The TV Album
| The TV Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
| Released | November 7, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1983–1995 | |||
| Genre | Comedy | |||
| Label |
Rock 'n Roll Records Scotti Brothers | |||
| Producer | "Weird Al" Yankovic, Rick Derringer | |||
| "Weird Al" Yankovic chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [2] |
The TV Album is a compilation CD of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic that features songs about television and TV shows. Yankovic's former record label, Scotti Brothers, released a similar album called The Food Album that contained songs about food.
Production
Release
The album was released by Scotti Brothers Records and was only begrudgingly approved by Yankovic. At the time, Scotti Brothers had insisted on putting out a new album by Yankovic in order to meet monetary projections for the fiscal quarter, despite the fact that no new album was ready; Bad Hair Day would not be released until a year later. Scotti Brothers had previously released a similar compilation album in 1993 entitled The Food Album.[3] However, when it came time to release The TV Album, Yankovic reported that "the record company was a whole lot nicer when they asked the second time", and that there was "more groveling [and] less demanding".[4] Following the release of The Food Album and The TV Album—in addition to the various greatest hits records that had been released—Scotti Brothers used-up all of their compilation options in Yankovic's contract, which prevented the release of further compilations when Volcano Records acquired his contract in the late 1990s.[4]
Track listing
Every track on this album has to do somewhat with TV. They include:
| Track | Title | Length | (Style) Parody of | Description | Original Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Bedrock Anthem" | 3:43 | "Under the Bridge" and "Give It Away" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers | Discusses someone who wants to be a Flintstone and live in Bedrock, describing the various perks in the delivery style of "Give it Away." | Alapalooza |
| 2 | "I Can't Watch This" | 3:31 | MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" | About a man who hates what he sees on TV. | Off the Deep End |
| 3 | 'Frank's 2000" TV' | 4:07 | Style parody of R.E.M.'s early work | About someone whose neighbor got a big-screen TV with a display which measures 2000 inches diagonally. | Alapalooza |
| 4 | "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies" | 3:14 | Dire Straits' Money for Nothing | A song about the Beverly Hillbillies to the tune of "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits. The TV Album lists the title without its asterisk.[5][6] | UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff |
| 5 | "Ricky" | 2:37 | Toni Basil's "Mickey" | About I Love Lucy, discussing the argument between Ricky and Lucy. | "Weird Al" Yankovic |
| 6 | "Talk Soup" | 4:25 | Style parody of Peter Gabriel's "Steam" | About a man who is desperate to appear on Geraldo, Sally Jessy Raphael, or any other daytime talk show and talk about his bizarre relationships, uncommon family relations, and his unusual opinions. | Alapalooza |
| 7 | "Here's Johnny" | 3:25 | "Who's Johnny" by El DeBarge | About The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and Ed McMahon's famous line, "Here's Johnny!" | Polka Party! |
| 8 | "The Brady Bunch" | 2:41 | "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats | About a man's dislike of the show The Brady Bunch. | "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D |
| 9 | "Cable TV" | 3:38 | Original | About a man's love of cable television | Dare to Be Stupid |
| 10 | "I Lost on Jeopardy" | 3:29 | "Jeopardy" by The Greg Kihn Band. | About a man who lost on Jeopardy!. | "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D |
| 11 | "UHF" | 5:08 | Original | About George's TV channel in UHF. | UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff |
References
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r227551
- ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 893. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ Yankovic, Alfred M. (February 1999). "'Ask Al' Q&As for February 1999". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- 1 2 Yankovic, Alfred M. (May 1999). "'Ask Al' Q&As for May, 1999". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
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