I can defiantly see what your saying...
While I don't necessarily think its his best ALbum (don't get me wrong it ROCKS!) it is very easy to listen to, and I love all the songs, while on some of his other ALbums the affection is somewhat scattered (I.E. I love dog eat dog, but don't care so much for Toothless People... actually I don't mind it, but its the only metaphor that comes to mind...)
And I love hearing the accordion on every track... you just never can get tired of Al on the accordion!
The Check's In The Mail
Moderator: Moderators
- DonnaNoble
- Off The Deep End
- Posts: 2816
- Joined: Sun May 20, 2007 8:32 am
- Location: In front of the computer :P
- WaffleQueen27
- Obsessed
- Posts: 1688
- Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2007 3:49 am
- Location: The cALifornia centrAL vALley
- Contact:
I really enjoy Al's debut album for the accordion, and the very apparent spazziness that comes through in his recordings. Oh early Classic Al, how we loved you!
The Check's In The Mail is a great song, though, I especially like the musical interlude in the middle. The mental images I get from it are pretty funny, too, I always envision Al stretched out behind a desk wearing a horribly tacky plaid suit, talking to a very visibly enraged man.
The Check's In The Mail is a great song, though, I especially like the musical interlude in the middle. The mental images I get from it are pretty funny, too, I always envision Al stretched out behind a desk wearing a horribly tacky plaid suit, talking to a very visibly enraged man.
"Like a zero drowning in a sea of higher numbers, I remain as ever intrigued, but no more astounded."
- DonnaNoble
- Off The Deep End
- Posts: 2816
- Joined: Sun May 20, 2007 8:32 am
- Location: In front of the computer :P
- WaffleQueen27
- Obsessed
- Posts: 1688
- Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2007 3:49 am
- Location: The cALifornia centrAL vALley
- Contact:
- DonnaNoble
- Off The Deep End
- Posts: 2816
- Joined: Sun May 20, 2007 8:32 am
- Location: In front of the computer :P
- HappyGilmore
- Obsessed
- Posts: 1892
- Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2006 5:19 pm
- Location: Philly
Exactly an image I had for it. I wish there'd be a bit more accordion now and then. Never thought those words would come out of my mouth/hands.WaffleQueen27 @ Feb 12 2008, 08:15 AM wrote: I really enjoy Al's debut album for the accordion, and the very apparent spazziness that comes through in his recordings. Oh early Classic Al, how we loved you!
The Check's In The Mail is a great song, though, I especially like the musical interlude in the middle. The mental images I get from it are pretty funny, too, I always envision Al stretched out behind a desk wearing a horribly tacky plaid suit, talking to a very visibly enraged man.
That's what you get when you let your heart win.
-
- Regular
- Posts: 284
- Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2012 8:54 pm
- Awards: Discoverer of the elusive "Orgy On My Own"
- Location: California
- Contact:
Re: The Check's In The Mail
What did the US Postal Service say when Al purchased Franz Kafka's remains (as an homage to Michael Jackson, of course) but hadn't received the package for six months?
"The Czech's in the mail, would I lie to you?"
"The Czech's in the mail, would I lie to you?"
not to mention the toilets at Madonna Inn
-
- Addicted
- Posts: 949
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 4:20 pm
Re: The Check's In The Mail
This is one of my favorite songs from his first album. I've been listening to it lately, and I suddenly realized... Is this song supposed to be intentionally funny? I find myself laughing or at least chuckling at a lot of lines and music, but I don't quite know why I'm laughing. Is the delivery supposed to be funny? Is it funny in a "so bad it's good" way? There are a few funny lines, like "have lunch with my machine" (but what's that supposed to mean? Is that meant to be him being nervous about getting sued that he messed up his wording?). And I wonder what that laughter at the end of the song is supposed to be (it sounds like a woman laughing, but according to an "Ask Al" that was actually Al laughing).
I think I've known that many of the lines were cliches, but I don't think I ever realized it was about trying to break into show business (when listening recently I thought maybe it was about getting clients to sign up for something).
One other thing I've recently wondered. Many years ago when I first got this album, I was listening to it with somebody, and when he heard the "won;t you sign on the dotted line?" line, he told me that's another way of saying "kiss my butt" or something like that. Anybody know if "sign on the dotted line" was ever actually slang (or at least popular slang, it's possible a small amount of people thought that way)?
I think I've known that many of the lines were cliches, but I don't think I ever realized it was about trying to break into show business (when listening recently I thought maybe it was about getting clients to sign up for something).
One other thing I've recently wondered. Many years ago when I first got this album, I was listening to it with somebody, and when he heard the "won;t you sign on the dotted line?" line, he told me that's another way of saying "kiss my butt" or something like that. Anybody know if "sign on the dotted line" was ever actually slang (or at least popular slang, it's possible a small amount of people thought that way)?
-
- Off The Deep End
- Posts: 6489
- Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2002 2:00 am
- Location: philly
- Contact:
Re: The Check's In The Mail
I just always assumed that he wasnt even paying attention to what he was saying so he was mixing them up.
- TMBJon
- Deliriously Dedicated
- Posts: 20491
- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2003 4:24 pm
- Awards: Greatest Member of All Time
- Location: Santa Monica, CA
Re: The Check's In The Mail
The song is about making it in the entertainment industry - whether music biz or film biz - and all the smurf you have to deal with in the process. The narrator of the song is a sleazy agent or manager, and the song satirizes the types of cliches that you typically hear from guys like this.
Having said that, this song has definitely devolved for me into a song that I really just like listening to as cool little ditty that gets stuck in your head, not paying much attention to the lyrics. I like this one way more now than I did when I first heard it.
Having said that, this song has definitely devolved for me into a song that I really just like listening to as cool little ditty that gets stuck in your head, not paying much attention to the lyrics. I like this one way more now than I did when I first heard it.
I couldn't tell a dirt clod from a plate of caviar.