The 1986 Listening Post - "Weird Al" Yankovic - Polka Party!

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Polka Party!

#443/2122

October 21 1986

“Weird Al” Yankovic

Polka Party!

Genre: Novelty

2 out of 5

Highlights:

Christmas at Ground Zero

There is a terrific podcast called “Hit Parade” with Chris Molanphy from Slate. For music lovers, especially from the 80s and 90s, it’s a gas. As I am listening to this I just finished a recent episode which was all about novelty records and, specifically, the grandmaster of all, Weird Al. I mean, the guy has made this into a 4 decade career. That’s crazy. 

He did it by using all the media available to him: radio, MTV, YouTube, digital delivery. He’s a savvy one that Al.

This album is a bit of disappointment right out the gate. “Living with a Hernia” & “Addicted to Spuds” both seem like hackneyed attempt to cash in on popular songs without much of the wit we want from Al.. The Talking Heads style rip doesn’t bite as hard as the Devo one last time. And the polka of hits is uninspired as well. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/polka-party/250494835

The 1985 Listening Post - "Weird Al" Yankovic - Dare to Be Stupid

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Dare to Be Stupid

#219/871 (The second number is the running total of this FB project)

June 18 1985

“Weird Al” Yankovic

Dare to Be Stupid

Genre: Comedy Rock

3.25 out of 5

Highlights:

Dare to Be Stupid

One More Minute

Yoda

And now we’ve reached the inverse polarity of Weird Al. 

For the first time his original songs are more interesting than his parodies. I felt that “Like a Surgeon” and “I Want a New Duck” were attempts at being funny without offending the creating artists (the less said about “Girls Just Wanna Have Lunch, the better), while “Yoda” seemed like an easy grab it also played nicely into 20 year old fanboys preoccupation with the saga, mocking the source while paying devotional homage. 

All that’s fine. But, what’s really gemlike on this first side is the title cut. It’s a perfect rendering of a Devo song. In essence it pays homage while also pulling the curtain off Mothersbaugh and Casale. Does it take out the piss? Kind of. But mark has the last laugh, obviously, with his countlessly fantastic movie themes. 

Now, for someone going through a VICIOUS divorce, it’s fortuitous that my first experience with this record came 11 years later because “One More Minute” became the theme for my life. Fortunately I got therapy to help with that. Natch. 

If you listen to “Slime Creatures from Outer Space” can you also hear one of the tracks from Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Like, note for note. 

But “Hooked on Polkas” is a masterstroke. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/dare-to-be-stupid/250599490

The 1983 Listening Post - "Weird Al" Yankovic - "Weird Al" Yankovic

"Weird Al" Yankovic - "Weird Al" Yankovic

#253

April 26 1983

“Weird Al” Yankovic

“Weird Al” Yankovic

3.75 out of 5

Highlights:

Ricky

I Love Rocky Road

Happy Birthday

Mr. Frump in the Iron Lung

At first I thought I wouldn’t include Al. But, then I realized, he’s written one of my favorite songs of the era, “One More Minute” and he’s sort of important to the whole 80s narrative. Plus I ran into him at an Ikea once. 

I love the very idea of “Ricky”. You all know that “Mickey” is a cover of a Racey song  (written by China & Chapman) called “Kitty”, right? It’s already a goofball tune so it’s so perfect to me that he would turn it into a cheeseball parody of a cheeseball tv show. 

Can we talk about the production for a second? Rick Derringer may have put out one of the shittiest records ever, “If I Weren’t So Romantic…I’d Shoot You” but holy cow does he know how to turn Al into a radio friendly sound that crackles with urgency, like Al knows they gotta get out of there before the novelty wears off and their stay is unwelcome.

Happy Birthday could be recorded by The Dickies or some other punk pop band, because that’s what it is in its soul, dressed up in an accordion.

After so much music that takes itself sooooooo seriously, Weird Al is a welcome respite. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/weird-al-yankovic/308442076