ExitWound
04-09-2004, 11:52 AM
"Weird Al" - Poodle Hat
http://www.weirdal.com/images/phcdart3.jpg
The Band
Vocals/Accordian: Weird Al Yankovic
Bass: Steve Jay
Guitar: Jim West
Drums and Percussion: Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz
Overview
Weird Al's been a cultural icon for decades....no wait. I'll start again. Weird Al's been a parody of an icon... hmmm.. Weird Al parodies the icons. However we view him, he's been a staple in the pop genre for a generation. Someone once put forth the idea that if Weird Al asks for permission to parody your work, you've made it big.
And that's the truth. Throughout his work, the targets of his witty puns were those who, in my opinion, didn't deserve to be where they are in the first place. The one hit wonders are abundant as prey for his creativity. The big stars' redundant hits score a mark for the Weird one. If anything, he comes out on top with the memorable version of the tune.
Poodle Hat
And so it is born, the next installment of by the Weird one. This disc won a Grammy at the 2004 awards for the "Best Comedy Album of 2003". The last time a Weird Al disc had taken home a Grammy was in 1988 for "Best Concept Video" for Fat, the hilarious parody of Michael Jackon's "Bad". But because Michael Jackson hasn't been seen on the news, in the musical sense, in quite some time, Weird Al chooses to target the younger crowd for most of this release. A few oddball tunes sneak in for the older generation as well, though, to not anger the long term fans.
The album starts off on a high note, parodying one of the biggest hits of the year. Eminem's 8 Mile gets the once over in Couch Potato, the tale of yet another Television themed Al track. The fans count on the TV references. He has relied on the constant barrage of sitcoms and dramas to fuel his insanity, keeping him in touch with what is being fed to his fans. This results in Al constantly being "in touch" with what his listeners relate to. Couch Potato doens't have the hard edge that Eminem does, nor the profanity. It's PG-13 rapping all the way, with lines such as "'You're gonna lose your mind watchin' TV' They told me, cajoled me, "Turn off those music videos" (no). I'm gonna watch C-SPAN, TV-Land, and HBO, The History Channel and QVC and Lifetime". This track remains one of my favorites, despite my hatred for Enimem.
It continues on with Hardware Store, one of Al's wacky zany nutty originals. Would you go gaga over the opening of a Hardware store in your neighborhood? Of course not! But Weird Al would. The multistacked vocals drive the chorus. It sounds like nothing Al has ever done before. The level of harmony and background vocals is astounding, actually dropping my jaw when I first heard it. And when Al breaks into the list of items the Hardware Store carries, it's pure insanity. His level of creativity has skyrocketed since his earlier work. It's obvious that he's grown musically in 20 years more than most could. You have to hear this one to believe it.
I can't understand why Nelly's Hot in Here blew up to such staggering heights. The girls in the video aren't even hot, but I digress. We change the lyrics a tad, and the song becomes Trash Day. It's a filthy song to be honest, downright dirty. It just plain stinks. But it's one of the best parodies on the disc!! He maintains the attitude that Nelly shows, yet brings a far more humorous side to the front. "There's something rotten here, you better hold your nose! Hey you disgusting slob, you better take the trash out!" The song makes me wanna throw up, but it's also extremely pleasing to listen to, unlike Nelly.
Following that is another Al original, Party at the Leper Colony, in typical Al fashion. It's punny, real punny. "Dance all night to a rotten band. Come on people let's give 'em a hand." It goes on and on. It's slower and led by a Saxophone once it gets kicking, but it really is the lyrics which keep this one friendly. Otherwise, it kinds of grows on you and decays after the first 3 minutes. It's reminiscent of Hewey Lewis or Bruce Springstein, but I don't believe it's written to style parody anyone in particular.
And the one we always wait to get to is the polka, Al's definitive grasp on the Billboard Charts. This time, he doesn't stick to just what's hot, but what's hot and been written by the whiners. It's the Angry White Boy Polka! The list of artists in this one is: Papa Roach, System Of A Down, The Vines, The Hives, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Disturbed, Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit, Staind, Kid Rock, P.O.D. and Eminem. Musically, this polka rivals the previous ones. It's flows, keeping most of the songs at the same tempo. When you put something slow like Distrubed's Sickness with System of a Down's Chop Suey, you get a mesh of "oh my gosh". There's oboes, and banjos, and accordians galore. It's something you can't miss and obviously, one of the highs of the record. Oh wait! There's more! you can listen to it in this flash animation: here (http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/132035)!
http://www.weirdal.com/images/phcdart3.jpg
The Band
Vocals/Accordian: Weird Al Yankovic
Bass: Steve Jay
Guitar: Jim West
Drums and Percussion: Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz
Overview
Weird Al's been a cultural icon for decades....no wait. I'll start again. Weird Al's been a parody of an icon... hmmm.. Weird Al parodies the icons. However we view him, he's been a staple in the pop genre for a generation. Someone once put forth the idea that if Weird Al asks for permission to parody your work, you've made it big.
And that's the truth. Throughout his work, the targets of his witty puns were those who, in my opinion, didn't deserve to be where they are in the first place. The one hit wonders are abundant as prey for his creativity. The big stars' redundant hits score a mark for the Weird one. If anything, he comes out on top with the memorable version of the tune.
Poodle Hat
And so it is born, the next installment of by the Weird one. This disc won a Grammy at the 2004 awards for the "Best Comedy Album of 2003". The last time a Weird Al disc had taken home a Grammy was in 1988 for "Best Concept Video" for Fat, the hilarious parody of Michael Jackon's "Bad". But because Michael Jackson hasn't been seen on the news, in the musical sense, in quite some time, Weird Al chooses to target the younger crowd for most of this release. A few oddball tunes sneak in for the older generation as well, though, to not anger the long term fans.
The album starts off on a high note, parodying one of the biggest hits of the year. Eminem's 8 Mile gets the once over in Couch Potato, the tale of yet another Television themed Al track. The fans count on the TV references. He has relied on the constant barrage of sitcoms and dramas to fuel his insanity, keeping him in touch with what is being fed to his fans. This results in Al constantly being "in touch" with what his listeners relate to. Couch Potato doens't have the hard edge that Eminem does, nor the profanity. It's PG-13 rapping all the way, with lines such as "'You're gonna lose your mind watchin' TV' They told me, cajoled me, "Turn off those music videos" (no). I'm gonna watch C-SPAN, TV-Land, and HBO, The History Channel and QVC and Lifetime". This track remains one of my favorites, despite my hatred for Enimem.
It continues on with Hardware Store, one of Al's wacky zany nutty originals. Would you go gaga over the opening of a Hardware store in your neighborhood? Of course not! But Weird Al would. The multistacked vocals drive the chorus. It sounds like nothing Al has ever done before. The level of harmony and background vocals is astounding, actually dropping my jaw when I first heard it. And when Al breaks into the list of items the Hardware Store carries, it's pure insanity. His level of creativity has skyrocketed since his earlier work. It's obvious that he's grown musically in 20 years more than most could. You have to hear this one to believe it.
I can't understand why Nelly's Hot in Here blew up to such staggering heights. The girls in the video aren't even hot, but I digress. We change the lyrics a tad, and the song becomes Trash Day. It's a filthy song to be honest, downright dirty. It just plain stinks. But it's one of the best parodies on the disc!! He maintains the attitude that Nelly shows, yet brings a far more humorous side to the front. "There's something rotten here, you better hold your nose! Hey you disgusting slob, you better take the trash out!" The song makes me wanna throw up, but it's also extremely pleasing to listen to, unlike Nelly.
Following that is another Al original, Party at the Leper Colony, in typical Al fashion. It's punny, real punny. "Dance all night to a rotten band. Come on people let's give 'em a hand." It goes on and on. It's slower and led by a Saxophone once it gets kicking, but it really is the lyrics which keep this one friendly. Otherwise, it kinds of grows on you and decays after the first 3 minutes. It's reminiscent of Hewey Lewis or Bruce Springstein, but I don't believe it's written to style parody anyone in particular.
And the one we always wait to get to is the polka, Al's definitive grasp on the Billboard Charts. This time, he doesn't stick to just what's hot, but what's hot and been written by the whiners. It's the Angry White Boy Polka! The list of artists in this one is: Papa Roach, System Of A Down, The Vines, The Hives, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Disturbed, Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit, Staind, Kid Rock, P.O.D. and Eminem. Musically, this polka rivals the previous ones. It's flows, keeping most of the songs at the same tempo. When you put something slow like Distrubed's Sickness with System of a Down's Chop Suey, you get a mesh of "oh my gosh". There's oboes, and banjos, and accordians galore. It's something you can't miss and obviously, one of the highs of the record. Oh wait! There's more! you can listen to it in this flash animation: here (http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/132035)!