Best Use Of Accordion

Post by **Bruce the Duck** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 7:03 pm

Before you start flaming me, I intentionally left off the polkas and the first album stuff.

Before In 3-D, Al used accordion in most of his songs. Starting with his second album, he dropped the accordion schtick and confined the instrument to polka medleys. But every once in a while, more often since HN, he throws some accordion into his originals and parodies. This poll is to vote for his best use of accordion in a NON-POLKA, NON-DEBUT-ALBUM, song.

1. "Lasagna" - It's interesting to me that all it takes is a bad Italian accent and an accordion to make a traditional Latin American song sound Italian. While it's a great song, it left many fans saying, "Well, that's nice, but where's the polka medley?"

2. "Peter and the Wolf" - The theme music for Bob the Janitor represents the ONLY time in Al's work that the accordion makes the joke all by itself. Although very funny, the tiny accordion ditty is not really a song.

3. "Headline News" - To celebrate a milestone, the release of the boxed set, Al ended this song with a parade of many of the classic elements from early Al songs, including accordion. After listening to 4 CDs of songs I had already known well, the first time I heard HN, it game me goose bumps.

4. "Everything You Know Is Wrong" - This is probably my number 2 pick! This is an excellent, if too brief accordion solo.

5. "Syndicated Inc." - WORST PARODY EVER! But I can't blame the accordion for that. In fact the generous addition of the accordion solo is the only thing that makes this sub-standard parody palatable.

6. "Polkamon" - Yes, I know it's a polka, but since it's an original and not a polka medley, I included it here. Great song, but not quite as good as my #1 pick.

7. "Ode To A Superhero" - It took me a few listens to realize that Billy's wonderful harmonica solo had been replaced with Al's equally wonderful accordion solo. The original already contained some accordion, so this was an obvious choice. Al's main squeeze sounds much more comfortable here than with Syndicated Yuck.

8. "Genius In France" - What? There's accordion in that song? Yup! Although, with everything else going on in the song, it's easy to miss. But still a wonderful use of the song.

9. "My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder" - This, to me, is the best use of accordion. The song focuses on the accordion moreso than any other Al song, including the polkas.

What do you guys think?

yo · Post by yo » Sat Jan 24, 2004 7:07 pm

I think Everything You Know Is Wrong has an AWESOME accordion solo! Definitely my pick!

Insert Coin(s) to Continue · Sat Jan 24, 2004 7:33 pm

The Angry White Boy Polka and The Hot Rocks Polka both had some excellent accordian work, too!

WEIRDALexis279 · Post by **WEIRDALexis279** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 7:43 pm

My baby's In love with Eddie Vedder. The song basically features the accordion!

sarley27 · Post by **sarley27** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 8:03 pm

I did Eddie Vedder, although I love the end of Headline News.

Post by **scottidog** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 8:43 pm

Didn't we have a topic like this? I don't think it was a poll, though.

La la la la la sagna. Followed closely by Eddie Vedder.

Manda · Post by **Manda** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 9:11 pm

I said My Baby's in love with Eddie Vedder. It has good accordion. But I voted for it mainly because I like the way he performs it on WAY Live.

Sat Jan 24, 2004 9:27 pm

I'm not going to actually VOTE in this poll because I'm reading the forum with the "posts since last visit" feature, and the "please wait while we transfer you" bit when you vote in a poll screws up the process of back-spacing my way back to the searched list of new posts. Anyway...

I'm going to vote for "Eddie Vedder" because it's not only great accordion, but a lot of accordion. That song always gets me bopping happily around the room (a little inconvenient when the "room" is the front seat of the car, but fandom does have its hardships). But I have to say that the accordion bit in "Everything You Know Is Wrong" is really wonderful.

But then Al's accordion solos always leave me wishing he'd do 'em more often.

MarlinsGirl · Post by **MarlinsGirl** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 9:49 pm

Manda @ Jan 24 2004, 02:11 PM wrote: I said My Baby's in love with Eddie Vedder. It has good accordion. But I voted for it mainly because I like the way he performs it on WAY Live.

I'm glad i'm not the only one who likes MBILWEV live. :biggrin: I also voted for MBILWEV.

Terri M.

http://www.last.fm/user/geniusinmaine · Post by **Genius in Maine** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 9:51 pm

Since I love it so much, I went with GIF. It made the "I'm the chicest of the chic" sound very French.

BTW, wasn't there some accordion playing in Melanie?