ALBUM REVIEW: 01
"Weird Al" Yankovic Having A Bad Hair Day
This review was originally posted on rateyourmusic. It was one of the reviews I was assigned in the "Go Review That Album" game on their community forums. This version of the review has had some editing and corrections.
"Everything you know is wrong
OK so this "Weird Al" Album is not among my fave ALbums, after listening to this for review, I dropped my original star rating of 5 down to only 4. There were not as many songs that I really really liked than I had thought there were. Don't get me wrong I still enjoy them, but just not as much as I thought I did. I do like some of the songs that others have said they absolutely despise. Lets see Amish Paradise I really enjoy, as well as the video for it. I won't talk about the Coolio thing because others have done that at length. I absolutely love Everything You Know is Wrong, The Alternative Polka (I love all the token polkas, I think a compilation of polkas should be made with all of them linked together as one long marathon polka). I also like, but not necessarily love Gump, and Phoney Calls.
For the final track The Night Santa Went Crazy I understand that there is an alternate version. One of them is more tame than the other. I forget the exact details of that. Also there are three different designs for the CD disc itself depending on the pressing. I have the version that is the Alapalooza CD Al's face looking cross-eyed at the CDs center hole in red. Here is the different CD info from the FAQ page (by specific album) at the website http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/faq/ :
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Bad Hair Day
1996 Scotti Brothers Records 72392 75500-2
****
Just forget the words and sing along
All you need to understand is
Everything you know is wrong"
OK so this "Weird Al" Album is not among my fave ALbums, after listening to this for review, I dropped my original star rating of 5 down to only 4. There were not as many songs that I really really liked than I had thought there were. Don't get me wrong I still enjoy them, but just not as much as I thought I did. I do like some of the songs that others have said they absolutely despise. Lets see Amish Paradise I really enjoy, as well as the video for it. I won't talk about the Coolio thing because others have done that at length. I absolutely love Everything You Know is Wrong, The Alternative Polka (I love all the token polkas, I think a compilation of polkas should be made with all of them linked together as one long marathon polka). I also like, but not necessarily love Gump, and Phoney Calls.
For the final track The Night Santa Went Crazy I understand that there is an alternate version. One of them is more tame than the other. I forget the exact details of that. Also there are three different designs for the CD disc itself depending on the pressing. I have the version that is the Alapalooza CD Al's face looking cross-eyed at the CDs center hole in red. Here is the different CD info from the FAQ page (by specific album) at the website http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/faq/ :
"Why does my friends copy of "Bad Hair Day" have Al sitting, while mine has a red picture of his face?"
Added: 7/17/00
There's three different versions of what's printed on the "Bad Hair Day" CD. The first 500,000 have Al sitting cross-legged with his hands on his head, and this is in color. After that, to try and save a few pennies, the record company printed the next batch in black and white. Then Scotti Bros. ceased to exist and the people at Al's new label made a mistake and put the "Alapalooza" picture on the "Bad Hair Day" CD. There, now go collect 'em all! "
Pictured is the CD of Alapalooza that was used for later versions of Bad Hair Day like I have. Image is from a listing for Alapalooza.
Update: While looking for online images of the variants I came across an Ebay listing for the color Al sitting variant. I bought it and have received it.. I am also currently watching a listing for a black and white version. What The? It looks like there might be some even newer reissue versions with a one color image of Al Leaning backwards, bending over like a backwards "C". A full color photo of that image is behind the disc in the case.
Note: I over-rate "Weird Al" Albums, because he is one of my fave acts. It is fun to hear his twisted version of an overexposed song that America's Youth are eating up. I get a kick out of the one-hit-wonders that he has parodied. They are no longer in the business, but Al is still going strong. I first Heard Al on the Doctor Demento Show, back in the MY Bologna days, been a fan ever since. Saw him once at a record signing for Even Worse, he signed my copy of The Authorized Al book. I asked him if It's Still Billy Joel To Me would ever be officially released, and he gave me a bizarre grimace that only he could make, and explained he was slightly embarrassed by it and apologized to Billy Joel over it, he never asked permission for it and probably never will. That song then will never have an official release.
1 comment:
It's funny because at this point, Gangsta's Paradise sounds more like a parody than Amish Paradise.
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