Customer Reviews

Peter and the Wolf: Carnival of the Animals, Pt. II

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This album isn't full of music parodies like all "Weird Al"'s other albums but is still extremely funny. The first half is the CD is the story of Peter and the Wolf from the parody legend "Weird Al" Yankovic's point of view. It is told in the normal format kids fairy tales are but that doesn't mean you can't be an adult to love it too. It's the funniest fairy tale I've ever heard and is set to orchestra music as the story goes along. Instruments play some characters as they often did in many a children's story back in the 80's.

The second part of this album is basically poetry by "Weird Al." All the poems are about various animals and are immensely funny.

If you only like "Weird Al"'s music parodies but not his humour found in his original songs then you probably won't like this album. If you do however then you'll love this. In fact even if you don't like the great one but like the story of Peter and the Wolf then you will love this album.

Other great parodies of fairy tales can be found in books. Porkenstein by Kathryn Lasky is the ultimate sequel to the Three Little Pigs where the remaining lonely pig makes a Frankenstein like pig companion, Whatever Happened to ....? The Ultimate Sequels Book by Adrian Maurby and Once Upon a More Enlightened Time Politically Correct Bed Time Stories by James Finn Garner are also great children's parodies. For adult readers also check out Once Upon a Crime a collection of short stories by various authors.

Avoid the children's book The Big Bad Pig and the Three Little Wolves. It is terrible. As is Fractured Fairytales, Snow White Blood Red and A Wolf at the Door. Do not waste your money on any of these.

I remember passing on this when it first came out because a record store employee said it was a 'straight' reading. Obviously, that person either hadn't heard the CD, or had no freakin' clue that the original Peter & Wolf story did not have a character named 'Bob The Janitor, who will be represented by the accordion'. Just like his song parodies, you will never be able to listen to the original Peter & The Wolf without snickering and/or annoying people by constantly saying 'Ha, In Weird Al's version, he says...". Or maybe it's just me that does that. At any rate, this is hilarious, vintage AL, and worth the exhorbitant price it seems to fetch these days. Afer all you can always resell it, maybe for even more! The Carnival of the Animals Part 2 is strictly filler and probably the least funniest thing he has ever recorded. The poems are occasionaly amusing, but the 'Music' by Wendy Carlos is stunningly bad-sounds like leftover remnants from the cheesy Tron soundtrack.