Weezer (1994 album)

Weezer
Studio album by Weezer
Released May 10, 1994
Recorded August–September 1993 at Electric Lady Studios, New York City
Genre Alternative rock
Length 41:17
Label Geffen
Producer Ric Ocasek
Professional reviews
Weezer chronology
The Kitchen Tapes
(1992)		 Weezer
(1994)		 Pinkerton
(1996)
Alternate cover
Cover of 2004 double-CD deluxe edition

Weezer, often referred to as "The Blue Album", is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Weezer. It was released on May 10, 1994 by Geffen Records. The album was produced by former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek and recorded in Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Weezer spawned the popular singles "Undone - The Sweater Song" and "Buddy Holly", both of which were responsible for launching Weezer into mainstream success with the aid of music videos directed by Spike Jonze. As of December 2007, the album had sold 3,146,000 copies in the United States[1] where it peaked at number 16. It is currently certified three times platinum, making it Weezer's best selling album.

Contents

Background

Weezer was formed on February 14, 1992, in Los Angeles by Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Matt Sharp, and Jason Cropper.[2] They would then play clubs and other small venues around L.A. However, it took a long time for the band to gain a following:

...I remember just being totally shocked at how little people responded to us, because I thought we were so good. I mean, we were playing the same songs that eventually became big hits, like 'The Sweater Song' and 'Say It Ain't So,' and we'd play 'em out in the L.A. clubs would just be like, 'Go away. We want a grunge band.'

They recorded the Kitchen Tapes as an attempt to create a buzz around L.A.[3] The band eventually attracted attention from major-label A&R reps looking for alternative rock bands while performing on the same bill as the band that dog.[4] They were then signed to DGC Records on June 26, 1993, by Todd Sullivan, an A&R rep from Geffen Records.[5]

Recording process

While prepping for the forthcoming studio sessions, the band focused on their vocal interplay by practicing barbershop quartet-styled songs, which helped both Rivers Cuomo and Matt Sharp achieve a newfound collaborative comfort during rehearsals. Sharp, who never sang before joining Weezer, got his falsetto background vocal abilities — "I had to sing an octave higher than Rivers. After a lot of practice, I started to get it down."[6]

Fifteen songs were rehearsed for the album during early practice sessions in New York in preparation for the Electric Lady Studios album recording. Ten of the songs appear on the album, but four of the songs were cut: "Lullaby for Wayne", "I Swear It's True", "Getting Up and Leaving", and a reprise version of "In The Garage." The other song, "Mykel and Carli", was attempted during the Electric Lady sessions, but was also abandoned. It would be recorded a year later and became a popular B-side.[7]

The band briefly considered self-producing, but were pressured by Geffen to choose a producer. They ultimately decided on Ric Ocasek. Cuomo: "I'd always admire The Cars and Ric Ocasek's songwriting and production skills."[8] During production, Ocasek convinced the band to change their guitar pickup from the bridge pick-up to the neck pick-up, resulting in a brighter sound.[8]

During these sessions, founding guitarist Jason Cropper left the band and was replaced by current guitarist Brian Bell,[7] leading to some speculation about how much Bell contributes to the album. While Bell's vocals are clearly audible [9](especially on "No One Else", "In the Garage" and "Undone"), frontman Rivers Cuomo re-recorded all of Cropper's guitar parts.[10] According to producer Ocasek, all ten tracks were laid down by Rivers in one day, each in one take.[10] Cropper's writing credit on "My Name Is Jonas" is earned by his coming up with the intro to the song.[11]

Writing and composition

Much of the album's content was written by Rivers Cuomo, except "My Name Is Jonas" which was co-written by Cuomo, guitarist Jason Cropper and drummer Patrick Wilson, and the track, "Surf Wax America", which was composed and written by Cuomo and Wilson. The album touched upon various life experiences of Cuomo and included subjects like his brother's car accident, heartbreak, jealousy, alcohol, and former girlfriends.[12]

The single "Undone - The Sweater Song" Cuomo described the song as "the feeling you get when the train stops and the little guy comes knockin' on your door. It was supposed to be a sad song, but everyone thinks it's hilarious."[12] The video marks one of the early directorial efforts of Spike Jonze, whose pitch was simply "A blue stage, a steadicam, a pack of wild dogs."[13] The video became an instant hit on MTV.[14]

Both "No One Else" and "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here" are lyrically connected with Cuomo describing the narrator of "No One Else" as "the jealous-obsessive asshole in me freaking out on my girlfriend" and claiming that "'The World has Turned and Left Me Here' is the same asshole wondering why she's gone."[12]

The second single from the Blue Album was "Buddy Holly". The music video was also directed by Spike Jonze. It portrayed the band performing at the original Arnold's Drive-In diner from the popular '70s television show, Happy Days. The video combined contemporary footage of the band with clips from the show. Happy Days cast member Al Molinaro made a cameo appearance in the video. The video was met with great popularity and heavy rotation on MTV.[15] The video scored four awards at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, including prizes for Breakthrough Video and Best Alternative Video.[16]

Another song, "My Name is Jonas", deals with Cuomo's brother Leaves who had been seriously injured in a car accident while a student at Oberlin College and was having problem with his insurance.[12] Jason Cropper earned co-writing credit for coming up with the intro to the song.[11]

The final single, "Say It Ain't So", was again inspired by Cuomo believing his parents split up when he was four because he thought his dad was an alcoholic.[12] The music video which was directed by Sophie Muller, was less successful than the previous two Weezer videos directed by Spike Jonze. It featured the band performing in the garage of their former house, and the bandmates playing hacky sack in the backyard.[17]

Artwork

The album artwork by Todd Sullivan features Patrick Wilson, Rivers Cuomo, Matt Sharp, and Brian Bell standing left to right in front of a plain, blue background.[18] The simple image would be used prominently in the advertising of the album.[19] The cover received many comparisons to the Feelies' album Crazy Rhythms.[19]

On some vinyl pressings of the album, the cover does not crop off their feet. On the Deluxe Edition case the feet are presented on the back cover, and the band sold an official t-shirt with a shot of the band's feet after the deluxe edition release.[20]

Inside the album booklet, Rivers Cuomo pays tribute to his past metal influences with a photo taken in the group's garage on Amherst (this same garage would be featured in the "Say It Ain't So" music video). A poster of Judas Priest's album British Steel is featured on the left side of the photo, while on the right a Quiet Riot concert poster is displayed. The Deluxe Edition features additional photographs of the band, and hand written lyrics for each song.[21]

Release

The Blue Album was released on May 10, 1994. It was certified gold just under seven months later on December 1, 1994, and certified platinum on January 1, 1995; since then it has gone three times multi-platinum in the United States.[22] The album peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200.[23] As a single, "Undone - The Sweater Song" peaked at #35 on the UK Top 40, and both "Buddy Holly" and "Say It Ain't So" peaked at #12 and #37 on the UK Top 40 respectively.[24] Back in the U.S. "Buddy Holly" peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.[25]

Deluxe edition

A deluxe edition of the Blue Album was released on March 23, 2004. This release includes a remastered version of the original album as well as a second disc (entitled Dusty Gems and Raw Nuggets) of B-sides and rarities.[26] As of December 2007, the re-issue has sold 86,000 copies.[1]

Reception

Initial

The album was well received by critics on its release,[27] Allmusic gave the album 5 stars explaining "What makes the band so enjoyable is their charming geekiness; instead of singing about despair, they sing about love, which is kind of refreshing in the gloom-drenched world of '90s guitar-pop."[26] Rolling Stone praised the album saying "Weezer's Rivers Cuomo is great at sketching vignettes (the Dungeons and Dragons games and Kiss posters that inspire the hapless daydreamer of 'In the Garage'), and with sweet inspiration like the waltz tempo of 'My Name Is Jonas' and the self-deprecating humor of lines like "I look like Buddy Holly/You're Mary Tyler Moore", his songs easily ingratiate."[28]

Retrospect

In the years since its release, The Blue Album has risen in stature to become one of the most highly-regarded albums of the 1990s, appearing on many "Best-of" lists. In 2003, Rolling Stone named the album among the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time."[29] In 2002, the readers of Rolling Stone ranked the album the 21st greatest of all time.[30] Blender named the Blue Album among the "500 CDs You Must Own", calling the album "Absolute geek-rock, out and proud."[31] Non-U.S. publications have acclaimed the album as well: New Zealand's The Movement placed it at number 39 on a list of "The 101 Best Albums of the 90s",[32] and Visions of Germany ranked it number 32 on a list of "The Most Important Albums of the 90s."[33]

Reviews of the deluxe edition of the album have also been positive. In 2004, Popmatters gave the album a very positive review and saying "I’d go so far to declare the 'Blue Album' one of the greatest records of the last 20 years." [34] Blogcritics Magazine gave the album an 10/10 and asserted "this is one of the most important debut albums of the last ten years."[35]

In naming Weezer one of the 50 best albums of the 1990s, Pitchfork Media summed up the album's critical recognition:

An album so substantial the band misguidedly attempted to tap into its resonance through cover graphics a mere two releases later. In 1994, 70s rock had come to mean either a bastardized version of Led Zeppelin or a bullshit reconstruction of punk rock. As guitar nerds, Weezer sought influence there but found true inspiration in forgotten bubblegum power-pop like Cheap Trick, The Raspberries, 20/20, and The Quick. Most impressively, Rivers Cuomo rescued the thrilling guitar solo from finger-tapping metal and disregarding grunge/punk. A decade later air-guitaring to the album feels far less embarrassing than singing along. With the help of Spike Jonze, Weezer kept joy alive in arena rock, making the critical repositioning of Weezer as some emo touchstone even more absentminded. They called themselves Weezer, knowingly, for chrissakes. --Brent DiCrescenzo[36]

Accolades

Since its release, the Blue Album has featured heavily in various "must have" lists compiled by the music media. Some of the more prominent of these lists to feature the Blue Album are shown below; this information is adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net.[37]

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Blender USA 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die[31] 2003 *
Music Underwater USA Top 100 Albums 1990–2003[38] 2004 #10
Stylus Magazine USA Top 101-200 Albums of All Time[39] 2004 #177
Pitchfork Media USA Top 100 Favorite Records of the 1990s[36] 2003 #26
Rolling Stone USA The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time[29] 2005 #293

( * ) designates lists which are unordered.
All URLs accessed on February 5, 2007 UTC

Track listing

# Title Writer(s) Length
1. "My Name Is Jonas"   Cuomo, Wilson, Cropper 3:24
2. "No One Else"   Cuomo 3:04
3. "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here"   Cuomo, Wilson 4:19
4. "Buddy Holly"   Cuomo 2:39
5. "Undone - The Sweater Song"   Cuomo 5:05
6. "Surf Wax America"   Cuomo, Wilson 3:06
7. "Say It Ain't So"   Cuomo 4:18
8. "In the Garage"   Cuomo 3:55
9. "Holiday"   Cuomo 3:24
10. "Only in Dreams"   Cuomo 7:59

Deluxe edition bonus disc

The deluxe edition included a bonus disc titled Dusty Gems and Raw Nuggets.

# Title Length
1. "Mykel and Carli"   2:53
2. "Susanne"   2:47
3. "My Evaline"   0:44
4. "Jamie"   4:19
5. "My Name Is Jonas (live)"   3:39
6. "Surf Wax America (live)"   4:01
7. "Jamie (acoustic live)"   4:03
8. "No One Else (acoustic live)"   3:23
9. "Undone - The Sweater Song (demo)"   5:33
10. "Paperface"   3:01
11. "Only in Dreams (demo)"   5:47
12. "Lullaby for Wayne"   3:36
13. "I Swear It's True"   2:57
14. "Say It Ain't So (original album mix)"   4:16

The tracks on the bonus disc originally appeared on the following releases:[21]

Chart positions

Album

Chart Peak position
Billboard 200 16[23]
UK Top 40 23[24]
France 42[40]
New Zealand 6[41]
Norway 35[42]
Finland 22[43]
Switzerland 6[44]

Singles

Year Song Peak positions
US Modern Rock
[25]		 US
Main-
stream Rock
[25]		 US
Bill-
board
Hot 100
[25]		 UK
Top 40
[24]		 Sweden
[45]		 Nether-
lands
[46]
1994 "Undone - The Sweater Song" 6 30 57 35
1994 "Buddy Holly" 2 34 12 14 27
1995 "Say It Ain't So" 7 37

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalog
Flag of the United States United States 1994 DGC Records CD DGCD-24629
Cassette
Flag of Europe Europe Geffen Records CD
Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 1995 Vinyl LP GEF 24629
Flag of the United States United States 2002 Universal Records Vinyl LP (reissue) 424 629-1
Flag of Europe Europe Geffen Records DGC 424 629-1
Flag of the United States United States 2004 Deluxe edition CD B0002139-02
Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 0602498619070
Flag of World Worldwide B0002139-02
Flag of the United States United States 2007 Circuit City Exclusive Edtion CD w/ iPod Skin 001042702

Personnel

All information is taken from the CD.[18]

* Rivers Cuomo stated that he played both lead and rhythm guitar on the Blue Album after former guitarist Jason Cropper left the band, but did say that Brian did background vocals on the album. Brian Bell says that he in fact does play rhythm guitar.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Album Sales". MetalSludge.tv. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
  2. ↑ Official Weezer Biography Page at last.fm;retrieved on 2007-08-30
  3. ↑ Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 69
  4. ↑ Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 76
  5. ↑ Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 82
  6. ↑ Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 85
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Luerssen D., John. 2004, p. 88-91
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Luerssen D., John. 2004, p. 87
  9. ↑ Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 98
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Luerssen D., John. 2004, p. 99
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 61
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 110–111
  13. ↑ Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 120
  14. ↑ Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 121
  15. ↑ Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 132
  16. ↑ "1995 MTV Video Music Awards". Rock on the Net. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
  17. ↑ Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 146–147
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Weezer: Blue Album booklet and liner notes
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Luerssen D., John. 2004, p. 109
  20. ↑ "Blue Album era releases (1992-1995)". Weezer.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Weezer: Blue Album (Deluxe Edition) booklet and liner notes.
  22. ↑ "Gold and Platinum: Searchable Database". RIAA. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Weezer charting". Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 "UK Top 40 Singles Chart". Everyhit.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 "Weezer Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "The Blue Album" Deluxe Edition Overview at Allmusic.com;retrieved on September 6, 2006
  27. ↑ "Weezer (1994)". Tower Records. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  28. ↑ Corio, Paul. "Weezer: Weezer: Music Reviews: Rolling Stone". Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
  30. ↑ "'Rolling Stone Readers 100, 2002 at Rocklist.net". Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "500 CDs You Must Own: Alternative Rock at Blender.com". Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  32. ↑ "The 101 Best Albums of the 90s". The Movement. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  33. ↑ "The Most Important Albums of the 90s". Visions. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  34. ↑ "Weezer (Blue Album) [Deluxe Edition]". Popmatters. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  35. ↑ "Review: Weezer-The Blue Album (Deluxe Edition)". Blogcritics Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 DiCrescenzo, Brent. "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  37. ↑ "List of Blue Album Accolades". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
  38. ↑ "Top 100 Albums 1990–2003". Music Underwater. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
  39. ↑ "Top 101-200 Albums of All Time". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
  40. ↑ "France album chart archives". hitparad.se. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  41. ↑ "New Zealand album chart archives". charts.org.nz. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  42. ↑ "Norway Chart Archives". charts.org.nz. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  43. ↑ "Finnish Chart Archives". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  44. ↑ "Swiss Chart Archives". hitparade.ch. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  45. ↑ "Swedish album chart archives". hitparad.se. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  46. ↑ "Netherland Charts". dutchcharts.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.

External links

Weezer
Brian Bell · Rivers Cuomo · Scott Shriner · Patrick Wilson
Jason Cropper · Matt Sharp · Mikey Welsh
Albums
Weezer (1994)  · Pinkerton (1996)  · Weezer (2001)  · Maladroit (2002)  · Make Believe (2005)  · Weezer (2008)
EPs
The Good Life (1997)  · The Lion and the Witch (2002)  · Winter Weezerland (2005)  · Six Hits (2008)  · Christmas with Weezer (2008)
DVD
Weezer - Video Capture Device: Treasures from the Vault 1991-2002 (2004)
Singles
"Undone - The Sweater Song" · "Buddy Holly" · "Say It Ain't So" · "El Scorcho" · "The Good Life" · "Pink Triangle" · "Hash Pipe" · "Island in the Sun" · "Photograph" · "Dope Nose" · "Keep Fishin'" · "Beverly Hills" · "We Are All on Drugs" · "Perfect Situation" · "This Is Such a Pity" · "Pork and Beans" · "Troublemaker" · "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)"
Related bands
The Rentals · The Special Goodness · The Relationship · Avant Garde · Homie · Karlophone · Space Twins
Related articles
Discography · Karl Koch · Songs from the Black Hole · The Kitchen Tapes · Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo  · Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo  · Foozer