Weird Al Retrospective: The Saga Begins (The Original Trilogy)

So this is my first batch of retroactive reviews of Weird Al's discography leading up to the recently announced 14th album (apparently titled Mandatory Fun). As a lifelong fan I feel comfortable acknowledging my hero's misses as well as his home runs. If I step on a particular song that you love, I apologize, just know this is purely my opinion, and all I'm trying to do is completely change your opinion to match mine exactly and get a little recognition for my superior sense of enlightenment, and maybe take over the world later.


"Weird Al" Yankovic

Al's self titled debut album is easily the hardest one to review fairly. Looking just at the title, it's evident Al may not have considered that there would be a second album.

A brief history of Al's early days: he was an avid listener to The Dr. Demento Show. Already having mastered the accordion, Al would play his compositions into a tape recorder and mail them in to Dr. Demento, who considered them worthy of playing on his national radio show. The recording of Another One Rides the Bus was taken from a live performance on the show, where Al met Jon Schwartz, who would become Al's permanent drummer.

So basically the first album is a compilation of Al's college-type years/humor, and it shows. When you compare "Weird Al" Yankovic to his later albums (any of them, in fact) it's not much of a stretch to declare the latter as the winner. But again, that's hardly fair. It's like lambasting William Hartnell's performance as The Doctor for not being in color. So let's examine the tracks one by one and judge the album on its own merits.

Side 1

Ricky: Yes, this was back in the era of albums which had two sides (three if you're a Monty Python album). It was generally a good idea to kick off your side one with your strongest song and this album was no exception. Ricky is a solid parody; humorous, accessible, and unlike some of the other songs on this album is fully instrumental. And it even features an early appearance by voice acting royal Tress MacNeille.

Gotta Boogie: Just...no. The opening song on any Weird Al album is always a parody, i.e. the flagship song. The second song is always one of his originals, which tends to set the bar for the remainder of the album. This song sets the bar pretty low, and if you're listening to Al's music in chronological order, this would be your first impression of him on his own terms. *a moment to sigh*.

I Love Rocky Road: Mostly a bounce-back parody. This is certainly one of Al's classics, only slightly undermined by the inclusion of "Musical Mike" Kieffer, who is apparently thought of as a master of the squeaking sounds one makes with one's hands. Otherwise this song is a gem. Check Youtube to hear this song live (or go buy a ticket when Al and the band is touring).

Buckingham Blues: This one started as a parody of Jack & Diane but transformed into an original blues song when John Mellencamp refused the parody. The end result is kind of...eh, okay. It seems more interesting in the idea stage than in the execution. If Al did this song today I think he'd be a bit more thorough about finding the things that the royal family would sing the blues about.

Happy Birthday: There's an adage which states that comedy equals tragedy plus time, although I think it would be more accurate by replacing 'time' with 'distance'. The axiom may not nail down all comedy but it certainly defines the basis for dark humor. When you're starting out in comedy, it's easy to fall into the dark humor trap, as if anything normally sad is funny because "I don't really mean it". There are a few examples on this album where this concept fall flat, but Happy Birthday is not one of them. While I'm not saying it hits the sweet spot, the song works in a delightfully twisted way. I sort of imagine if Gonzo ever had a meltdown this is the kind of song that would play in his head. This should probably have been the second song on the album.

Stop Draggin' My Car Around: The very thing that worked in the favor of Happy Birthday seems to be working against this parody. I think Al's intention was to make this song funnier by overvocalizing the sadness of it, but I think he only succeeded in making it sadder than it was supposed to be.

Side 2

My Bologna: Like so many of Al's parodies about food, the humor lies in the treatment of the ordinary as if it's tonight's headliner. Once the absurd juxtaposition subsides, it boils down to the strength of the song being parodied to keep the listener interested. My Sharona is a fantastic song (probably about someone named Sharona), and while I'm not suggesting she's comparable to a piece of meat, replacing her with a deli item only serves to point out just how fantastic the song really is.

The Check's in the Mail: This makes me smile. Al might not have quite cracked his own songwriting sensibilities on this album, but this song is a good indicator that there's going to be some real quality original music from him in the future.

Another One Rides the Bus: As I mentioned, this is the live recording; basically Al being stripped down to the essentials. On the one hand I've always wanted to hear this parody rerecorded closer to Queen's musical styling, but on the other hand this version captures a kind of raw street performer energy that I don't think you can really reclaim once you're experiencing success. If Mickey Mouse was Weird Al, this song would be Steamboat Willie.

I'll Be Mellow When I'm Dead: So we're in the final quarter of the album which is typically the dumping ground for LPs, and my critical voice is feeling a bit more charge. I'm sure as an artist Al loves all of his children, but some of them just don't grow up to be anything of note. This song simply feels like padding. 12 songs is kind of the expected quota for a Weird Al album, and I don't think this one hurts anything, but it also doesn't do anything to keep the remainder of the album from bottoming out.

Such a Groovy Guy: This is another one that just makes me sad for the guy. Al revisits this concept later with Waffle King to greater effect because the protagonist in that song never becomes aware of his own narcissism. This guy, I don't want to laugh at him, I want to get him help. Maybe on What Not to Wear?

Mr. Frump in the Iron Lung: I'm sure this song worked in Weird Al's coffee house days since it centers around a sound gag produced with the accordion. On an album it's a bit on the creepy side. And this is the farewell impression for this record. Usually on a Weird Al album there's the flagship song, then the main body, and then the closing number which tends to feel like it's in a world of its own. Sometimes that world misses the mark, as in the case here.

Conclusion:

I've been trying to figure out how to score a Weird Al album, and I've decided to assume a twelve song track listing with a possible 3 points each. Four of the five parodies are loveable. Two originals are gems. That's 18 points. Two originals are indifferent for 4 points, and one parody is a misfire which would ordinarily be a single point, but the selection of the song parodied grants it an extra point (it works both ways, wait until I get to the Miley Cyrus) bringing the total up to 24. Then three originals are on the bottom with one point each bringing the total up to a rather appropriate 27 out of 36. Ignoring any tweaks I would give later albums for things like the lack of a polka medley gives "Weird Al" Yankovic a freshness score of 75. I guess on a ten point grading system that's a C.



"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D

Al's second album could be considered The Wrath of Khan to his first album's The Motion Picture, it is miles beyond in production value. Even from the cover, you feel like you're being pulled into an 80's sci-fi circus.

One of the things that has stayed with me the most about this album was the back cover where Al had photographs lined up of himself, lead guitarist Jim West, bass guitarist Steve Jay, and percussionist Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz. I never had to be told their names again, and each time one or more of them would pop up in one of Al's videos I would identify him to my mother, who always did such a wonderful job feigning interest.

In much the same way as Spike Jones had so many talented performers around him, Weird Al has the most amazing and versatile band members in music history. This was the album that really pulled it all together and set off this incredible phenomenon.

Side 1

Eat It: Here it is, the parody that would not be ignored even by the mainstream. Sometimes the right thing is in the right place at the right time, and for Weird Al this was it. Somewhere between Michael Jackson fever and the golden age of music videos, Al found his iconic first step on the moon. And why not? The song is just right in every regard. With certain throwbacks to the novelty feel of the first album (like the exaggerated vocalization and the not unwelcomed use of Musical Mike) combined with a seriously handled recreation of the original’s instruments, this was the song that defined him as a comedian but not a joke.

Midnight Star: What a great song! I never get tired of it. Midnight Star was the first of a particular trope of song which has almost become a permanent player on each subsequent album; which is to take a single concept and provide a seemingly endless series of absurd examples. For the rest of these blogs, I reserve the right to describe a song as the Midnight Star of its album. It’s worth noting that Al could have written the song from the perspective of “Look how stupid this is” but instead presents it with a sense of awe, giving it almost a heroic quality.

The Brady Bunch: Well, it wasn’t going to last. The original song is catchy but the parody lyrics are…well, I’ll just say it. Lazy. The first verse is promising enough, but the second verse is just the Brady Bunch theme song lyrics. Al was still growing as an artist, but this song feels like it was thrown together the night before the recording session.

Buy Me a Condo: I don’t really know how to react to this one. I’m still unclear on whether or not anything funny is happening here. I guess Al wanted do a light reggae song, although come to think of it I’ve never heard a real heavy song in that style. Maybe that’s the problem. It’s a little too true to form. You could play this on a cruise ship and nobody would ever think it was off a comedy album.

I Lost on Jeopardy: Man, I was traumatized by the video to the Greg Kihn song this was parodying. The first time MTV played the Weird Al video, I watched it merely halfway in the room just in case Al decided to draw too many elements from the original video, forcing me to run to my room and hide under the mattress. Again. But as my therapist/hypnotist pointed out about nine hundred times, the Weird Al version works really well with the music. It may not be laugh out loud funny, but it is wonderful in a more sedate manner, and it’s nice to have different flavors of comedy on the same album.

Polkas on 45: Ah yes. The polka medley. The first of many. Just for the record, “Weird Al” Yankovic is considered one of the world’s foremost virtuoso accordionists. So how does the original polka medley hold up today? Pretty well I’d say. I know there are some fans who are extremely passionate about this one, but I still feel like it didn’t quite take on its own life. You’ll see in the scoring that the polkas are always going to get at least two points of the possible three, because of their complexity, but I’m going to give this polka a two and a half. I’ll figure out how to do the math later.

Side 2

Mr. Popeil: This has never been one of my favorites but I’m not going to dock it points for that. It’s a solid B-52s style parody and I’m sure Ron Popeil is flattered by the immortalization. Al seems to be having a lot of fun with this song. Even though I don’t personally care for it I don’t know of anything wrong with the song so it gets full credit. The same thing is going to go for the next song. It's fine,
just not remarkable. In fact, I’m going to deliberately not remark about it.

King of Suede: See?

That Boy Could Dance: So, uh, I don’t get this one. Musically it’s not interesting. Lyrically it’s not interesting. I don’t know what inspired this song except perhaps a need to fill up side 2. Or maybe this was Al’s apology to the titular ‘groovy guy’ from the preceding album. I just really never got the point of this song.

Theme from Rocky XIII: You know, if it weren’t for this one song I might have gone my whole life without giving side 2 of this album any attention. This rocks. The original song is iconic, and the Weird Al version is a classic. And it’s odd in a way how this song was virtually ignored when the album came out in favor of Eat It and I Lost on Jeopardy. But we, the Al-maniacs, know. You know, now is a good time to mention that I’ve always been intrigued by how Al decides which parody winds up as the last one in the lineup. I assume there’s some intentionality behind it. On this album Theme from Rocky XIII feels like it’s in the correct slot.

Nature Trail to Hell: Well I’m glad that the previous song kept me listening to side 2, because just before the album ends and Al releases me back into my boring miserable life he grants me five minutes and fifty seconds of awesomeness. This is more awesome than Thriller, and Thriller was awesome; silly but awesome. Nature Trail to Hell is silly and awesome. I can’t explain why those two elements work together so magically here, but I can tell you that I’m searching the record collection in my mind palace (Beatles and Jim Steinman included) and I can’t think of a single moment in music as great as when Al screams “If you like the six o’clock news then you’ll love Nature Trail to Hell!” Maybe the climax to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Maybe. When it’s done right.

Conclusion:

Okay, so how inflexible am I going to be about this whole twelve song rule? I mean, there's a lot of quality music here but honestly side 2 feels like it's missing something. I think instead of lopping a full three points off the actual score I'm going to take three off the final percentage. So five songs get full credit giving 15 out of 33 points. Make that six, I forgot I was going to give Mr. Popeil a break. So we're up to 18. King of Suede just wasn't interesting enough for a full score so 2 points. 2.5 for the polka. The Brady Bunch wasn't quite on the disliked level so I'll give it 1.5 (which makes my math a tad easier), and 1 point for each of That Boy Could Dance and Buy Me a Condo for 26 out of 33. But I'm also granting the option of a single awesomeness point for one song on an album as needed, in this case Eat It for its historical significance. 27 out of 33 (there's that number again!) which gives an 82 percentage, minus the three for a lack of a twelfth song puts us at 79, a C+.

Well, I'm kind of surprised myself, considering how much I love this album. I think I'm going to start trolling my own message thread in a bit.



Dare to be Stupid

Just don't give me the triple dog dare. This album could easily be subtitled 'Rise of the Originals' considering how much attention they got. Showtime broadcast a mockumentary in 1985 called The Compleat Al which meant there was a stronger push for music videos from this album, four to be exact. Three of them were for original compositions.

For those who weren't alive in the 1980's (which I imagine is most of the Roman Empire) MTV was our information source about music. We'd know there was a new album because we'd see the artist's latest video. So it was a fine time to be surprised by the sudden appearance of Al in full doctor's attire, announcing in song that there were more songs about food and television to be bought.

But on the downside, our attention span and patience became compromised, and every time a new song that we liked came out we thought "Al should do a parody of that! Like, right now!" And I admit in my younger days I didn't realize that comedy in particular takes a certain amount of time and care to blossom, and when combined with music my expectations were simply unrealistic.

All this to say, getting back-to-back Weird Al albums with this many gems on them kind of spoiled me.

Side 1

Like a Surgeon: In the mid 80's the only way to have topped Michael Jackson was to go after Madonna, and this couldn't have been better timed. There exists a certain grouping of diehard and casual fans who live and breathe by this song as the greatest thing ever, so much that they get mad when Al doesn't do this one in concert. But it is truly another one of his classics.

Dare to be Stupid: I don't know if Al meant this one to be his personal anthem when he wrote it, but in his most recent tour you could feel the already charged audience go into hyperdrive the moment they heard that familiar synthesizer. People used to think I was being funny when I said I listened to Weird Al for the music. Had they not heard this song? Oh, great. It's in my head now. Thanks a lot guys.

I Want a New Duck: Huh? You're having, uh, trouble with your...your duck? I don't get it. I will say that I like the tie in to the Peter and the Wolf album where Al actually does wind up getting a duck named Bruce, but for this album I'm just perplexed as to why this parody was written. I mean, there are some puns scattered around, but how did we go from I Want a New Drug to I Want a New Duck as an inspiration? You'd think I Want a New Rug would have been the more natural choice. Well, whatever.

One More Minute: This isn't just the Midnight Star of this album, this is arguably the funniest song ever written. If it's not evident, there was a real break-up behind this song which Al turned the pain of into something beautiful and timeless. Someone needs to tell Taylor Swift that her career has already been covered.

Yoda: You know how Bob Dylan wrote Blowin' in the Wind but fate decided that the song would forever be attached to Peter, Paul and Mary? (Do you know who Bob Dylan is? I probably should have led with that.) I think it's fair to say that the same fate revised the ownership of The Kinks's Lola to Weird Al. How did that happen? I don't know. I think there are maybe two jokes in the parody lyrics and the rest is plot synopsis. The Empire Strikes Back was five years old when this album was released, but it with absolutely no attention thrown to it, the fans decided that this would be Al's concert encore song. Tell you what, listen to it right now and tell me that you don't feel good. Then find a video of the Yoda Chant on Youtube and tell me that you don't feel like punching a stranger who's bigger than you and running away really fast. Go on. Dare to be stupid, you hooligan.

Side 2

George of the Jungle: Back already? How'd that work out for you? Lay down while I get the Tylenol. Oh, get this. Al's record label insisted that one song on this album be a cover. I know, right? Who did they think he was? Tiffany? Yeah, Tiffany. She was- I'll explain later. Well this was the song he chose. Yep. That's it, right there at the start of the second side of the album. Pretty catchy, huh? So, that's why that's there. Okay cool, the next one is starting.

Slime Creatures from Outer Space: I LOVE this song. Why wasn't this ever used for a Scooby-Doo chase scene? It's kind of a pity that this song seems to get lost on the B side of a really solid album, really through no fault of its own.

Girls Just Want to Have Lunch: No. It's the fault of this song that drags side B down. Again, with the record label; they insisted Al do a parody of a Cyndi Lauper song, which Al was fine releasing the album without it (weren't we all?). Although in retrospect, that would have amounted to an album with only three parodies, which may have been unforgivable. Don't get me wrong, I'd buy a Weird Al album if it was nothing but original material, but if I'm expecting parodies then I tend to grumble when I only get four on an album. So is a parody that Al's heart clearly wasn't in better than no parody? I say yes, but not by much.

This is the Life: Isn't this a cute song? This is the opening credit song for the movie Johnny Dangerously which was probably one of those spoof-ish movies that didn't really accomplish what it set out to do. And while this song isn't remembered with the fan fervor many others from this period are, there's a solid musical sophistication happening here.

Cable TV: For the longest time I didn't care for this song, and then one day it just started working for me. I still don't think it's a great song but I don't mind it. It's a good B side song.

Hooked on Polkas: Okay this is a three point polka. The best polkas have a feel of some kind of a journey, even if it's an abstract one. I've always imagined that there was a lesser known character in Arkham Asylum known as the Looney, who was never a criminal but just couldn't quite integrate into reality. And this is the song that plays in the Looney's head just before a major psychological breakthrough. Boy, you should see the video I've mapped out for it.

Conclusion:

I'm not going to factor George of the Jungle into this album, but it still leaves us one song short like last time. I'm also going to give the bonus point of awesomeness because of the way Yoda had such an impact. Seven songs at full score for 21, plus the 1 I just mentioned. 2 each for I Want a New Duck and Cable TV, and 1 for  Girls Just Want to Have Lunch. Hey! 27 points again! This time out of 30, for a total of 90, minus the 3 for a missing song and we're at 87. B.