I'LL BE A TROLL OR EVIL QUEEN, I'LL BE A HUMAN JELLYBEAN, CUZ EVERYDAY IS HALLOWEEN...

I have been a "WEIRD AL" YANKOVIC fan since the third grade. Shortly after he released his second album "WEIRD AL" YANKOVIC in 3-D featuring what is probably the BIGGEST song parody of all time "Eat it". 

One of the BIGGEST regrets of my life happened back in 1984 when Al played our local state fair.   Damn straight I attended that show.  However earlier that day while Mr. Yankovic decided to take a friendly stroll around the fairgrounds, I turned into a chicken, instead of approachim him like many others were, I tried to fidn the best hiding spot.  Why?  Well... because I was wearing a Michael Jackson shirt.  And y'know since Al had recorded "Eat It" I figured he must really hate that guy.  Hey! Cut me a break. This is how a 9 year old's brain works! At least that's how my brain worked at that age. *sigh*

I have seen Al perform LIVE a few more times since that August 1984 show.  May 1994, September 2007 and August 2008.  Fantastic shows all.  One thing that struck me funny at one of the more recent shows was the realization of  the wide age spectrum of AL-coholics.  Kids and adults from the ages of 8 to 88.  I saw a 50-something couple dressed up in full AMISH gear. 

Tuesday, June 21st 2011, sees the release of Al's 13th studio album: ALPOCALYPSE.  The four horsemen of the ALPOCALYPSE must be: Parody, Pop Culture, Platinum (as in records -- he's earned 6 of 'em!), and of course -- Polka. 

Much like his 2007 release "Straight Outta Lynwood",  ALPOCALYPSE includes a DVD on the flip side featuring videos for (most of) the album's tunes.

Unlike "Lynwood", the new CD features 5 songs that were previously released in late 2008 and the Summer of 2009 while Al tested out the benefits of digital distribution. 

ALPOCALYPSE is currently available for sneak preview on the music website: mog.com.  Of which I currently have a 14 day trial, so I thought I'd do an early review of each of the albums tracks. 

1. PERFORM THIS WAY (Parody of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way")  Even the most casual Al fan is probably aware of this song, due to the recent press coverage.  I really hope that Gaga's telling the truth on this one, and that her "people" were the reason for all the confusion.  What can I say? I've kinda got a crush.




Heh. I kind of have a thing for gals with intriguing noses.

 Many people seem to think Gaga's "Born" is about BEING GAY.  These people are WRONG. Plain and simple.  "Born this Way" is about feeling like an outcast, and simply just knowing that you're weird.   Something I think we can all identify with... especially if you're a fan of this blog.  Al's parody is a tribute to Gaga's bizarre ways, from weirdo to another.  I can't wait to see the video he's got planned.  SONG GRADE: A


2. CNR This is what most Al fans refer to as one of his "style parodies", meaning that while it's not a direct parody of a single song, it's done in the style of a certain artist.  "CNR" is an "Internet Leaks" era White Stripes inspired anthem about the many legends of... Charles Nelson Riley?!  "He ate his own weight in coal, and excreted diamonds every day"!  It sounds like CNR could give Chuck Norris a run for his money.  SONG GRADE: B-

3. TMZ (Parody of Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me") A country tinged ode to those who are famous for absolutely no reason: Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Snookie, Jay Leno, etc.  Of course it takes quite a few jabs at the "news source" known as TMZ.   My favorite part comes during the breakdown and we get to hear a bunch of sound bytes from infotainment-esque announcers, particularly when one exclaims: "Everything celebrities do is FASCINATING!"  SONG GRADE: A-

4. SKIPPER DAN Another track released back in 2009.  The tale of a starry-eyed sucker with a fine arts degree who is forced to work at a theme park while dreaming bigger, much, much BIGGER.  I'll admit this is not one of my favorite Weird Al songs.  SONG GRADE: C

5. POLKA FACE  This is one of Al's infamous accordian infused,  polka-ized mashups of several current-ish songs, with an emphasis on Lady Gaga's "Poker Face".




Did someone say MORE Gaga?

 This seems like a track that could have benefited from digital distribution as most of the songs included in the medley are at least TWO years old if not older.  Poker Face (2008), Womanizer (2008), I Kissed A Girl (2008), Fireflies (2009), Tik Tok (2009) and several others.

In the past Al's polka medleys have dealt with not-so-new material.  His first polka - 1984's POLKA'S ON 45 featured many classic songs from the Beatles to Hendrix, The Who, The Doors and the Rolling Stones, speaking of which...  1989's HOT ROCKS POLKA was composed entirely of songs my Mick Jagger and the boys.  And 1993's BOHEMIAN POLKA was of course, a polka-fied version of QUEEN'S "Bohemian Rhapsody".

However for the most part these medleys usually seem a little more recent.  Many of the artists included in POLKA FACE have already released NEW albums since the songs Al revamped here.  But I am glad he went for the oh, so obvious POLKA FACE title.  Something I wished for in a facebook status, back in 2009.   SONG GRADE: B

6. CRAIGSLIST This Doors style paordy is another of 2009's "Internet Leaks".  It kind of covers the same territory as Al's 2003 Backstreet Boys parody "eBay".  A song about all the obscure, inane items and services people offer through various online flea markets.  However we do get keyboard work from original Doors' member Ray Manzarek.  SONG GRADE: B-

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2.
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