Weezer (The Blue Album)

So I've decided to do reviews of albums that I like and stuff. Why? I'm the only person that doesn't have a post yet. So I chose Weezer's debut album (p.s. some of Weezer's later albums are disasters. They're POP ALBUMS). A bit of background info: Rivers Cuomo is the main personality of the band, being the songwriter, singer, and rhythm guitarist of the band, Matt Sharp is the bassist (who also sings the harmonies), Brian Bell as lead guitarist (yes, another Brian), and Pat Wilson as drummer. Released in 1994, it is mostly a pop rock abum, albeit a really good one (unlike stuff today). The album's sound is very glossy and polished, just like Nirvana's Nevermind (hey, they both have blue cover art! Coincidence?). It was produced by Ric Ocasek, so it's not much of a surprise. "'Who's Ric Ocasek?' Leonard asks." Why, he's the guitarist and lead singer for the (very good) new wave group The Cars. The album starts out with joyous acoustic guitar and percussion in "My Name Is Jonas," which now turns out to be an ironic title, since it is a very good opening track. After a few listens, I figured out the song was in 3/4 time, which suits it's peppiness (there's a freakin' harmonica solo in it). Next is "No One Else", which is my favorite song on the whole album. The songs deals with a jealous narrator jerk that wants his girlfriend to be VERY exclusive. Despite that premise, the song is something you could sing on a sunny day. The guitar riff that opens the song and comes after every chorus is just insanely catchy, and the guitar solo is one of the best ones. Unfortunately, the next song with a very long title (The World Has Turned And Left Me Here), is largely boring and monotonous, although it has a good feedback-laced solo, if you are willing to wait 2 minutes and 20 seconds for it. "Buddy Holly" was the single that made Weezer famous, and for a good reason. This is the song most people will buy this album for. The intro isn't really an intro at all, the chorus doesn't really make sense and it made #499 on the Rolling Stone's top 500 songs of all time (yay). So it's pretty good.

"Undone" is a song with a stoner acoustic guitar riff, two pointless conversations, lyrics about destroying a sweater, and soft/loud dynamics copied from the Pixies. But the solo is worth all 5 minutes of the song. "Surf Wax America" is not really a notable song by any aspect, but it's fun enough for a couple of listens (it has a cool bridge). By this point in the album, there haven't been any ballads yet, only anthems. "Say It Ain't So" is kind of a cross between both. I personally don't like the song that much, but this song could go either way. You love or hate it. The rest of the album isn't as accessible. "In The Garage" and "Holiday" (no, it's not like Green Day's at all) are just very non-pop rock songs. They don't have the same vein as the radio-aimed songs as the first half of the album. The songs aren't really filler, but they aren't hidden gems either. The album closes with "Only In Dreams." It builds up gradually over the long minutes of the song. But I don't listen to it much, so you can take 8 minutes of your life to make your own opinion of it. And so the album ends. Although I took a less than positive tone toward the second half of the album, don't overlook all of those songs. Overall, it's a really great album. Whether you're into poppy lyrics or grungy guitar, Weezer gives you both. This is one of the albums that saved 1994 from being total crap. Kudos to Rivers Cuomo for writing such great pop-rock songs.

If you buy the deluxe edition of the album (please do, it's worth it), you'll get another disc of awesomeness. The first four songs all have to do with girls. The first, "Mykel and Carli" is something you'd sing if you were high. It is very fun. "Suzanne" is probably the best of the four though. The vocals especially stand out here. I don't really have to say anything about "My Evaline." Go listen. "Jamie," despite it's title, is only an average Weezer song. Which means it is good. It's just not mindblowing like some of the songs on the main album. It was recorded live in one take, with no overdubs though, so that makes me respect the song a lot more. The first two live songs ("Jonas" and "Surf Wax") are nothing more than live run-throughs of songs that are better experienced on the main album. But you do get acoustic live performances through of "Jamie" and "No One Else" (yes!!!) that both actually do the studio versions justice. The demos range from good to average with some of the better ones being "Paperface" (which bears a very similar riff to Nirvana's "Stay Away"), and "Lullaby For Wayne."

Did I make this post too long? If I did, oh well. I had fun. See you guys next time. Here's a satisfactory live take of "Buddy Holly." Hey look! Rivers has a funny haircut! Bowl Cut!