Richard Cheese- Sunny Side of the Moon

Since 2000, Richard Cheese has been producing comedy/jazz albums. This mid-career Best Of was released in 2006.

Like for Weird Al Yankovic's albums, I find that the choice of original song plays a big part in whether I enjoy the parody. So, even if the adaptions of songs like Rape Me, Baby Got Back, Bust a Move and Freak on a Leash are brilliantly executed, I struggle to enjoy even these versions. Although, at the other end of the spectrum, the original version of Creep is unfortunately too sacred for me to enjoy the parody.

That's the bad news out of the way, because the concept of mixing lounge-jazz with shocking rap/metal/grunge lyrics is a masterstroke in my book. People Equals Shit is a perfect example; the gutter profanity becomes very amusing when mixed with the gentle lounge-jazz music.

Closer and Nookie differ slightly in that they use a boogie-woogie musical style, and it works just as well.

At this point, it seems there is a very simple formula to success for Richard Cheese. This is to find the song with the sickest lyrics possible, then put it to saccharine backing music. So while Sunday Bloody Sunday and Another Brick in the Wall are solid efforts and bring nice variety to the album, for me their lack of immature amusement means they're relegated to album fillers.

My earlier comment about Creep is a bit hypocritical, given my reaction to Rock the Casbah. The original is a song I enjoy so much, that almost any half-decent cover of it is enjoyable for me.

Also quite uncontroversial (relatively speaking!) are the lyrics to Hot For Teacher. Despite this, I really enjoy this version, as it replicates the fantastic sense of chaotic energy from the original song, with a nice twist of the different style.

At the other end of the intensity scale, the slower tempo of Come Out and Play  allows the original's clever lyrics time to be properly appreciated. Very nice.

Building up from an anonymous and innocent jazz start is another trick well used. For example, Down With the Sickness and Gin and Juice could well be any other lounge jazz songs, until he starts dropping f-bombs and hoes left, right and centre. This is probably the only time in jazz history we'll hear lyrics such as:
So we gonna smoke a ounce to this. 
G's up, hoes down,
While you motherf***ers bounce to this.
The arrangement gives the songs some lasting appeal, as they build up nicely and have good structure. Another highlight for me is the nice use of plastic strings for Gin and Juice.

All of the above is cranked up to the extreme for Badd. The extensively reworked lyrics allow it to start relatively innocently, before it builds-up into a hilariously degraded climax of X-rated mahem. Fantastic!

PS I forgot to mention the recording quality... it's brilliant.

Favourite songs

People Equals Shit, Closer, Down with the Sickness, Nookie, Rock the Casbah, Hot For Teacher, Gin and Juice, Come Out and Play, Badd

Worthwhile?

So silly. So fun.

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.

Wierd Al Yankovic- Bad Hair Day

Before starting this blog, I had a feeling that documenting my old CDs on the internet would uncover some skeletons in the closet, and here's Exhibit A! This is Wierd Al's nineth- and apparently biggest selling- album, which was released in 1996.

Amish Paradise (Gangsta's Paradise) kicks things off brilliantly, with the twisting of rap motifs into an Amish setting providing many LOLs in my opinion. Some people find Al's vocals intolerable, but it's a comedy album, so suck it up, princess! The music isn't a perfect reproduction of the original songs (nor is it meant to be) but close enough to get the point.

Next up is the original Everything You Know Is Wrong, which explores an interesting philosophical proposition in a completely non-sequitur manner (woops, that's totally over-thinking things!). Like the other originals, the music is just a vehicle for the comedic lyrics, with plastic drums and basslines. Having said that, occasionally the backing track pleasantly surprises with some interesting musicality. Since You've Been Gone is a brilliantly executed barbershop comedy song. And the twist in the tale of I Remember Larry puts brilliant irony in the final chorus.

Like all of Al's polka medleys, The Alternative Polka is brilliant. I love hearing these pop songs having their dignity stripped away by a polka beat. Musically it's pretty cool, too, any polka that can hold my attention for 5 minutes is doing well.

The only songs on the album I don't dig are ones where I'm not a fan of the song it is based on. Originally bought for the parody covers, it was nice to find that the originals work well.

 Favourite songs

Amish Paradise, Everything You Know Is Wrong, Callin' in Sick, The Alternative Polka, Since You've Been Gone, Gump, I'm So Sick of You, I Remember Larry, The Night Santa Went Crazy

Would I buy it again?

Yes. It's totally daggy, but good fun.