Polka Party!
| Polka Party! | ||||
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| Studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
| Released | October 21, 1986 | |||
| Recorded | April 22–September 1, 1986 | |||
| Genre | Comedy, parody | |||
| Length | 34:07 | |||
| Label |
Rock 'n Roll Records Scotti Brothers |
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| Producer | Rick Derringer | |||
| "Weird Al" Yankovic chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Polka Party! | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| The Daily Vault | F |
| Rolling Stone |  |
Polka Party! is the fourth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on October 21, 1986. The album was produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between April and September 1986, the album was Yankovic's follow-up to his successful 1985 release, Dare to Be Stupid. The album's lead single was "Living With a Hernia", although it was not a hit and did not chart.
The music on Polka Party! is built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-1980s, featuring jabs at James Brown, Mick Jagger, El DeBarge, and Robert Palmer. The album also features many "style parodies", or musical imitations that come close to, but do not copy, existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of specific artists like the Talking Heads, as well as imitations of various musical genres like country music.
Peaking at only number 177 on the Billboard 200, Polka Party! was met with mixed-to-negative reviews and was considered a commercial and critical failure. Despite this, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1986. Polka Party! is one of Yankovic's few studio albums not to be certified either Gold or Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
In April 1986 Yankovic entered the recording studio to begin the sessions to his follow-up to 1985's Dare to Be Stupid. To produce the album, Yankovic brought in former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer, who had also produced Yankovic's previous albums. Backing Yankovic were Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass, and Jim West on guitar. The album was recorded in roughly three sessions. The first session took place between April 22 and 23, and yielded four originals: "Don't Wear Those Shoes", "One of Those Days", "Dog Eat Dog", and "Christmas at Ground Zero". The second session, which spanned August 4–5, produced three parodies: "Living with a Hernia", "Addicted to Spuds", and "Here's Johnny". The final session, which lasted from August 29 to September 1 produced the parody "Toothless People", an original song named "Good Enough for Now", and the album's titular polka medley. Thematically, Yankovic described the record as "not a whole lot different than" the other albums he had recorded, calling the process "even a bit formulaic".
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