Normally the first thing I do is listen to my daily album, but this morning I woke up with "Back on the Streets" by Saxon in my head. Why ANYONE would wake up with a Saxon song in their head is beyond me, but I now need to listen to some Saxon before doing my album of the day. I've decided not to question the universe on this one. Back in an hour or so. Ok, I'm pretty familiar with this album - I've never been an outright Weezer fan but they've been on the edge of my radar for a long time and were involved in a lot of pop culture moments (eg. Jackass, Tony Hawk games) from my teenage years. The singles are all great tunes and if you don't know them you must have spent the 90s under a rock. Full album is just as good as the singles tbh. It has that nerd rock element but also a pop punk thing that really works. Vocal harmonies really send it home. 5/5 going straight to the pool room. Wish I’d given it more attention in the past. NB. ok, that’s the 4th album in the user-submitted list and the 4th album from the 1990s. I think I can see where this is going, haha. That isn’t a criticism; my submission was from the 1990s as well. Seems my fellow site users have better taste than the book’s author.
Weezer
Weezer
1994
- Album Summary
This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.
Weezer (commonly known as the Blue Album) is the debut studio album by the American rock band Weezer, released on May 10, 1994, by DGC Records. It was produced by Ric Ocasek. Weezer formed in Los Angeles in 1992, and initially struggled to engage audiences, who were more interested in grunge. In November, they recorded a demo, The Kitchen Tape, which brought them to the attention of DGC owner Geffen Records. Weezer selected Ocasek to produce for his work with the Cars. Most of the album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City between August and September 1993. The group treated the guitars and bass as a single, 10-string instrument, playing in unison. The guitarist Jason Cropper was fired during recording, as the band felt he was threatening their chemistry; he was replaced by Brian Bell. Weezer was supported by the singles "Undone – The Sweater Song", "Buddy Holly", and "Say It Ain't So", whose music videos became MTV hits. It reached number sixteen on the US Billboard 200, and was certified triple platinum in 1995. It remains Weezer's best-selling album, having sold at least 3.3 million copies in the U.S. and over 15 million copies worldwide by 2009. It received critical acclaim, and in 2020 Rolling Stone ranked it number 294 on its updated list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2002, the readers of Rolling Stone ranked the album the 21st greatest of all time.
Reviews
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Well this certainly takes me back to middle school! Quite possibly the best alternative album of all time. It's a shame what Weezer turned into, because at one point (well, at 2 points) they were the best alt band in the world. This is certainly a Gen X/Older Millennial must-listen.
Good call. Another glaring omission from the book. Every song on this album is an anthem. Not an ounce of fat. It's the second coming of power pop from a nerd's POV.
Just a GD classic. I bought this CD when I was 13 and studied it when I was a kid; I feel like listening to it again is just a natural thing, like riding a bike.
I mean, one of the totemic titans of post-80s rock. It hurts my brain, stomach, and heart that this album is turning 30 this year. I still remember going to Best Buy first thing in the morning to pick up the Deluxe Edition on its 10th anniversary! And that was 20 years ago! Every single track is an absolute classic. Weezer is a bit divisive nowadays. Most people are firmly in the "they still exist?" or "they suck now!" camp, with a few people in the "they are the greatest band this side of the Beatles" camp. I'm somewhere in the middle. They're nowhere near as good as they used to be, but they still produce bangers now and then. But this is a classic. This is required. It is a CRIME that this isn't actually on ANY edition of the official 1,001. A lot of people go to bat for Pinkerton being the "better" album, and on some days I think that's probably true, but I'm usually in the Blue camp. Hard to pick a favorite track but today I was feeling "Garage" and "The Sweater Song". Actually I think my favorite track is "Jamie" on the deluxe edition.
Holy shit. How is this not in the top 1001 already? Thanks for suggesting.
So the editors of the original 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list decided that 1994 albums like 'Haunted Dancehall' by Sabres of Paradise, 'Snivilisation' by Orbital or The Sun Rises in the East' by Jeru The Damaja deserved a place on the list, but not this fkin' masterpiece that is Weezer's debut? Shame on them forever. And thanks to the person who added this entry to try to make amends for such an injustice (for the record, it wasn't me)
NERDS! 10/10
Shocked this wasn’t on the list. I don’t really get into Weezer much but this album does what it is trying to do quite well. Do I enjoy it? Not a ton. Is it good? Yeah pretty much. I think the uniqueness of the ground is down to the vocals. Best song: Undone - The Sweater Song
Weezer gets some hate but 30 years on I have to say the hits hold up (as insubstantial as entries like the Sweater Song are) and the deeper tracks on this aren't filler. Solid Pop.
Strange to end in, indeed, the closest to dream of Weezer's ten tracks. Any description would argue against the choice, leaving a curl at the end of the tail. The impression cannot be both true and dreamlike. Instead, esteem for Weezer's nostalgic, but its immediacy is necessary, too. Read the record as about records, bands, music; None of it's in the text.
I'll just echo the "this is probably the biggest snub" sentiment everyone has got. Although I still think it is insane Sublime doesn't have an entry.
What a massive gap this list made for itself by not including any Weezer. Few bands hit both the critical acclaim and pop heights that they have, and with an interesting story in their artistic trajectory. Thanks for putting it here!
It's a shame this album is not included in the books. The energy this album contains is insane. And it includes some timeless songs. Couldn't resist to sing along most of the songs
What a banger! And a crime this wasn't in the original list. One of my favorite albums of all time with only excellent and catchy songs. The layered guitar sound just gives me goosebumps everytime. A shame that after Matt Sharp left the band, Rivers took the Weezer sound to a more and more cliché sounding rock-band with each consecutive album they released. Everything that came after the first two albums lacks the actual drive, energy and urgency that made this debut and Pinkerton such perfect albums.
Oh my God, I almost forgot that this could be one of de user's choices. So grateful that someone did, because this album fabulous from head 'til toe. Not a single bad song on it. And 'Say It Ain't So' is still one of my all time favorite tracks. So 5 stars it is.
A really strange omission from the original list considering how iconic it is. It's very good, the one album of theirs I go back to, but not quite top class - the guitars chug a bit too much for me. Sweater Song, Surf Wax America and Buddy Holly are classics though
Great pick for the list – well before Weezer sold out and became a shadow of their selves, they burst onto the scene with this still LP that still feels fresh and new even today. The instrumentation draws on earlier grunge elements, but the overall feel is decidedly slackerish and goofy, a combo that works amazingly well. Hard guitars against some clever and even dark lyricism fits just right, thanks in part to Matt Sharp, who would leave the band post-Pinkerton and lead to the creative downward spiral that's still happening today. History aside, however, I'm glad Weezer managed to produce both this LP and Pinkerton. Both albums shine bright even today, and there are some anthems here ('Buddy Holly' especially) that feel timeless, instant classics that will stay with pop culture forever.
Definitely better than other American post punk bands like Green Day, the highlight of course is Buddy Holly
Bon album, très nostalgique et pas trop long. Hashpipe me rappèle de bon souvenirs. 3.5
6/10. I could definitely relate to In The Garage, I love spending time in spaces with 12-sided dice where no one can hear Weezer.
I'm not a big fan of this "pop-punk" genre. I will say I like this better than the Blink-182 album I had recently, but it all sounds like 14 year old brats whining about stuff. 3 stars.
Solid record, should have been on the list 100%, for example replacing some bob dylan bullsh*t.
Could easily be on here Not that it should but 2
A lot better than what I thought it would be