| The Food Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compilation album by "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
| Released | June 22, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | Pre-1993 | |||
| Genre | Comedy, pop | |||
| Length | 30:57 | |||
| Label | Scotti Brothers | |||
| Producer | Rick Derringer, "Weird Al" Yankovic | |||
| "Weird Al" Yankovic chronology | ||||
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The Food Album is a compilation CD of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic that features songs about food. A similar compilation, The TV Album, was released in 1995 and featured some of his songs about television shows. The album cover is designed by Doug Lawrence.
Contents |
Notable for its absence is "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch", from Dare to Be Stupid, Yankovic's only previously released food-related song not to make the album. According to Yankovic, this is due to the fact there is a "royalty ceiling" on the albums and he needed to pick one song to cut from the list in order to turn a profit on the album. "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch" was chosen due to Yankovic's personal dislike of the song, as his record label had forced him to record it in order to release Dare to Be Stupid back in 1985.[1]
Also absent from the release is "Waffle King." Though the song was released later in 1993 on Alapalooza, it had already been included on the "Smells Like Nirvana" single the year before. It is not known why this song was omitted although a possible reason is that it is not a direct parody of an existing song.
The album was released only grudgingly by Yankovic. At the time, Scotti Bros. had insisted on putting out a new Weird Al album in order to meet fiscal projections for that quarter, despite the fact there was no album ready (Alapalooza would not be released until later in the year). The original concept was an album entitled "Al Unplugged", which would have featured a cover depicting Yankovic holding kitchen appliances, but instead of featuring live performances, would only feature studio remixes of previously released material with the electronic instruments missing. Yankovic convinced them to release The Food Album instead, but would later describe it as a "cheesy compilation" put out "against [his] better wishes and judgement."[2] The TV Album was released under similar circumstances.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [3] |
| Rolling Stone Record Guide | [4] |
Despite being begrudgingly released by Yankovic, The Food Album has received moderately favorable reviews. Allmusic reviewer Johnny Loftus awarded the album three out of five stars and wrote that, "The Food Album is an enjoyable bag of treats. Just don't eat too much, or you'll probably get sick."[3]
Upon release, The Food Album failed to chart, however, it sold steadily. On January 25, 2006 - more than ten years after its release - the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5]
| Country | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| United States | Gold[5] |