Now that Mandatory Fun is out, how do you rank the albums?
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 9:28 am
I decided to do a little experiment. Forget my preconceptions about which Al albums I like the best. Listen to his entire output in random order, rate the songs on an individual basis with fresh ears. I did some math, and here's how the albums rank (for me) in terms of average "stars" per song and great songs per album (from best to worst):
Top Tier Albums
1. Polka Party! A bit surprised this came in first, but I love a lot of songs on this album. The first three tracks are all classics to me, and the only song I don't really like much on this album is Christmas at Ground Zero (don't hate me). Clearly then this has to be his most underrated album.
2. Even Worse This might have contended for favorite ever if it had included a polka. This album has two of Al's best originals (Melanie and Velvet Elvis) and produced his single greatest music video (Fat).
3. Off the Deep End Actually, this album and the following two on the list all ranked around the same. This was the first Al album I got to know really well; Smells Like Nirvana, Trigger Happy, Polka Your Eyes Out, You Don't Love Me Anymore are all great.
4. Dare to Be Stupid A classic early album, with one of Al's best originals, One More Minute, and one of his best parodies, Yoda.
5. In 3-D Simply classic early Al.
Middle Tier Albums
6. Bad Hair Day For a long time, this was my favorite album by Al. A lot of different styles, and some really fun moments, but objectively it looks like it doesn't rank quite as high with me as I thought.
7. Mandatory Fun I'm really pleased that the new album is so good. I really enjoy all the parodies (except Handy), the polka is classic. The originals are on the weaker side, though.
8. "Weird Al" Yankovic A collection of solid songs, just a funny album from beginning to end.
9. Running With Scissors Unfortunately I think this one's a bit overrated, but I still find it quite enjoyable.
10. Poodle Hat A bunch of pretty good songs but only one of my favorites (eBay).
The Lower Tier Albums
11. Alpocalypse A definite step up from Straight Outta Lynwood, but still somewhat underwhelming.
12. UHF Really surprised how low this one is rated, but its highs (the polka, The Biggest Ball of Twin in Minnesota) are fantastic.
13. Alapalooza Al's weakest 90's album.
14. Straight Outta Lynwood Really weak on the Al scale. One classic (White and Nerdy), a couple of decent songs (Polkarama! and Trapped in the Drive-Thru) and a bunch of really forgettable filler.
So that's my objective rating based on my listening to each song in random order. How do YOU rank them?
Top Tier Albums
1. Polka Party! A bit surprised this came in first, but I love a lot of songs on this album. The first three tracks are all classics to me, and the only song I don't really like much on this album is Christmas at Ground Zero (don't hate me). Clearly then this has to be his most underrated album.
2. Even Worse This might have contended for favorite ever if it had included a polka. This album has two of Al's best originals (Melanie and Velvet Elvis) and produced his single greatest music video (Fat).
3. Off the Deep End Actually, this album and the following two on the list all ranked around the same. This was the first Al album I got to know really well; Smells Like Nirvana, Trigger Happy, Polka Your Eyes Out, You Don't Love Me Anymore are all great.
4. Dare to Be Stupid A classic early album, with one of Al's best originals, One More Minute, and one of his best parodies, Yoda.
5. In 3-D Simply classic early Al.
Middle Tier Albums
6. Bad Hair Day For a long time, this was my favorite album by Al. A lot of different styles, and some really fun moments, but objectively it looks like it doesn't rank quite as high with me as I thought.
7. Mandatory Fun I'm really pleased that the new album is so good. I really enjoy all the parodies (except Handy), the polka is classic. The originals are on the weaker side, though.
8. "Weird Al" Yankovic A collection of solid songs, just a funny album from beginning to end.
9. Running With Scissors Unfortunately I think this one's a bit overrated, but I still find it quite enjoyable.
10. Poodle Hat A bunch of pretty good songs but only one of my favorites (eBay).
The Lower Tier Albums
11. Alpocalypse A definite step up from Straight Outta Lynwood, but still somewhat underwhelming.
12. UHF Really surprised how low this one is rated, but its highs (the polka, The Biggest Ball of Twin in Minnesota) are fantastic.
13. Alapalooza Al's weakest 90's album.
14. Straight Outta Lynwood Really weak on the Al scale. One classic (White and Nerdy), a couple of decent songs (Polkarama! and Trapped in the Drive-Thru) and a bunch of really forgettable filler.
So that's my objective rating based on my listening to each song in random order. How do YOU rank them?