The Essential Weird Al Collection
“Weird Al” Is a monumentally important artist who deserves enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” reads the first paragraph of Stephen Thompson’s essay in the liner notes of The Essential “Weird Al’ Yankovic.
The mere notion is laughable to most music listeners but the fact that the Editor of NPR Music can formulate this belief and have some legitimate reasons behind it (An incredible backing band, far reaching influence on pop culture) could mean the rest of the world just has not given Alfred Matthew Yankovic a fair shake as being a true musician.
This essential collection is for the die-hards who recognize the brilliance of the “Weird one”, and have been waiting to get their Cheeto coated hands on an album like this for years.
The collection is a double disc containing 38 hits handpicked by Yankovic that span his thirty year career in satirist songwriting. The evolution of Yankovic’s parodies are documented through the arrangement of the tracks, with the accordion-based Queen parody “Another One Rides the Bus” to the straight up instrumental pilfering of “Yoda” and “Like a Surgeon”.
Original works such as “Everything You Know is Wrong” and “Dare to be Stupid” drip with elements of New Wave and Post-Punk that could of made “Weird Al” peers with Devo and Talking Heads had those bands took themselves a shred less seriously .
Despite his reputation of being anything but, there are authentically funny moments in “Weird Al”’s discography. The underwater gargle guitar solo in “Smells like Nirvana” is hilarious and songs about the sterility of the corporate grind (“Dog“), mundane suburban life (The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota“), and the nation’s obsession with gun culture (‘Trigger Happy”) are thought provoking jabs at society.
Listening to The Essential “Weird Al” makes you realize how critical the visual aspects of Yankovic’s work were to any enjoyment of his songs, “I’m Fat” just isn’t the same without a guy in a fat suit and an 8XL leather jacket waddling through a subway station.
So does “Weird Al” deserve to be considered prolific in the recording industry ? Truthfully Thompson is probably full of crap with his statement and the essay doesn’t go beyond doing an old friend a favor , but some credit has to be given to a man who has kept relevancy over the years though a regenerating niche. A end-to-end listen to the collection is unbearable, but throw the songs on shuffle to elicit groans and smiles from party guests.
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