It was 10 years ago today …
By Molly Webb, Senior ArtsEtc. writer
The 1990s were an interesting time for music, to say the least. Pop culture exploded with words like “grunge,” “alternative” and “Britpop.” Artists were doing things no one had thought of before.
The year 1994 was especially fraught with musical milestones. Foremost in everyone’s minds is the death of Kurt Cobain, the man many refer to as the voice of a generation of disaffected youth. The same year, Oasis released its hit album Definitely Maybe, forcing references to the Beatles, and with fellow newcomer Blur, the possibility of another British invasion. East Coast rap began stepping up to a prominent place within Top 40 radio and a new generation of teenagers attended a new Woodstock.
Also in 1994, a quartet of average-looking guys from Los Angeles came together to record the quintessential alternative album of the ’90s. Those guys formed Weezer, and the group’s self-titled album (known today as The Blue Album because of its background color) made a mark on music history that is yet to be duplicated.
Now, 10 years later, the band is celebrating the release of Weezer by re-releasing it in a deluxe edition, complete with re-mastering and an entire second disc of bonus materials, ranging from live tracks to B-sides to never-before-publicized rarities. And while many other re-releases contain material that only hardcore fans would appreciate, Weezer speaks, once again, to anyone willing to listen.
The first disc of the deluxe edition contains the entirety of the original release of Weezer, still relevant and satisfying in its 10-track simplicity. From the unmistakable opening guitar riff of “My Name is Jonas,” through the hit singles “Buddy Holly” and “Undone (the Sweater Song),” right up to the epic ballad “Only in Dreams,” Weezer shines with killer hooks, clever lyrics and songs that people can just relate to.
The second disc of the deluxe edition is where the die-hards get theirs. It includes not only the more-familiar B-sides (“Mykel and Carli,” “Jamie”) but also a selection of never-before-released tracks from The Kitchen Tapes, an early recording in which the drums were literally recorded in a kitchen.
The Kitchen Tapes have been floating around the Internet for a few years now, but to have them on CD is definitely an improvement. Recorded a few years before Weezer, the Tapes include early demos of “Undone” and “Only in Dreams,” as well as a few other tracks that made the album. However, there are also long-lost songs that never saw the light of day — most notably, “Paperface,” a screaming, punk-esque track about a rebellious girl, and “Lullaby for Wayne,” in which lead singer Rivers Cuomo croons, “Wayne, you know it’s true / There’s nothing you can do / So put those guns away.”
Some of the early tracks feature the only songs the group ever recorded with Jason Cropper, Weezer’s original guitarist who left before the recording of The Blue Album (he went on to front alternative rock outfit Chopper One). But the majority of tracks feature the Weezer fans have come to know and love — Cuomo, the nerdy-but-adorable singer and lead guitarist, skinny everyman Brian Bell (also of The Space Twins) on guitar, goofy but talented Matt Sharp (who later went on to front The Rentals) on bass and the always-entertaining Pat Wilson (of The Special Goodness) on drums.
Weezer has certainly had its share of difficulties over the years, ranging from typical rock-band problems like departing members to more obscure issues, like Cuomo’s leg-lengthening surgery, return to Harvard and reclusive state that led to the group’s sophomore release, Pinkerton. After critics panned Pinkerton for the most part (Rolling Stone magazine even voted Pinkerton the worst album of 1996, later eating its words in a “Best of the ’90s” issue), the band nearly gave up, to the dismay of the fans that identified strongly with the emotional, raw nature of the album.
When Weezer staged a comeback on the 2000 Warped Tour, with new bassist Mikey Welsh in tow, the public was more than supportive. The group released another self-titled album in 2001 (known as The Green Album), which boasted a few hit singles but generally met with apathy among Weezer’s biggest fans. In 2002, Maladroit (with another new bassist, Scott Shiner, formerly of Vanilla Ice’s backing band) was released to much critical acclaim, and the familiar guitar-shredding solos and more introspective lyrics gave everyone reason to believe that Weezer was really back.
Rumor has it that the band is currently working on its fifth album with renowned producer Rick Rubin (whose credits range from the Beastie Boys’ License to Ill to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik), and recently Cuomo and former bassist Matt Sharp reconciled the rift between the two of them, created when Sharp sued the band for royalties, by appearing onstage together at an acoustic show. The appearance gave fans hope that the Weezer they know and love will be back in full force — and soon.
Truthfully, there is no better time than now to renew interest in the album that gave a tremendous push forward to the alternative rock movement of the ’90s. Weezer showed, and continues to show, that average guys can rock, and rock hard.
Grade: A
