World of Weird Al Yankovic

Can those of you who are so adamant that he never do this again at least explain why?

I wasn't really a fan of the IL concept, but I don't think there's a problem with releasing 1 or 2 parodies fairly early in the album process. Half the album though is a bit much.

That said, I'm not sure why people want something like IL to serve as promo for an album rather than a (temporarily) standalone release. If he releases 4 songs or so a month before the album, what's the point? That distracts from whatever the lead single is and you're more likely to just shrug it off and wait for the full release. It's better as a stopgap than a "Hey, the album's about to drop; here's half of it!" sort of thing.

I would hope that he doesn't do it again but I won't be upset or anything if he does. In a perfect world, we'd only be waiting 2-3 years for each new album but I think those days are gone. So if he wants to release a parody of a song while it's still a contemporary hit instead of waiting 3 years, go for it.

minnick27 wrote:I want to know if he put out the rest of the leaks as a result of WYL success, or if it was always the plan

I was under the impression it was part of the plan all along. Thought there was a tweet or interview somewhere.

Or he just fell into it as he was having problems coming up with parodies and getting permissions in time, and fans were getting antsy, so he just released what he had so far and waited for the parodies.

anthontherun wrote:I would hope that he doesn't do it again but I won't be upset or anything if he does. In a perfect world, we'd only be waiting 2-3 years for each new album but I think those days are gone. So if he wants to release a parody of a song while it's still a contemporary hit instead of waiting 3 years, go for it.

I think he should go to releasing a big album every few years, and then a super-small EP (Think, three tacks, one parody + two originals) that won't appear on the new album. This way he can stop-gate between albums and get out unique material that otherwise wouldn't be made.

You know, Cledus T Judd tried this a few years back. He figured if he just did a six song album he could release them quicker. He did it once, and I guess it didnt work. Of course he did all parodies, so he must not have made much cash

I think he should go to releasing a big album every few years, and then a super-small EP (Think, three tacks, one parody + two originals) that won't appear on the new album.

Right, there's no need to wait every 4-5 years to release 12 tracks anymore. By releasing exclusive EPs with a major parody and a couple of originals, Al could get his music out there more frequently, hit the parodies when they are much more fresh, AND create more of those originals that he has said over and over again that he enjoys the most (and a lot of us do too).

I'm all for EPs with exclusive material. That would actually be a cool way to get some rarities out there too (say, a new parody, two new originals + a rare track, or even just an instrumental or remix or something) since they would effectively serve as singles for that parody. Surprisingly there seems to be a (minor) resurgence of CD singles--Wal-Mart has begun carrying them for ~$1.88, and most major retailers would carry a $5/6 CD EP.

Basically it would require Al to come up with one additional parody and as many additional originals as he wants to write (or going to the vaults) and serve as the perfect stopgap...unless Al would approve a full rarities disc, which seems unlikely.

TBH I think that IL is the way to go. It's nice to have a big chunk of album all at once, but personally I loved the excitement of Summer 09 as the leaks came out as singles one at a time. It was quite intense; it gave a LOT of long overdue prominence to some original songs and was drawn out over time.. so.. longlasting.

Don't get me wrong, I like albums too but an album full of singles is just 12 singles.. We're not talking epic prog rock narrative here. I like having them accumulated on one disc, but bugger waiting 5 years for new content..
Also, if Al can sell them to us twice, its better for him too.

minnick27 wrote:You know, Cledus T Judd tried this a few years back. He figured if he just did a six song album he could release them quicker. He did it once, and I guess it didnt work. Of course he did all parodies, so he must not have made much cash

I have that. I have to re-listen to it, but I remember initially only really liking the lead single and not being too impressed with the other tracks. And I like Judd. Usually his albums do not disappoint.

anthontherun wrote:I'm all for EPs with exclusive material. That would actually be a cool way to get some rarities out there too (say, a new parody, two new originals + a rare track, or even just an instrumental or remix or something) since they would effectively serve as singles for that parody. Surprisingly there seems to be a (minor) resurgence of CD singles--Wal-Mart has begun carrying them for ~$1.88, and most major retailers would carry a $5/6 CD EP..

I've noticed that too. And I think it would be a good way to get Al a little more publicity. If he made a good parody, a couple originals, and a remix, he'd sell discs to the general public who like his parodies, and to the fans who like the originals and the rarities/remixes.