Ten Albums: Number 9 – Weezer (The Blue Album) by Weezer
1994 was a good year for music. There was so much good stuff.
Soundgarden - Superunknown, Alice in
Chains - Jar of Flies, Pink Floyd - The Division Bell, Stone Temple Pilots - Purple,
Eric Clapton - From the Cradle, R.E.M - Monster, Live - Throwing Copper, The
Reality Bites Soundtrack, Sugar - File Under Easy Listening, Oasis - Definitely
Maybe, Beck - Mellow Gold, Dream Theater - Awake, Beastie Boys - Ill
Communication, Pearl Jam - Vitalogy, Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral, Green
Day - Dookie. Man, there was just so
much great music. No wonder I spent all my money and time at Tower Records or
Best Buy Many of these albums I still listen
to (okay, not Oasis). But one album from that
year keeps coming back.
I remember the first time I heard “Undone-the Sweater Song” on the radio. It had made the regular rotation on Q101 summer of 1994. I was working a mix of temp jobs (that’s a story for another time) which had me driving around a lot and that damn song kept coming on. Like a dozen times a day. It was such a stupid song, but it was not to shout along with the chorus. Still, I didn’t bite on the CD yet, not until “Buddy Holly” and “Say it Ain’t So” made the Q101 rotation. By then, Q101 was probably playing a Weezer song every hour.
If you want to destroy my sweater
(woo oo woo oo wo ee o)
Any song that pops a key change for the solo then comes right back down, just brilliant. Oh, and it was easy to play on guitar.
Lying on the floor, I’ve come undone!
So, it was summer and I wasn’t on campus so I had to schlep to the Tower Records in Schaumburg to the Weezer album. I popped it in my six disc JVC CD cartridge and listen.
My name is Jonas my not be the best ever punch you in the face first track song of an album, but it is close. Starting with an acoustic guitar riff, then BAM heavy guitar, crashing cymbals, drum fills. Oh, but then it backs off again with just the acoustic riff, only to punch you in the face again. Glorious vocal harmonies, offbeat lyrics that I didn’t fully know until a couple years ago. And then the solo and madness of the last half of the song.
Just wow. Could be why Missing Ted loves to play it live.
There isn’t a song to skip on the album anywhere. They all are great. The brilliance of Buddy Holly and it’s even more brilliant video, the punchy sadness of “The World Has Turned and left me here,” ripping riff, loud quiet loud of Surf Wax America, In the Garage, a song about being in a garage band. Just all brilliant.
And then Only in Dreams, the eight-minute closing track. The bass riff beginning, quiet drums, a simple guitar riff. Massive build up as the song passes the five-minute mark, then three more minutes of awesomeness as it fades then builds then fades again, a great track to close the album.
The Blue Album has never cycled out of rotation for me. Everyone knows how much I love music and how I’ve tried to share everything I love with my kids. Besides the Beatles, Weezer might be the one band I’ve tried to get them to listen to that all my kids enjoy.
It wasn’t until Weezer was touring with Foo Fighters in 2005 that I finally saw them live. They are a band I want to see every time they are in town.
So, anyway, that’s nine. It’s getting hard. One to go. I think I have it. But there is going to have to be an honorable mention list.
Thanks for reading.
