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The Essential Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicAudio CD
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)

Price: $12.10 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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MP3 Music, 38 Songs, 2009 $16.99  
Audio CD, 2009 $12.10  

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Music

Image of album by Weird Al Yankovic

Photos

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Videos

Perform This Way

Biography

The time has come. “Weird Al” Yankovic, the biggest selling comedy recording artist of all time, has returned to demolish the pop landscape with Alpocalypse, his first full-length studio album in nearly five years.

Few would have guessed that Yankovic, who as an awkward, accordion-playing teenager got his start sending in homemade tapes to the Dr. Demento Radio Show, would ... Read more in Amazon's Weird Al Yankovic Store

Visit Amazon's Weird Al Yankovic Store
for 31 albums, photos, videos, discussions, and more.

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The Essential Weird Al Yankovic + Alpocalypse (Deluxe Version) + Off the Deep End
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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 Music
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,005 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Disc: 1
1. Another One Rides The Bus
2. Polkas On 45
3. Eat It
4. I Lost On Jeopardy
5. Yoda
6. One More Minute
7. Like A Surgeon
8. Dare To Be Stupid
9. Dog Eat Dog
10. Lasagna
See all 20 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. Since You've Been Gone
2. Amish Paradise
3. Gump
4. Everything You Know Is Wrong
5. The Night Santa Went Crazy
6. Your Horoscope For Today
7. It's All About The Pentiums
8. The Saga Begins
9. Albuquerque
10. eBay
See all 18 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

2009 two CD career-spanning collection of tracks hand-picked by Weird Al himself. 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. 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. 40 tracks.

Customer Reviews

There are too many great songs to name but I love every single one on this cd. T. Sherer  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
Love this CD brought it for my 11yr old and he is thrilled! Jamie L. Macbain  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars It really IS "Essential" October 28, 2009
By Julie
Format: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.
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9 of 11 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
Format: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).
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Collection November 5, 2009
Format: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.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Weird Al Yankovic has had a very successful career poking fun at some of best-known songs in the music industry. Who could forget his parody of Michael Jackson's "Bad" or "Beat It". Personally, I really love the parody of The President's of the United States of America. "Gump" definitely has to be up there with some of the finest and well crafted songs he has ever performed.

However, there are a few key tracks from this compilation that have gone MIA. How could this collection not include "Headline News". As any Yankovic knows, this was a parody from the Crash Test Dummies "Mmm,Mmm,Mmm,Mmm" hit. In all honesty, I like Weird Al's rendition of this song better than the original. Besides the song, the music video for "Headline News" is hysterical. To exclude this song from this collection is a travesty, and thus I have to knock a star off this review for this unbelievable omission. The omissions of "Achy Breaky Song" and "Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies" also are unacceptable. I am not sure if Weird Al had a say-so in the song selection, but keeping these tracks, as well as some others really hurts the album's "essential" label.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A parodist looks at 50 February 14, 2010
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
To begin with, "Weird Al" Yankovic -- who just turned 50 last year -- is someone I always forget how much I've liked until I happen to hear a new song from him. I heard the Michael Jackson parody "Eat It" sometime in the 1980s when I was very young, and I thought it was a hoot; after that, listening to The Dr. Demento Show in the early '90s, I was introduced to songs like "Fat," "Smells Like Nirvana" (my personal fave), the Beach Boys pastiche "Trigger Happy," and "You Don't Love Me Anymore." A few years later, the Coolio parody "Amish Paradise" came along, and in 1999 I caught "The Saga Begins" (the plot of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace set to the tune of "American Pie") and VH1's cheeky Behind The Music special. Then "White & Nerdy" and the hysterical charity-single goof "Don't Download This Song" caught my attention in 2006. All of the aforementioned tracks are included in this 2-disc, 38-track Essential collection -- indeed, it's the Weird Al retrospective I've been waiting for.

Al's first 8 albums (from 1983 to 1993) have been anthologized many times before -- on two volumes of Greatest Hits, the box set Permanent Record, The Food Album, The TV Album -- and now they're revisited on Disc 1 of this set. But this set is the first time his 4 albums from 1996 to 2006 have received the best-of treatment; this period is covered on Disc 2. Given that the tracks on Essential were picked by the man himself -- including a mix of hits, his personal favorites, and fan faves -- I can't really argue with what he apparently feels is his best and most enduring work. Anyway, this was meant as an introduction for beginning fans, and besides, any compilation NOT specifically based on which songs were released as singles and/or how high they charted is bound to come up short for longtime fans.
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Collection
Who doesn't love Weird Al? My wife and I love listening to this collection on long road trips or just driving around town. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Brandon J Gladden
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply a musical genius!
Make up your playlist with the song Al covers, then Al's version. Now think of any of the songs and I guarantee you you'll think of Al's version first and you'll keep saying out... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gary Sellers
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
what a treasure. A true American classic. Could not be more cherished. Very good. Funny. I like it a lot.
Published 2 months ago by MICHAEL S KELL
5.0 out of 5 stars Gotta have it
His early stuff is the best but every one should enjoy a good parody & wierd al is one of the best!
Published 2 months ago by Patrick Meyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good.
It has a lot of the songs that a like, only missing a handful of songs that I like, but no biggie.
Published 2 months ago by Rusty
5.0 out of 5 stars AL
Love this CD brought it for my 11yr old and he is thrilled! He has been listening non stop, thanks
Published 4 months ago by Jamie L. Macbain
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
I had a few odds and ends of Weird Al through the years. But all on tape and not stored very well. Finding this CD was great. I knew a hits collection must be out there somewhere. Read more
Published 4 months ago by John A. Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars A Given
How can you not love Weird Al. Creative! Good to not take music too seriously! I have been a fan for years.
Published 5 months ago by Aaron Avery
5.0 out of 5 stars Totally funny.
I purchased this because I liked hearinf the few songs on the radio, so I figured I would add this to my collection and IPod so I can listen to the songs and have a smile when I... Read more
Published 6 months ago by T. Mitchell
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Music
Our whole family enjoys listening to Weird Al on road trips. The kids like the beat and the funny voices, while the adults enjoy his parodies.
Published 10 months ago by D. Rice
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