Weird Al Yonkovic- Greatest Hits Volume II

Clearly Bad Hair Day must have whet my appetite for more Weird Al, so soon after I bought this compilation of his earlier stuff. It was released in 1994, two years before Bad Hair Day.

Compared with Bad Hair Day, the backing music somehow sounds less "canned". Also the vocals seem to have greater variety, with only Christmas at Ground Zero using the nasally vocal style which is common on Bad Hair Day. A couple of songs have the masterstroke inclusion of the kazoo, which instantly removes any dignity the original version of the song may have had!

And, of course, the polka is sheer brilliance.

Favourite songs

Headline News, You Don't Love Me Anymore, Smells Like Nirvana, Achy Breaky Song, This is the Life, Polka Your Eyes Out, Christmas at Ground Zero

Would I buy it again?

Yes.

The real question is which album do I prefer? A tricky question, because my enjoyment of the parodies depends a lot on my opinion of the song it is based on. Personally, I like more of the songs on Bad Hair Day, but Greatest Hits Volume II has a less cheesy feel.