To introduce this week's blog I'll mention a quick, "going's on." My sweet grandmother left us last week and we decided to road trip to California for the funeral and to see family. In order to get there, one needs a mix cd. I loaded up an old favorite and listened to it multiple times across the desert. I give to you: Weezer's Blue album from 1994...a timeless classic that still rocks today.
1. My Name is Jonas: You may recall that I included this song in my list of all time great song openings a while back on my blog. This album had made it big on the radio with "Undone the Sweater Song" and "Buddy Holly." I don't recall ever hearing this song until I actually picked up the album...and it blew me away. The classic 4 chord song done so well. Great thing about Weezer is that they aren't some overly serious artsy band, but the singer definitely believes in what he's doing and you can hear it in his voice in this song. "Driver says hey man we go all the way!" One of the greatest album openings ever.
2. No one else: I want a girl who will laugh for no one else...This is a fairly simple song but Weezer refused to let it stay simply by really working on the sound of the song. Sound confusing? Let me try it again. The drumming and the tone of the guitars could have been a lot less in your face, but they really pushed it on the production. This turns a regular pop/rock song that could have easily been written by Jr. High students into something worth listening to.
3. The World Has Turned and Left Me Here: After two songs which, great as they are, have a similar sounding rhythm, we start of the third track with an acoustic guitar intro. This gave the song more clout and depth. Of course nobody can top the 90's intro to Today by the Smashing Pumpkins (I'll cover the Siamese Dream album another time...gonna have a lot to say about that one) and they don't really try to, they just made the song work. The song has a bit of a sadder tone. The lyrics, "The World has turned and left me here" seem very 90's sad...luckily the next track picks us back up and makes us dance.
4. Buddy Holly: If at some point in your life you owned a copy of Windows 95 then you actually owned this video. It was included with windows 95 as a means to show off the video capabilities. Ah the video to this song was CLASSIC! Using special effects, Weezer was transported onto the set of Happy Days where they rocked out for Richie, Potsy, and the Fonze. This song alone solidified Weezer as one of the coolest bands to ever pick up a guitar. High point is at 2:09 when the guitar solo (I think like 9 notes) crescendos and it's all good.
5. Undone the Sweater Song: Da danna da danna da dun dun da danna...the opening notes of this song are almost living. I sweat this song has a pulse. I love the people talking through the intro. "My friends don't really wanna go...can I get a ride?" I'd always heard that the girls at the beginning of this song were from Utah and were killed in a car accident. While writing this blog post I researched it and:
"the memorial service was held at 2:00 pm, July 14th, at the Orem Park 10th ward meeting house of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints, in Orem, Utah. I had the pleasure of attending the memorial and graveside services. Mykel, Carli, and Trysta's father [Wayne] gave an introduction, and eulogies were offered for Mykel, Carli, and Trysta by Claudia (their mother), Kenyan (their brother), and Tyler (their brother), respectively. After the memorial service concluded, we proceeded to Springville, Utah. Several members of the band were among a group of approximately 20 pallbearers. After the graves were dedicated by the girls' paternal grandfather, the crowd mingled, and people gave their love to the girls' family. At the end of the service, before people left, Karl placed 2 special weezer hats, one on Mykel's grave, one on Carli's grave." -Tim
Interesting link to Utah. I guess they are buried in Springville, Utah which is fairly close to where I'm at. I always thought this was a rumor but I guess it's true.
6. Surfwax America: This song was always a little too bubbly for me because of where it falls in the album. Between the somewhat somber Sweater Song and the dark classic, "Say it Aint So" is not the best place for a fun surfing song in my opinion. I could be wrong...but not likely since I'm amazing. Not a terrible song but probably my least favorite on the album. Felt too much like a filler song.
7. Say it aint So: This song solidified Weezer as a band with more than one trick up their sleeve. This song is one of the most covered songs of all time I swear. I used to have a killer cover of Deftones doing this one. Always thought it was cool that Deftones' singer started the track off by bragging to the crowd that "he just got to go see weeeeezer." Even hard thrasher folk dig the Weezer. Such a somber somber song. The bass line walking around in the background make this song what it is...amazing. Powerful singing doesn't hurt either. The chorus' guitar is crazy cool as well. DUN DUN WEEERREEERR. The Weeerrreeeer is insanely cool. The part with the letter read aloud could be the most memorable part of the album.
8. In the Garage: I've got the Dungeon Master's Guide...I've got 12 sided die....I've got Kitty Pryde, and Nightcrawler too..." This song covers the same topic as one of their most recent hits: Pork and Beans. The song is about not caring what people think about you. When you are in your garage, nobody can make fun of you. I had a lot of kids who made fun of my for collecting comic books back in the day...and this song starts off with Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler so it was kind of a justification for me since EVERYONE loved this album...so they had to kind of agree with Weezer just a little bit mwuahahaha.
9: Holiday: I remember this song being stuck in my head during a Jr. Jazz game once. Heaaaaart Beeeaaaaat... over and over again. Is it the mark of a great song or a lame song when it gets stuck in your head? Not sure. I sure did like the optimism on this one though.
10. Only in Dreams: Just like "Say it aint So," This song largely thrives on the bass walking softly in the background to set the mood. At almost 8 minutes long, Weezer was ending the album with a song that said, "Yeah we sound kind of poppy...but there's a lot more to us than Buddy Holly and Sweaters." This Bass line could be titled "Day at Jr. High School" because one could feel beat down after a day of ridicule and awkward teenagerness...I made that word up and it works so let it go.
All in all, this album should be owned by anyone who professes a love of rock music. It's fun, it's quality, and it hints at things to come. Weezer is often thought of happy happy happy but at least 4 of these songs seemed a bit more somber and reflective than not. $7.99 on I-tunes is a small price to ask for ten quality songs that helped define a generation. If you lived through the 90's then you probably owned this cd...if you didn't own it...go buy it now and see what you think. Dig it- JR
These are the kinds of posts I like the most.
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