"Weird Al" Yankovic (album)
| "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
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| Studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
| Released | May 3, 1983 | |||
| Recorded | 1980–1983 Cherokee Studios, Hollywood |
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| Genre | Comedy | |||
| Length | 32:34 | |||
| Label |
Rock 'n Roll Records Scotti Brothers |
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| Producer | Rick Derringer | |||
| "Weird Al" Yankovic chronology | ||||
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| Singles from "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| The Daily Vault | B− |
| Rolling Stone | |
"Weird Al" Yankovic is the self-titled debut album by American parodist Alfred "Weird Al" Yankovic. The album was the first of many produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Mostly recorded in March 1982, the album was released by Rock 'n Roll Records as an LP and on Compact Cassette in 1983.
Consisting of five direct parodies and seven original songs, "Weird Al" Yankovic parodies pop and rock music of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and satirizes American culture and experiences of the same time period. Half of the album is made up of parodies, featuring jabs at Toni Basil, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, The Knack, and Queen. Yankovic's trademark instrument, the accordion, is used on all songs featured on the album.
Fueled by the underground success of the singles "My Bologna" and "Another One Rides the Bus", the album charted at 139 on the Billboard 200. Critically, however, the album received a lukewarm reception, with many reviewers feeling that Yankovic was a throw-away act, and someone who could not overcome the stigma of a novelty record.
After hearing Yankovic's parody of his song "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", "I Love Rocky Road", songwriter Jake Hooker suggested to guitarist Rick Derringer that he would be the perfect producer for the burgeoning parodist. Agreeing, Derringer used his music industry prestige and convinced Cherokee Studios to record an album's worth of Yankovic's songs gratis, to be paid from sales revenue. Then, in March 1982, "Weird Al" Yankovic stepped into a professional recording studio for the first time and recorded nine of the songs for "Weird Al" Yankovic.
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