World of Weird Al Yankovic

How does this process work? I know you guys write your own parts, not sure about Ruben though. Do you guys demo each part individually for Al or is it when you go to the studio you all basically do it together? Do you guys do demos for all the songs, or just originals? I know you mentioned recording demos in rehearsals, does that happen often, or is it very rare? On average how much changes between demo and final product? Has Al ever scrapped a song totally after doing a demo?

Typically, Al makes his own demo of a song, which may be in varied states of completeness. The band then does a demo with direction from Al regarding how closely to follow (or not follow) his demo. The band demo is usually very close to the final version (or I should say the final is a polished version of the band demo.)

The only song that attempted but ultimately came out completely different, was Buckingham Blues, which started as a John Cougar parody: The Ballad of Chuck & Diane. There was a straight ahead parody version demo'd by Al and me, then another that was more of a style parody but still obviously close to the original, featuring Jim and Steve (January, 1983.) But the song did a 180 and became a blues thing instead.

Although this process normally applies to originals only, a few early parodies were demo'd - I love Rocky Road, Ricky, and Ballad of Chuck & Diane (which got nixed and then evolved.)



Bermuda

Any chance of ever seeing demos get a formal release?

No idea, sorry.

Has there ever been an instance where Al or a member of the band decided that they liked the sound of a particular instrument on the demo (if not the entire demo) so much that it was at least considered for the final version? With the advent of super deluxe reissues, a lot of artists are getting their demos out there, and while a lot of them are worth only a curious listen or two, sometimes they're at least partially better than the actual release. (The early 90s band Jellyfish's demos are pretty uniformly excellent, ranging from raw revelations to "Wow, this is almost a completely different song.")

I suppose this is as good a time as any to mention how awesome it would be to see deluxe reissues of all Al's albums...there's gotta be a ton of awesome stuff in the vault, from demos to alternate mixes--and that's not even including the unreleased songs!

Jim's parts lately have made their way from the demo to the final version, a big part of why the band demos sound so close to the final versions.

And sorry, the few alternate and "single" versions that exist are available, and You're Pitiful was also made available, so there are no unreleased masters lurking about (except for those on the upcoming album.)

I doubt it's in anyone's interest to re-issue the albums. There wouldn't be a sonic benefit without a lot of work and expense, and I can't imagine there'd be much return on the investment, given how albums are(n't) selling these days. Remixed versions are pretty much also out of the question - too much time and expense involved.

Bermuda

I know this was asked already, but I don't know if I saw it fully answered, or if I understood properly..

Have any songs ever been completely scrapped, as in not even tweaked around or becoming something else?

quantumerror wrote:Have any songs ever been completely scrapped, as in not even tweaked around or becoming something else?

Only the Hot Shots! proposed theme (July, 1991) never went past the demo stage. There are no hidden masters, except You're Pitiful (which everyone got for free anyway) and the new album's tracks, which everyone will be buying soon.

Bermuda

Buying soon? Do I catch a hint of lead single coming along, or what?

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

Soon is a relative concept. I could have said eventually, but that sounds like a long time!