If there were a new Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic...
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 10:03 pm
What songs since the last one would you add to it? I'm not saying there needs to be another compilation album, but I think it'd be fun to talk about what should be included from (mostly, but not strictly) Alpocalypse and Mandatory Fun that's considered 'essential' to experiencing Al's discography.
Here's the current tracklist from the Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic:
(Disc 1)
1. Another One Rides the Bus
2. Polkas on 45
3. Eat It
4. I Lost on Jeopardy
5. Yoda
6. One More Minute
7. Like a Surgeon
8. Dare to Be Stupid
9. Dog Eat Dog
10. Lasagna
11. Melanie
12. Fat
13. UHF (single version)
14. The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota
15. Trigger Happy
16. Smells Like Nirvana
17. You Don't Love Me Anymore
18. Bedrock Anthem
19. Frank's 2000" TV
20. Jurassic Park
(Disc Two)
1. Since You've Been Gone
2. Amish Paradise
3. Gump
4. Everything You Know Is Wrong
5. The Night Santa Went Crazy (extra gory version)
6. Your Horoscope for Today
7. It's All About the Pentiums
8. The Saga Begins
9. Albuquerque
10. eBay
11. Bob
12. Hardware Store
13. I'll Sue Ya
14. Canadian Idiot
15. Pancreas
16. Don't Download This Song
17. White & Nerdy
18. Trapped in the Drive-Thru
and the 3.0 edition added these...
(Disc 3)
1. Ricky
2. Midnight Star
3. Living with a Hernia
4. Good Old Days
5. Wanna B Ur Lovr
6. Genius in France
So as you can see, anywhere from 1-6 songs per studio album was featured. Following that pattern, here would be my picks for new additions -
1. Skipper Dan - really rockin' pseudo-Weezer original that doesn't sound too much like anything else in Al's career. It's got one humorous overarching theme, really reminds me of Frank's 2000" TV in terms of humor.
2. Party in the CIA - one of the most popular parodies from Alpocalypse, still being performed live. Funny, sounds great and represents Al covering Miley Cyrus, who seems to be here to stay... at least for a while.
3. Perform This Way - Lady Gaga was absolutely huge for many years, and has only slightly dwindled in popularity... this song lampooned her at just the right time, much like Smells Like Nirvana. Also a unique-sounding song for Al
4. Craigslist - Like Dare to Be Stupid and Bob, this song absolutely nails The Doors' laid-back rock style, again nothing really like it in Al's career
5. Word Crimes - literally the most popular parody off of MF, and an absolutely genius one. Addresses a pet peeve I think most people on the Internet can relate to, and in such a hilarious, relentless way.
6. Mission Statement - See Craigslist, but CSNY instead of The Doors
7. Foil - Really Al's only food-related parody in the last decade, made even greater by the second-verse twist that it's not a food-related parody.
8. First World Problems - had a tough time choosing between this and Jackson Park Express, but went with FWP because of its hard rock Pixies vibe and because there are already great twisted love songs on the compilation.
9. Now That's What I Call Polka! - Polkas on 45 is featured as Al's first polka medley, and NTWICP will most likely (unfortunately) be his last. But it's probably his best one - there's just SO much energy and the songs flow perfectly!
10. Tacky - An amazing satire of modern culture, and with how much fun Al seems to have performing it live, it certainly has staying power. Plus it's SO catchy!
The order I put these in is somewhat based on when the original versions of the parodies released, but also on how well the songs flow into one another. What do you think? What would be your choices?
Here's the current tracklist from the Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic:
(Disc 1)
1. Another One Rides the Bus
2. Polkas on 45
3. Eat It
4. I Lost on Jeopardy
5. Yoda
6. One More Minute
7. Like a Surgeon
8. Dare to Be Stupid
9. Dog Eat Dog
10. Lasagna
11. Melanie
12. Fat
13. UHF (single version)
14. The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota
15. Trigger Happy
16. Smells Like Nirvana
17. You Don't Love Me Anymore
18. Bedrock Anthem
19. Frank's 2000" TV
20. Jurassic Park
(Disc Two)
1. Since You've Been Gone
2. Amish Paradise
3. Gump
4. Everything You Know Is Wrong
5. The Night Santa Went Crazy (extra gory version)
6. Your Horoscope for Today
7. It's All About the Pentiums
8. The Saga Begins
9. Albuquerque
10. eBay
11. Bob
12. Hardware Store
13. I'll Sue Ya
14. Canadian Idiot
15. Pancreas
16. Don't Download This Song
17. White & Nerdy
18. Trapped in the Drive-Thru
and the 3.0 edition added these...
(Disc 3)
1. Ricky
2. Midnight Star
3. Living with a Hernia
4. Good Old Days
5. Wanna B Ur Lovr
6. Genius in France
So as you can see, anywhere from 1-6 songs per studio album was featured. Following that pattern, here would be my picks for new additions -
1. Skipper Dan - really rockin' pseudo-Weezer original that doesn't sound too much like anything else in Al's career. It's got one humorous overarching theme, really reminds me of Frank's 2000" TV in terms of humor.
2. Party in the CIA - one of the most popular parodies from Alpocalypse, still being performed live. Funny, sounds great and represents Al covering Miley Cyrus, who seems to be here to stay... at least for a while.
3. Perform This Way - Lady Gaga was absolutely huge for many years, and has only slightly dwindled in popularity... this song lampooned her at just the right time, much like Smells Like Nirvana. Also a unique-sounding song for Al
4. Craigslist - Like Dare to Be Stupid and Bob, this song absolutely nails The Doors' laid-back rock style, again nothing really like it in Al's career
5. Word Crimes - literally the most popular parody off of MF, and an absolutely genius one. Addresses a pet peeve I think most people on the Internet can relate to, and in such a hilarious, relentless way.
6. Mission Statement - See Craigslist, but CSNY instead of The Doors
7. Foil - Really Al's only food-related parody in the last decade, made even greater by the second-verse twist that it's not a food-related parody.
8. First World Problems - had a tough time choosing between this and Jackson Park Express, but went with FWP because of its hard rock Pixies vibe and because there are already great twisted love songs on the compilation.
9. Now That's What I Call Polka! - Polkas on 45 is featured as Al's first polka medley, and NTWICP will most likely (unfortunately) be his last. But it's probably his best one - there's just SO much energy and the songs flow perfectly!
10. Tacky - An amazing satire of modern culture, and with how much fun Al seems to have performing it live, it certainly has staying power. Plus it's SO catchy!
The order I put these in is somewhat based on when the original versions of the parodies released, but also on how well the songs flow into one another. What do you think? What would be your choices?