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I first heard this crazy stuff when I went to college. Now he is back with new stuff.
I love Weird Al! I wasn't too crazy about his last album, Alpocalypse, but Straight out of Lynnwood is phenomenal!
I'm not sure when you were in college, but Weird Al nearly stopped recording back in the 90's. Then around 1993 or 1994 he recorded a song called Smells Like Nirvana and the record company gave him a new record deal based on that song alone. Since then, he's been releasing an album about every other year.
I must have been sheltered then... I wasn't aware he was cranking out albums. I just happened upon a link to his new stuff while reading a web comic and was like wow. I wonder why I don't see his albums in the store?
Picked it up day 1.
Just like Itchy, I didn't like Alpocalypse that much (but really liked Straight out of Lynnwood).
Mandatory Fun, however, is one of his best albums in years.
I've been a fan since "Ricky" was on HBO's "Video Jukebox," so you can do the math on that one. I think his albums have generally improved over the years, although with Alpocalypse I think his style parodies ("CNR," "Craigslist," etc.) were better than the song parodies. I haven't heard the new album yet, but the three parodies released to date are all great. At the risk of a spoiler alert, is there anything on the new album on the sheer genius level of "Bob" (Dylan style parody featuring all-palindrome lyrics) or "Pancreas" (Beach Boys/Brian Wilson style parody that accurately describes the function of the pancreas)?
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I think Word Crimes will be pretty legendary. That's the one that stood out for me the most.
One of my best friends picked it up day 1 and he had a lot of good things to say about it, especially about Word Crimes.
@TarSpartan: Yeah, I've been an Al fan since I heard Even Worse around age 8. I still have the original LP at my parent's house!
I agree that the style Parody's were better on Alpocalypse than the actual song parodies, but I think that is partly because I am not really enjoying the current crop of pop music.
Yeah "Word Crimes" is fun. "Tacky" also has a really entertaining video, as did "Foil". "Handy" didn't interest me as much as his prior song near the subject, "Hardware Store" was a lot more fun.
Thanks, TarSpartan. I had been wondering what was supposed to be so funny about "Pancreas". Now I know.
(Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed many Weird Al-bums. But "Pancreas" left me scratching my head.)
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Thanks, TarSpartan. I had been wondering what was supposed to be so funny about "Pancreas". Now I know.
(Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed many Weird Al-bums. But "Pancreas" left me scratching my head.)
Al stated on his FAQ that he thinks the funniest body part is the Pancreas. Yes, "Pancreas" is about the function of the pancreas. It is also one of the best songs on the album.
My favorite line from the song is, "My pancreas attracts every other pancreas in the universe with a force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the distance between them."
Thanks, TarSpartan. I had been wondering what was supposed to be so funny about "Pancreas". Now I know.
(Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed many Weird Al-bums. But "Pancreas" left me scratching my head.)
Al stated on his FAQ that he thinks the funniest body part is the Pancreas. Yes, "Pancreas" is about the function of the pancreas. It is also one of the best songs on the album.
My favorite line from the song is, "My pancreas attracts every other pancreas in the universe with a force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the distance between them."
** spoiler omitted **
I think "Pancreas" is now my favorite Weird Al song, but that may be because I am a die-hard "Pet Sounds"-era Brian Wilson fan with multiple physics degrees. Al manages to stitch together six or seven song styles within that tune while both educating and singing about an absurd love for his pancreas.
I love the fact that Weird Al can write lyrics that are funny with nerd-level accuracy. I also love that he has a wide taste in music, and can seamlessly move between styles. I think more people would crow about his talent if he didn't "just" do funny songs.
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Dear God 0.0
People should be required to listen to Word Crimes...
Yoda is still my all-time favorite Weird Al song.
Followed very closely by Taco Grande.
Yeah I absolutely love Word Crimes.
"Sports Song" got me laughing pretty good. Lots of flashbacks to high school band.
I know nothing about football, but after reading this article...