Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

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Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

Yes--as a one-time thing
8
16%
Yes--he should record both serious and comedy music
8
16%
Yes--but only if he moves in that direction permanently
0
No votes
No--I don't think it would be very good
5
10%
No--I don't think the general public/media would be able to appreciate it
3
6%
Indifferent--but I probably would buy it if he did
24
49%
Indifferent--and I probably would not buy it if he did
0
No votes
Other
1
2%
 
Total votes: 49

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anthontherun
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Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

Post by anthontherun »

Al's been performing comedy music for over 30 years now and has somehow managed to transition from a novelty act into a pretty well-respected position among his peers. In late 2009, for the first time ever, he dropped the comedy to perform a Pixies song at a charity event. Ever since then, I've wondered what it would be like if he recorded an entire album of serious music--covers and/or originals. He's clearly skilled in writing in a number of genres, and his vocals and songwriting have improved so much that I really think he could pull it off. (Plus, he wouldn't have to wait for a big lead parody song to emerge!)

The key issue though would be the reaction from the media and casual Al fans. I think it'd be possible to alleviate this by enlisting collaborators like Ben Folds, the Roots or Paul McCartney (I can dream, right?) but there would still be the issue of people perhaps not taking it seriously or worse, just rejecting it entirely on premise alone.

There would also be the question of "Once you go serious, can you go back?" That to me is the bigger point for hardcore fans like us. I have no doubt that an Al Yankovic album would be incredible but how would we be able to properly assess it in his canon? Would it make us less anxious for parodies and funny songs or would we only enjoy it as a stopgap between the far-too-lengthly periods between albums? (FWIW, in this totally hypothetical example, I'm imagining that comedy albums would still be 4-5 years apart, maybe a little longer, but with a serious album somewhere in between. If the existing album schedule had to be maintained, then I don't want to give up the weirdness.)

So what do you think? An experiment worth Al trying out once? Something he should shift into permanently? Is it sacrilegious to even suggest the idea?
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Re: Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

Post by Orthography Enthusiast »

I went for "other." I'd like to see Al sitting in more often with other musicians/bands as a serious musician (or non-funny singer). That wouldn't dilute the "Weird Al" brand but would give us more chances to appreciate his musical chops. And it might get Al a little more of the respect he deserves as a musician. Surely there's a good indie band out there that needs an occasional accordion!
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Re: Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

Post by TMBJon »

Yeah I think I agree with what Helen said.
You'll never get Al singing covers of classic rock songs or writing sincere original ballads. Why would anyone outside of his core fanbase want to listen to it? If there was ever going to be a serious Al Yankovic album, it would be songs along the line of Skipper Dan. Some dark or amusing songs that tell interesting stories that aren't necessarily soundalikes of someone else, like a Ben Folds or They Might Be Giants. Maybe if Al were ever to try a project like this he could get some really awesome and impressive collaborations with mainstream musicians, and then sort of hybrid with the route I currently endorse which is to keep making albums with his current formula and meanwhile making serious appearances with friends when he gets invited, such as with Ben Folds or Frank Black.
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Re: Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

Post by Killingsworth »

I voted "Indifferent - but I would probably buy it if he did". I seem to remember Al once saying that he would never want to do "serious music" because "enough people already do that". He has to have figured out that funny music is his niche and it suits him well. He seems pretty comfortable with that right now. If he one day decided he wanted to grow and mature as a musician and record some jokeless music...well, I don't think I could get as excited for it but I would give it a listen. I don't know how well it would be received by the public. Maybe his true musical talents would finally be recognized by the general public and he finds a whole new audience...or such an effort could go just as largely ignored by the rest of the public. Hell, I don't think the industry or the public would allow him NOT to "go back". We all respect Al enough as an artist here and I'm sure the same would be said if he decided to do some "serious" music, but I get the feeling Al doesn't think he's ready for that yet. Deep down, I know a part of me isn't ready for that either.
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Re: Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

Post by amzo39 »

Yes
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Re: Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

Post by ludovica64 »

Whatever Al chose to do would be worth listening to I'm sure
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Re: Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

Post by AlejandraDD »

I know WE would buy it, but who else would? On second thought, if Eddie Vedder can release an album of ukelele songs, then maybe there is a chance for this :P
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Re: Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

Post by HalifaxKat »

You know, this may sound crazy, but as a pure fantasy, I would love to see Al in a Broadway show, so like a soundtrack from that show (and I'm not even into musical theater!) I definitely think Al's character would have to be eccentric or quirky or over-the-top in some way, as this would be expected, but I don't think he'd have to go for laughs the whole time OR even sing funny songs all the time. Like, he could play the nerdiest math teacher in the world whose students love him, but all the women reject him and he's incredibly sad and lonely. OK, there is a bit of comedy vibe there already just picturing how NERDY this teacher must be... but I also think he could make us feel genuinely sorry for him. Or, I guess it could just as easily (as another fantasy) be a movie soundtrack... a dramedy, perhaps? I guess what I'm saying is that while I would love the opportunity to hear Al sing some songs that didn't aim for laughs, I also like the thought that Al retain a 'character' of some kind while tackling non-comedic songs. I guess I'm calling the "Weird Al" onstage persona his usual character, so this would be different of course, yet similar in terms of intensity and energy. The one thing I can't ever see Al being is boring.

I think it would be neat to see someone give him an opportunity to stretch and tackle something serious, but of course, it would have to be the right kind of offer and Al would have to feel comfortable with it. Some famous comedians do quite well and go on to receive critical acclaim for showing us their serious side, though when I say that, I guess I'm mostly thinking of actors (though Al does SO much more than just record music... and he acts as well!)
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Re: Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

Post by joseyklein »

I voted NO.... I saw a clip on youtube of him performing "Sweet Home Alabama" during a concert and it just didnt seem right to me.
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Re: Would you ever want to see a serious Al Yankovic album?

Post by I Never Chew My Food »

I think he could pull it off, but I don't think it would be COMPLETELY Serious... It would be something like Cake or Electric Six, there would be either a silly attitude or satire, even though there'd be no comedy....
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