Customer Reviews

The Essential Weird Al Yankovic

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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).

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.

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.

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. (For the record, from what little I've heard on the radio, I'm already missing "Stop Draggin' My Car Around," "Christmas At Ground Zero," "When I Was Your Age," "Couch Potato," and "Ode To A Superhero.")

Frankly, I'd rather address what actually IS here. Though Weird Al is most widely known for his parodies of Top 40 pop hits ("Like A Surgeon," "eBay") and rock classics ("Yoda," "Jurassic Park"), his original tunes are often equally accomplished -- from twisted love songs like the nasty heartbreak ballad "One More Minute," the power pop-y "Melanie" and the doo-wop ditty "Since You've Been Gone," to the off-the-wall narratives of "The Biggest Ball Of Twine In Minnesota" and "Albuquerque," to the remarkable rapid-fire sections of "Your Horoscope For Today" and "Hardware Store." Furthermore, he and his longtime bandmates -- drummer Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, bassist Steve Jay, and guitarist Jim West -- prove themselves incredibly versatile performers, moving deftly from polka (the covers medley "Polkas On 45") to New Wave ("Dare To Be Stupid" and "Dog Eat Dog," dead-on "style parodies" of Devo and the Talking Heads, respectively) to rap and R&B ("It's All About The Pentiums," "Trapped In The Drive-Thru") to symphonic pop (the Brian Wilson homage "Pancreas"). Regardless of whether or not you think Al's lyrical jokes hold up, you really can't deny the sheer craftsmanship that went into the music.

Weird Al's career has lasted a good 30 years (which is as long as I've been *alive*), outlasting the careers of most of the artists he's parodied. Early on, after his accordion-driven self-titled 1983 debut (represented here only by "Another One Rides The Bus," an acoustic single he had actually recorded in 1980), he and his band realized the best jokes are told with a straight face rather than with a giggle; throughout this set's 2-and-a-half+ hours, you can follow the band's musical growth, as well as Al's knack for keeping up with current trends without altering himself in any fundamental sense (i.e. occasional mild vulgarity and gross-out humor aside, his lyrics are intended for a general audience, and have never resorted to outright profanity). Not that Al shows any signs of slowing down, either: He is currently working on a new album -- five of the tracks having already been previewed on last year's digital EP Internet Leaks -- and I am most certainly looking forward to whatever he does next.

I've been a Weird Al fan since the mid 80's and as such enjoy his old stuff quite a bit more. Not to say the newer material isn't good, but it's just not the classic Weird Al I remember. Saying that, I'm a bit disappointed in the focus on the newer material and ignoring some great older songs. Here's a breakdown of the albums and some thoughts on songs I wish would have been included or removed.
- "Weird Al" Yankovic: Included - Another one Rides the Bus; Notable Omissions - My Bologna, I Love Rocky Road, The Check's in the Mail. I really don't understand the inclusion of only one song from the album that started it all.
- In 3-D: 3 - Polkas on 45; Eat It; I Lost on Jeopardy; Notable Omissions - King of Suede and Theme from Rocky XIII. This is my favorite Al album so I'm disappointed in the selection from this album. While Eat It is a must, and one polka needs to be included so 45 is a pretty good selection, the inclusion of Jeopardy is disappointing since that is my least favorite song from the album. I was truly shocked to see that neither King of Suede of Theme from Rocky XIII wasn't included - especially considering they are parodies of major hit songs. I'd also prefer Nature Trail to Hell or Mr. Popeil over Jeopardy.
- Dare to be Stupid: Yoda; One More Minute; Like a Surgeon; Dare to be Stupid; Notable Omissions - None. I could have lived without the inclusion of Like a Surgeon - especially considering other songs not included from albums.
- Polka Party!: Dog Eat Dog; Notable Omissions - Living With a Hernia; Here's Johnny; Christmas at Ground Zero; Good Enough for Now. This is one of my favorite albums. Dog Eat Dog is one of my favorite songs. I would have sacrificed Yoda from Date to be Stupid to include one of those song's mentioned.
- Even Worse: Lasagna; Melanie; Fat; Notable Omissions - This Song's Just Six Words Long, Good 'Ol Days, Stuck in a Closet With Vanna White. There are so many good songs on this album. I would have rather had either of those three over Lasagna. Melanie and Fat are musts.
- UHF: UHF; Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota; Notable Omissions - Beverly Hillbillies, Spam. Hillbillies definitely should have been included over the UHF title track. Twine is a high point.
- Off the Deep End: Trigger Happy; Smells Like Nirvana; You Don't Love Me Anymore; Notable Omissions - None. I would have only selected Smells Like Nirvana from this album, and I don't even care for that song very much. Many of the earlier songs indicated are better choices
- Alapalooza: Bedrock Anthem; Frank's 2000" TV; Jurassic Park; Notable Omissions - I would have replaced Bedrock Anthem with Living in the Fridge. Bohemian Polka would have also been a good addition.
- Bad Hair Day: Since You've Been Gone; Amish Paradise; Gump; Everything You Know is Wrong; The Night Santa Went Crazy; Notable Omissions - I Remember Larry. Too many songs and not the correct ones. Amish Paradise and Gump for sure, but there are so many better earlier songs that could have been included over some of these. Also, Headline News - not on this album but on a compilation album released between the previous two albums is perhaps the most glaring omission of all. Christmas at Ground Zero from Polka Party! is a far superior twist Christmas Song
- Running With Scissors: Your Horoscope for Today; It's All About the Pentiums; The Saga Begins; Albuquerque; Notable Omissions - None. All songs are fine - especially the Saga and Albuquerque - but again, more songs than I think the album deserves.
- Poodle Hat - eBay; Bob; Hardware Store; Notable Omissions - None. Only eBay should have been included from this album. Hardware store is not as good as You Make Me from Even Worse - both fast paced, frantic songs.
- Straight Outta Lynwood: I'll Sue Ya; Canadian Idiot; Pancreas; Don't Download This Song; White & Nerdy; Trapped in the Drivethru; Notable Omissions - None. But 6 songs?

12 albums condensed to 38 songs and 13 of those come from the last 3. That leaves only 25 songs from the first 9 - less than 3 songs each. I think the selection could have been better and therefore I cannot give this 5 stars. I think you can get a great example of Al's career in a selection of 38 songs - I just don't think that this was the best 38.

It's been a long time since Al has put out a "best of" article. This is a major update including some of the more modern music. For those of us who have been fans a long time, it's great that Al is still cranking it out.
This is truly a classic concentration of the greatest hits for those who are not only genuine fans, but also those who like the many songs that have made Al famous beyond his true devotees. Looking forward to seeing Al on Jimmy Fallon tomorrow night.
[...]

A lot of classic, great, must have songs, but SO much is missing:

"It's Still Billy Joel To Me"
"Ricky"
"My Bologna"
"Mr. Frump In The Iron Lung"
"I'll Be Mellow When I'm Dead"
"Happy Birthday"
"Nature Trail To Hell"
"The Brady Bunch"
"This Is The Life"
"This Song's Just Six Words Long"
"Stuck In The Closet With Vanna White"
"Money For Nothing/Beverly Hilbillies"
"When I Was Your Age"
"Spy Hard"
"Jerry Springer"
"The Weird Al Show Theme"

...whereas, on the other hand,
I could've easily done without...

"Polkas On 45"
"Yoda"
"Dog Eat Dog"
"Melanie"
"Lasagna"
"Fat"
"UHF"
"Trigger Happy"
"Gump"
"The Night Santa Went Crazy"
"Your Horoscope For Today"
"The Saga Begins"
"I'll Sue Ya"
"Pancreas"
"White & Nerdy"
"Trapped In The Drive-Thru"

I was looking for a way to introduce my daughter to the awesomeness that is Weird Al. This collection had almost everything I was looking for. Sound on it is great, and even though we've listened to the Saga Begins at least 200 times in the past month the cd is holding up well.

The music doesn't need to be reviewed, it's weird Al, it's all awesome. The collection is great, all the biggest hits and fan favorites.

As always Weird Al is amazing! His parody is unequaled and original work is as good or better! I would recommend this CD to anyone with a sense of humor.