Customer Reviews

Polka Party

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After the comedy classic album ' Dare To Be Stupid', Weird Al Yankovic suffered a backlash with this album; making it his worst selling effort to date. For the life of me, I don't know why. There are a couple of weak songs here, but the classic more than make up for it. Give this album a reappraisal. . it might just grow on you!

LIVING WITH A HERNIA - A brilliant parody of `Living In America' with Al doing his best (worst?) as the medical Godfather of Soul. The video clip is classic too.

DOD EAT DOG - Yankovic runs over Talking Heads, particularly the tracks `Once In A Lifetime' and `And She Was'. Al captures David Byrnes vocal mannerisms perfectly.

ADDICTED TO SPUDS - It's true! It's true! They are addictive! Memorable parody of `Addicted to Love'. I'm just disappointed that this wasn't released as a single.

ONE OF THOSE DAYS - One of Al's wacky `list songs' where everything that can go wrong does go wrong, from a `big steam roller just ran over my Mom' to `they're dropping the bomb'. Bouncy, catchy and easy to sing along to . . .we've all had those days (though not to this degree).

POLKA PARTY - Classic tunes mangled with love by Weird Al and his deadly accordion . . .gotta like `em!

HERE'S JOHNNY - Song from the movie, `Short Circuit' remodelled into a Pean to the king of the television sidekicks. Ed McMahon. Slight parody, but catchy.

DON'T WEAR THOSE SHOES - Another list song with a damn catchy chorus: "you can give me an offer I can't refuse . . .you can expose yourself on the six' o'clock news . . .honey, I don't mind, but please don't wear those shoes!" LOL!

TOOTHLESS PEOPLE - Take that, Mick Jagger! A takeoff of Mick's less-than- memorable theme to the movie, 'Ruthless People'. Love that fake coughing at the ending of the track. Wonder if Mick has coughing fits every time he bellows?

GOOD ENOUGH FOR NOW - A country tune dedicated to all those who have just found their Mr/Miss-Right-Now (as opposed to Mr/Miss Right). A simple case of `you'll do until something better comes along'.

CHRISTMAS AT GROUND ZERO - A black Christmas Carol for the nuclear war age. "If someone's climbing down your chimney, you'd better load your gun and shoot to kill". Try singing this at your next yuletide carolling and see the reaction you'd get!!!

Sure, this wasn't one of Weird Al's best selling albums, but it wasn't his fault. I love this one just like all the other ones that he's done. It's a shame that more people didn't take an interest in it. My favorites here are "Addicted to Spuds", "Living With A Hernia", "Toothless People", and of course "Polka Party", a medley of pop songs that really got me dancing. Take my advice, don't overlook this one. If you're a fan (or even if you're just discovering him), check this one out. You will be glad you did.

The first track Living With a Hernia parodies the song from one of the Rocky movies Living in America. Obviously about a guy who needs a hernia operation. The classic Addicted to Spuds about a potato junkie is here as well (parody of Addicted to Love). Toothless people (parody of Ruthless People) isn't the best parody in the world. Dog Eat Dog is another parody although I do not know the title of the song but you will recognise the tune. In the original the singer says "Sometimes I tell myself this is not my beautiful wife." Al's version is beautiful stapler. The song is about working in an office and is brilliant.

Good Enough For Now is Al's first an only country music original song. It's about how people date someone telling them they love them but secretly waiting for someone better to come along. Probably the most realistic love song ever written. Probably would have been bigger if it wasn't a country song though.

Other original songs are Christmas at Ground Zero which is about Christmas Eve when Nuclear War is has commenced. Extremely funny, probably been overshadowed by The Night Santa Went Crazy on the Bad Hair Day album but still one to play at Christmas parties. Don't Wear Those Shoes and Here's Johnny are pretty average. Here's Johnny is about an American talk show that those of us outside the USA have never heard of.

If you are only going to buy one "Weird Al" album buy one of the others but there are some good songs on this one. It's still five stars in rating but it's not as good as the great albums.

"Polka Party!" was "Weird Al" Yankovic's fourth album in four years and while it has a couple of solid parodies overall it clearly reflects that he was basically running in place. The cover shows "Weird Al" wearing lederhosen playing his accordion for a punk audience. The aforementioned pair of parodies would "Living With a Hernia," the highpoint of which is working in the different types of hernias into the bridge of the song in the same way James Brown did cities in the original, and "Addicted to Spuds," which unfortunately is an idea that is funnier in conception than execution (this time the list of ways of eating taters is not as funny). "Christmas at Ground Zero" is one of the few original songs from these first four albums that is halfway decent, but the biggie here remains the title track, which is another one of those frantic polka medleys that combines "Sledgehammer," "Sussudio," "Shout" and more than a half-dozen other songs not beginning with the letter "S" played on the accordion by "Weird Al" with the full backing of a pretty good polka band. However, this brilliant little piece, which shows how good "Weird Al" can be even when the words to the songs remain the same, is not enough to offset the fact that most of the tracks on "Polka Party!" are average. If you have the first album of hits by "Weird Al" then you already have the two decent parodies but not the best track. Maybe some day there will be an album of nothing but "Weird Al" polka medleys. That would drive my wife totally insane, but I would like it just fine.

I dont care what anyone says about this album, being the worst one or it being bad or him losing it, not being funny, blah blah blah. This is one of my FAVORITE Weird Al albums of all time. In fact, "One of those Days" and "Don't wear those shoes" are two of my favorite Weird al songs of all time!! Don't listen to the naysayers, this is a GREAT album! TRUE Weird Al fans know what i'm talking about

It seems this is Al's worst-selling album, which is a shame since there's a lot of good music. Of course, you'd have to understand Al's off-kilter world to appreciate it. In a bad mood? Listen to "One of Those Days", a catalog of things that could be worse (though from the sound of it, being tied up by the Nazis and covered with ants is not as bad "nothing but tater tots for dinner again"). "Don't Wear Those Shoes" is one of my favorites, if only because I actually wonder what's so awful about them that forces Al to make such oddly desparate pleas. And one can't forget "Dog Eat Dog". The corporate world is definitely stranger than any Talking Heads song! But the crowning jewel has to be "Good Enough for Now". After hearing one too many country singers warble about how perfect their love is, it's great to hear a song that slaps them in the face with its drastically lowered expectations.

The parodies are a mixed bag. "Here's Johnny" and "Toothless People" are taken from the themes to Short Circuit and Ruthless People respectively. They weren't really big hits so far as I can recall, and the tunes weren't all that memorable. It appears that even Al can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear (I suppose make a Twinkie au gratin flambe out of a box of salmon Pop Tarts would be a better expression). "Living With a Hernia" can be enjoyed on many levels: the way the band captures the sound of the original music, the way Al can growl and shout his way through to make James Brown proud, the attention to detail in listing actual hernia types.

A few misses, but enough hit the target for enjoyable listening.

I just don't understand why. I bought this one under the impression that I was going to be dissapointed. Boy, was I wrong! This Al-Bum lives up to Al's potential. "Dog Eat Dog", "Living With A Hernia", and "One Of Those Days" had me on the floor laughing. "Addicted To Spuds", "Don't Wear Those Shoes", "Good Enough For Now", and "Christmas At Ground Zero" were also really great. I strongly recommend this Al-Bum to anyone who likes comedy music.

This CD is one of Al's better efforts. It's the last "classic" Al disc, before they became more hit-and-miss. This CD is full of good material, proving that Al was still able to crank out an album a year without sounding repetitive. Anyone who knows anything about Talking Heads will find "Dog Eat Dog" not only hilarious, but spot-on in the parody of the group's sound. "Here's Johnny" will be lost on anyone who thinks Jay Leno has always been the host of the Tonight Show, but for us old-timers out there, this song is hilarious, especially the "Hey-o, hey-hey-hey-o" part. As for "Toothless People", well, I have a feeling no one likes this song because no one remembers the Mick Jagger original Al is parodying. Actually, that probably sums up the problem with this CD. Al's fans are typically younger, and this album is stocked with parodies to songs that have not lived on since their original popular time. When was the last time you heard "Who's Johnny?" or "Ruthless People" on the radio? This album has always gotten unfair press. It is good, and you won't be disappointed if you buy it.

Despite some of the bad reviews, this is one of my favorite Weird Al Albums. I have no complaints and I suggest this to anyone who is an Al fan.

This album is one of the most fun to listen to because its one of Al's oldest albums. Its pretty hilarious to listen to songs like:"Livin' With a Hernia", and "Christmas at Ground Zero"! You should get this album!