Friday, June 17, 2011

Running With Scissors (1999)


PARODIES: 7. This album was the first by Al that I didn’t bother to buy or borrow and copy from a friend. Still, I feel like I’ve heard these parodies floating in the ether somehow. I didn’t much like them then, but now, finally giving the album a full spin, I feel much more mellow toward these songs. None of them are particularly groundbreaking, but “Jerry Springer” (Barenaked Ladies’ “One Week”) takes the idea from Alapalooza’s “Talk Soup” and actually improves upon it. The Puff Daddy parody “It’s All About The Pentiums” feels like a dry run for “White and Nerdy,” but there’s a lot of great lines here.



ORIGINALS: 8. No stinkers, but no timeless classics either. The choice of Zydeco as the style for “My Baby’s In Love With Eddie Vedder” is particularly inspired though, and what a left-field idea to do a style parody of truck-driving songs!



POLKA MEDLEY: 7. Solid, but kind of by-the-numbers.



OVERALL: 7. I’m glad I finally caught up with this album, but it’s definitely good, not great.

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