Cover of #1
Album: Dr. Demento Basement Tapes
The Dr. Demento Basement Tapes is a series of limited-edition compilation albums curated by Dr. Demento, featuring rare, unusual, and early recordings from artists frequently played on his legendary radio show. Among these collections are some of the earliest and most unique tracks by “Weird Al” Yankovic—including demos, alternate versions, and live performances that never appeared on his official studio albums.
Below is a list of all Weird Al tracks featured across the Basement Tapes volumes, along with key details about each recording.
Weird Al Tracks[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes II[]
Demento Society Presents Basement Tapes 3[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes No. 4[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes No. 5[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes 6[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes 7[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes 8[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes 9[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes 10[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes 11[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes 12[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes 13[]
Dr. Demento Basement Tapes 14[]
Trivia[]
- Dr. Demento was the first person to discover Al and bring his music to a wider audience.
- Several early tracks—Pac-Man, It’s Still Billy Joel To Me, School Cafeteria, Take Me Down, Baby Likes Burping, and You Don’t Take Your Showers—were never released as part of Al’s official catalog. Al has cited disappointment with some of these songs, and mild embarrassment as a key reason why most have never been officially released. [1]
- The compilation Medium Rarities included “Pac-Man” and “Take Me Down” as official re-releases, incentivizing fans to purchase the Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic box set. To include “Pac-Man,” Al had to secure permission from both Namco and George Harrison’s family, due to its nature as a “Taxman” parody. “Take Me Down” likely remained unreleased for so long because it lacks the comedic style Al became known for.
- “Pac-Man,” the 1981 demo of “Yoda,” and “Take Me Down” were all given the deluxe remaster treatment for the Medium Rarities collection.
- “School Cafeteria” has never appeared on any album in Al’s official catalog. Notably, the version found on here is a slightly edited live performance on KMET, recorded after the original bedroom demo and before the bathroom recording. Each of these versions differs significantly from the one issued on the My Bologna Capitol Records single.
- "Take Me Down" is particularly unique in Weird Al’s discography as the only song originally credited to “Alfred Yankovic.” This was probably an early attempt to distinguish his more serious work from his comedic persona—a distinction that faded as Al fully embraced the “Weird Al” identity. Even when releasing less comedic material, such as the modern track “Who’s Gonna Stop Me,” he continues to use the “Weird Al” moniker. Occasionally, for projects like his children’s books (When I Grow Up, My New Teacher and Me) or certain acting credits, he uses “Al Yankovic,” but he almost never goes by his full given name. “Take Me Down” thus stands as a rare outlier—a relic from an often-overlooked period in Al’s catalog. The only time the song has been credited to “Weird Al” Yankovic was its official release on Medium Rarities in 2017. The original release on the seldom-remembered SLO Grown, also credited it to “Alfred Yankovic,” showing the credit was intentional.[2][3]
- “Pac-Man” was listed as a “Bonus Track” on this relaese due to legal issues surrounding the song at the time of its original recording. The version on Medium Rarities and YouTube, is remastered from the original Dr. Demento Show recording.[4]
