Reviews (103)

The Funniest Comedy Album I've Heard in Years
Brian Regan is now one of my new favorite comedians. This CD is off the hook! It's so hillarious.....and it's CLEAN!! Who would've thought. I mean, sure, there are some funny clean comedians, but not like this guy! "Brian Regan Live" is one of the funniest comedy albums you will ever hear.

I can't even explain why this CD is funny. It's something your going to have to hear for yourself. Every track is hillarious, with Brian Regan never missing a beat. Some of the funniest tracks are, "you too and stuff," "crank calls," "stupid in school," "blasting zone," "kid's party games,"......aw forget it! THEY'RE ALL GOOD! EVERY TRACK IS FUNNY!!! Funniest line: "The big yellow one is the sun!"

What are you waiting for? Stop reading and BUY THIS CD NOW!! If you love comedy, then you will enjoy this album. Brian Regan is one of the best in the game. I hope that he comes out with another album. Even though he admits he's not that smart, he is a genius when it comes to comedy. "You too! Take luck...take care....of the luck....the luck that you bring with it...." Great album! I loved it, and I will continue to love it.

I got a Six!! I got a Six at the sun stare!
That's how many stars I would give this cd if it were possible; six. Brian Regan has taken the world by storm... At least the world that knows about him. Tell all of your friends to listen to this cd because it is the most hilarious comedy on the market. Brian uses everyday things that most of us don't even think about to propagate the most gut busting laughter that there ever was. If you like good clean jokes and can appretiate some really goofy humor, then by all means buy this cd. Even after listening to it eleventy billion times I still laugh at ever spin of the shiny disc. So you too should join me and my comedic friend, and turn your stereo into the jokester of the night, sure to please everyone at the party. Take luck.

Good clean fun!
First of all, the best thing about Brian Regan is the clean language. He doesn't need to shock you to be funny and our whole family, kids included, can safely listen to him. Secondly, he makes you laugh so hard you cry. His material is about everyday things looked at in an unusual way. Third, if you ever get the chance to SEE him perform, his facial and body expressions make him even more hilarious. I highly recommend Brian Regan to anyone and everyone!

The Funniest CD I've ever heard
It's amazing to me how not many people have heard of Brian Regan, he's a lot funnier than many comics who are extremely well known. Every time I listen to his CD I laugh, I enjoy the whole thing. The donut lady and stupid in school are especially hilarious. I highly recommend this CD, it will have you laughing the whole way through. It's also a great CD b/c you can listen to it w/ the whole family, he manages to be funny without having to be vulgar or profane. Get this CD!

Funniest stand-up you'll ever hear
I used to work in the box office of a comedy club, and I saw lots of great comedians. However, this guy was, by far, the funniest I ever saw come through there. Harsh language never bothered me (I heard plenty of it while working at the comedy club), but it was refreshing to see a comedian who made people laugh because he was funny, not because of his use of taboo words. The people who would come to see Brian Regan ranged from college frat guys to grandparents, and he'd have them all screaming with laughter with exactly these bits that are on this cd and more. I only hope more cd's follow this one to more fully capture the complete library of his stand up routines.

He is old-school, having the laugh-from-the-gut hilarity of Jerry Seinfeld, combined with the energy and expression of Jim Carrey. ... Read more

Reviews (360)

Will not go down in history as Al's best
It is a rare thing when Weird Al makes an unfunny parody ... so when he manages not one, but TWO, it bodes poorly for an album. Here the mediocre parodies are "Trash Day" (Nelly's "Hot in Here") and "A Complicated Song" (Avril Lavinge's "Complicated"). Neither is particularly inspired (in fact, it seems like Al had three bad ideas for "Complicated" and decided on them all--and that makes the title the funniest bit), but part of that may be the fault of the songs themselves.

I expect at least one bad original song on every Weird Al album, and here Weird Al produces not just one but *three* original stinkers: "Hardware Store," "Wanna B UR Lover," and "Why Does This Always Happen To Me?" are all dull, generally unfunny, and don't even have good music. Then there's "Genius in France," which is musically fascinating, but lyrically stale (can't we get over this stipid French-bashing obsession, America?).

That isn't to say that there's nothing worth listening to! If half the album is take-it-or-leave-it, the other half is brilliantly funny. "Bob" is the unexpected gem, and the work of sheer genius. The rest of the parodies are all funny; my favorite is definitely "E-Bay," a song that one can only fully "get" if one shops there, and "Ode to a Superhero," which does such a great job of lampooning Joel's original spirit and lyrics that it's easy to forget he's just singing a movie plot (something it shares with his "American Pie" parody "Episode 1"--the best thing to come out of PHANTOM MENACE!). And of course there's "Party at the Leper Colony," which I expected to be stupid but was giggle-inducingly funny.

Even though it isn't his best, it's still Al! And I'll still be there when he gets to Detroit in August for his concert tour.

Al's back!
After nearly four years since "Running With Scissors", Weird Al comes back with "Poodle Hat", quite possibly his weirdest album yet. The meat of any Weird Al album is his parodies of recent pop hits, and he delivers. "Couch Potato" the first track, is a hilarious send up of Emimen's "Lose Yourself". Such a shame that Eminem wouldn't allow a video of this song to be made. "A Complicated Song" is a howlingly funny parody of Avril's "Complicated" and "Trash Day" actually tops the original "Hot In Here" by Nelly. "Ode To A Superhero", which tells the story of Spiderman to the chords of "Piano Man" and "Ebay" a parody of Backstreet Boys' "My Way", rounds out the parodies of this album.
Which leads to the original songs, which are more often than not extremely weird and it holds true here. "Hardware Store" is surprisingly catchy and you'll find yourself humming it to yourself for years after. "Party at the Leper Colony" is just plain goofy, while "Why Does This Always Happen To Me" is absolutely brilliant. The others, "Bob", "Genius In France" and "Wanna B UR Lovr" are good, but don't hold up as well as the others. And what Al album would be complete without a polka compliation of all the latest hits songs, which you can find in the cleverly titled "Angry White Boy Polka".
There are also some nifty extras for your CD-ROM. A photo gallery and eight bonus mixes (mostly instrumentals) are available, and the crown jewel, a hilarious ten minute video of Al showing off and commenting on his home movies from his youth.
All and all, a VERY good album. Let's just hope it doesn't take another four years for the next one!

Best "Weird Al" CD Yet!
In my opinion, "Poodle Hat" is the best CD that Al has released to date! All of its songs are really funny, the parodies, the traditional polka meldy, and the origanals. When I first got this CD, I was in the hospital, and I listend to it at least twice per day. It includes parodies of Eminem ("Couch Potato"), Nelly ("Trash Day"), Avril Lavenge ("A Complicated Song"), Billy Joel ('Ode to a Superhero"), and The Backsteet Boys ("eBay). The origanls are also extreamly good. If you like Palindromes, then you'll love "Bob", a style-parody of Bob Dylan where every line is a palindrome. The other style-parody is on Frank Zappa, intitled, "Genius in France". And "Wanna B Ur Lovr" is one of, if not the, best songs Al has ever written. If you have to chose which "Weird Al" CD to buy, you should deffinatly buy this one!

This has to be, perhaps, his best yet!
People aren't giving this album enough credit where, I promise, credit IS due. This is a fantastic album, with great parodies, hilarious originals, and spot-on musicality all around. Let's start at the beginning.

1. Couch Potato--Somehow, Al always manages to make hip-hop sound not as craptacular as it really is...probably because he uses REAL instruments to create it. The lyrics in this are perfect. Parodic masterpiece. 'But I only watched Will and Grace one time, one day! Wish I hadn't, 'cause TIVo now thinks I'm gay.' A

2. Hardware Store--One of my favorite originals I've heard yet. This, for me, is ranking up there with Harvey the Wonder Hamster or the Night Santa Went Crazy. Once again, Al displays his articulate nature and lyrical prowess, especially in the bridge section, where he just starts spitting them out rapidfire. A+

3. Trash Day--Now, this was a stupid, ridiculous, shouldn't-have-ever-been-written song in the first place, and Al tears it to shreds. Well done...not the best song on the album, but hey...there's been a LOT of crap worse than this in the past 4 years since Running W/ Scissors. B+

4. Party at the Leper Colony--Classic Bo Diddley-style licks with fun lyrics. One took me a while, but gets me every time, now. A

5. Angry White Boy Polka--Need I say more? A+

6. I Wanna B Ur Lovr--Okay, now, this one just floored me completely when I first listened to it. Al is not only creating a style parody, or even a very specific artist style parody, but a double whammy...This is perfect emulation of Beck during his Midnite Vultures phase...parodying Beck who was parodying (in his own Beck-ish way) Prince. A++++

7. A Complicated Song--iffy subject matter, but just hilarious, when you come right down to it. A+

8. Why Does This Always Happen to Me--Holy returned favours, Batman! Ben Folds guests on this track. Contains the line 'So I turned around/ And stabbed him in the face.' How can you go wrong? A++

9. Ode to a Superhero--Picked a great song to parody, big movie...I didn't like the movie, but that's just me...great song, though. Piano man/Spider Man...it's a natural segue. A

10. Bob. A+. That's all I have to say.

11. eBay--Poking fun at Satan is FUN!!!! Taking out the Backstreet Boys while your at it gets you a (no pun intended) A++

12. Genius in France--Dweezil Zappa joins Al to pay tribute to his old man (Dweezil's, that is). It sticks it to the French, too. People have, unfortunately, labeled this song as an 'Albuquerque' wannabe, but it's completely autonomous. It's another homage...and well played, too. A+

FUN AND FUNNY!
My family has all of Al's records and CDs and went to one of his concerts a year ago, so how does this new CD stack up?

1. Couch Potato- parodies "Lose Yourself" by Eminem and mentions every TV show from Spongebob to Will and Grace. Excellent syncing, but what's up with the missing sounds in the chorus? B+

2. Hardware Store- rivals "Nature Trail to Hell" as the best non-parody song by Al ever. Excellent, especially when he lists all the tools really fast. A

3. Trash Day- parody of "Hot in Herre" by Nelly. Doesn't trump "Couch Potato" but good nonetheless. B

4. Party at the Leper Colony- Ultra-generic sounding tropical shindig song. Uses every leper joke in the book. B-

5. Angry White Boy Polka- A stupendous medley of songs by Papa Roach, System of a Down, the Vines, the Hives, White Stripes, Strokes, Disturbed, Rage Against the Machine, POD, Limp Bizkit, Staind and Eminem. Once again, stupendous! A

6. Wanna B Ur Luvr- Disturbingly seductive and funky. B

7. A Complicated Song- parody of "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne. Expect constipation and decaptitation jokes. B+

8. Why Does This Always Happen to Me- the typical exaggerated, Weird Al-type lament. B

9. Ode to a Superhero- parody of Piano Man by Billy Joel. Sling us a web/you're the spider man, all about Spiderman the Movie. Uplifting. B+

10. Bob- Sounds like Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan, as I'm told. Nothing but palindromes here. B

11. Ebay- parody of "I Want it That Way" by Backstreet Boys. The Backstreet version didn't have many lines to parody, so Al milked all he could out. B

12. Genius in France- I heard Dweezil Zappa helped Al with this. Perfect if you hate France. Uses many stupidity jokes. B+ ... Read more

Amazon.com

The king of pop parodies returns with another zany collection of tunes that poke fun at pop culture. There are a handful of undeniably funny moments--notably "The Saga Begins," which pairs the tune to Don McLean's horrendously sentimental "American Pie" with the plot to the first Star Wars prequel, and a fun, nonstop-dancing polka medley of late-'90s hits that starts with the Spice Girls and ends with Semisonic. Overall, Running with Scissors is well-executed and actually humorous, but the material is a day late and a dollar short. "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" is funny once, maybe, but the majority of the disc consists of tepid takes on yesterday's news; the best jokes are devoted to Jerry Springer, Eddie Vedder, the Swing craze, and this place called Silicon Valley where they make computers. Why didn't someone tell Weird Al that a parody of Nine Inch Nails' lifeless industrial pop would have already sounded dated in 1995? It must be hard to stay on top of all the current trends and parody them as they happen, but that is something that Weird Al has done in the past, and perhaps will do again. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (433)

RUN WITH SCISSORS TO GET THIS!
My family has all of Al's CDs and records and were recently at one of his concerts. How good is this CD?

1. The Saga Begins- parody of "American Pie" by Don McClean. All about Star Wars Episode One. Very nice. A-

2. My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder- Why would Al's wife be in love with the Pearl Jam frontman anyway? C

3. Pretty Fly For A Rabbi- parody of "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" by the Offspring. Expect many odd Jewish words. B+

4. The Weird Al Show Theme- the theme to Al's dearly departed show on CBS or NBC, I forgot. Very stupid! B

5. Jerry Springer- parody of "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies. Extremely raunchy but well-sung. B

6. Germs- very dull at first but gets better at the end. C+

7. Polka Power- includes Al's renditions of songs by Spice Girls, Marcy Playground, Marilyn Manson, Hanson, Beastie Boys and more. Very good! B+

8. Your Horoscope For Today- apparently, I should get ready for an unexpected trip when I fall screaming from an open window. And I should work a little bit harder on improving my low self esteem: I'm a stupid freak. A-

9. It's All About The Pentiums- parody of "It's All About the Benjamins" by Lil Kim and some other bozos. Great work with those computer geek terms, Al! A-

10. Truck Drivin' Song- a kid in my 6th grade class (back in 1999) said this is making fun of Al's wife. Must be a cross-dressing song. Creeeeeepy. C+

11. Grapefruit Diet- parody of "Zoot Suit Riot" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Oh boy, get ready for ALL the fat jokes Al left out of his old hit "Fat"! B

12. Albuquerque- Get ready for 12 AND A HALF MINUTES of the sad story of Al's childhood with saurkraut, a plane crash near Albuquerque, a run-in with a huge Albanian hermaphrodite with a Flock of Seagulls haircut and only one nostril and meeting Zelda, a calligraphy entusiast with a slight overbite and hair the color of strained peaches. B

Weird Al, The King With The Midas Touch
Weird Al Yankovic, the King of Parody, strikes gold with "Running With Scissors," arguably his best album yet, and highlighted by the single best song he's ever done, "The Saga Begins." To the tune of Don McLean's "American Pie," "Saga" captures the story of "Star Wars, Episode I, The Phantom Menace" to perfection; it's all there, and it's brilliant. Pearl Jam fans especially will get a kick out of "My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder," but even those not familiar with them will get the drift, and it's hilarious. Then there's a foray into the world of high-tech, computers and the internet in "It's All About The Pentiums," with a great line, "What kinda chip you got in there, a dorito?" Also included in the twelve cuts is the obligatory polka piece, "Polka Power!" And yes, there's one about food, "Grapefruit Diet." Country fans get a taste with"Truck Drivin' Song," and television talk show host "Jerry Springer" gets the treatment in a song about a guy addicted to the show. This is one funny album from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it to anyone just looking for a good time and plenty of laughs.

I love this album except for one thing.
When he parodied Sean "P Diddy/Puffy" Combs' "It's All About the Benjamins" he parodied that annoying rock remix version with Foo Fighters leader/ ex- Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. I like both songs (P Diddy and Weird Al's) but I can't stand the instruments used in this version. I think Weird Al should used the music from the original version of P Diddy's "No Way Out".

One of Al's best albums
It's hard to believe Weird Al Yankovich has been at it for over 20 years now. "Running with Scissors is the follow up to the mega popular album "Bad Hair Day." A lot of expectations where put out and Al doesn't disappoint us.

Al give us a good mixture of new material and parodies. The one knock that can be said against the paraodies is the lateness in a lot of them. The Saga Begins is a hilarious song. It came out a little to late after Star Wars Episode One. Al didn't get the MTV exposure like he did on Amish Paradise and the song flopped in that area. The song however is great writing by Al and is quite funny. It goes along great to American Pie and is one of the better parodies written by Al.

It's All About the Pentiums is a fantastic song. The one knock again is how late Al was with this song. If he had put this out right after Puffy had lost some of his popularity instead of a year this could have been a hit. The internet had also lost some it's mystic awe by this point and was available in more homes. The song however is great songwriting and Al proves again he is rap. It's got some great computer dialogue.

Grapefruit Diet is a great song. Al does a perfect job writing a perfect paraody. Everything sounds good and its a perfect parody of Zoot Suit Riot by Cherry Poppin Daddies.

I didn't like Germs. Why do you go out and paraody Nine Inch Nails at this point. Nobody is talking about them anymore. Why parody Offspring at this point. Pretty Fly for a White Guy was so overplayed on the radio and people were sick of it. Pretty Fly for a Rabbi is a wasted song. It's good song writing that will only be appreciated by his fans and not all of the public.

The new material is good. I love the polka song. It's got a lot of hits from the late 90's from semi-sonic to the spice girls and more. Jerry Springer is a great song and it's one I think should have gotten some radio play. Al could have had a field day if he had made a video for this song. Albuquerque is one of the funniest songs Al has written. It's over 11 minutes long and is full of great lines and plenty of energy.

Thi is a fantastic album. It's got lots of great material. I wish the album had come out earlier though. This could have such a big album, but despite that I love it. It's funny and has lots of great songs. Mad props to Al for making a great album.

Al Doesn't Disappoint
This is a great Weird Al CD. Al doesn't disappoint and this may be his best album yet. I going to break it down and rating every song on a scale of 1 to 27.

The Saga Begins - This is a parody of "American Pie". Al sings another Star Wars song and while in my opinion it's not as good as Yoda it's still good. Rating: 23

My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder - Al sings a song about a jealous guy whose girlfriend falls in love with Eddy Vedder. Rating: 18

Pretty Fly For A Rabbi - Parody of "Pretty Fly For A White Guy". Al sings about a rabbi who really knows his shtick. Rating: 20

Weird Al Show Theme - The theme song to Al's short lived Saturday morning TV show. We learn Al really makes a mighty fine
Jellybean and Pickle sandwich (for what it's worth). Rating 24

Jerry Springer - Parody of "One Week". Al sings about everyone's favorite trash TV show. Rating: 19

Germs - A song about... germs. Probably my least favorite on this disc but still good. Rating: 16

Polka Power - One of Al's polka melodies. Rating: 21

Your Horoscope For Today - Al takes the funny idea of fake horoscopes and runs with it. The result, hilarity! Rating: 25

All About The Pentiums - Parody of "All About The Benjamin's". A song all about computers. Being a geek, this is one of my favorites. Rating: 26

Truck Driving Song - A strange, strange song that could have only come from the mind of Weird Al. Rating: 19

Grapefruit Diet - Parody of "Zoot Suit Riot". Al sings about a fat guy that goes on a Grapefruit Diet. It kind of felt like Al was trying to use some the fat jokes left-over from when he wrote "Fat". Rating: 18

Albuquerque - My favorite song on this album. There's really nothing I can say to describe it but trust me it's good. Rating 27 ... Read more

Album Description

1988 album by acclaimed American stand-up comic renowned fordeadpan delivery of quirky jokes. Unavailable on CD in the U.S. 14 tracks. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

It doesn't get much funnier than this!
Is it the voice or the content of the jokes? Either way, this is one hillarious CD. The deadpan nature of his delivery turns incredibly simple jokes into some of the most fresh and funny material you'll ever hear.

I first bought the tape nearly ten years ago, and laughed hysterically then. Now, a decade later, the material is still as relevant and funny as ever. The key to good comedy is making the material relevant to the audience, by discussing subject matter to which everyone can relate. Steven Wright finds a way to do this with some of the the most outlandish subject matter you'll ever hear, (ie. elevators in the middle of the desert, poison ivy of the brain, a pony in his apartment) - all the while making you think "It's so simple - why didn't I think of that?"

With the exception of a few sexual references (nothing explicit) - the material is very clean. No swearing at all!

This is not the kind of comedy CD you'll listen to once, then put aside and forget about. There are so many jokes, you could never remember all of them - so every listen is almost like the first. This CD is well worth the purchase.

The funniest stand up comedian there is
This has to be the funniest stand up comedy album ever made. Steven Wright speaks in a slow sort of retarded sounding style which fits his comedy extremely well. The track listing on the back says all songs written by Steven Wright but don't worry there's no cheap attempt to launch a signing career here all the tracks are him speaking stand up.

This album is full of hilarious stuff I don't really want to give anything away for future listeners but this album is very funny. Yesterday I......no that wasn't me! is one small example but I don't want to wreck the experience for anyone else. Steven Wright covers a vast range of topics from girlfriends, hitchhiking, his diary he kept as a baby, parking to pretty much every part of day to day life.

Parents note this is clean comedy, there is no swearing on this album at all so all ages can enjoy the magic of Steven Wright. This album is usually pretty cheap but worth full price. Definitely the best stand up comedian I've ever heard. He's the "Weird Al" of the stand up world. Buy this album.

Bad delivery, but the material was incrediable.
a one-linin' joke teller. Forget the Carlin crap-style ranting this is funny.

"I'm feeling kinda hyper tonight"
Steven Wright is very mellow. He hardly ever does any kind of physical comedy ever. He's just a joke-teller. There are observasionalists like Jerry Seinfeld, pop-culture comics like Robin WIlliams, and ranters like Dennis Miller. But then there are just plain simple joketellers. You know those jokes you hear ALL THE TIME, and say "That's an old one."? Well, he is the inventor of "the old ones." Possiably the calmest stand-up of ALL TIME! very good and funny.

Don't drive and listen
I also bought this album when it came out. I met Mr. Wright briefly in Tower Records in NYC in the late 1980s. Then I bought the cassette (the cassette player in my car kept chewing off parts of the album) for a long-distance drive. Lent it to a girlfriend, who promptly broke up with me. Apparently I'm not as funny. Now I have to order from Australia for this. If we make it to Mars, maybe we will find that it is released there as well. One of our domestic record companies should re-release this absolutely clean traipse through the best Theater of the Absurd ever committed to vinyl, or something other than an asylum. ... Read more

Amazon.com

On Jerry Seinfeld's debut CD, he already sounds sick of his material. Of course, the point of the performance that it captures--the HBO special I'm Telling You for the Last Time--was to perform the routine one last time and then retire it forever. This recording was taped just a couple of months after Seinfeld went off the air, and the crowd sounds like it's jonesing for a fix--they laugh at everything, even Seinfeld's setup lines ("So what's with the cabdrivers and the BO?"). Still, Seinfeld's humor--that now-familiar observation from a satisfyingly elitist point of view--delivers. But after all the late-night talk-show appearances, the book Seinlanguage, and nine years of the series, was there really any question? --Randy Silver ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Worth your time
Jerry Seinfeld is very funny here. Like most comedy records, its well worth borrowing from a friend/library, and listening to once, but not worth owning. The same is true here, but the first time, it's quite funny. This is about 75 mins., so you get well enough entertainment (its also on video and dvd). Jerry talks about everything from air travel to McDonalds, and everything in-between. Haloween is quite funny; we've heard about Florida before. Although it has slow spots, I never once fast forewarded, because Jerry can rebound just about everything. He seems to be good with the audience (Q + A), and this is a decent cd. Seinfeld fans will love this (and who doesn't like Seinfeld?). Thank you for taking the time to read my review and feel free to leave me a helpful/not helpful feedback. God Bless America!

Non-stop laughs, laughs, laughs from a master
Jerry Seinfeld's "I'm Telling You for the Last Time" is typical Seinfeld stuff--that is to say, of course, EXCELLENT SEINFELD STUFF. He hits topics like cab drivers, sky diving ("You get up that high, I think that helmet is wearing YOU for protection"), drugstores, bathrooms, and so on. It's astonishing to us non-comedians that these seemingly hum-drum topics can be mined for such riches, but Seinfeld does the impossible and makes them each a comic gem that will have you red-faced and absolutely helpless with laughter.

His take on Halloween may be one of the funniest things I've ever heard (On hearing about Halloween for the first time as a kid, Seinfeld says his reaction was, "You mean everyone we KNOW is just GIVING AWAY CANDY? What's WRONG with them?"). He segues from this into the meanings of "up" and "down" for kids and adults: "When you're little, life is up. Wait up, hold up, shut up! Mom, I'll clean up! Lemme stay up! Parents, of course, are just the opposite. Just calm down! Slow down! Come down here, sit down, put that down! Keep it down in there!"

This album deserves your undivided attention--to really enjoy it, my husband and I recently listened to it on a long drive when we were going on vacation and we both were nearly in tears from laughing so hard. Great stuff!

Seinfeld at close to his best..
Jerry Seinfeld is almost at his best during this recording, though at times, it sounds as though someone is walking in front of the audience with an 'applause' sign, as the audience laugh very frequently at things he says that are simply not funny. This aside, the recording is very fun to listen to once or twice and everyone will have their favourite bits.. including the 'hello newman' at the end during the question and answer segment. Some of the material does sound a little overworked, especially to people who watched the show regularly (as I did). Never-the-less, this is a good recording of some of Seinfeld's funniest material

funny for some
dont get me wrong. this guy is very funny, and there are some very funny jokes on this, but the overall attitude of this cd is not very funny. i do not think that some of his jokes are funny though. i think that some of the people writing the reviews here are just diehard fans who are not willing to admit that it is NOT in fact jerry seinfeld at his best. he is funny, but some of the thiings on this cd are not funny.

Jerry Seinfeld
This CD is pure Jerry Seinfeld comedy. I reccomend this CD greatly. It is full of non-stop jokes, ones that you and everyone else can relate to! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I have NEVER laughed so hard in my life!
I had heard Rodney on XM Comedy, and decided to buy into his albums. Best place to start is right here. He had me laughing hard enough to wet myself (I didn't). Think of Tim Wilson with the foulest mouth you ever heard, and some of the funniest stuff ever performed! I'm buying ALL of his albums now. ALL OF THEM!

Finally the greatest hits!!
Rodney Carrington is the funniest country comedian to date. Sure Jeff Foxworthy is funny, but he is no match for Rodney. The best songs on this are: Titties and Beer and Letter to my Penis. This man is a comedy God. His skits are funny as anything. I would reccomend this cd to anyone who is interested. True he may not be for everyone. He can be a bit vulgar at times and a bit disgusting. But if you are willing to take a walk on the wild side, buy this record and listen to it over and over again. You will laugh your ass off. I'm not just saying this because he lives in Oklahoma and so do I, I'm saying this because it is true. Plus he was born in Texas! But back to the subject at hand, truly get this cd and listen to it. I reccomed it to anyone who will listen. ... Read more

Reviews (77)

Adam Sandler's Funniest CD
This is the funniest CD I have ever heard. I bought "What the Hell Happened To Me" and "What's Your Name" first, and thought nothing could be funnier. I was wrong! I bought this CD while I was in Boston on a field trip, and my friends and I listened to it on the entire ride home. We cracked up on every track. The buffoon is even funnier than the excited southerner. His phrase: F***in s**t still makes me laugh, even though I've heard it a million times. As you first listen to the CD he pops up at the most surprising places (He has a part in "I'm So Wasted" and "Teenage Love on the Phone in addition to his 2 starring roles). Of course, there is no doubt that Toll Booth Willie is the best overall Adam Sandler skit from any album. So, now that I own all three of his albums, I will give a brief synopsis of all of them: (I already talked about They're All Gonna Laugh at You) What the Hell Happened to Me was great, but I felt that The Excited Southerner joke went on a bit to long. Giving him the starring role in 5 tracks? Rediculous. 3 would have been better. The Excited Southerner in my oppinion was just to take up space. Don't get me wrong! It was all very funny. But went on a little to long. The Goat and Respect more than made up for that, though. I rate it 4/5. What's Your Name was good, but not great. I thought that having more songs was a good idea, but not all songs. 10 songs and 10 skits would have been better. Having all songs made it impossible to have a character such as the buffoon or the excited southerner. But, let's face it, the songs were funny as hell. 4/5

No better Adam Sandler CD!
Out of all the Adam Sandler CD, this one made me laugh the hardest. And get this: I only listened to 4 tracks! My friend has the audio tape cassette and let me listen to part of it, then,his little brother who was 6 or 7 at the time begged for it. This CD is not recommended for little kids because of its sexual content, but his little brother had an explicent content mind anyway so his life is over. I saw a trend or a pattern in this album. This album is about school and the OLDER KIDS in school, so I could relate with that. "Buddy" is a great song, but I liked the skits more. "Assistant Principal's Day off" is a hillarious skit with a pervert principal announcing the rules for the school. "The Longest Pee" is just one track off some dude takin a wizz and when he thinks he's done, he has to go again, and it won't stop! But its still pretty funny. My personal favorite is "The Bafoon and the dean of students." The bafoon who is a wierd talking nieve human being is havin an interview with the dean of students. The dean keeps on making up these excuses for what he says. Like when the bafoon says, "I Got a big old bona right now!", the dean relys with "Yeah, well, sensations of sexual behavior do come up whenever a person tends to get nervous or under stress." So over all, this is not the only the best Adam Sandler CD, its also the best comedy CD ever.

Funniest CD Ever!!!!!
This is by far Sandler's best. In Fact it is the best cd ever made. The best tracks are the Buffoon skits, At a Medium Pace, Toll Booth Willie, and So Wasted!!!

this CD was sooooo stupid.....
My husband and I are huge Adam Sandler fans. I bought this as a gift. WOW was I disappointed. This is the worst comedy CD I have ever heard. Could not been more ticked off. I not only want a refund, but would like to personally write Mr. Sandler and ask for my time back! Why did he put out such a rubbish. Don't get it. Shame on you Adam.... should take more pride in your work.

Fans Will Love This CD
I'm not a big fan of Adam Sandler's early comedy; I bought this CD for two of the full-length songs. "The Thanksgiving Song" is one of his most clever and best-known songs. With lines such as "Thanksgiving is a special night/ Jimmy Walker used to say Dynomite," and "turkey and sweet potato pie/ Sammy Davis Jr. only had one eye," the song is pure comic genius. "Lunchlady Land" is another gem, with the hilarious chorus, "sloppy joe/ slop/ sloppy joe." These songs make the CD worthwhile.

In total, there are 5 full-length songs, with the remainder of the CD consisting of comedy skits. The skits feature many Saturday Night Live alums: Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Tim Meadows. Fans of Sandler's early comedy and movies will probably love these skits. I find them rather unfunny, and somewhat offensive; they simply aren't as clever as Sandler's best work shows that he can be.

Overall, if you love his earlier and raunchier work (e.g., Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore), then you'll probably love this CD. If you prefer his more recent and mature work (e.g., Punch-Drunk, The Wedding Singer), then you'll probably be a bit mystified by this CD. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

MASTERPIECE... AGELESS...
Ever since I was a small child, The Wiz has been my favorite musical (Little Shop/Horrors gave it some competition but didn't prevail). All of the cast are in wonderful vocal form and they play the hell out of their parts. My only issue is that people don't give Diana Ross her props on here. I have studied Diana and this album came out a year before the biggest album of her career ("diana" -- 1980). Just listen to her on "Home" or "Soon As I Get Home"... the best! Theresa Merrit, Mabel King, and Lena Horne are great as well. Oh and one more thing in Diana's defense. Oposed to what some critics say, if you do your research or actually sit and WATCH the movie, Diana's character is NOT a child. She's a grown woman. Of course she isn't supposed to pass for one... SHE AIN'T SUPPOSED TO! ;-)

Great music! Wonderful adaptation from a broadway musical!!
This show is a great one! The music is awesome and really has been overlooked for some reason. The soul heard throughout the music is undeniable, and what a cast! The incredible Lena Horne, the soon to be famous Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, the greatest shock comdeian of them all: Richard Pryoy, and the wonderful Ted Ross from the original Broadway production. Michael Jackson's vocal talents are showcased through the music, in a song written especially for him and this movie (not in the Broadway version). The soulful, almost funkified music makes you want to get up and dance! I really reccomend this CD to any fan of rock and roll musicals. This is a great one!

The Only Good Thing About the Movie
The soundtrack to the 1978 motion picture, The Wiz, stands nearly alone as one of the only good things about the movie. Starting with Charlie Smalls's charming original score, and expanding outward, Quincy Jones rocks the land of Oz!
The music is fast and exciting, unlike the mostly mellow laidback tunes of the original Broadway soundtrack. Also, Quincy Jones doesn't believe in simplicity. Every song is weighted down with key changes, abstract key signatures, and layer upon layer of rhythms. While this is neat for a few songs, it becomes a little ungainly to listen to after a while.
As far as the actual singing goes, it was mostly good. Some people have described Diana Ross's singing as comparable to honey, others to a little kitty cat. She was singing a minor third higher than she had ever sung in her life and it is clearly evident. However, there were some high points, notably: Mabel King's gospel-like anthem and Lena Horne's showstopper. "Brand New Day" and "Emerald City Sequence" are equally stunning.
All in all, this was a GREAT soundtrack to an OKAY movie.

The Wiz album
I really enjoyed the Wiz album. There was alot of talent there.
Also on that album Michael Jackson really sang and danced. Matter-of-fact, that was the best, I think, Michael Jackson ever sung and act. Don't get me wrong Michael Jackson is the best entertainer ever but all entertainers have there best and the Wiz was his. He played and sang that part. I am sad that the movie did not get what it deserved but that is ok because now in
2003 lots of people are buying it. It is hard to get it in regular stores but you can go on-line and get it. Some people check it out at the library and make copies on DVD. But my favorite song is YOU CAN'T WIN sung my Michaek Jackson. And my other favorite part is when the Lion, played by Ted Ross, is looking into the mirror and says, "Momma use to always tell me, Fleet...", and then Dorothy, the Tin Man, and The Scare Crow would turn around and say, "Fleet!?" The Lion would then grab his tail turn around and say, "That's right Fleet. Fleetwood Coupdeville". And they would all fall out laughing.

Overproduced
The quality talent of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Richard Pryor and the legendary Lena Horne cannot save this souless overblown motion picture soundtrack of the Tony Award winning musical. Buy the joyous original cast album (featuring dynamic perfomances by Stephanie Mills, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Taisha Thomas and Ted Ross) instead because it amply proves that less is indeed much more. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Give us more ! John Pinette ate everything !
I heard the "Las Vegas : all you can eat" bit on a plane to Singapore and I had to put a sock in my mouth to stop from laughing out loud (everyone else seemed to be asleep; don't know about the pilot). The rest of this album is just as great. Jokes about being fat, being hungry and eating as much as you can. Sounds one-sided, but it isn't. His vocal delivery is very energetic, which makes his jokes all the more funny. My guess is that this guy must be great to see live; his CD is a good indication of a very funny comedian, who deserves to be better known.

Wonderful commedian, great CD
This CD is simply wonderful. I'm not sure about previous reviews regarding the language but mine is [from] 2000 and doesn't have curses, etc, making this CD suitable for younger audiences.

Quite simply put, John Pinette is an astoundingly funny commedian who's humor, even though mostly discussing food topics, does not humiliate himself. The commedy is great, and I die laughing everytime I hear it.

I first heard him a few times on Z100's Z-morning Zoo, having to pull over from laughing each and every time, and finally found out his name to get his CD. I wish, I wish that he puts some of the material I heard on the morning show on a new CD (dieting, lettuce cracks, seaweed stuff, personal trainers, etc). Put out a new CD John, I'll certainly buy it!

This CD is wonderful though. I'll give you a little more that you don't hear from the clips...imagine it with his accents, etc...

"Oh when I hit that water, Oh God! I caused a sounami! People drowned, mothers were grabbing their children. "Where's my baby! Where's my baby!" This is what I'm hearing as I'm crashing to earth!".

John, your bits are hilarious and you are a wonderful commedian. I look forward to seeing some live standup and many more CDs to come! I highly recommend this CD!

The Funniest Man Alive
John Pinette is the funniest man alive today. I wish he had a dozen CDs, I'd buy them all. Think of a non-gross Sam Kinison...that's John! And you can see him acting in the new "Punisher" film.

Show Me The Buffet!
Great stuff. His self depricating humor based on his weight is absolutely hysterical. At this point I'm suprised that my CD has any grooves left in it, because I listen to it beginning to end all the time. It never gets old, because his brand of humor is timeless. The material is very intelligent and well thought out, and again, will always be relevant. This CD is worth every penny if you like great comedy. Truely a must buy for any comedy collection.

Let's Take the Fat Boy for a walk!
Hilarious self-deprecating obsessions about food & obesity will leave you in tears. Every bit from the Grand Floridian buffet, to the water slide fiasco, to why John won't eat seaweed... you can listen to it over and over and it's STILL funny; in fact, I always find little moments I'd missed before because I was laughing so hard. Best of all, it's fresh, original material, and he doesn't need to lean on sex & bathrooom jokes like so many other lame jokesters... Don't download it - BUY it! Can't let the best comedian in years go starving, now can we? ;-) ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great Moments with Jerry Clower
My husband is a big fan of Jerry Clower I think that he has them all on Tape. I got him 10 New C.D. and am trying to get more on C.D.'s. I am looking for 17 more C.D.'s of Jerry Clower's. Does anyone out there know where I might beable to get them? The ones I have are: Ledbetter Olympics, Great Moments, More Good 'Uns, Legendary Clower, Live at Dolly Wood, Peach & Possums, More Clower Power, Greatest Hits, and Country Ham. huntons@strato.net If you could help me out Thanks. Linda

A Real Comic Genius
You won't hear any cuss words or risque material in Mr. Clower's comedic monologues, but what you will hear is clean, real-life comedy that comes from the heart. Having a young daughter, I have to watch what I listen to and watch when she's around. I have no problem listening to Mr. Clower with her in the room. When she gets old enough to understand things a little better, I'm going to let her listen to this album.
If you grew up in the South, especially Mississippi or Louisiana, Clower's stories should hit right at home. Granted, today's South is a lot different from Clower's days, but everyone has heard a story or lived an adventure along the same lines at some point if they lived in the southern states. These stories brought back a lot of memories for me, especially the hunting stories.

Sit back and remember the good ol' days with this album, or if you're a yankee, listen anyway and get jealous. This is clean fun for everybody, and the stories are nothing but enjoyable.

Knock'im out, John.

good stories and good humor
No one tells stories like Mr.Clower.I saw him at fair a few months before he passed away and I got to meet him and even have his autograph.His stories are great,and funny.This is a good introduction to Jerry Clower.Only flaw is the sound quality of the disc isn't that great.

The funniest album ever released
If there is a funnier album that Jerry Clower's Greatest Hits, I don't know what it could possibly be. Every cotton-picking one of these tracks is downright hilarious. Coon Huntin' Story is my favorite, and it goes way back to Jerry Clower's earliest recording days. I don't know where it was recorded, but you can actually hear a phone ringing in the background at one point during the story. What makes this particular story even funnier is a certain audience member who starts cackling uncontrollably when Jerry gets up to the "knock him out, John" part at the end. If laughing uncontrollably in public embarrasses you, you will want to go off by yourself and listen to this one. Another of Jerry's best-loved stories is Marcel's Talkin' Chain Saw; if you don't know who Marcel Ledbetter is, you really need to listen to this one. Coon Huntin' Monkey is a laugh riot, and The Chauffeur and the Professor has the audience rolling in the aisles. You won't find a story here less than a couple of minutes in length, whereas several of Jerry's regular albums feature a lot of short and therefore less comical bits. I'm not sure all of these stories would make it on my own list of Jerry's greatest hits, but they are all more than capable of adding some much-needed laughter to your day. You don't have to worry about listening to this album once and putting it away forever, either; you'll want to listen to this album time and time again. Jerry Clower was just naturally funny; the only thing funnier than his stories is the unique and unforgettable way in which he tells them. You feel like you know the man as soon as he starts talking; he is just folks, as we might say here in the South. This is good, clean comedy that everyone, no matter how young or old, can listen to and enjoy.

Better then Bisquits and Gravy
I saw Mr. Clower live in the early 1970's in Dallas, Texas. I have collected his albums and tapes since then. The funniest thing that I remember about Jerry is seeing him in a canary yellow leisure suit.

The stories he tells makes his characters more realistic than any other comedian. We will miss you Jerry. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A handful of contemporary movies have whimsically looked back at the '80s. Various bands have borrowed from the time period's musical trends with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. But Weird Al was busy sending up that decade while it was still happening. On Dare to Be Stupid, Yankovic parodies, among other things, smash hits by two reigning divas of yore. "Like A Surgeon" turns Madonna's song into an inexperienced doctor's first-person account of his, uh, practice. Weird Al's version of a certain Cyndi Lauper hit proclaims, "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch." In this loony world, the object of desire in "I Want a New Drug" is transformed into a duck. On "Yoda," Yankovic targets the Kinks' early '70s hit, "Lola." Who else but Weird Al would turn a song about sexual identity and confusion into a tune about George Lucas's "wrinkled and green" creature? --Fred Cisterna ... Read more

Reviews (79)

I Double Dare Ya!
This album carries on from 'In 3D' with more classic parodies and chuckle inducing original songs by the Master of parodies, Weird Al Yankovic. This ranks up there with later releases such as 'In the Deep End', 'Alapolooza' and 'Running With Scissors'. DARE is strictly a case of 'buy or die', if you like Weird Al.

LIKE A SURGEON - A medical (and malpratical) twist of the Madonna anthem. The video clip with Al cavorting around in surgical getup convulses me every time (all puns intended!). Love the heart monitor beeps sprinkled throughout the track until finally flat lining at the climax!

DARE TO BE STUPID - Can Devo get any funnier? Only if Al gets a hold of them! He imitates Devo's two singers to perfection and the lyrics are scream inducing: "You can be a crowning achiever or you can sit around the house and watch 'Leave It To Beaver' ".

I WANT A NEW DUCK - Watch Al batter Huey Lewis' 'I Want A New Drug' to death with a barrage of groan-producing 'duck' jokes. Love that quacking solo in the middle of the song.

ONE MORE MINUTE - This is the type of song I would kill to sing to an ex who had broken my heart. Yankovic recites a list of atrocities he would like to self-inflect rather than spend one more minute with his ex-girlfriend. The 'doo wop' background vocals are a nice touch and the video clip is a killer . . .literally!

YODA - Apparently Ray Davies loves what Al did to his rock staple 'Lola'. Dedicated to the Star Wars creature ' who looks like a Muppet, but he's wrinkled and green.'

GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE - Note perfect cover of the Jay Ward cartoon theme. Introduced me to George way before I saw the cartoons or the movie. Come along, everybody sing it with me: "Watch out for that (CRASH! "Ooh!") Tree!"

SLIME CREATURES FROM OUTER SPACE - A rocking tribute to those cheesy '50s sci-fi movies. A slight track, but it's got some good wordplay (and a quick nod to 'Ghostbusters' at track's end).

GIRLS JUST WANT HAVE LUNCH - An excuse for mass slurping and burping solos . . .. and why not? Cyndi Lauper's '80s 'Girl Power' Anthem gets taken out to lunch with some side splitting results: " She eats like she's got a hole in her neck and I'm the one who always get stuck with the check"

THIS IS THE LIFE - From the movie 'Johnny Dangerously', this is a bouncy hymn to being filthy rich and powerful. I wish, I wish . . .

CABLE TV - One of Al's television songs (but oddly a positive one), specifically about the joys of having cable. Another slight, but fun song.

HOOKED ON POLKAS - Another round of chart hits to be polkaed to death by Al and his band of cronies. Always a highlight of every Weird Al-bum (sorry about that!)

Stick your head in a microwave and get yourself a tan!
1985's "Dare to Be Stupid" is an album that doesn't fall short on becoming an 80's classic. While loosely glued together by a looney science fiction roller coaster ride, the tracks offer diehard fans a musical hodgepodge of pop, rock, and new wave. Signaling the growing popularity of MTV, "Dare to Be Stupid" is a unique time capsule that bursts with comic versatility. Indeed, this CD is suitable for small children and large-headed gastropods crawling all over the galaxy.
"Like a Surgeon" is an upbeat Madonna parody in which Al tries to avoid another malpractice suit. "I Want a New Duck" is a hilarious hard rock spoof that quacks and struts with a pair of webbed feet. "Yoda" pays an acoustic homage to both the Star Wars films and The Kinks' 1970's hit. Al's husky vocals on "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch" chew up and swallow Cyndi Lauper's playful women's anthem. Finally, "Hooked on Polkas" turns some of the most famous MTV acts on their ear. Such bands include Duran Duran, Quiet Riot, Tina Turner, and Twisted Sister.
Of course, listeners shouldn't forget the original songs that come on "Dare to Be Stupid." The album's title track is performed in the space age style of Devo. In addition, it encourages Trekkies and misfits alike to eat sushi, watch "Leave it to Beaver," and even befriend a plate of mashed potatoes. "One More Minute" is a smooth and psychotic sampling of doo-wop. What's interesting about this song is how it narrowly avoids getting targeted by the PMRC. Isn't it strange that Tipper Gore didn't care to examine the phrase, "I'm stranded all alone in the gas station of love, and I have to use the self-service pump?" And then there's "Slime Creatures from Outer Space," a funky, fast-paced rock tune that jams in a 1950's B-movie. The nostalgic "Cable T.V" salutes the birth of televised variety. It cheerfully mentions how an average customer can watch Bugs Bunny, Mr. Wizard, and even Porky's in a single week. "This is the Life" is a jazzy slice of modern Dixie. With its bouncy piano and banjo, this song celebrates Al's wealth and celebrity status, both of which he proudly flaunts.
If you have just been introduced to the Prince of Parody, then I recommend "Dare to Be Stupid" as a necessary addition to your CD collection. It's time to let your babies grow up to be cowboys. It's time to let the bed bugs bite. Just remember to watch out for that tree!

Narrowly the best of 80's Al.
After the success of "Eat It" from the previous year's IN 3-D, Al Yankovic had slightly less pressure to release this follow-up. As far as which is better to me, they're just about tied. Not surpringly, this became one of his biggest AL-bums.

1. Like A Surgeon -- PARODY of Madonna, where the subject is now a new doctor on the job and everything that goes wrong. Set to a teeny bit more of a computerized beat, this is one of his best 'hits', as well as doing very good at imitating her vocals, as well as her movies in the video.

2. The title track is one of his most famous originals, with a Devo style sound and about all the stupid things you can do on purpose - including, "Stick your head in the microwave and get yourself a tan."

3. I Want A New Duck -- PARODY of Huey Lewis, with a slightly hard/classic rocking sound. Now, Al wants a pet duck that is perfect and won't do things like quack all night, and that will wash his car, etc. Not a hit, but I wish it was. It would've made a great video.

4. One More Minute -- Another famous original, with a somewhat mock doo-wop sad ballad sound. Slightly depressing tune Al apparently wrote after his girlfriend dumped him. Includes all the things he'd rather do (i.e. "Clean all the bathrooms at grand central station with my tongue) than spend another minute with her.

5. Yoda -- PARODY of the Kinks, with a Star Wars theme. Although the original song (about a drag queen) is probably just as funny as this, it's still pretty good. Melodic tune about meeting Yoda in a swamp.

6. George of the Jungle -- Send-up of the classic TV show theme with sound effects. Not really essential, but worth a laugh.

7. Slime Creatures from Outer Space -- One of his most underrated originals. Uptempo rocking tune about ugly green aliens who are invading the world. "I sure hope they don't come in here, I just shampooed the rug!" he sings in one line. If you think all there is to Weird Al are the parody hits, you've gotta hear this.

8. Girls Just Wanna Have Lunch -- PARODY of Cyndi Lauper about girls who like to overeat at lunchtime. Though it still keeps the general fun, cutesy sound of the original, I can see why it wasn't a hit. It's good, but somehow just seems to lack a bit in lyrics and seems like it was written in a hurry.

9. This is the Life -- Another famous original based on the movie Johnny Dangerously. Sung in first person and based on the 1920's character's rich, frivilous lifestyle. Uptempo and piano based, but featuring a (good) mock Eddie Van Halen guitar solo.

10. Cable TV -- Mid tempo original about the (then) still new medium of cable. A bored Al suddenly gets it installed, and pretty soon he's watching the "Stock Report in Korean, and Porky's 27 times this week."

11. Hooked on Polkas -- The typical album polka medley, this time featuring popular songs in the 1983/84 era, including Owner of A Lonely Heart, Sharp Dressed Man, and What's Love Got to do With It."

Basically, I think this AL-bum holds together narrowly the best of all of 'em. There's a mostly new wavey-rock sound in keeping with the style of the day. Also, there's only 4 parodies, whereas most have 5. However, unlike most others, there's 3 famous originals here too.

"Weird Al's" masterpiece
Twenty years later, this is still a great listen.

I love the title track, and "One More Minute" is the greatest, most honest break-up song ever written.

Not the Best, but not too shabby.
Wierd Al didn't really start to hit his stride until the 1990s. DARE TO BE STUPID is one of his earlier albums (his 3rd, I believe). The parody songs on this album lack much of the originality that Wierd Al has become known for. The only parody song that completely works is "Yoda". Most of the others ("Girls Just Want to Have Lunch", "Like a Surgeon", "I Want a New Duck") contain so much absurdity that the humor of the parody is largely lost. However, there are some other gems. "George of the Jungle" is an almost perfect remake of the original song and Wierd Al's version of the song is the one that I've grown to like the best. "Slime Creatures From Outer Space" is also another great song satirizing the sci-fi flicks of the 1950s and early 1960s. Finally, "Hooked on Polkas" takes some snippets of then-current songs, puts them to polka music, and speeds the tempo making the songs more refreshing than their original counterparts. Overall, even though DARE TO BE STUPID isn't Wierd Al's best album and even though it lacks some of the originality and creativity that Wierd Al has become known for, it isn't a bad album. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If Sandler had shelved about half the material on this bloated 75-minute disc, he would have done the listener a big favor. At times, the relentless, one-note routines actually work. Sandler gets plenty of mileage out of fart after fart on "The Hypnotist." And every time the wise guys on "Respect" mumble that word, the funnier it gets. But too many skits go on forever. Lacking dramatic shape, they just hammer away at worn-out riffs. The five "Excited Southerner" tracks could certainly have been dumped. Sandler and his cowriters apparently think that the excited Southerner's stutter is enough to make these bits funny. Besides the dozen-plus comic routines, the disc contains seven songs, five of which feature full-blown musical productions and L.A. studio musicians. The standout number is "The Chanukah Song," one of two live recordings that feature a solo Sandler accompanying himself on guitar. --Fred Cisterna ... Read more

Reviews (91)

Laugh till it hurts
Adam Sandler is one of a handful of people who can make me laugh so hard my stomach gets a workout - perhaps because he and I share the exact same sense of humor, very rare that I find that. Anyway, listen to this cd front to back, then buy "Stan and Judy's Kid". "What the Hell Happened to Me?" is so funny that I find myself stifled trying to describe it. A track called "Do it for Mama" has a very strange mother..He describes annoying characters, as usual, with the kind of recognition that let's you know you're not alone in your annoyance with certain personality types. The great thing about Adam and his fans is that we aren't types at all, but individuals laughing at those who chose at some point in their lives to fall into a "type". People who try to "be cool" and "fit in" simply don't like Adam Sandler because they are basically his targets very often. Adam Sandler fans are independant thinkers, and his comic genius makes me laugh so hard that I don't listen to him very often because I might become permanently silly...who am I kidding I've never come back. It's the smartest people who are the silliest in this world, by necessity, while those "too cool" types sit around trying to impress each other. Thank God for Adam Sandler, a hell of a guy.

Sandler's Shenanigans
Oh my. This CD is awesome.

Tracks that are best are: "Ode to My Car" (classic!), "The Chanukah Song" (part 2 of which is in his CD "Stan and Judy's Kid") and "Dip Doodle" (just hilarious)

The best skits are the first two: "Joining the Cult" and "Respect" (about an Italian boy's grandfather and grandfather's friends at a social club--pay attention to Sammy!)

"Do It For Your Mama" was just a LITTLE bit freaky, but the whole CD, even with the "explicit lyrics" is perfect for the Sandler fan.

Go buy it. You'll love it.

awesome
this cd is incredible. thats all i have to say

Cut out the excited Southerner cr*p and I'll give it 4.5
I really like Adam Sandler but I agree that the sterotypical southerner is not very funny. People can make fun of us and we can enjoy it if it is well done...this was not. In contrast such pieces as the farting hypnotist was by contrast ROTFL funny.

An Apt Title
I thought I was a fan of Adam Sandler until I bought this CD and
listened to all of it. Adam Sandler is a great comedic actor in
films, as he was on SNL, but he is NOT George Carlin or Bill Cosby!
The ONLY good thing on this disc is "The Chanukah Song". Track #18,
"Mr. Bake-O" is about a guy getting massively stoned. One wonders
if this was recorded first as a "live" event, as only someone under
the influence of marijuana could find the rest of this stuff funny!
The "Excited Southerner" character does not sound like anyone from
the south I've met. Tracks 3,4,5,7,9,10,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,and 20
are disappointingly unfunny, while track 11, "Do it for your Mama",
is sick, gross, and just plain wrong!

Recommendation: go to a legal download site and pay a buck to
download "The Chanukah Song" and skip the rest! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Denis Leary's stance as an unregenerate, chain-smoking, meat-eating, angry young man is intense, to say the least. But his act made him a star for one reason: His jokes are funny. No Cure for Cancer is drawn mostly from Leary's one-man show of the same name, which is full of tough love for '90s therapy-addicted crybabies, and no-holds-barred advice for idiots (which is to say, anyone who gets in Leary's way). Head for the hills when he picks up a guitar, as he does on several ill-advised comedic songs here, but listen up when Leary's straight talk makes perfect (and hilarious) sense. To crack addicts, for example, his message is simple: "Never do a drug named after a part of your own ass." --Daniel Durchholz ... Read more

Reviews (50)

Funny Stuff, People
I was watching TV one night and all of a sudden No cure for Cancer comes on. I wasn't even into stand up acts that much but I decided to watch it since I had heard of Denis Leary before and I wanted to see what would happen. It started out with his famous song "a-hole", which I immediately thought was funny. But then when the stand up started I was laughing like I had never laughed before. I usually don't laugh at things out loud, especially things on TV, and especially when I'm alone at night. But this was some funny stuff, people. His bits on Cocaine, NyQuil, meat, and he talks about death and he makes death funny. He also does an impression of people with voice boxes and it is just laugh-out-loud comedy! He curses a lot, but so does almost every other comedian that ever lived! I bought the cd after watching it on TV and I would've paid twice as much for it. I have listened to it probably 25 times after buying it a month and a half ago. By the way, I've never heard Bill Hicks' comedy before but I'm sure it's funny. But even if Denis Leary did steal any of his comedy, there's no way he stole all of it. And the parts about smoking (which is what Bill Hicks' comedy is supposed to be based on mainly) isn't only what's funny on Denis's cd. Everything Denis made up on the cd is funny, plus whatever he may have stolen from Bill Hicks' stand up. So buy this cd, and I know you will be happy you bought it. I'm only 14, and Denis Leary has shown me that stand up comedy is funny.

Newsflash - You can like Denis Leary AND Bill Hicks shock!
It got real boring, real fast, reading all the pious reviewers giving this low marks because Leary is like Bill Hicks. Hicks was a genius - ok, lets get that out of the way.

But you know what, you can be heavily influenced (there is no material steal, just style and attitude) and still be very funny and relevent. And Leary is. This is funny. Do you never listen to Led Zeppelin, because they "ripped off" Willy Dixon? Do you never watch Tarantino because he ripped of every style under the sun? Do you not watch Star Wars because it was based loosely on Lord Of The Rings? No, of course not.

My test is, is it funny and does the material have enough originality to stand up on its own. Yes to both, this is a very funny and well executed show. If some of you feel that you can't listen to it subjectively because you feel "right on" about his style being influenced by another, then fine. However you had better throw out most of your CD collection, book collection and DVD collection if you feel that way, because guess what!!!.....

BILL HICKS KARAOKE BY DENIS LEARY
Denis leary is an absoulute thief!
For anyone out there who have been blessed with the comedy of Bill Hicks you will know exactly what I mean.
Denis Leary has made a living by stealing word for word idea for idea in most cases the work of a far greater comedian.
Leary does not have a talented bone in his body, oh except for when he is doing his MILLER commercials. Get the f*&% off the artisitc roll call you no talent cracker.
If you wantt o hear Denis leary dooing bill hicks then by this.

BUt if you want to hear the real thing and better times 1 million then please by BILL HICKS, your life will change for the better. I promise you that.
And as the great man would once say "CASE F%&^$N CLOSED"

Wow!
The world loses Bill Hicks to pancreatic cancer.
Dennis Leary copies his act and releases an album called No Cure For Cancer.
As the Pope would say, this man has chutzpah!

Classic Leary
Despite the criticism against Leary for being too much like Bill Hicks, Dennis Leary is still very funny and raw in his own right. I got this CD when it first came out and it quickly became one of the most played stand-up recordings for quite some time.

Leary is brutally honest, edgy, and in my mind, represents the Bostonian, Irish American sense of humor very well. The opening song itself (A-hole) is so funny; I can somehow relate to it. To me, he represents free-thinking, non-conforming people who could not care less about being PC and have no problem speaking their opinions--regardless of who doesn't like it. I love people like that, and Dennis Leary is no exception.

I love how he unrepentantly maligns the politically correct sacred cows of this country. He likes red meat, likes to smoke, and generally despises the bleeding-heart types in society. Now that's my kind of guy. Chances are, if you like what you hear so far, he's your type of guy too. Get the CD, you will not be dissapointed! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Even women find this guy hysterical!
Robert Schimmel cracks me up. I laugh the loudest in comedy clubs when he comes to town, so I just had to get the CD to listen to -- when I'm at home... alone... behind closed doors so other people won't know what I think is funny... It is impossible not to quote Schimmel at just the right moment... he has such attitude! He's my favorite comic, and I just heard he has a new show on FOX TV this fall! Buy this and laugh the WHOLE time!

Schimmel is a great rising comedian.
I'm a die hard George Carlin fan and when I saw Robert Schimmel's HBO special, Unprotected, I knew I had to have the CD. This is a great album for any fan of non-sugarcoated comedy such as that of Carlin and Leary. But note that Schimmel isn't as "negative" as Carlin and Leary. Rather, Schimmel hits on more "personal" topics to entertain his audience and it works! This is definately a must-buy CD!

The best
As a pretty big comedy fan thanks to XM radio, i have listened to a lot of comics and I own a lot of comic CD's (Mitch Hedberg, Bill Hicks, Emo Philips, Lewis Black, Steven Wright, Pablo Francisco etc.) and my absolute favorite is Unprotected. There is not a slow part on this CD and it never fails to bring everyone to tears on a long car ride. His quick and merciless wit is better than any other comic in the US. His family must be very understanding since he doesn't hesitate to include every detail of their personal lives in his act, but it all serves to create a punchline that we can all relate to. The highlights of this CD are his daughter's boyfriend and guidelines for resuming sex after a heart attack. I highly highly reccomend this.

video would be better!!!
mr.robert schimmel is the funniest comic i ever heard, but i think if he would sell it on video it would be a lot funnier. you can see the expresions behind the joke....keep up the good work.

ROBERT SCHIMMEL RULES!
Robert Schimmel is one of the funniest comedians around. These CDs showcase his hilarious stand-up routines. If he comes to your town I would strongly urge you to see him LIVE. He is simply hysterical. Men and women alike will love his humor. Be warned, however; he touches on many sexual situations. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

"Heeeeeeer's your sign!" A Great Comedy Album
I was very surprised with this CD. Bill Engvall's "Here's Your Sign" proves to be a very funny and honest comedy album. I really had never heard any of his material before purchasing this album, but I decided to give it a shot. Bill Engvall is a very talented and funny comedian.

The material is everyday occurances, which makes it more funnier. He talks about family life, golf, snakes, and stupid people. His funniest track is "here's your sign," in where he talks about how stupid people should have signs on their heads.

Stupid Guy: "Hey, did ya catch all them fish."
Bill: (Pauses) "Nope. Talked them into surrendering. Heeeeeer's your sign."

My other favorite tracks are "going to the fair," "I.G. Joe," "nobody disciplines their kids anymore," and "things have changed." Bill Engvall is pretty much clean, althought his material might get just the slightest big adult oriented at times, but nothing that will shock or disgust you. He reminds me of Jeff Foxworthy a little, except I think I like Bill just a little bit more.

This whole CD is funny, and I'm glad I bought it. Bill Engvall is a very funny guy, and I look forward into buying his other albums. "Here's Your Sign" is a very funny album that is worth purchasing.

A friend introduced me to Bill Engvall's cd
One of my high school friends lent me this cd to listen to one night on dorm restriction to waste time. I've never laughed so hard! I went out and bought my own copy, and now we own Here's your sign, Dork Fish and Here's your Sign Christmas cd. Everyone should listen to these, he is great!

Hilarious, Four-and-a-half, PG-13
One-half star off for language.

In our family, comedy CD's are a passion and this is one of our favorites. It's appeal is apparently universal.

One of Engvall's greatest talents is his ability to create so many different voices which transport you to the skit. He does several southerners, west coasters, kids and women. You'll find yourself imitating his jokes and his style in dialect.

Finding clean comedy is a quest and Here's Your Sign is only a slight disappointment. The harshest language here is "hell" and "damn" and those usages are mostly in keeping with the thrust of the given routine. They easily pass un-noticed.

Somewhat more problematic is the adult humor which, while inoffensive in adult company, might not be appropriate to younger folks. These cases are few (4 or so). Examples are "giving mommy a pile driver", "do not insert in any orifice", "the dogs watch us (making love)" and a couple lengthier routines about sex. Nothing raunchy, just don't want to listen to it with my kids, or my parents, for that matter. The skip and fast forward buttons resolved this for us, but if an edited version were released, I would buy it. And I would give it 5 stars.

Hilarious...My family listens to it everytime we travel
If you like comedy where stupid people get made fun of.....YOU WILL LOVE THIS CD! Here's your sign is a classic, and will never die! Perfect for listening to in the car on trips. No matter who i tell some of the stories to they all laugh! You WILL NOT regret buying this cd!

Hysterical!
I LOVE this CD...awe heck, I love all of Bill Engvall's work! My son knows this CD by heart! ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Best comedian in the USA, hands down!!
Pablo's comedy is fantasic and you won't be disappointed. This was Pablo's first comedy CD and he has made several since this 1997 effort. I saw Pablo at the Tempe, AZ Improv ~1997 as a warm up comedian and thought he was fantastic. The "Move Guy" performance is absolutely spot on. Pablo recently played at the Tempe Improv and I brought a group of friends to see him. This guy is one of the best comedians in the country. Why he is not more well known or doing SNL / movies, I don't know. If you ever have a chance to see him live don't miss the opportunity. The way he does the "Movie Guy" scenes, you really feel like your at the movies.

Pablo needs some new material!
I originally learned about Pablo Francisco by seeing his special on Comedy Central. I thought he was hilarious. So I was thrilled to see he had a comedy album out, and was quick buy it. I was pretty diappointed to find that almost all of this CD was the same as the routine I'd already seen on TV. Only instead of talking about boy bands, he was talking about Aaron Neville. It's like the same stuff as he did on Comedy Central, only set in the early 90's. Don't get me wrong. Pablo is one of the greatest comics I've seen, and the CD will definitely make you laugh. (My favorite bit on the album was when he does an impression of a Latino Pauly Shore & Jerry Seinfeld. Hilarious!) I just wish he'd get some new material.

What's the big deal?
Sorry, I bought this based upon the other recommendations and was sorely disappointed. Best I can say is that it is relatively clean. Laughed a couple times. Most of the CD is an exercise in Pablo's impersonation abilities -- which aren't bad. Most of it is poking harmless fun at other cultures, mixed with his singing. If you want to laugh, I suggest Brian Regan. He's clean and hilarious.

The Latino Leary.....
Dude, if you don't already own this, PUT IT IN YOUR CART NOW!! This guy's one of the funniest people I've ever seen. His impersinations and sound effects are no different than experiencing the real thing. And if anybody didn't laugh at the Movie Previews track, they should be struck down by lightning for dissobeying the gods of comedy. Either that or the bug hasn't crawled out of your [behind] yet. BUY THIS NOW. Anyone who doesn't may have to deal with Pablo's Mexican girlfriend.

Knee to the Groin
I bought this CD because it got a 5 star rating, and I was so disappointed. I realize it was recorded in 1997, but the jokes are totally obsolete and I didn't even crack a smile during the entire CD. Not funny at all. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

HE SHOULD BE ASHAMED!
This guy use to play in a band with the late, great Gram Parsons!!??!

the other novelty artist
Jim Stafford, at times, has a voice similar to that of Hoyt Axton and Jerry Reed. Stafford, more than any of the other novelty/comedy acts, was more quirky than funny. the humor on this CD comes from his home-spun delivery and the only laugh-out-loud song for me is "You Can Call Me Clyde", with it's Roger Miller-type lyric "yeah, i'm standin' here naked with my clothes on and you can call me clyde"; while the others are quietly funny. his big hits, or the ones he's known for, are the first 3 and track 5. while Stafford never gets dead serious, there are three songs on here {7, 8, and 10} that would resemble serious/non-novelty performances. "Turn Loose of My Leg", track 4, is about a wild girl and the dignified and well-mannered guy who reminds her "i'm not that kind of man", which is hilarious because usually it's the WOMAN who uses a similar over-used line like that. "Wildwood Weed" was a Top-10 pop hit...the CD kicks off with my favorite, "Spiders and Snakes", sold a million copies for Stafford and it hit the pop Top-10 in '74. Stafford's commercial success was in 1974-1975 and then nothing charted for him until 1981 with "Cow Patti" {track 5} and then two more singles hit the country charts but by that time he didn't really need a singing career because he was well known on TV on several country music shows plus being a host on an animal program in 1980-1981...he later opened up his own theatre. This CD introduces everyone to Jim Stafford's comedy {with 3 serious songs thrown in} and you can judge for yourself if he's your kind of performer.

My thoughts
I have searched everywhere for this CD and no one knew anything about this artist, I wish he had more music out there cause I would buy them all. I hope you enjoy him as much as my family has (past & present).

Great Music, good Laughs
I listened to this when I was a little girl, then as a teenager, and an adult, I still have friends asking me about this music. Great entertainer, Wild Wood Weed is my personal favorite. Great Music,

Simple songs that are funny and thoughtfull
My only regret is that Jim Stafford has`nt come out with anything new. You dont see songs like this anymore, its a nice change from the typical music from that era. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

Not "Bad" :)
This is a pretty good Weird Al album. My faves are Fat, Lasagna, This Song's Just Six Words Long, and I think the old skool hip-hop Twister commercial is a hoot.

I can't really see what the big deal is about I Think I'm A Clone Now (a parody of Tommy James & The Shondells' 1967 hit "I Think I'm Alone Now" -- covered by Tiffany at the time Weird Al did this parody). Lines like "a womb with a view" just don't provoke a big chuckle for me.

This Song's Just Six Words Long is a pretty funny parody of the George Harrison song "Got My Mind Set On You," but I have a little problem with it every time I listen to it: The original lyric is "I Got My Mind Set On You." Seven words. So in order to make his lyric fit correctly into the melody, Al sings the line like "This Song *is* Just Six Words Long." Here very clearly enunciates the extra "is" in there. Making it actually just SEVEN words long. It just doesn't work properly.

Al's originals are better than usual but still skippable. Let's face it, with any Weird Al album, the parodies are the thing. Some of the lyrics are funny, but Al's really a much better parodist than he is an original songwriter.

My last problem with buying any Weird Al album is that, while they are all funny and enjoyable, they feel a little like letdowns after seeing Al's videos of the songs. This is one artist whose music videos actually *enhance* the experience -- mainly because it gives Al a chance to go nuts and make hilarious parodies of the original artists' videos. The combination is great. A perfect example is the "Fat" video. Funnier than heck. Just listening the song on the album doesn't give you the best experience, IMO. For that, you just have to watch the video of it.

But all in all, this album is a good time.

Weird Al is amazing!
Weird Al deserves all the credit he can get. After all these years, he is still coming up with unbelievably clever lyrics to popular songs, and even writes his own wacky songs. "Even Worse" is probably one of his best albums, although they're all so good. Everyone can appreciate "Fat," the parody of Michael Jackson's "Bad." Next, Al describes a kooky dream in "Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White." In Al's happy-go-lucky parody of "I've Got my Mind Set on You," he pokes fun at artists who don't put much work into writing their music. ("This Song's Just Six Words Long.") "You Make Me" is a mediocre song about how Al's girl drives him crazy. "I Think I'm a Clone Now"... probably the best song on the album. We all know "I Think We're Alone Now," and we all laugh when we hear Al transform it into a song about his clone. "Lasanga" is a song that pokes gentle fun at Italians, but nothing that should be offensive. The song is mostly about all of the Italian food that they pride themselves in cooking. "Melanie" is another one of the best songs on the album... in it, Al takes on the role of a stalker and sings about Melanie, the girl whom he is stalking. "Alimony" is a parody of "Mony Mony" and is another mediocre song from which divorced individuals particularly can get a laugh out of. "Velvet Elvis" is another song which is not as funny, about an obsession with a velvet Elvis bought at a garage sale. "Twister"... a very short song which sounds like a mere commercial for the game. Finally, Al ends the CD on a good note. "Good Old Days" begins as a nostalgic ballad, and makes us begin to think of our good old days, but then comes the shock, and next, the laughter as Al sings about the trouble he made back in the good old days.
You can't do much better than "Even Worse!" It is well worth your money.

One of his Best
"Fat" 5/5-Funny song and hilarious music video
"Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White" 2/5-Catchy, but a little boring after multiple times
"(This Song's Just)Six Words Long" 4/5-A great parody off of the original song
"You Make Me" 4/5-What sort of person would make him want to break the walls of time and space?

Not his best but still damned good
I would have to say Al's best album is his first, self-titled one (although despite all its bashing "Polka Party" must be high simply because it includes "Living With a Hernia," easily his greatest achievement), but this is not bad at all. I have yet to hear a Weird Al album that rates lower than five stars, and this album, despite having a couple low points, would be top rated if all it had on it was "(This Song's Just) Six Words Long." Here's a breakdown of the songs:

Fat--What can be said? This is not as good as "Eat It," but has the distinction of being the only song that can claim to be the "second by the same artist that Al has covered." To date, he has yet to send up anyone other than Michael Jackson on more than one song. Rather surprising, considering the plethora of parodiable songs over the years.

Stuck In A Closet With Vanna White--This is way to long, and could be lost without significant loss to the album as a whole. Typical surrealism for an Al original.

(This Song's Just) Six Words Long--Absolutely died laughing the first time I heard this. It is a dead-on slap in the face of the Quiet Beatle, and the lyrics are not much more inane than the original they cover...in fact, they sound like the thoughts that must have been running through the writer's head when he penned it.

You Make Me--This gets even weirder than the second song, and sets the stage for all the originals on the album with its insane lyrics and hyperactive pace.

I Think I'm A Clone Now--I've never heard the original this satirizes but what would be the point? Like "Like a Surgeon," there is no way the original could be as good (I've often found this to be the case with Al).

Lasagna--Parody of "Labamba," which was stupid in and of itself, but it's good to hear the accordian again.

Melanie--This song could have been so much better, with an average of one funny line in an entire four-line section and a very drawn-out ending. For my money, the best Weird Al song about unrequited/lost love is "You Don't Love Me Anymore," which piles on the insanity and also keeps a straight face with much better results than this one. Look upon this as practice.

Alimony--Hands down one of his best parodies, a perfect slap at whiny divorced women who take their exes to the cleaners in such a way. Okay, not always the case, but its still a funny song; lighten up, will ya?

Velvet Elvis--I could have sworn this was a Police rip-off, but now I see it's just "in their style." Anyway, it isn't very good, and when I burned this CD for myself I left it (and the next song) off.

Twister--I told you, I left it off.

The Good Old Days--People should know by now that Al's sense of humor is very sick when he lets it be. Bashing a nice guy's head in is typical, and while it is not his best "sick" song ("Christmas at Ground Zero" has to take that prize) it is still quite funny. Face it, folks, death and physical pain are really funny in the proper context (Mel Brooks once said "Tragedy is when I cut my finger; comedy is when YOU walk into an open sewer and die"), and Al has the ability to capture that. Sometimes even physical pain on one's self can be hilarious, believe me, but better when it's someone else. In any case, a dose of sick humor to close out an album is good for the soul.

Buy this album, but don't get mad if every song after the third one sounds grossly substandard by comparison (he must have put "Fat" first so it wouldn't encounter that fate).

Even Worse is right... the humour wears a bit thin here
Weird Al's fifth album sets three precedents. One, he mimics an album cover, i.e. Michael Jackson's Bad. Two, it's the first time he took a year off inbetween recordings. Three, there is no polka medley here. Four, the album's title, in comparison to his previous releases, is accurate--even worse, though it's merely good, not great.

"Fat", sending up Michael Jackson's "Bad" and is about someone very on the portly side, who's got "more chins than Chinatown" and who "takes up seven rows in a movie theatre." Some of the material seems like a reconstruction fat jokes that have been told in junior or high schools.

"Stuck In A Closet With Vanna White" is a guitar rocker with weird dreams told to a psychiatrist. It's bizarre, not too funny.

"(This Song's Just) Six Words Long" sends up George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set On You", dwelling on the simplicity of the song and not too substantial verses. When Al sings "I never wrote the lyrics", he is right. George was doing a cover of a Rudy Clark song, so despite Al's poking fun, it isn't the Quiet One's fault. Hey, it did get to #1.

"You Make Me" is a quick-tempo new wave Cars or Devo-like song, with alternating levels of weirdness. "you make me wanna write dozen book reports then pack myself in styrofoam", "you make me wanna make a model of the Eiffel Tower out of Belgian waffles",
"you make me wanna do my laundry in the dark, and use a recommended bleach." Weird but surreal.

Then comes a send-ups of one of two Tommy James covers that went to #1 in 1987. "I Think I'm A Clone Now" is about having oneself duplicated. "I guess you could say I'm beside myself." and being born "without a father and a mother, just a test tube and a womb with a view" are some of the clever lyrics here.

"Lasagna" is a send-up of "La Bamba", which was covered by Los Lobos, and is a food song done in a silly Italian accent. "You want a some-a lasagna magnifico/or-a maybe spaghetti/Hey you suppa's a ready/now where-a you go/mama mia bambino/samatta you?" Silly and fun.

"Melanie", about the girl of his dreams refuses to go out with him, mimics a Bangles-type sound. "Are you still mad I gave a mohawk to your cat?" Yeah, that's probably it, Al. And maybe because this song isn't too funny.

"Alimony" is Tommy James cover number two: "Mony Mony" The horrible woman to whom he owes the title noun not only took his nest egg but also his nest, and also "Alimony (my house)/Alimony (my car)/Alimony (my shoes)/Alimony (and my toothbrush)" Instead of "yeah yeah yeah", it's "debt debt debt" There's a close replication of Steve Stevens' squealing guitar too.

"Velvet Elvis" replicates the Police's early dub-reggae sound even down to the "yo-oh" while "Twister," about the Milton-Bradley game, mimics the Beastie Boys white-boy rap.

"Good Old Days" is a quiet and sentimental acoustic song about his childhood and an idyllic small town life, whose humorous bits are spoiled when he thinks its funny to bash in a nice man's head or torture rats with hacksaws. And he sings the refrain "those were the good old days"? Funny is one thing, but this veers towards sickness.

The formula is starting to wear thin. The send-ups and original songs are fine, but the decline that began with Polka Party is more pronounced here due to the lack of freshness. One of his polka medleys could've saved this, actually. It isn't till two albums later, with Off The Deep End, that he regains his touch. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Robert Schimmel is The Undisputed King of Comedy
This is the funniest CD you can buy, period. It's truly a masterpiece, without a single dead spot and literally hundreds of solid laughs. He may not be the best known or most famous comedian in the world (YET!) but Robert Schimmel is a real pro, hitting you with a non-stop barrage of heavy duty jokes that will absolutely destroy any audience. If I could give a money back guarantee on this CD, I would. It's simply that good. Robert Schimmel has been around for years, working all the best clubs and doing TV, but to really get an accurate indication of what "state of the art" comedy is these days, you'll have to either get this CD or see him on stage. Actually, I recommend both! He's the very best there is, easily heir to the throne of Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, etc.

HILARIOUS...PERIOD!!!
I've been listening to comedy albums since the early 70's from artists such as Carlin, Pryor, Cosby (to name a few) and as the 80's approached (and the birth of MTV), comedians really began to gain mass appeal as a broader audience tuned in. There've been an awful lot of comedians over the past 20 years or so who have released albums/cds and as funny as most of them are, This cd has got to be THE funniest piece of work I've ever heard. From the beginning (with the horse farts bit) to the ending (with the guy's son on the speaker phone), This cd doesn't have a weak moment on it and I'm here to tell you that you'll have tears spewing from your eyes listening to this one. What makes Schimmel so good and different from most comedians around is his ability to hit you with one-liners and little jokes and before you can compose yourself, tell a story which will have you falling off your seat. He doesn't stick to one format and it's that which makes him funny and at the same time, unpredictable. As a bonus, this is also an 'enhanced cd', meaning you can stick it in your computer hard drive and enjoy concert clips and extra funny tidbits. Get this cd and laugh your you-know-what off!

Hall of Fame Comedy
This album is hilarious start to finish.

The highlight:

Not only that, who took it to the patent office?

"Next."

"Yeah, it's a cone you stick up your a**."

"Security!"

If you listen to this - you, too, will give it 5 stars!
I'm not a big fan of comedy CD's, but Robert Schimmel is fantastic. I actually got this as a copy from a friend, and I ended up buying it - it's that good! I won't lie - I literally cried beacuse I was laughing so hard. My face hurt from laughing, and my side ached. He is disgusting, and perverted, and raw - but, oh so truthful. He comments on the most mudane things in life, but brings out the humor in them. If you want to laugh like there's no tomorrow - buy this CD.

Daring, sophisticated and powerful
Robert Schimmel's unapologetic humour at first seems over the top, then it grows on you. Four-letter words fly left, right and centre, but soon it does not shock you any more and you begin to appreciate his razor-sharp wit.

Schimmel offers elaborate and accurate insight into the messy and not-so-glamorous world of sex, masturbation and intimate fantasies derived from blue movies which are subsequently shattered in marital bed. He is a comedian, therefore he openly admits on stage to things that you would never admit to anyone else and not always to yourself.

Despite his extraordinary capability to make you laugh, Schimmel is one of the most serious and deep-looking comedians, in the same league as Elvira Kurt. His act actually makes you think without being preachy or patronizing. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Favorite topics on this collection of Weird Al classics include food and medical problems. Superstar Michael Jackson gets sent up twice: "Bad" is transformed into "Fat" and "Beat It" becomes "Eat It," a hit in its own right. Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love" is turned into a paean to potatoes, "Addicted to Spuds." And Los Lobos' version of the durable "La Bamba" is reconfigured into "Lasagna." Madonna's "Like a Virgin" becomes a song about a different kind of beginner on "Like a Surgeon," while James Brown's "Living in America" is parodied on "Living with a Hernia." If you want to take a funhouse mirror trip back to the 1980s, Greatest Hits is a good way to do it. Produced by rock & roll veteran Rick Derringer, who rocked out with Johnny and Edgar Winter and produced Meatloaf and Kiss. --Fred Cisterna ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Not All You Need to Know, But Still An Excellent Overview
The 1980s are generally conceived to be Weird Al Yankovic's peak artistically. Of course, as far as hits go, Yankovic only had a handful in both the 1980s and 1990s, but he had a number of tracks that stood out in his albums, especially in the former decade. And VOL. 1- GREATEST HITS, for the most part, showcases that era effectively.

First off, it should be mentioned that Yankovic occasionally wrote parodies/songs that were dull and/or were lacking humor. And there are decidedly a couple of songs here that are not funny, but "Lasagna" is probably the only dull tune on this collection. However, regardless of whether the songs are funny or not (the humor depends on the consumer), there is no arguing with the other songs that made it to this GREATEST HITS- especially "Eat It"; "Like a Surgeon"; "I Lost on Jeopardy"; and "Fat." But it is hard to not think about what else could have been on this- Yankovic may not have been a huge hit king, but he still had several standouts that probably should have been here, such as "Yoda"; "Christmas at Ground Zero"; "I Love Rocky Road"; "Another One Rides the Bus"; and "My Bologna." The latter three songs- his earliest hits- are especially missed, since they arguably rank among Yankovic's best work.

But then again, the absence of those early hits may actually be a benefit to this non-chronological order list of songs; what this collection does, intentionally or not, is that it showcases Yankovic as a new wave artist who consistently parodied new wave hits. The polka arrangements that he gave for those three aforementioned hits would have felt a little awkward with the rest of the oh-so-80s slick material here. It still would have been nice to have those songs here, but the material on GREATEST HITS still defines pretty well who Yankovic was in the 1980s. If you want to go in depth, you may be better off with the PERMANENT RECORD anthology, or even just buying every one of the albums GREATEST HITS represents. But for those people who can only take so much of Yankovic, or want to hear just Yankovic's biggest hits from "Ricky" to "Fat," should find VOL. 1-GREATEST HITS very satisfying.

Where's "My Bologna" and "Another One Rides The Bus"?
Growing up hearing the tunes "Amish Paradise" and others from Bad Hair Day, I figured it would be worthwhile to look into 'Weird Al' Yankovic's earlier work. And no CD title gives the impression of worthwhile better than Greatest Hits. So with that in mind, I picked up this album hoping to catch up on the 13-something years I'd missed out on. And although every single song here is a classic, I was heartbroken (choice word) not to find "My Bologna" or "Another One Rides The Bus" in the track listing. Was "My Bologna" not the song that got Dr. Demento interested in this guy? And with just ten songs I couldn't believe they excluded them. Whatever the case may be, this is still an advisable purchase if you're looking for Al in the '80s in a (small) nutshell. An overview...

1. Fat - 5/5 - classic parody of Michael Jackson's "Bad". Since every song here contains numerous great lines--that being the reason you'd buy this--from here on out I'll just list a highlight part of each song. Highlight quote: 'when I walk out to get the mail / it measures on the Richter scale' (in the background).

2. Eat - 5/5 - more Michael Jackson ("Beat It"). Highlight quote: '...if it's getting cold, reheat it!'.

3. Like A Surgeon - 5/5 - I actually heard Madonna gave Al the idea for this song. That, in itself, is hilarious. Highlight quote: there's few, but listen closely at the end to hear the fadeout of that heartbeat thingy. Priceless.

4. Ricky - 3/5 - almost as annoying as the original (sadly). I can't really think of a highlight quote; the endless shouts of 'oh Ricky / you're so fine' outweigh everything else.

5. Addicted To Spuds - 3.5/5 - decent parody of "Addicted To Love". Highlight quote: '...I can't deny they've got a-peel'.

6. Living With A Hernia - 3/5 - this is not one of my favorites, though it is continuously funny (and sick). The highlight here is how the chorus is sung.

7 - Dare To Be Stupid - 4/5 - absolutely crazy. It moves kind of quick to remember a specific quote, but the parts about Mr. Goodbar and spitting on fish always make me laugh.

8. Lasagna - 4.5/5 - one of the funniest songs of all-time, when you compare it to the original. The gurgling and Luigi parts are definitely memorable.

9. I Lost On Jeopardy - 5/5 - probably my personal favorite Al original. Every single line here is hilarious, but it's the '...and let me tell you what you DIDN'T win...' passage that sticks out. Also, 'well I sure hope I do better / next weekend on The Price Is Right' is quite jovial.

10. One More Minute - 3/5 - highlight quote: 'I'd rather get a hundred thousand paper-cuts on my face / then spend one more minute with you'. Other than that line, there's not much to love.

I cannot emphasize enough how greatly lacking this compilation is without "My Bologna" and "Another One Rides The Bus". It could've been more (to say the least). Also, there is no polka song here. It's trademark Al to have one song blending polka and current pop hits. On yet another down note, there is no booklet but only the cover and backside art. It doesn't appear that they (Imaginary Entertainment) put much effort into this recording. Oh well, it's still 'Weird Al' Yankovic, right? So if you're looking to get a quick glimpse of Al's early days, this is a great place to start. On the other hand, if you want it all at once, Permanent Record--the box set--is the way to go. But with songs like "Fat", "Eat It" and "I Lost On Jeopardy", you can't afford to pass this up. It's an essential for your collection.

A nice look at the early career
This CD puts many of Al's greatest songs from the first 5 years of his career into one collection. It's really great to realize how many awesome songs Al was able to put out in his early career. All of the song will have you rolling on the floor with laughter. This CD is good for someone who doesn't have the early albums, or someone who just wants to complete their collections.

I Have the Cassette Tape!
I have this Weird Al Yankovic Greatest Hits album, I have it on cassette tape. It has some of his funniest song parodies but tmy personal favorites are Fat, Eat It, Like A Surgeon, Ricky, Addicted to Spuds, Living with a Hernia, Lasagna and One More Minute and I find them very amusing and I recommend this album. BTW: A few years ago I saw Weird Al Yankovic in concert and it was very good, he put on a very entertaining show!

Not the Best
I have this CD and I don't think it's the best because it is missing "Another One Rides the Bus" and "My Bologna." ... Read more