Finally, the moment everyone's been waiting for!!!! Ok, not really, but, anyway, it's time for my online reveiw of "Poodle Hat"! I've had it since May 20th, but I just haven't had time to submit a review yet. So, without further ado, here it goes!:
1. Couch Potato - I love this song! Too bad there's no video for it. It would have rocked MTV!
2. Hardware Store - At first, I didn't like it too much. It took a few listens, but I really enjoy listening to this song.
3. Trash Day - Not bad. I just thought that Al could have done so much more with this song
4. Party At The Leper Colony - I'm just not feeling this song. I ain't diggin' it. It's not bad, but it's not great either.
5. Angry White Boy Polka- Best polka to date. It's funny!
6. Wanna B Ur Luvr - I was quite shocked upon first hearing this song. I didn't expect Al to be saying those kind of things. It's a cool song!
7. A Complicated Song - This track is just too funny!
8. Why Does This Always Happen To Me - This track is OK. It's not the best.
9. Ode To A Superhero- Great song! I think he made Billy Joel proud with this one!
10. Bob - What can I say? Palindromes rule and so does this song!
11. E-Bay - Excellent! I can't stop listening to this track!
12. Genius In France - too long. It's my least favorite track on the album.
Bonus Mixes - Not bad at all.
Photo Gallery - Good stuff.
Home Movies - I watch these over and over again, and get a kick out of them each and every time.
Lyrics Section - It's a nice touch.
The "Easter Egg" - Um....Interesting......
OVERALL CONCLUSION - Greatest Al album ever!!!! My favorite song on the album is ............a tie! I love both 'Couch Potato" and "E-bay". My least favorite track is "Genius in France", which still isn't saying much, considering POODLE HAT ROCKS!!!!!!!
POODLE HAT REVIEWS!!!
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MidiboyGregg
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This is a little belated ...
I think "Poodle Hat" shares similarities with "Off The Deep End." Both albums came out after an extended creative drought in the mainstream music industry.
Before I continue, I don't think Al has ever put out a "bad" album. Every record has several tunes that blow me away. At worst, he has a few albums which are hit-or-miss. In my mind, "In 3-D" was a creative height (it was also the first album I owned -- I bought his debut not long after, and I always saw the majority of that album as a warm-up for "3-D"). "Dare To Be Stupid" was only slightly less satisfying than 3-D. "Polka Party" signaled a brief slide -- mainly because mainstream music began to slide. "Even Worse" is my least favorite Al album -- it continued the downward slide. "UHF" was solid though not typical or cohesive -- the originals have all the magic -- it's a fave for personal reasons. "Off the Deep End" was a bit of a comeback, but apart from "Teen Spirit," it suffered from a lack of good source material. The bands parodied were already jokes by the time the album came out. So, too, with "Poodle Hat."
"Alapalooza" was uneven but a vast improvement over "Deep End." It showed that Al was on the upswing. "Bad Hair Day" was a new creative height a la "In 3-D." "Running With" was solid but slightly less satisfying ... like "Dare To Be."
So I don't expect every Al album to be "In 3-D" or "Bad Hair Day." But I think that each album since "Bad Hair" has dropped in quality. This one more significantly than Scissors.
Again, the music industry sucks right now, so there's not much Al can do as far as his parodies. But here's my breakdown:
Couch Potato - This song does absolutely nothing for me at all. I think that the whole listing tv shows thing has grown really stale. As Al's rap parodies go, the song doesn't even come close to "Pentiums." I've been skipping past Couch Potato on the CD now that I've heard it a couple of times. The second-weakest track on the album, if you ask me. D-
Hardware Store - Beautiful vocal arrangement. Some of the bridge music reminds me of stuff I played in marching band, though. I like this tune enough to have learned the vocals and harmonies. B
Trash Day - I can take or leave this song. I've sort of a neutral feeling. C
Party At The Leper Colony - Cute, but not as cutting as it could be. C
Angry White Polka- This polka goes right through me. The source songs are all forgettable. Not one of the strongest polkas. C-
I Wanna B Ur Luvr - I had tears streaming down my cheeks when I first heard this. Hilarious, and very edgy for Al. Well-produced to boot. A-
A Complicated Song - The first verse is so hysterical, I thought I was having an asthma attack ... I was laughing that hard. Very fun tune. A-
Ode To A Superhero- It's OK ... I appreciate the fact that Al makes fun of the movie for all the same reasons why I didn't like it. It's not as tight as his "Jedi" tunes ... the verses are funny, but the actual refrain is kinda weak. B
Why Does This Always Happen To Me? - This is an incredible sounding song. So well produced that I can listen to it over and over again. Not especially daring, but it sounds great. B+
Bob - This song is utter genius. Brilliant! I went out of my way to learn the lyrics to this. An instant classic. A+
E-Bay - The best parody on the album bar none. This should be a single. An excellent track. A+
Genius In France: I hate this song. Yes, hate is the word. I really think this was a complete misfire. I loved Albuquerque, but this is pushing the Zappa quotient too far. When I wanna hear Zappa, I'll listen to Zappa. And whatever the intention, the subject matter is a bit too timely for my tastes. I rank this tune with other misfires from "Even Worse." F
***
So there you have it. I think Poodle Hat is a solid effort, but there are as many forgettable tunes as classics. "Hair Day" didn't have a single clunker; "Scissors" only had a few tracks worth skipping. Poodle Hat is half-and-half.
If I had to rank the albums, they'd appear in this order:
* In 3-D
* Bad Hair Day
* Dare To Be Stupid
* Running With Scissors
* UHF
* Alapalooza
* Weird Al
* Poodle Hat
* Off the Deep End
* Polka Party
* Even Worse
I think "Poodle Hat" shares similarities with "Off The Deep End." Both albums came out after an extended creative drought in the mainstream music industry.
Before I continue, I don't think Al has ever put out a "bad" album. Every record has several tunes that blow me away. At worst, he has a few albums which are hit-or-miss. In my mind, "In 3-D" was a creative height (it was also the first album I owned -- I bought his debut not long after, and I always saw the majority of that album as a warm-up for "3-D"). "Dare To Be Stupid" was only slightly less satisfying than 3-D. "Polka Party" signaled a brief slide -- mainly because mainstream music began to slide. "Even Worse" is my least favorite Al album -- it continued the downward slide. "UHF" was solid though not typical or cohesive -- the originals have all the magic -- it's a fave for personal reasons. "Off the Deep End" was a bit of a comeback, but apart from "Teen Spirit," it suffered from a lack of good source material. The bands parodied were already jokes by the time the album came out. So, too, with "Poodle Hat."
"Alapalooza" was uneven but a vast improvement over "Deep End." It showed that Al was on the upswing. "Bad Hair Day" was a new creative height a la "In 3-D." "Running With" was solid but slightly less satisfying ... like "Dare To Be."
So I don't expect every Al album to be "In 3-D" or "Bad Hair Day." But I think that each album since "Bad Hair" has dropped in quality. This one more significantly than Scissors.
Again, the music industry sucks right now, so there's not much Al can do as far as his parodies. But here's my breakdown:
Couch Potato - This song does absolutely nothing for me at all. I think that the whole listing tv shows thing has grown really stale. As Al's rap parodies go, the song doesn't even come close to "Pentiums." I've been skipping past Couch Potato on the CD now that I've heard it a couple of times. The second-weakest track on the album, if you ask me. D-
Hardware Store - Beautiful vocal arrangement. Some of the bridge music reminds me of stuff I played in marching band, though. I like this tune enough to have learned the vocals and harmonies. B
Trash Day - I can take or leave this song. I've sort of a neutral feeling. C
Party At The Leper Colony - Cute, but not as cutting as it could be. C
Angry White Polka- This polka goes right through me. The source songs are all forgettable. Not one of the strongest polkas. C-
I Wanna B Ur Luvr - I had tears streaming down my cheeks when I first heard this. Hilarious, and very edgy for Al. Well-produced to boot. A-
A Complicated Song - The first verse is so hysterical, I thought I was having an asthma attack ... I was laughing that hard. Very fun tune. A-
Ode To A Superhero- It's OK ... I appreciate the fact that Al makes fun of the movie for all the same reasons why I didn't like it. It's not as tight as his "Jedi" tunes ... the verses are funny, but the actual refrain is kinda weak. B
Why Does This Always Happen To Me? - This is an incredible sounding song. So well produced that I can listen to it over and over again. Not especially daring, but it sounds great. B+
Bob - This song is utter genius. Brilliant! I went out of my way to learn the lyrics to this. An instant classic. A+
E-Bay - The best parody on the album bar none. This should be a single. An excellent track. A+
Genius In France: I hate this song. Yes, hate is the word. I really think this was a complete misfire. I loved Albuquerque, but this is pushing the Zappa quotient too far. When I wanna hear Zappa, I'll listen to Zappa. And whatever the intention, the subject matter is a bit too timely for my tastes. I rank this tune with other misfires from "Even Worse." F
***
So there you have it. I think Poodle Hat is a solid effort, but there are as many forgettable tunes as classics. "Hair Day" didn't have a single clunker; "Scissors" only had a few tracks worth skipping. Poodle Hat is half-and-half.
If I had to rank the albums, they'd appear in this order:
* In 3-D
* Bad Hair Day
* Dare To Be Stupid
* Running With Scissors
* UHF
* Alapalooza
* Weird Al
* Poodle Hat
* Off the Deep End
* Polka Party
* Even Worse
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scottidog
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Well thought out. I don't agree on many points, but thanks for sharing.
You mentioned that In 3D is your favorite and it was the first one you bought. I wonder if that colors our impressions?
RWS is the Album, TSB the song, that made me a fan. I will always love RWS. I can't imagine any album replacing it, even though I think PH is great. It will always have a special place in my heart and on my playlist.
And yeah, I think Al was hindered in his ability to even find music to parody. The only really timely one is Couch Potato. When 2 out of 3 of the parodies have to dip into other decades for their inspiration, you know it's a musical wasteland out there. And as brilliant as Al is, he does depend on there being spoofable music...
You mentioned that In 3D is your favorite and it was the first one you bought. I wonder if that colors our impressions?
RWS is the Album, TSB the song, that made me a fan. I will always love RWS. I can't imagine any album replacing it, even though I think PH is great. It will always have a special place in my heart and on my playlist.
And yeah, I think Al was hindered in his ability to even find music to parody. The only really timely one is Couch Potato. When 2 out of 3 of the parodies have to dip into other decades for their inspiration, you know it's a musical wasteland out there. And as brilliant as Al is, he does depend on there being spoofable music...
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sarah_yzma
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: TTT says," Poodle Hat was awesome". :choon: :xmas: :oha: :whaasup: :rockedover: 
:biggrin: :choon: hehe smilies :tellme:-
weirdojace
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