Straight Outta Lynwood
by: Weird Al Yankovic
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Sales Rank: 1178
Sales Rank: 1178
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Music : Straight Outta Lynwood |
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Rating: - * Please Stop Calling Him \"Weird Al\" YankoVICH!! ... I've been a Weird Al fan since his self-titled debut album. I haven't loved all of his albums, but I thought his last two were brilliant. This one, in my humble opinion, doesn't reach the level of "Poodle Hat" and is further from the mark of "Running With Scissors", which I consider to be his best album. Still, he solidifies his status as the parody king and as always, his original songs, while funny, are still really good compositions. And the "style" parodies are always enjoyable; "Pancreas" is a great take on Brian Wilson, "I'll Sue Ya" is Rage Against The Machine with a sense of humor and I believe "Virus Alert" is done in the style of Sparks. Anyway, let me explain what keeps me from giving this album a five star rating. On the one hand, his style is starting to wear a bit thin, and he's almost mining the same material he's covered on previous albums - songs that start off like romantic ballads, but then turn silly; songs about his superior expertise with computers, and "Close, But No Cigar" sounds like a distant relative of "Good Enough For Now." And his ability to insert pop-culture references, while consistently funny, makes his albums sound dated (Lars Ulrich, in regards to the Napster days? Mentioning Judge Wapner of "The People's Court?"). And the whole "everybody in town taking to the streets, joining hands and singing" style of songs ("Weasel Stomping Day", "Harvey The Wonder Hampster", "Christmas At Ground Zero") is beginning to sound a bit contrived. I prefer the vocals to be handled solely by Al because I expect zany singing from him. When you get a roomful of people singing these wacky, disturbing songs in unison with such conviction, as if it's a legitimate song, it kinda freaks me out. Having said that, this is another solid album he has put together. His creativity, clever use of words, working mundane phrases into songs ("Put my key in the ignition, then I turn it sideways") and his knack for perfectly picking up on all of the subtle nuances of the artists he parodies is still untouchable. And he continues to out-do himself with each gangsta rap he parodies. His subtle attention to detail always adds a deeper level of humor to his songs; he works in Bridget and "midget" into the "Confessions Part III" parody. Those also happen to be characters from the R. Kelly "Trapped In The Closet" soap opera (??), which Weird Al also parodies on this album. There are always several things on all of his albums that make me laugh out loud. On the song "I'll Sue Ya" where he talks about the different people or companies he's suing, he mentions suing Ben Affleck. Why? His justification - "Do I even need a reason?" Weird Al has been able to evolve with the ever-changing styles of popular music for each album he comes out with, which has enabled him to continue to remain relevant. Amazingly, Weird Al has not jumped the shark just yet. He is one of the few artists who, after three decades, still puts out consistently good albums. And while he has mellowed out since the days of "Slime Creatures From Outer Space", he still maintains the spark that makes him unique, special and darn funny. While this wasn't my favorite album of his, it's no disappointment by any means. And as long as he continues coming out with new albums, regardless of the medium, I'll buy them. Rating: - * Weird Al continues to impress and amuse ... On one hand, this album follows the same pattern as Al's entire discography. On the other, there is nothing wrong with that! This album's hit "White and Nerdy" has already achieved widespread popularity, especially since the world of nerd rap isn't exactly bursting with material (yet: check out MC Frontalot). The other parodies are pretty good too. Unfortunately, he's a little slow on the uptake: waiting until 2005 to parody "American Idiot" seems rather lazy. However, his attack on the music industry with the ironic "Don't Download This Song" (provided for free download on his website) is just in time. That song, plus 5 other originals based on other artists' styles and the obligatory polka medley round out the album. While some of these styles are rather dated, that actually makes them funnier: "Weasel Stomping Day" sounds like a 50's pop song glorifying conformity (assuming weasel stomping was compulsory in times of yore). "I'll Sue Ya", based on Rage Against The Machine, and "Close but No Cigar", based on Cake, mirror their original artists with an uncanny accuracy and showcase the versatility of Al's backup band. Heck, "I'll Sue Ya" actually has some pretty good riffs in it: though it lacks the usual killswitching guitar solo, Al's group is surprisingly skilled for a novelty band. This keeps the album fresh and will keep you listening to it long after the first laughs wear thin. Recommended. Rating: - * Odd bag of weasel pancreases ... There are a couple songs that may take some time to win you over (I'm thinking of "Pancreas" and "Weasel Stomping Day" in particular) but even so, this is a fairly solid album from the paragon of parody. It's not the instant classic that some of his other albums were (such as "Even Worse" or "Off the Deep End") but it does eventually work its way under your skin. You'll find yourself humming sections of "Trapped In The Drive-Thru" while you're waiting "at the pay window, ... or whatever you call it." The videos on the second disc are quite odd. Al is attempting to encourage independent creativity by having a number of different people make their own version of music video based on his songs. Some play out better than others, but they all have some quite interesting imagery. If you're an Al fan, this is a "must get". If you're not, you'll enjoy many of the songs but will probably be put off by a couple of the others as being just a bit too ... dare I say it? ... weird. Rating: - * Weird Al Rocks On ... This latest CD shows Weird Al still can make you laugh. Although Weasel Stomping Day is just a bit sick - more along the lines of Dr. Demento, many other songs are pretty family friendly. Rating:  - * Hit and miss ... Weird Al has struck again. Though he has some good songs on here, the album is all over the place, some good, some not so good, and some just awful and beg for the >> button to be pushed. It is harder and harder to enjoy Weird Al's parodies when you do not even know the original song he is paroding. Not his fault, but since music has sucked from the early 90's on, the parodies are less funny now as when he was destroying Michael Jackson and Madonna back in the 80's. I realize Weird Al has to stay current to make a living, but I sispect he misses the days when he could take a song like 'Eat it' and be a sensation. The funny thing for me about listening to Weird Al these days is that I do not know his parodies from original songs. 1. White & Nerdy : Funny song even though I never heard the original. Racist and offensive towards white people, but I guess that does not matter since white people are the only race that can be insulted without anyone getting mad. 2. Pancreas : This was retarded and boring. Skip. Next. 3. Canadian Idiot : Well when you have American Idiot by Green Day, why not go north and poke a little fun at the Cannucks? SOme good ryhmes here and good for a chuckle or two. 4. I'll Sue Ya' : This was funny. I think it is an original. Had me laughing. 5. Polkarama! Here comes the signiture medley. Pretty good even though I only know about half of these songs. 6. Virus Alert : Unfunny, skip 7. Confessions Part III : Stupid 8. Weasel Stomping Day : Possibly the worst thing he ever recorded 9. Close But No Cigar : Al seems to be pretty good at writing tongue in cheek love songs like "I was only kidding" and "One more minute". This song is in this vein. I like the Joe Dirt mention. 10. Do I Creep You Out : Too slow, puts me to sleep 11. Trapped In The Drive-Thru : Al goes back to the well and writes an endless song in the style of Albequrque. This is about a visit to the drive in with his wife. It is endless, pointless, and really has no meaning to exist at all. I listened through it once and that was enough. Best part was the Led Zeppelin break. 12. Don't Download This Song : I wonder why Al didn't do this earlier. He really missed a great chance to do this back when Metallica was suing fans over music downloads. Maybe Al didn't want to take on the Metallica Empire, but considering the wusses that Jaymz and Lars are these days, the song would have been a whole lot funnier if timed better for release. |
The two-disc set also includes The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon: A 10th Anniversary Special. In this 40-minute adventure, Dr. Yung invites Misty and Ash to take part in a special tournament on his new battle system. Yung creates formidable Mirage Pokémon from raw data, culminating in a super-version of Mewtwo, the powerful psychic Pokémon from the first features. Once again, friendship and kindness triumph over greed and arrogance, although the special ends with the words, "To be continued..." (Unrated, suitable for ages 8 and older: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon
It’s unlikely that the full impact of the live performances will hit home to viewers unfamiliar with Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella Records stable of artists. Another frustration is trying to identify the array of visitors who trade raps on Jay’s stage. Included in the star-studded lineup are Missy Elliott, Foxy Brown, Pharell, Ghostface Killah, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, and R. Kelly. One unmistakable figure--and we do mean figure--is Jay’s squeeze Beyonce, who raises the temperature and the roof with her skimpy outfit, flowing hair, soulful yowl, and sexed-up dance routine that leaves her boyfriend and the whole of Madison Square Garden slack-jawed with animal desire.
Twenty cameras captured the event, and some of the most powerful sequences are sweeping moves across the swirling, blissed-out masses as they lip sync along in perfect unison with Jay-Z’s complex, profane, quick-witted raps. Less effective are intermittent cutaway segments that show the artist in various studio settings working up beats and rhymes. These amateurish home video breaks may give some insight to Jay’s perfectionism and dedication to his craft, but they detract from the visceral power of the beautifully executed performance footage. --Ted Fry
