The Essential Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al Yankovic | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 2009)
• Original Release Date: October 26, 2009
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Sony Legacy
• ASIN: B002KREVEC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,060 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #5 in Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy > Comedic Music > General
  • #8 in Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy > Comedic Music > Comedy Rock
  • #8 in Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy > Comedic Music > Novelty Music

Editorial Reviews

"Weird Al" Yankovic is a true artistic genius in the classic sense of the word. No other artist can parody a song or a music video without being directly compared to the maestro. Throughout his career, Al has offered up an alternate reality of sorts to the history of pop music, lovingly re-casting hits of all genres into bizarre and hilarious songs and videos that themselves have become hits. In fact, Al's work became so synonymous with the hits they parodied that Michael Jackson gave Al access to the "Bad" video set to make his classic "Fat" video! This is to say nothing of Al's original songs which are as witty and endearing as his parody work.<P><P> Starting with his debut album in 1983 and navigating a quarter century of popular song, The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic is the definitive collection (assembled by Al himself!) of his masterful and enduring work. With songs from all of Al's studio albums, this double CD set features 38 tracks comprising over 2 ½ hours of music including "White & Nerdy," "The Saga Begins," "Eat It," "Like A Surgeon," "Amish Paradise" and many more!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It really IS "Essential", October 28, 2009

By 

Julie (DERIDDER, LA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential Weird Al Yankovic (Audio CD)

I picked this up yesterday, not realizing it was the day the album was released. I just saw Al on CD, and that caught my attention. I'd always been a fan, but the only other album I own is Alapalooza on cassette. So it seemed like a perfect excuse to expand my collection.

Looking at the track list, it seemed like a truly complete and well-rounded Al compilation--all his greatest hits over his career. The songs really are that good, and the track listing represents itself. In fact, the only song I personally miss is "Living in the Fridge" (parody of Aerosmith's "Living on the Edge").

So besides the songs, what else is there? Well... there's a great essay by Steven Thomas of The Onion/AV Club, and there is a wealth of photos from over Al's 30 year career. All of that adds to the overall value of the package for me. It's also a really good way to introduce new and casual fans to more of Al's work.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Fun Than the Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota, November 19, 2009

By 

Jeff Pearlman (Lakeland, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential Weird Al Yankovic (Audio CD)

The disappointment in realizing that WAY decided not to include "Ricky", his first Hot 100 hit and a double parody of "Mickey" and "I Love Lucy", is more than offset by the 38 funny tunes that are here. I've played "Your Horoscope For Today" about ten times and laughed out loud every time. I'm also glad to have "White and Nerdy" since I am very old and allergic to (legal or illegal) downloading. Overall the funniest CD since "Britney Spears: The Singles Collection" and you need to buy it, especially at the lovely current Amazon price of (deleted in case it changes someday).

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Collection, November 5, 2009

By 

The Purple Menace - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Weird Al Yankovic (Audio CD)

I wish i could say I was an old school weird Al fan, but I'm nowhere near old enough. I can say that I was a fan before the huge White and Nerdy wave swept over my school. There is a great selection of songs on here. Of course it covers all the major singles like Eat it,Like a Surgeon,Amish Paradise,White and Nerdy,and the very old, Another One Rides the Bus. This song, going by his behind the music, was originally recorded in a bathroom in his college.

I saw another reviewer bring up the exclusion of Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies. This does suck because otherwise you'd have to get it on the UHF album. This album had very few highlights and is only really good if you a big fan of the UHF movie. Which you should be because that movie was awesome and would have been a big hit if Indy Jones hadn't also come out. But that's just my opinion. This is a great album for new fans of Mr. Yankovic, especially at a price of 14 bucks for 38 songs.