Tracks
People who bought this release also bought
This was, generally speaking, one of the more poorly met albums Al has produced. Some felt that it was not the most timely of his albums, which always rely heavily on parodies of recent songs. Part of the problem was that the songs had all been written by around the time his previous album, Off the Deep End, was released. So many of the send-ups were a bit older than maybe people were used to. Nevertheless, he still had award-winning videos, and several singles from the album.
The centerpiece of the album was Jurassic Park, a parody lyrically based on the hit movie. This was a take-off of the song MacArthur Park by Jimmy Webb, a song that was written in 1968 and has often been criticized for it's eye-rolling, melodramatic lyrics. Music fans know the song, but the generation who just got through loving his parody of Smells Like Teen Spirit was not likely to know the song. Still, they did know the global phenomenon that was Jurassic Park, and the claymation video that accompanied the song won awards, and even vaulted the single into the top five on certain Canadian charts.
Another interesting choice was the polka. Al traditionally includes a polka medley on every album, a collection of parts of various songs strung together and performed in polka style. Here, for the only time, he instead did a single song, the epic Queen hit Bohemian Rhapsody. The relatively lengthy tune was enjoying a renaissance after being used in Wayne's World. So the timing was appropriate enough, and the results are great, as it's a very fun version of the song.
Al always includes some original tunes on his albums that are not direct parodies, but rather style parodies. These are songs performed in the style of a certain band or genre, not specific songs. This one had a couple that I'd classify as misses. Frank's 2000" TV was supposed to be a parody of early R.E.M., and a commentary on mega consumerism. Young, Dumb and Ugly was a hard rock parody, possibly AC/DC. Both feel clumsy and uninspired by Al's standards.
But on the other hand, there are some good parodies on the album. The Red Hot Chili Peppers didn't care for the parody of their songs Under the Bridge/Give It Away, Bedrock Anthem (or so they said in Al's Behind the Music special), but the song was one of the singles, and the video was popular and well-received. Achy Breaky Song expressed what everyone was thinking at the time, that Billy Rae Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart was just too darned popular, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing the song. This one doesn't hold up so well today, as the source song didn't hold up too well, but at the time it was well received.
Another good one, the third single, was Livin' in the Fridge, ad parody of the Aerosmith song Livin' on the Edge. In true Al fashion, he references a ton of rancid, fetid food, and the video featured Al made up like Steven Tyler. Rounding out the album included Talk Soup, which was intended to replace the theme song for the show of the same name (now called simple The Soup). This would have been a good theme show, and is a decent song on it's own. Also here is the short Harvey the Wonder Hamster, from his short-lived The Weird Al Show. It's a quick ode to Al's hamster, who apparently spends all his time running on his hamster wheel.
Time can be very cruel to parody songs, and Al, despite the high quality of his work, is not immune. This was affected by the passage of time even when it was released, and is even moreso affected now. Fans of Al will like this regardless, but overall, by Al's standards, this was not one of his better albums. If you are a new fan, there are better places to start; completists and big fans will find some things to love here, but it will never make their regular rotations.
The centerpiece of the album was Jurassic Park, a parody lyrically based on the hit movie. This was a take-off of the song MacArthur Park by Jimmy Webb, a song that was written in 1968 and has often been criticized for it's eye-rolling, melodramatic lyrics. Music fans know the song, but the generation who just got through loving his parody of Smells Like Teen Spirit was not likely to know the song. Still, they did know the global phenomenon that was Jurassic Park, and the claymation video that accompanied the song won awards, and even vaulted the single into the top five on certain Canadian charts.
Another interesting choice was the polka. Al traditionally includes a polka medley on every album, a collection of parts of various songs strung together and performed in polka style. Here, for the only time, he instead did a single song, the epic Queen hit Bohemian Rhapsody. The relatively lengthy tune was enjoying a renaissance after being used in Wayne's World. So the timing was appropriate enough, and the results are great, as it's a very fun version of the song.
Al always includes some original tunes on his albums that are not direct parodies, but rather style parodies. These are songs performed in the style of a certain band or genre, not specific songs. This one had a couple that I'd classify as misses. Frank's 2000" TV was supposed to be a parody of early R.E.M., and a commentary on mega consumerism. Young, Dumb and Ugly was a hard rock parody, possibly AC/DC. Both feel clumsy and uninspired by Al's standards.
But on the other hand, there are some good parodies on the album. The Red Hot Chili Peppers didn't care for the parody of their songs Under the Bridge/Give It Away, Bedrock Anthem (or so they said in Al's Behind the Music special), but the song was one of the singles, and the video was popular and well-received. Achy Breaky Song expressed what everyone was thinking at the time, that Billy Rae Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart was just too darned popular, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing the song. This one doesn't hold up so well today, as the source song didn't hold up too well, but at the time it was well received.
Another good one, the third single, was Livin' in the Fridge, ad parody of the Aerosmith song Livin' on the Edge. In true Al fashion, he references a ton of rancid, fetid food, and the video featured Al made up like Steven Tyler. Rounding out the album included Talk Soup, which was intended to replace the theme song for the show of the same name (now called simple The Soup). This would have been a good theme show, and is a decent song on it's own. Also here is the short Harvey the Wonder Hamster, from his short-lived The Weird Al Show. It's a quick ode to Al's hamster, who apparently spends all his time running on his hamster wheel.
Time can be very cruel to parody songs, and Al, despite the high quality of his work, is not immune. This was affected by the passage of time even when it was released, and is even moreso affected now. Fans of Al will like this regardless, but overall, by Al's standards, this was not one of his better albums. If you are a new fan, there are better places to start; completists and big fans will find some things to love here, but it will never make their regular rotations.