usual. “Christmas at Ground Zero” may seem a trifle more substantial than Yankovic’s usual songwriting, but this type of material has been done much better by Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys. Yankovic took something of a recording break after this flop, and he sure needed it.

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“Weird Al” Yankovic – Dare To Be Stupid (1985/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 36:57 minutes | 456 MB | Genre: Rock, Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Volcano

It is true that Weird Al Yankovic went into this third album with a huge hit behind him, the first of several satires of Michael Jackson he would be involved in, entitled “Eat It.” And it is also true that only someone who is missing important brain cells would suggest this artist’s original songs are any good, although there are a few small signs of improvement here on Dare to Be Stupid. Yet the notion that the latter material was given free reign over the course of this album, neglecting the parody songs that had made Yankovic rich and famous, is pure poppycock. The album begins with what is perhaps his best parody ever, the brilliant and cutting “Like a Surgeon.” Turning the tacky Madonna hit inside out and upside down, Yankovic comes up with a hilarious satire of the medical profession. By now it was required that his videos be even funnier than the recordings they promoted, and a case could be made that the video of “Like a Surgeon” is really where the action is, however enjoyable the song itself may be. Although the implications were probably missed by the none too bright Madonna, and may not have even been intentional on the part of Yankovic, it was a rich idea to use his parody to ridicule a serious subject rather than just take another poke at junk food or game shows. The record’s title track follows, and it is the best of Yankovic’s original songs that had been recorded so far, although that isn’t saying much. Any song that begins with a request to put down your chain saw can’t be all bad. It was material that was supposedly aimed at 11 year olds, but although there was limited use of the expression “dare to be stupid” to encourage stupidity, what else, among this age group, few children have ever been heard were humming this song or any of the other originals that are featured on this record. One of the best tracks is the amazing medley “Hooked on Polkas” that concludes the album. Yankovic goes for broke here, his slick band barely keeping up with him as he drags all manner of hit parade schlock through the harmonic wringer washer known as the accordion. It’s a hell of a trip, including references to Z.Z. Top as well as disco and punk rock, and accomplishes more musically in less than four minutes than an entire evening with the likes of Brave Combo. Some of the other parodies are weaker, although “Girls Just Want to Have Lunch” bears the distinction of actually being related in philosophy to the original it is based on, a first for Yankovic. Voice-over artist Bill Scott plays himself in a cover of “George of the Jungle,” hardly a track that will inspire repeated plays. Neither will “Yoda,” although there was obviously no way in such a commercial enterprise to avoid paying tribute to a character that was so popular at the time. Plus, Neil Diamond had already claimed rights to an E.T. tribute. The song Yankovic uses to base his satire on is the Kinks’ “Lola,” but when the original song is both funnier and weirder than the parody, one may wonder what the point is. The same can be said for “I Want a New Duck,” although it certainly is stupid, which may be the whole point. Rick Derringer put the whole production together expertly but should have played more hot lead guitar. And why couldn’t this real ex-McCoy convince his client to do a parody of “Hang on Sloopy”?

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“Weird Al” Yankovic – In 3-D (1984/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 44:27 minutes | 551 MB | Genre: Rock, Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Volcano

With an album behind him, Weird Al Yankovic makes much of the improvements expected of new artists when they get a second crack at a release a year later. He premieres the concept of his own band, basically well-trimmed types that looked good in music videos. They also play very well as a unit, so whatever image augmentation was accomplished is just a side benefit. While Yankovic’s first album started off poorly and took awhile to build momentum, this one is like a garage door opening to reveal a shiny rocketship about to blast off. When it does, it is “Eat It,” a satire of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” that can be considered the first kick in the rear the mighty gloved one received on his way down from the throne of pop music. Making the song a tribute to stuffing one’s face with food takes away its phony edge of nastiness without removing any of its rhythmic power. In fact, this version rocks harder than the original, and Rick Derringer’s solo in the middle cuts Eddie Van Halen to shreds. From there, it would seem the man is on a roll, but listeners may wind up stifling yawns all the way to the side-ending “Polkas on 45,” Yankovic’s first attempt at what evolved into a repeated device on subsequent albums, the extended, snappy polka medley in which an incredible variety of pop hits appear, sometimes for only a line or two. The fine musicianship of the leader and his associates is revealed in these performances, which tend to be some of Yankovic’s best work. Playing medleys such as this is not easy, and doing it with such energy and wit is even more admirable. The original songs on this record are just as forgettable as any Yankovic had come up with so far. There is no chance of pleasing 11 year olds with any of the originals, despite the fact that many critics feel this is the level of mind Yankovic is aiming at when he gets in the songwriting mode. It is not that their age estimate is too high, either. No children of any age have expressed much interest in the original material here. The thematic thrust of In 3-D comes full circle with the hilarious “Theme From Rocky XIII,” often known as “The Rye or the Kaiser.” Once again the height of pomposity – in this case, the character created by Sylvester Stallone – gets knocked down to knee size by setting the action in a deli, round two probably consisting of a jar of pickles being opened. When this album is good, it is good enough to eat, so “Eat It” already.

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“Weird Al” Yankovic – “Weird Al” Yankovic (1983/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 32:57 minutes | 422 MB | Genre: Humour
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Volcano

Like an X-ray of a dinosaur egg, this debut Weird Al Yankovic production provides a detailed glimpse of the creature to be grown. “Another One Rides the Bus” is the earliest of his arena rock parodies, recorded in 1980 during an on-air appearance on the Dr. Demento show and a classic piece of musical humor. Already he had developed his knack of knocking the wind out of any pretentious, overblown rock anthem by slightly adjusting the lyrical content. Once one of these songs was describing the boring, mundane activities of the non-rock star, it was if a new life were born within the song. “My Bologna” demonstrated the concept as applied to the fine art of making the stupid much stupider. A later album title by this artist would be Dare to Be Stupid, and if the Knack’s “My Sharona” had to be sacrificed at his creative altar for this to be understood, so be it. Once parodied by Yankovic, a song can never be thought of in the same way again. “I Love Rocky Road” brilliantly trivializes both rock & roll and the idea of singing about loving it. If one is going to sing about loving something, let’s make it be something important – like a horrible ice cream flavor. Unfortunately, the album doesn’t really get off on the right foot with “Ricky.” Yankovic hadn’t quite fine-tuned his skills of parody to the point where he could pull off connecting the new wave Toni Basil number with Lucille Ball’s situation comedy, and the results are contrived and not particularly funny. This is also the best way to describe his original material, which was used in a smaller proportion in all his later albums than it is here. His original songs may not seem like they were written in ten minutes, but the ideas behind them don’t seem to involve that much contemplation. As a result, they are like little bits of puff, produced so expertly they seem like some kind of ultimate filler, except that their impact on the flow of an album side is more like ballast. The defense that Yankovic’s material is best understood by his main target audience, 11-year-old kids, washes no better than they do. Kids this age really don’t like his original material as much as his parodies, although a few years down the road he managed to come up with at least a few of his own songs that were acceptable to what has to be the fussiest audience imaginable. Since the originals tend to dilute the excitement of any Yankovic album, the titles in his discography are rated based on how successful his originals that are featured are with 11 year olds. It goes without saying that each of his albums contains at least a few brilliant parodies, so this songcraft is where one finds varied levels of consistency in his output. At this stage, his relationship with his high-powered musical backup had yet to jell, either. Since the unaccompanied piece off the radio is the best performance in this set, one could even come to the mistaken conclusion that he works best without a band behind him.

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