Weird Al Yankovic - Poodle Hat
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Free Music Notes for Poodle Hat
Free Music Review: A little something for everyone!
Hit: 5 Stars
While "Weird Al" Yankovic is best known for his hit "Eat It" in 1984, he has recorded 11 albums in his prolific 20-year career. This latest composition truly does have a little something for everyone. "Poodle Hat" is the first album to come out since the platinum-selling "Running With Scissors" which debuted in 1999.The first track, "Couch Potato" is a parody of the Eminem song "Lose Yourself" and is both musically and lyrically sound. While I am not a big Avril Lavigne fan, I laughed out loud on numerous occasions during his parody of "Complicated" called "A Complicated Song."
One of the odd things about this album is that it truly has songs for both the young and not-quite-as-young. I have to admit, I was a little lost during this album's polka send-off, titled "Angry White Boy Polka" because I don't listen to alternative rock. However, I found "Bob", a song in the incoherant style of Bob Dylan, to be a riot, and I bet that the parents of the kids who really love the polka will really love this song. I know I did! I was blown away by the original song "Hardware Store", and loved the cheesy silliness of the song "Wanna B Ur Lovr". The true strength of any Al album is the original songs, and when jugded by that criteria, this is a very strong album.
Also, the CD has some really neat special features viewable on the computer. They have a section with Lyrics which basically scrolls the lyrics up in time with the music, which allows you to sing along or actually catch all the jokes in some of the faster songs. He also has some home movies, which I haven't had a chance to watch yet but am looking forward to, and 8 bonus tracks, mostly instrumentals of the songs on the album.
I guess the best way to sum this album up is that the parodies are new and fresh and the originals are wonderful. If you're in the mood for a good laugh and a mood lifter, this album is definitely for you! This album has songs both for the hard-core Al fans such as myself as well as both kids and their parents.
Also, a little bit of trivia about the cover of the album: On the cover of "Poodle Hat", there is a cute little gray poodle sitting on Al's head. That's Al's dog, Bela! Directly behind Al over his left shoulder (to the right of his head and Bela), in the green shirt, is Joel Miller. Joel is a lifelong friend of Al's and the best man at his wedding. His name might sound familiar to fans of "UHF" because the character of the boy who found the marble in the oatmeal was named after little Joel Miller.
Free Music Review: "Weird Al" strikes again with clean family fun!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD is one of Al's best. The parodies are great, and the originals only further prove how talented Al is. Here is a description and rating of all 12 songs on the CD. 1. Couch Potato- This is a parody of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. It is a very funny song, and yes, Al has once again written a song about TV. It never seems to get old, though. 5/5
2. Hardware Store- An Al original. It is a very humorous song about a new hardware store opening in town, and a man waiting outside for it to open. It is fast-paced and an Al classic. 5/5
3. Trash Day- A parody of "Hot in Here" by Nelly. It is a song about a man who's house is full of trash, and his wife yelling at him to take it out. An awesome song. 5/5
4. Party at the Leper Colony- An Al original. It is a funny song, and Al shows off his great writing talent. He also shows off his incredible sense of humor. 5/5
5. Angry White Boy Polka- A polka medley featuring a lot of rap and rock hits. This is a great polka, and it is hillarious to hear these grunge rock songs turned into polkas. 5/5
6. Wanna B Ur Lovr- An Al orgininal in which he basically takes some of the cheesiest pickup lines you could ever think of and puts them into one awesome song. This has to rank up there with the best of the Al originals. 5/5
7. A Complicated Song- A parody of "Complicated" by Avril Lavinge. I laughed so hard that I cried during this one. Al changes subjects a few times during the song, which is what makes it "A Complicated Song." This was one of those songs where I just sat back and marveled at Weird Al's ingenious sense of humor. 5/5, and I'd give it more if I could.
8. Why Does This Always Happen to Me?- An Al original. This is a very good song. Al basically sees disasters unfold before his eyes, and instead of being concerned for the people involved, he is concerned with trivial things. It's great! 5/5
9. Ode to a Superhero- A parody of "Piano Man" by Billy Joel. This song is about Spider-Man, and Al based the song off the plotline from the movie. It is extremely funny, and Al shows off his vocal ability. 5/5
10. Bob- This is the one song I didn't like. I pretty much hated it. It is a tribute to Bob Dylan, and I didn't get the song at all. It is basically 2 minutes of nonsensical rambling. Terrible
0/5
11. Ebay- A parody of "I Want it that Way" by the Backstreet Boys. A great parody! Al really nails the Backstreet Boys, and also makes fun of Ebay. 5/5
12. Genius in France- An Al original. It is about a guy who is stupider than a box of hair, yet the people in France all love him. It's a great song! 5/5
Free Music Review: This has to be, perhaps, his best yet!
Hit: 5 Stars
People aren't giving this album enough credit where, I promise, credit IS due. This is a fantastic album, with great parodies, hilarious originals, and spot-on musicality all around. Let's start at the beginning.1. Couch Potato--Somehow, Al always manages to make hip-hop sound not as craptacular as it really is...probably because he uses REAL instruments to create it. The lyrics in this are perfect. Parodic masterpiece. 'But I only watched Will and Grace one time, one day! Wish I hadn't, 'cause TIVo now thinks I'm gay.' A
2. Hardware Store--One of my favorite originals I've heard yet. This, for me, is ranking up there with Harvey the Wonder Hamster or the Night Santa Went Crazy. Once again, Al displays his articulate nature and lyrical prowess, especially in the bridge section, where he just starts spitting them out rapidfire. A+
3. Trash Day--Now, this was a stupid, ridiculous, shouldn't-have-ever-been-written song in the first place, and Al tears it to shreds. Well done...not the best song on the album, but hey...there's been a LOT of crap worse than this in the past 4 years since Running W/ Scissors. B+
4. Party at the Leper Colony--Classic Bo Diddley-style licks with fun lyrics. One took me a while, but gets me every time, now. A
5. Angry White Boy Polka--Need I say more? A+
6. I Wanna B Ur Lovr--Okay, now, this one just floored me completely when I first listened to it. Al is not only creating a style parody, or even a very specific artist style parody, but a double whammy...This is perfect emulation of Beck during his Midnite Vultures phase...parodying Beck who was parodying (in his own Beck-ish way) Prince. A++++
7. A Complicated Song--iffy subject matter, but just hilarious, when you come right down to it. A+
8. Why Does This Always Happen to Me--Holy returned favours, Batman! Ben Folds guests on this track. Contains the line 'So I turned around/ And stabbed him in the face.' How can you go wrong? A++
9. Ode to a Superhero--Picked a great song to parody, big movie...I didn't like the movie, but that's just me...great song, though. Piano man/Spider Man...it's a natural segue. A
10. Bob. A+. That's all I have to say.
11. eBay--Poking fun at Satan is FUN!!!! Taking out the Backstreet Boys while your at it gets you a (no pun intended) A++
12. Genius in France--Dweezil Zappa joins Al to pay tribute to his old man (Dweezil's, that is). It sticks it to the French, too. People have, unfortunately, labeled this song as an 'Albuquerque' wannabe, but it's completely autonomous. It's another homage...and well played, too. A+
Free Music Review: Was the 4 years worth the wait?
Hit: 5 Stars
I can safely say, "YES!" One thing about Weird Al Yankovic is he can pin point pop culture just PERFECTLY! The songs he chose to parody were right on!"Couch Potato" is probably one of his most powerful parodies because he just takes so many jabs at reality TV, and if you know what's going on in TV land(not the station! :P) you'll be laughing your head off. Too bad he can't do a video for it.
"Hardware Store" is just such a random song about a hardware store. The 30 second mid verse is just insanely fast. The vocals and sound effects are amazing. Defintely one of his best originals.
"Trash Day" is just plain funny! You have to hear for yourself!
"Party at the Leper Colony" has so many jokes about poeple losing limbs. It IS nasty, but just....BRILLIANT!
"Angry White Boy Polka" if you're into all these "angry white boys", you'll love this polka, especially the "Last Resort", "Chop Suey", and "Slim Shady" sections.
"Wanna B Ur Luvr" It has some pretty funny pickup lines, but I didn't really appreciate the inuendo in the middle of the song.
"A Complicated Song" Well, he parodied Avril. It's a totally random song, but it IS funny. He said he had about 20 ideas for the song.
"Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" I thought THIS one was sorta chancy. It's a VERY VERY violent song. It may hit close to home for 911 victims in the first verse. The piano is nice though.
"Ode to a Superhero" I've watched SPiderman 27 times and this nails the movie down PERFECTLY! It's even better than "The Saga Begins"
"Bob" Homage to Bob Dylan, every line is a palindrome. It's a very weird track.
"Ebay" If you shop on Ebay, you'll love this! If you've never delt with Ebay, you might not understand the jokes.
"Genius in France" is a special 8 1/2 minute tribute to Frank Zappa. If you've heard any of FZ's stuff, this sounds SO much like him, Al's voice and everything! Dweezil Zappa is a guest guitarist, and this was written BEFORE the war! Haw haw haw!
The bonus material is EXCELLENT. The instrumentals to all the originals, a mix of "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?", and a vocals only "Hardware Store". The Home Movies has to be one of the biggest highlights of the ALbum. It makes me wish that Al would start doing a TV show again, or another movie. I just love Al's "normal" humor!
Another one of the highlights is the CD itself. The picture is jus hilarious! You'll laugh even before you pop in the CD! THAT'S how good it is!
Overall, if you love ANY of his ALbums, you will LOVE THIS ONE! Buy it now!
Free Music Review: Worth The Wait
Hit: 5 Stars
I am often surprised at the way people react to Weird Al Yankovic songs. Some reviewers, for example, have suggested that certain parodies were not up to par because they didn't relate to the original song. Or they didn't like the original song very much, so that somehow means that the Weird Al version is similarly encumbered. For my own part, I've never really thought that Al's parodies of popular songs were funny because of their direct relationship to the original song. Rather, they were hilarious because he had taken a song that some other artist (often one I couldn't stand) had written as a serious work, and then subverted it by replacing the lyrics with something trivial. The joke is that the song retains the serious sound of the original but is rendered absurd by the new lyrics. On his new album, Poodle Hat, Al continues in this tradition. "Couch Potato" takes a song I can't stand by an artist I can stand even less and turns into a song about television addiction. Think of how serious Eminem was about the lyrics when he wrote the original - this song was supposed to have a meaning - but now it's a farce. "A Complicated Song" which is based on yet another mass-produced love song perverts the original into a hard luck story of constipation, kissing cousins and mutilation. "E Bay" takes the Backstreet Boys "I Like It That Way" (another pathetic love song), and turns it into the story of a total loser who buys mountains of junk off the Internet. Here lies the beauty of Al's gift, and perhaps his underlying message - he shows us how life is too ridiculous to take seriously.
His brilliance comes out in several of his original compositions, more so than on most of his previous albums. "Bob" is the funniest parody of Bob Dylan I have ever heard (and the hidden message makes it all the funnier). "Genius In France," the album's centrepiece, is unrelenting in its attack on the French, and at the same time, is almost believable if you consider the French-Jerry Lewis-Connection. "I Wanna B UR Lovr" is rolling on the floor funny, and gets more hilarious as it goes on.
There are a few misfires on the album. "Party At The Leper Colony" is far too slow and not all that funny. "Angry White Boy Polka" is possibly the weakest Polka track Al has ever done. Nonetheless, as a whole, I have to consider this album up there with "Running With Scissors" as one of his greats. Not as great as "Alapalooza," or "Dare To Be Stupid" or my absolute favourite, "In 3D" but I think it would be difficult for anyone, even Al, to top those.