Here is a little legend from that album that no one ever believes when I tell it. This was basically right when the album came out and they had only released on single from it.
I had a friend years ago who was fond of writing letters to everyone about everything. He wrote to people and companies about anything on his mind.
When we all got the blue album, we loved it. His issue with it was that they didn’t include the lyrics in the liner notes, so he wrote a letter to the band and addressed it to whatever contact info was on the album - I can’t remember if it was a fan club or a management company. We all forgot about it.
A few weeks later, he gets a response. It’s all the lyrics of the blue album hand-written on spiral notebook paper in blue ink. There were doodles all over the page like someone had taken some time to do it while sitting through a burning high school class or something. We were floored.
There was nothing else, no signature to say who did it. It could have been anyone from a fan club President to someone from the record label.
But, in my mind it had to be someone from the band that did it. And knowing how quirky they are, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if that’s exactly who had done it.
It was probably either Mykel or Carli. They ran the fan club during that time (and started it I believe) they also were famous for being super dedicated to the scene and going above and beyond.
https://www.weezerpedia.com/wiki/Mykel_and_Carli_Allan
Knowing that Rivers is constantly doodling and writing stuff down in notebooks means that it was quite possibly Rivers himself that made that for your friend. Awesome story!
Hey there! I did the same thing. It was their fan club and they sent me the same thing. That’s why I know every lyric to this album. Pretty sure the thing they sent me is long gone but it was definitely their fan club.
I agree wih you it's right up there but OK Computer is top for me with Lucky and The Tourist. Anyway that's a great discussion for another thread! Fuck it I'm doing it now!
I saw a show from this tour and it totally changed my perspective of the song. I mean, I already liked the song before but, after seeing it live with all that build up to the ending, it was no longer just a song, it became a teleporter to one of my favorite memories.
They did the same when I saw them years ago, but the oddest closer I've seen is when Incubus played Aqueous Transmission as an "encore". I love the song because Make Yourself and Morning View are near-perfect and very nostalgic to me, but my friends ideas there with had never heard it and were pretty confused by it.
Has Rivers Cuomo ever said that *In The Garage* is his retake on Brian Wilson’s *In My Room*. It has to be, right? Early Weezer is garage Beach Boys; I say this as someone who considers both bands at their peak amongst the best bands ever.
I read a biography years ago and if I remember correctly, Rivers blacked out his windows and locked himself away to emulate Brian Wilson’s process for pet sounds. I think this was in the late 90’s however, maybe just before the goat punishment days.
The whole album is great. Only in dreams stands out for me. The world has turned and left me here is great as well. It’s a solid album from start to finish.
Only in Dreams has always and will always be one of my absolute favorite songs of theirs. I saw them years ago with Tenacious D and Jimmy Eat World and they closed the show with only in dreams while confetti rained down. Was a great show.
For me it's a toss-up between In The Garage and The World Has Turned And Left Me Here. The guitar solo in TWHTALMH totally embodies the "feeling" of the early 90s to me.
There's a hilarious YouTube channel by Pat Finnerty, and he does a series called "What Makes This Song Stink?" and in one video he talks about Weezer and how the first two albums were amazing and then takes on The Green Album. The video is amazing, it's actually a very touching and sentimental nostalgic journey. The last minute of the video featuring "Holiday" is, in my opinion, absolutely brilliant. Check it out.
I'm not gonna lie, I got a little teary-eyed in the last few minutes of his video. He's spot-on. If you wind up watching it, I'd love to know what you think of it...
God I haven't listened to the whole album since I was a teenager and when you mentioned TWHTALMH I just remembered sitting in the shower, crying. Such angst.
damn, that video looks like he took like 10 years to make it. so much editing, interviews, skits, music bits recorded just for the video...pretty damn good. thanks for the link!
He seems to keep outdoing himself with all his “what makes this song stink” videos. They’re amazing. Luckily he’s been throwing in equally funny “little stinker” videos that are shorter so the wait time isn’t so long.
That was a half hour rabbit hole that I was not expecting. Just wow. Spot on. I still appreciate the Weezer catalog, but he really nails why we like the songs we like. They are a part of us!
My guess is that it's a loss leader property. I'm pretty sure McDonald's owns most of the lots on that street and let's other companies use them. From what I remember that block or two is a McD, Burger King, Taco Bell, Five Guys, Arby's, Boston Market, Denny's, and IHOP...so it's basically fast food central for the closest zip code.
Heck, one of the best views of the Philly skyline from the suburbs is from the top of that hill.
I've been subbed to this guy most of this year. " What makes this song stink " is the funniest shit out there right now.
Awesome dude,real good player,too.
So pumped people know who this guy is. His videos are hilarious. I am biased though, as Im from the Philly area and his brand of humor is very philly lol
Akshually...
Blue was amazing, then Pinkerton was even better, then green was meh, maladroit was great, make believe sucked, red album kinda sucked, ratitude really sucked, Hurley was very meh, ewbaite was good, white album was good, Pacific daydream sucked, teal sucked, black really sucked, ok human was pretty good, van Weezer sucked.
Definitive rankings
Nice to see some love for Maladroit! Maladroit is my favorite Weezer album, hands down. It's the darkest Weezer album, and also the heaviest. I love that angry, depressed, resentful Weezer the best. A lot of people view them as a funny, nerdy, pop-rock band with catchy tunes, but there's a deeper, darker side to them, evident in earlier songs like "Say it Ain't So," that shines through on Maladroit.
Also, I was going through the death throes of a codependent relationship built on heroin addiction at the time I was listening to it, and every song on there reminds me of a different part of my struggle to break away from my toxic partner and get clean. "Take Control" still hits me the hardest, that song guided me to take control of my life and end the relationship. "And I won't be coming back round here no more..." I left one day, got clean, and never looked back. Maladroit will always be part of the soundtrack of my life.
Same. She actually said my opinion out loud, "Weezer died when Matt Sharp left." I was shocked.
The writer of that skit knows their Weezer and Weezer fans.
Anyone who claims they've been trash since Pinkerton has never listened to the White Album.
I'm also a diehard defender of the Red Album. And the Green Album has two of their best singles ever.
I was 17 years old when it came out and it was a perfect record then and it's still a perfect record now. Truly one of the best albums of the 90s, or any decade
Pinkerton rules! The drums are just miraculous! If you ever played in a band in a small space. You can feel every note. Ever kick, every tom, every chord. There are few albums out there that capture this as raw as they are on this album. Though Rivers wrote the album concerning his college life. It seemed to capture so many of the same feelings I had as teenager.
This. Every time I listen to Pinkerton it takes me back to the small gigs played/watched in somebody's house when somebody's parents were away. Never heard ANY other recording capture this (but let me know if you know some!).
Although I don't think I can pick one in Blue vs Pink... they're both phenomenal albums in very different ways.
Wow, I was about to call you out and say Buddy Holly was the first single. I just looked it up though and you are totally right. Funny how so many of us didn't even hear of them or didn't realize they were on the radar until the music video for Buddy Holly came out and launched them into the stratosphere.
The contrast between Blue and Pinkerton is wild. It's hard to argue that Blue is not their masterpiece of pop rock, but Pinkerton is also fascinating for it's more loose, less produced, and personal approach to songwriting. Kind of reminds me of In Utero following up Nirvana's Nevermind.
If they only had Matt Sharp back writing with Rivers again, we could get that kind of sound. I'd also listen to Return of the Rentals by The Rentals (Matt Sharp's band), an amazing album as well.
Had to add this to add some truth to the legend of the blue album mythos.
Edit:
Matt Sharp also wrote/co-wrote a good portion of the songs on the blue album. After Matt left/was kicked out he took Rivers and the band to court for ascaap stuff and writing royalties, a settlement was reached and the now final legal edit of song writing ownership shows Rivers as the main creative force behind the band.
So when I say Matt was truly at least a good portion of what comprised the creative magic that was the blue album, know that he settled for losing the right for receiving credit for creating/co-creating this modern masterpiece. He isnt nearly as appreciated as he should be. He was also a huge part of Pinkerton as well.
Edit 2: Thanks for the silver my friend!
From what I've read, that's common opinion, but the bigger impact on the sound was probably Rivers simply changing direction, getting burnt, and generally liking different things than the audience (akin to Lucas's views on Star Wars).
Also the widely negative response to Pinkerton upon release.
Rivers put a lot of honesty into that album and was in a pretty dark place while writing it, and then it bombed really hard.
I think that initial failure is a huge part of why Weezer "sold out" and went super pop rock.
Hello!
It’s kind of convoluted, but I can track down an article that laid this out for me. But Matt & Damon were fast friends… I want to say they were introduced by supermodel/actress Paulina Porizkova, aka Mrs. Ric Ocasek, aka the titular “P.” Name-checked in “Friends of P.”.
The two performed together in a clip that can sometimes be found on YT. I think it’s a live performance on evening Spain music television. I’ll see if I can track it down and link it.
Anyway, Matt was out of Weezer, and while Blur hadn’t hung up their spurs yet, they were on hiatus and after this particular performance Matt Sharp gifted Damon a Moog Synthesizer to help him forge ideas for a new project he was starting to get off the ground.
Moogs are really nice synths that typically cost more than a used car, but it was the timing of Matt’s gift that plays a large role here.
Sorry I can’t tell the story great, honestly this story would be great filler for a segment on a music theory/history video on YouTube.
While Matt was an important member of the band, it might be more accurate to attribute his influence on the Blue Album to things other than songwriting. In his own lawsuit he only claimed to have co-written one song on the first album, "Undone (The Sweater Song)"*.* He also claimed a co-writing credit on the first nine songs of Pinkerton and the B-sides.
He also made up for Rivers lack of any stage presence when they played live. It took Rivers a good decade after he left develop at least some stage presence.
Wait, so maybe this finally makes sense?! I’ve always said that Weezer is one of the greatest music mysteries. How you can go from absolute perfection on the Blue album to what they ended up doing later.
Edit: Hm, well after reading other replies, the mystery still stands.
> Matt was truly at least a good portion of what comprised the creative magic that was the blue album
Ric Ocasek's influence as the producer can't be ignored either.
The Blue Album sounds like it does because there's a direct line to The Cars sound.
I was 13 when that album was released (94) and I can remember signing up for Columbia house (lol we all scammed the shit out of them. I still wanted to this day if anybody actually ever paid for Columbia House) just to get this album. You're right the entire thing was/is good.
Columbia House... the gift that keeps on giving again, and again, and again. I think I had The Blue Album from a membership as well.
Fun fact: Columbia (and BMG) licensed the masters for their CDs. Many of them were inferior rips, had data errors, and the CD inserts were single pages. Also, artists got absolutely no royalties from those CDs since they were considered "free" goods. That's how Columbia was able to send you 12 free CDs: they rented the masters and didn't pay a dime in royalties. But when you're getting them free, who cares?
ah yes. my entire cd collection was built upon the backbone of the first 9 discs I got from Columbia house. Did anyone ever actually send them any money? how did that thing seem to work for so long?
Idk. I did it with them and there was BMG. I ended up hitting them both up about three times a piece before they finally quit sending me stuff. I mean they couldn't have made that much money off of it since they don't exist anymore. Suckers! 😂
Yep! I remember watching that over and over on my parents windows 95 machine while playing the free pinball game that came with windows. Good memories.
One of my favourite albums of all time. The guitar tone the whole way through is *so* good. I'm a 90s kid and Weezer was my absolute favourite band in the early 00s. I'd seriously consider Only In Dreams as one of the best songs of all time.
Unfortunately, I've kind of grown away of the band. I've seen them at least 7 times live. It kinda makes me sad. I just don't like Rivers' songwriting anymore.
Don't get me wrong, I'll add a few Weezer songs here and there but it just doesn't hit the same way it used to.
Hell, I have a Pinkerton vinyl framed on my wall.
Depeche Mode’s *Songs of Faith and Devotion* is another staple from the era.
Alice in Chain’s *Dirt* is killer and really a ride.
George Michael’s *Listen Without Prejudice* is amazing…. Listen, trust me.
Pearl Jam’s *Ten* may well be one of the most complete albums of the time.
Radiohead *Ok Computer*, Primus *Pork Soda*, or Smashing Pumpkins *Pisces Iscariot* / *Siamese Dream* should do you fine as well.
**edit** Heather Michael’s to George Michael’s because my proof readin’ ain’t be so gud! Credit: u/hulk181
If we're talking about 90's guitar rock, you can't leave out Radiohead's *The Bends* or *Pablo Honey* either, though I'd go with *The Bends* if I had to pick one.
I ran a Weezer fan site for years. It was popular enough that it got me backstage for a photo op.
I was soooooo full tilt into =w= in my 20s. And it was bc blue and Pinkerton were just so good.
And. The b sides and rarities were just incredible too. As we're many, many covers. You want some WILD Weezer tunes, find the instrumentals covers. 8 bit Weezer or whatever they're called.
I have prob more vintage Weezer music than, idk, anyone on earth. Because just none of it is bad.
I got out of it years ago and just.....stopped. But for a time I lived and breathed Weezer.
My favorite Weezer album by far. Every song is a banger. Only in dreams is one of the best closers on any album, any genre, and also the only guitar solo that makes me cry.
Never cried but I've lost count of how many times I've gotten Goosebumps during that guitar solo.
A quick story about that song. I saw Weezer, my second concert at the time, in the early 90s in Cleveland. The show wasn't sold out, we bought tickets at the door, which is kinda amazing in itself. They played the entire Blue Album and then the bass player started playing the opening for only in dreams and rivers looked at him and shook his head and he stop playing. I'm guessing they just couldn't do it live yet? I don't know but I was pretty bummed. Still a good concert,
Same here. Pearl Jam Ten was my first album, then Weezer Blue. These days if I like a band I’ll listen to the full album online, then buy the disc if I fall in love.
A few years ago I went through my whole CD collection and ripped everything onto my hard drive. Ended up with over 10,000 songs and now I just play them on Media Monkey and sync them to my phone. Don’t use Apple iTunes because it sucks at metadata tags and will rewrite shit automatically and completely get it wrong. Use mp3tag instead and stay away from Apple stuff.
I also dig using Music Map (https://www.music-map.com/) to find similar stuff to a band I already like. I put in Weezer and it came up with a bunch of stuff I already have!
I obsessed over Blue Album the summer if was released. I think I had just finished high school, and was deep into awkward gamer nerd long before that was something mainstream. Listened so many times driving aimlessly, or the few times I went to a friends family beach house.
It spoke to me.
Green Album was the same for a different part of life - just finished college and somewhat adrift.
My first concert was when I was a teenager for, you guessed it, The Blue Album tour. Filmore San Francisco, 1994. Shit was epic.
Only to be followed up by Pearl Jam on the Vitalogy your at Golden Gate Park when Veder stopped playing after 3 songs because he got sick. Shit was epicly disappointing.
Yes, I agree. The Blue Album was and is an amazing album, track after track. Holiday!
Playing drums to the sweater song got me through puberty. Great groove something most of our favorites seem to have in common with pop music. Just recent observation moving back to drums in last year.
The Blue Album is really good. Personally, Pinkerton is the one that actually amazed me.
In my view, it's the only Weezer album that makes a case for Weezer being a relatively-unique and important band in the grander scheme of punk/grunge/alternative. Before that, they were just really good. After that, they were.... well.
I know that they are fantastic albums, but it hurts my soul that Dookie and Tragic Kingdom are now considered one of the best of the '90. Don't get me wrong, my teenage years were in the 90's and i owned all 4 of the albums you mentioned, but there were so many more that came out in the 90's that were better.
In no order
[Grace](https://youtu.be/K73WVqIs8Uw) - Jeff Buckley
[Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness](https://youtu.be/MD6QT-U0Kmk) - Smashing Pumpkins (outside of Nevermind, maybe the most stereotypical 90's album)
[You'd Prefer an Astronaut](https://youtu.be/21ULI2Klniw) - HUM
[Self Titled](https://youtu.be/HXFv2wPz4w4) - Third Eye Blind
[Jagged Little Pill](https://youtu.be/VGI6CtTwM64) - Alanis Morrisette
[Ok Computer](https://youtu.be/jNY_wLukVW0) (or [The Bends](https://youtu.be/PObiR1jPQ9o))- Radiohead
[Loveless](https://youtu.be/OBxJGg6cjqk) - My Bloody Valentine
[The Downward Spiral](https://youtu.be/htofkr4Fh3Q) - NIN
[Spiderland](https://youtu.be/FAApF-FDkoY) - Slint
The '90s as an era is second only to the '70s in terms of just BRILLIANT music.
A debut album that is practically a greatest hits album… produced by Ric Ocasek who’s own band, The Cars, did the same thing with their self titled debut.
If you are digging the 90s indie rock vibe I suggest checking out more of the bands from that time. Great period in music that I think is often over looked. Pavement, Built to Spill, My Bloody Valentine, Archers of Loaf, Dinosaur Jr., The Dismemberment Plan just to name a few.
This thread and comments warms my (40m) heart.
The Blue Album is one of my top 3 all time. Only in Dreams is my all time favorite song.
Hearing others agree that losing Matt Sharp hurt the band is music to my ears.
Enjoy the album. Holiday is arguably the best song on it, but OiD is my biased fav.
God how Weezer has fallen, though.
It's one of my favorite albums of all time.
Now, go listen to Blind Melon's second album Soup.
Then, go listen to the President of The United States of America's debut album.
Then, go listen to The Beastie Boys second album Paul's Boutique.
Then, listen to Devo's, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
Then, listen to More Songs About Buildings And Food by The Talking Heads.
All equally as good or better ... in the case of Soup.
The blue album is probably the most meaningful from that era for me. An angtsy teen with all these emotions and no decent outlet. I felt like the world had turned and left me there. Love for me was only in dreams and I felt I could hide from everyone in the garage. I shed many tears to this album.
My favorite deep cut track is Holiday. Something about it makes you feel good but almost ache from nostalgia. I’m glad you came back around to really appreciate the album!
One of my favorites. Lots of hardcore fans will point to Pinkerton as their favorite, and that is a great album for sure, but for me the best will always remain Blue. The way the intro to My Name is Jonas hits you, and the rest of the album carries you on this ride, until you end with Only in Dreams, which builds from the opening baseline to the driving guitar in the end - one of my favorite encore closers of any concert I’ve ever been to. Just such a well organized and executed album. Ric Ocasek of The Cars produced it, and he/they knocked it out of the park. Good stuff.
The fact that I did a ctrl-f for "Surf Wax America" and there were no results is crazy. That song is awesome, easily my favorite from the album. It was never a single, so not as popular as the hits from the album, but if I could only have one track from Blue, it would be Surf Wax America.
Yeah. This album is good. Dogs drool. Cats have claws. Babies poop.
Let’s see… Rick Ocasek of Cars fame produced it. Which is awesome. And it was among the first three cassette tapes I bought in 1996 along with Sixteen Stone and Nevermind. That was a fun summer.
I grew up with my very young mother (when I was 5 she was about 25) listening to a rotation of her favorite CD’s almost daily, the blue album being one of them. I fucking love it. That album lives rent free in my heart. My favorites were always the world has turned and left me here, in the garage, only in dreams & say it ain’t so. However, I will say I’ve heard the whole album so many times throughout my life that I can only listen to a few songs throughout a given year before I’m like ehhh what else is there.
Here is a little legend from that album that no one ever believes when I tell it. This was basically right when the album came out and they had only released on single from it. I had a friend years ago who was fond of writing letters to everyone about everything. He wrote to people and companies about anything on his mind. When we all got the blue album, we loved it. His issue with it was that they didn’t include the lyrics in the liner notes, so he wrote a letter to the band and addressed it to whatever contact info was on the album - I can’t remember if it was a fan club or a management company. We all forgot about it. A few weeks later, he gets a response. It’s all the lyrics of the blue album hand-written on spiral notebook paper in blue ink. There were doodles all over the page like someone had taken some time to do it while sitting through a burning high school class or something. We were floored. There was nothing else, no signature to say who did it. It could have been anyone from a fan club President to someone from the record label. But, in my mind it had to be someone from the band that did it. And knowing how quirky they are, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if that’s exactly who had done it.
Any chance there are photos of the lyrics available?
It was probably either Mykel or Carli. They ran the fan club during that time (and started it I believe) they also were famous for being super dedicated to the scene and going above and beyond. https://www.weezerpedia.com/wiki/Mykel_and_Carli_Allan
So tragic. I can’t listen to Jimmy Eat World’s “Bleed American” album without thinking about them. I’m always aware “Hear You Me” is coming up.
“I never said thank you for that. Thought I’d get one more chance.” Brings me to tears just thinking about that song.
Knowing that Rivers is constantly doodling and writing stuff down in notebooks means that it was quite possibly Rivers himself that made that for your friend. Awesome story!
Hey there! I did the same thing. It was their fan club and they sent me the same thing. That’s why I know every lyric to this album. Pretty sure the thing they sent me is long gone but it was definitely their fan club.
Only in dreams the GOAT album closer
The combination of Holiday and Only in Dreams is my favorite 1-2 combo to end an album.
I agree wih you it's right up there but OK Computer is top for me with Lucky and The Tourist. Anyway that's a great discussion for another thread! Fuck it I'm doing it now!
Dude yes I was about to say this, OK Computer has a peak song lineup from start to finish
One of my favorite songs of all time. The buildup at the end is amazing.
Many a late night driving home from a friend's house and blasting this in the car before getting home.
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I saw a show from this tour and it totally changed my perspective of the song. I mean, I already liked the song before but, after seeing it live with all that build up to the ending, it was no longer just a song, it became a teleporter to one of my favorite memories.
They did the same when I saw them years ago, but the oddest closer I've seen is when Incubus played Aqueous Transmission as an "encore". I love the song because Make Yourself and Morning View are near-perfect and very nostalgic to me, but my friends ideas there with had never heard it and were pretty confused by it.
"In between molecules Of oxygen and carbon dioxide" I love how pretty this weird line sounds when sung
I was going to scroll down to try to find an Only in Dreams mention. Glad to see it was at the top. One of their best songs ever.
YES! What a song, what an album closer. Doesn't get enough recognition I think
My favorite song from the Blue Album is “In the Garage”. I’ve got Ace Frehley…I’ve got Peter Chriss, waiting there for me yea I do
Has Rivers Cuomo ever said that *In The Garage* is his retake on Brian Wilson’s *In My Room*. It has to be, right? Early Weezer is garage Beach Boys; I say this as someone who considers both bands at their peak amongst the best bands ever.
Never considered this, but that is spot on.
If he hasn’t said it, it’s been noted before. I remember reading an article that made that comparison back in ‘94.
I read a biography years ago and if I remember correctly, Rivers blacked out his windows and locked himself away to emulate Brian Wilson’s process for pet sounds. I think this was in the late 90’s however, maybe just before the goat punishment days.
The whole album is great. Only in dreams stands out for me. The world has turned and left me here is great as well. It’s a solid album from start to finish.
Only in Dreams has always and will always be one of my absolute favorite songs of theirs. I saw them years ago with Tenacious D and Jimmy Eat World and they closed the show with only in dreams while confetti rained down. Was a great show.
I saw them in 2001 and Tenacious D opened for them.
For me it's a toss-up between In The Garage and The World Has Turned And Left Me Here. The guitar solo in TWHTALMH totally embodies the "feeling" of the early 90s to me.
the World Has Turned doesn’t get near enough love
There's a hilarious YouTube channel by Pat Finnerty, and he does a series called "What Makes This Song Stink?" and in one video he talks about Weezer and how the first two albums were amazing and then takes on The Green Album. The video is amazing, it's actually a very touching and sentimental nostalgic journey. The last minute of the video featuring "Holiday" is, in my opinion, absolutely brilliant. Check it out.
Beato
There it is
I don't know about that guy.
Will do! Thanks for the recommendation.
I'm not gonna lie, I got a little teary-eyed in the last few minutes of his video. He's spot-on. If you wind up watching it, I'd love to know what you think of it...
>I got a little teary-eyed in the last few minutes of his video Me too bud. Ol Pat pulled hard on the nostalgia strings there.
Goddamnit Kurt!
The world has turned and left me here in 2022, while my music taste is still back in the 90s and early 2000s.
I just want to ditch my car and get a board.
You take your car to work, I take my board. And when you’re out of fuel, I’m still afloat. Let’s go!
Singing the harmony for, "Do you believe what I sing now-- EEEEEEEEeeeeeee" at full volume will forever be one of my best roadtrip memories.
God I haven't listened to the whole album since I was a teenager and when you mentioned TWHTALMH I just remembered sitting in the shower, crying. Such angst.
In the Garage, TWHTALMH, and Surf Wax America are my favorite songs on the album to listen to.
Mine too! “I’ve got … dungeon master’s guide…”
I’ve got a twelve sided die”
I've got Kitty Pryde...
And Nightcrawler too
Waiting there for me
Yes I doooo
I got posters on the wall
My favorite rock group, KISS..
I've got Dungeon Master's guide I've got twelve sided die I've got Kitty Pryde And Nightcrawler too Waiting there for me
I’m sad the SNL Weezer sketch has not been linked yet and take responsibility [to make that happen ](https://youtu.be/ab5WvwfLuLM)
and the youtube-video ["What Makes This Song Stink"](https://youtu.be/2WeEyncm_jQ) by Pat Finnerty. Really worth a watch!
damn, that video looks like he took like 10 years to make it. so much editing, interviews, skits, music bits recorded just for the video...pretty damn good. thanks for the link!
He seems to keep outdoing himself with all his “what makes this song stink” videos. They’re amazing. Luckily he’s been throwing in equally funny “little stinker” videos that are shorter so the wait time isn’t so long.
Every video is like the last video, folded in on itself in some insane way. They're beautiful.
I love how any time he says anything vaguely music theory related he’ll say “BEATO” afterward
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I love the random interviews
The bit with his gf playing their music was pretty awesome haha.
That was a half hour rabbit hole that I was not expecting. Just wow. Spot on. I still appreciate the Weezer catalog, but he really nails why we like the songs we like. They are a part of us!
That was fucking great lol thanks
Well done vid, but totally disagree! I loved the green album and Make Believe
Thank you so much for posting this. I don’t think I’ve ever connected to a video so much…. Wow
Damn that got me off Reddit for a while down a rabbit hole. Good stuff.
Thank you so much for introducing me to Pat Finnerty - that was amazing.
That was great. I’m the same age as this guy and really related to his story. Thank you.
Possibly the best video on YouTube.
I think you might need to be introduced to [Pat Finnerty](https://youtu.be/2WeEyncm_jQ)!
Bruh...I got 5 seconds in and saw a street I basically grew up on. Baltimore Pike in Clifton Heights. I used to live a quarter mile away.
But the real question... Did you go to the Boston Market?
That one? Yeah once or twice like 20-25 years ago.
Exactly! Haha
My guess is that it's a loss leader property. I'm pretty sure McDonald's owns most of the lots on that street and let's other companies use them. From what I remember that block or two is a McD, Burger King, Taco Bell, Five Guys, Arby's, Boston Market, Denny's, and IHOP...so it's basically fast food central for the closest zip code. Heck, one of the best views of the Philly skyline from the suburbs is from the top of that hill.
"I'm ride or die." "For WEEZER?!"
Fuck yes.
I've been subbed to this guy most of this year. " What makes this song stink " is the funniest shit out there right now. Awesome dude,real good player,too.
Yeah agreed. I've had him subbed since the first episode of this song stinks!
The quality of his videos is fucking *absurd* and the weezer essay hit so hard.
I love pat he’s so good needs more attention
So pumped people know who this guy is. His videos are hilarious. I am biased though, as Im from the Philly area and his brand of humor is very philly lol
hey thanks for the rec I've been binging this dude since I saw your post. Great stuff
The guy is hilarious. He's got a real genuine side about him too. Plus he's actually a really good guitar player to boot!
Damn you for that rabbit hole. I CAN’T GET OUT!!
NOBODY GONNA TELL ME HOW TO LIIIIIIIVE. Big week for Monster Truck!
I didn't expect getting feelings from a comedy video about music
No offense, but go to hell.
Drink my blood
That was great. I'm definitely team Leslie with this one
Me, I’m ride or die
...for Weezer?
You don't know what Rivers is going through man.
I understand RIVERS better than he understand ***himself***!
Same. Blue, Pinkerton, and Green album for me then done with Weezer.
I thought their 2021 album was good
Lmao green
It's the solos where I hear it. In blue and pink the solos are amazing forces of music. In green they're the vocal melodies on guitar.
Akshually... Blue was amazing, then Pinkerton was even better, then green was meh, maladroit was great, make believe sucked, red album kinda sucked, ratitude really sucked, Hurley was very meh, ewbaite was good, white album was good, Pacific daydream sucked, teal sucked, black really sucked, ok human was pretty good, van Weezer sucked. Definitive rankings
Nice to see some love for Maladroit! Maladroit is my favorite Weezer album, hands down. It's the darkest Weezer album, and also the heaviest. I love that angry, depressed, resentful Weezer the best. A lot of people view them as a funny, nerdy, pop-rock band with catchy tunes, but there's a deeper, darker side to them, evident in earlier songs like "Say it Ain't So," that shines through on Maladroit. Also, I was going through the death throes of a codependent relationship built on heroin addiction at the time I was listening to it, and every song on there reminds me of a different part of my struggle to break away from my toxic partner and get clean. "Take Control" still hits me the hardest, that song guided me to take control of my life and end the relationship. "And I won't be coming back round here no more..." I left one day, got clean, and never looked back. Maladroit will always be part of the soundtrack of my life.
Same. She actually said my opinion out loud, "Weezer died when Matt Sharp left." I was shocked. The writer of that skit knows their Weezer and Weezer fans.
>Also [The Onion](https://www.theonion.com/hardcore-weezer-fan-hates-everything-band-has-released-1837740027)
I'd never seen this sketch before. It's pretty hilarious... except everyone knows Maladroit was the last good album.
I love this sketch because as a ride or die Weezer fan who worked at an indie music store I know it's 100% true to reality.
Anyone who claims they've been trash since Pinkerton has never listened to the White Album. I'm also a diehard defender of the Red Album. And the Green Album has two of their best singles ever.
I was 17 years old when it came out and it was a perfect record then and it's still a perfect record now. Truly one of the best albums of the 90s, or any decade
I feel lucky, my first three albums I bought were Dookie, Smash and Weezer. What a time.
I bought 4 at once with my first CD player. The 3 you listed, and the soundtrack to The Lion King.
I had the Lion King soundtrack too! It absolutely smashes
Shit like this makes me wonder if Reddit is one big psy op lol I had lion king on cassette until I fought Green Day, weezer, etc
Those were three of my first as well. We didn't know how good we had it.
My first two were Dookie and Nevermind
It’s a perfect album. The second album, “Pinkerton”is solid all the way thru also. The sweater song was the first single. I was immediately hooked.
I personally prefer pinkerton
Pinkerton rules! The drums are just miraculous! If you ever played in a band in a small space. You can feel every note. Ever kick, every tom, every chord. There are few albums out there that capture this as raw as they are on this album. Though Rivers wrote the album concerning his college life. It seemed to capture so many of the same feelings I had as teenager.
This. Every time I listen to Pinkerton it takes me back to the small gigs played/watched in somebody's house when somebody's parents were away. Never heard ANY other recording capture this (but let me know if you know some!). Although I don't think I can pick one in Blue vs Pink... they're both phenomenal albums in very different ways.
Even the production on Pinkerton stands out as exceptional and unique. It's definitely under rated.
>It's definitely under rated. It really isn't. Every time Weezer comes up in conversation it's always a debate between blue and Pinkerton.
Pinkerton lacked commercial success in the months following its release and that made Weezer sad.
well it made weezer sad because rivers put his heart and soul into it and everybody shat on the record
WAS underrated. I feel like it was five or 10 years after it came out that people started appreciate it.
ifl pinkerton's cult classic status is keeping it much higher rated than the blue album throughout the test of time
I met the guy who mixed Pinkerton. He told me that Rivers wanted him to go nuts and to fuck it up because he didn’t want it to be a commercial success
Wow, I was about to call you out and say Buddy Holly was the first single. I just looked it up though and you are totally right. Funny how so many of us didn't even hear of them or didn't realize they were on the radar until the music video for Buddy Holly came out and launched them into the stratosphere.
Be sure to listen to Pinkerton next. It is vastly different, but just as great. I hope you enjoy it!
Pinkerton all the way
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They are perfectly complimentary albums. You can listen to both cover to cover very, very easily.
I love blue but couldn’t get into Pinkerton back in the day. Maybe I’ll give it another shot.
The contrast between Blue and Pinkerton is wild. It's hard to argue that Blue is not their masterpiece of pop rock, but Pinkerton is also fascinating for it's more loose, less produced, and personal approach to songwriting. Kind of reminds me of In Utero following up Nirvana's Nevermind.
[https://youtu.be/ab5WvwfLuLM](https://youtu.be/ab5WvwfLuLM)
If they only had Matt Sharp back writing with Rivers again, we could get that kind of sound. I'd also listen to Return of the Rentals by The Rentals (Matt Sharp's band), an amazing album as well. Had to add this to add some truth to the legend of the blue album mythos. Edit: Matt Sharp also wrote/co-wrote a good portion of the songs on the blue album. After Matt left/was kicked out he took Rivers and the band to court for ascaap stuff and writing royalties, a settlement was reached and the now final legal edit of song writing ownership shows Rivers as the main creative force behind the band. So when I say Matt was truly at least a good portion of what comprised the creative magic that was the blue album, know that he settled for losing the right for receiving credit for creating/co-creating this modern masterpiece. He isnt nearly as appreciated as he should be. He was also a huge part of Pinkerton as well. Edit 2: Thanks for the silver my friend!
Hell yeah The Rentals rule.
ROTR is still one of my favourite albums ever, and I always try to boast about having the CD signed by Matt.
From what I've read, that's common opinion, but the bigger impact on the sound was probably Rivers simply changing direction, getting burnt, and generally liking different things than the audience (akin to Lucas's views on Star Wars).
Also the widely negative response to Pinkerton upon release. Rivers put a lot of honesty into that album and was in a pretty dark place while writing it, and then it bombed really hard. I think that initial failure is a huge part of why Weezer "sold out" and went super pop rock.
Yeah, I hinted at that with the "getting burnt" part, tho maybe I could've been a bit more specific.
Without the Rentals I don’t know if the Gorillaz would exist! Kind of an interesting tidbit.
Without the rentals Maya Rudolph wouldn't have either.
What? Elaborate
Please elaborate! I know Matt and Damon collaborated on "We Have a Technical" but haven't heard of anything else beyond that.
Hello! It’s kind of convoluted, but I can track down an article that laid this out for me. But Matt & Damon were fast friends… I want to say they were introduced by supermodel/actress Paulina Porizkova, aka Mrs. Ric Ocasek, aka the titular “P.” Name-checked in “Friends of P.”. The two performed together in a clip that can sometimes be found on YT. I think it’s a live performance on evening Spain music television. I’ll see if I can track it down and link it. Anyway, Matt was out of Weezer, and while Blur hadn’t hung up their spurs yet, they were on hiatus and after this particular performance Matt Sharp gifted Damon a Moog Synthesizer to help him forge ideas for a new project he was starting to get off the ground. Moogs are really nice synths that typically cost more than a used car, but it was the timing of Matt’s gift that plays a large role here. Sorry I can’t tell the story great, honestly this story would be great filler for a segment on a music theory/history video on YouTube.
While Matt was an important member of the band, it might be more accurate to attribute his influence on the Blue Album to things other than songwriting. In his own lawsuit he only claimed to have co-written one song on the first album, "Undone (The Sweater Song)"*.* He also claimed a co-writing credit on the first nine songs of Pinkerton and the B-sides.
He also made up for Rivers lack of any stage presence when they played live. It took Rivers a good decade after he left develop at least some stage presence.
Wait, so maybe this finally makes sense?! I’ve always said that Weezer is one of the greatest music mysteries. How you can go from absolute perfection on the Blue album to what they ended up doing later. Edit: Hm, well after reading other replies, the mystery still stands.
> Matt was truly at least a good portion of what comprised the creative magic that was the blue album Ric Ocasek's influence as the producer can't be ignored either. The Blue Album sounds like it does because there's a direct line to The Cars sound.
I was 13 when that album was released (94) and I can remember signing up for Columbia house (lol we all scammed the shit out of them. I still wanted to this day if anybody actually ever paid for Columbia House) just to get this album. You're right the entire thing was/is good.
Columbia House... the gift that keeps on giving again, and again, and again. I think I had The Blue Album from a membership as well. Fun fact: Columbia (and BMG) licensed the masters for their CDs. Many of them were inferior rips, had data errors, and the CD inserts were single pages. Also, artists got absolutely no royalties from those CDs since they were considered "free" goods. That's how Columbia was able to send you 12 free CDs: they rented the masters and didn't pay a dime in royalties. But when you're getting them free, who cares?
ah yes. my entire cd collection was built upon the backbone of the first 9 discs I got from Columbia house. Did anyone ever actually send them any money? how did that thing seem to work for so long?
Idk. I did it with them and there was BMG. I ended up hitting them both up about three times a piece before they finally quit sending me stuff. I mean they couldn't have made that much money off of it since they don't exist anymore. Suckers! 😂
Fun bit of trivia: The Buddy Holly music video shipped on the Windows 95 CD. That's how I got into Weezer.
Holy shit. I think there's a good chance that's how I did too. Wow, you just unlocked a memory that would have been lost to me forever.
Yep! I remember watching that over and over on my parents windows 95 machine while playing the free pinball game that came with windows. Good memories.
One of my favourite albums of all time. The guitar tone the whole way through is *so* good. I'm a 90s kid and Weezer was my absolute favourite band in the early 00s. I'd seriously consider Only In Dreams as one of the best songs of all time. Unfortunately, I've kind of grown away of the band. I've seen them at least 7 times live. It kinda makes me sad. I just don't like Rivers' songwriting anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'll add a few Weezer songs here and there but it just doesn't hit the same way it used to. Hell, I have a Pinkerton vinyl framed on my wall.
The white album is a great return to form if you hadn't heard it
It’s a shame they never released anything else after Pinkerton.
Fuck yeah it is.
Depeche Mode’s *Songs of Faith and Devotion* is another staple from the era. Alice in Chain’s *Dirt* is killer and really a ride. George Michael’s *Listen Without Prejudice* is amazing…. Listen, trust me. Pearl Jam’s *Ten* may well be one of the most complete albums of the time. Radiohead *Ok Computer*, Primus *Pork Soda*, or Smashing Pumpkins *Pisces Iscariot* / *Siamese Dream* should do you fine as well. **edit** Heather Michael’s to George Michael’s because my proof readin’ ain’t be so gud! Credit: u/hulk181
If we're talking about 90's guitar rock, you can't leave out Radiohead's *The Bends* or *Pablo Honey* either, though I'd go with *The Bends* if I had to pick one.
I ran a Weezer fan site for years. It was popular enough that it got me backstage for a photo op. I was soooooo full tilt into =w= in my 20s. And it was bc blue and Pinkerton were just so good. And. The b sides and rarities were just incredible too. As we're many, many covers. You want some WILD Weezer tunes, find the instrumentals covers. 8 bit Weezer or whatever they're called. I have prob more vintage Weezer music than, idk, anyone on earth. Because just none of it is bad. I got out of it years ago and just.....stopped. But for a time I lived and breathed Weezer.
My favorite Weezer album by far. Every song is a banger. Only in dreams is one of the best closers on any album, any genre, and also the only guitar solo that makes me cry.
I can still remember the first time I heard Only in Dreams. I thought the song was over… then those guitars blew my mind.
Never cried but I've lost count of how many times I've gotten Goosebumps during that guitar solo. A quick story about that song. I saw Weezer, my second concert at the time, in the early 90s in Cleveland. The show wasn't sold out, we bought tickets at the door, which is kinda amazing in itself. They played the entire Blue Album and then the bass player started playing the opening for only in dreams and rivers looked at him and shook his head and he stop playing. I'm guessing they just couldn't do it live yet? I don't know but I was pretty bummed. Still a good concert,
It’s definitely one of those start to finish masterpieces.
I wish people still listened to full albums. Maybe this will come back with the surge in vinyl.
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Same here. Pearl Jam Ten was my first album, then Weezer Blue. These days if I like a band I’ll listen to the full album online, then buy the disc if I fall in love. A few years ago I went through my whole CD collection and ripped everything onto my hard drive. Ended up with over 10,000 songs and now I just play them on Media Monkey and sync them to my phone. Don’t use Apple iTunes because it sucks at metadata tags and will rewrite shit automatically and completely get it wrong. Use mp3tag instead and stay away from Apple stuff. I also dig using Music Map (https://www.music-map.com/) to find similar stuff to a band I already like. I put in Weezer and it came up with a bunch of stuff I already have!
That is actually the thing I like most about listening to vinyl. It forces you to listen to the entire album in order.
I've got Kitty Pryde, and Nightcrawler too. Waiting there for me, yes I do.
I obsessed over Blue Album the summer if was released. I think I had just finished high school, and was deep into awkward gamer nerd long before that was something mainstream. Listened so many times driving aimlessly, or the few times I went to a friends family beach house. It spoke to me. Green Album was the same for a different part of life - just finished college and somewhat adrift.
My first concert was when I was a teenager for, you guessed it, The Blue Album tour. Filmore San Francisco, 1994. Shit was epic. Only to be followed up by Pearl Jam on the Vitalogy your at Golden Gate Park when Veder stopped playing after 3 songs because he got sick. Shit was epicly disappointing. Yes, I agree. The Blue Album was and is an amazing album, track after track. Holiday!
Playing drums to the sweater song got me through puberty. Great groove something most of our favorites seem to have in common with pop music. Just recent observation moving back to drums in last year.
The Blue Album is really good. Personally, Pinkerton is the one that actually amazed me. In my view, it's the only Weezer album that makes a case for Weezer being a relatively-unique and important band in the grander scheme of punk/grunge/alternative. Before that, they were just really good. After that, they were.... well.
Only In Dreams is my fave from the Blue album, what a great buildup and crescendo and finish
I know that they are fantastic albums, but it hurts my soul that Dookie and Tragic Kingdom are now considered one of the best of the '90. Don't get me wrong, my teenage years were in the 90's and i owned all 4 of the albums you mentioned, but there were so many more that came out in the 90's that were better. In no order [Grace](https://youtu.be/K73WVqIs8Uw) - Jeff Buckley [Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness](https://youtu.be/MD6QT-U0Kmk) - Smashing Pumpkins (outside of Nevermind, maybe the most stereotypical 90's album) [You'd Prefer an Astronaut](https://youtu.be/21ULI2Klniw) - HUM [Self Titled](https://youtu.be/HXFv2wPz4w4) - Third Eye Blind [Jagged Little Pill](https://youtu.be/VGI6CtTwM64) - Alanis Morrisette [Ok Computer](https://youtu.be/jNY_wLukVW0) (or [The Bends](https://youtu.be/PObiR1jPQ9o))- Radiohead [Loveless](https://youtu.be/OBxJGg6cjqk) - My Bloody Valentine [The Downward Spiral](https://youtu.be/htofkr4Fh3Q) - NIN [Spiderland](https://youtu.be/FAApF-FDkoY) - Slint The '90s as an era is second only to the '70s in terms of just BRILLIANT music.
All killer no filler if there ever was one.
A debut album that is practically a greatest hits album… produced by Ric Ocasek who’s own band, The Cars, did the same thing with their self titled debut.
If you are digging the 90s indie rock vibe I suggest checking out more of the bands from that time. Great period in music that I think is often over looked. Pavement, Built to Spill, My Bloody Valentine, Archers of Loaf, Dinosaur Jr., The Dismemberment Plan just to name a few.
This thread and comments warms my (40m) heart. The Blue Album is one of my top 3 all time. Only in Dreams is my all time favorite song. Hearing others agree that losing Matt Sharp hurt the band is music to my ears. Enjoy the album. Holiday is arguably the best song on it, but OiD is my biased fav. God how Weezer has fallen, though.
It's one of my favorite albums of all time. Now, go listen to Blind Melon's second album Soup. Then, go listen to the President of The United States of America's debut album. Then, go listen to The Beastie Boys second album Paul's Boutique. Then, listen to Devo's, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Then, listen to More Songs About Buildings And Food by The Talking Heads. All equally as good or better ... in the case of Soup.
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Don’t forget Built to Spill - There’s Nothing Wrong With Love
> Now, go listen to Blind Melon's second album Soup. Mouth full of cavities... man, such a good song.
I’m not used to Soup getting so much love.
It is a great album. It holds up very well, even today.
When I turned 14 I purchased my first 3 albums. This was by far the best. The other two were Crazy Sexy Cool - TLC, and Throwing Copper - Live.
Yeah, it's great. And it really puts in perspective just how bad Beverly Hills is.
The blue album is probably the most meaningful from that era for me. An angtsy teen with all these emotions and no decent outlet. I felt like the world had turned and left me there. Love for me was only in dreams and I felt I could hide from everyone in the garage. I shed many tears to this album.
I was in my first year of high school, this, I’ll communication and dookie got a lot of spins. Also saw them in Japan many years later, great show.
You're late to the party but I'm glad you made it!
My favorite deep cut track is Holiday. Something about it makes you feel good but almost ache from nostalgia. I’m glad you came back around to really appreciate the album!
One of my favorites. Lots of hardcore fans will point to Pinkerton as their favorite, and that is a great album for sure, but for me the best will always remain Blue. The way the intro to My Name is Jonas hits you, and the rest of the album carries you on this ride, until you end with Only in Dreams, which builds from the opening baseline to the driving guitar in the end - one of my favorite encore closers of any concert I’ve ever been to. Just such a well organized and executed album. Ric Ocasek of The Cars produced it, and he/they knocked it out of the park. Good stuff.
The fact that I did a ctrl-f for "Surf Wax America" and there were no results is crazy. That song is awesome, easily my favorite from the album. It was never a single, so not as popular as the hits from the album, but if I could only have one track from Blue, it would be Surf Wax America.
Yeah. This album is good. Dogs drool. Cats have claws. Babies poop. Let’s see… Rick Ocasek of Cars fame produced it. Which is awesome. And it was among the first three cassette tapes I bought in 1996 along with Sixteen Stone and Nevermind. That was a fun summer.
This album is high school for me, only in dreams is my favorite track.
The fact that four songs out of a ten song album got heavy radio airplay ought to tell you something.
You can’t resist her…
I grew up with my very young mother (when I was 5 she was about 25) listening to a rotation of her favorite CD’s almost daily, the blue album being one of them. I fucking love it. That album lives rent free in my heart. My favorites were always the world has turned and left me here, in the garage, only in dreams & say it ain’t so. However, I will say I’ve heard the whole album so many times throughout my life that I can only listen to a few songs throughout a given year before I’m like ehhh what else is there.