 Weezer In my time, I've hated a lot of bands, there's no doubt about that. New Kids On The Block, Guns 'N Roses, Live, Soundgarden … I could add more, but I'd only alienate most of the dozens of people who read this site. Weezer certainly fell into that group for a long while. I was apathetic after hearing "Undone (The Sweater Song)" … could take 'em or leave 'em. Then, they pegged the needle on my Hate-o-Meter™ all the way into the red when they released "Buddy Holly." Goofy and irritating, the song pushed all the wrong buttons on my master control panel, and then the video was released, and it was time for a critical system failure. Outright spite and hatred was reserved for them, and all I ever heard of the song on the radio was "What's with …" before changing the station reflexively. But then something strange happened. "Say It Ain't So" was released, and I was stunned. It was a damned great song, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. For a time, I was simply satisfied to wait to hear it on the radio, as it became a pretty big hit, I seldom had to wait long. I expected to tire of it, but never did, so my next step was obvious. I had to buy the album. I wasn't expecting much out of it. I figured it would end up being the most expensive CD single I'd ever bought, and that'd be the end of it. Well, time has told me one thing … what the hell do I know? Put simply, this became, and remains, one of my very favorite albums. One song after the other has cranking the volume and wailing along with Rivers Cuomo, whether it be while I'm holed up in my parents' basement, driving in heavy traffic, or enjoying a hot steambath with some Latvian rugby players. What stunned me most is that the album tracks as a whole were as strong, and in cases much stronger than the singles. Songs like "Surf Wax America" and "My Name Is Jonas" are just as catchy as "Buddy Holly" – they could easily have been singles. But one song, "The World Has Turned And Left Me Here" just floored me. After I heard it the first time, I did something virtually unheard of, at least for me. I went back and listened to it again. It's an absolutely amazing song, and if faced with death at the hands of a pack of axe-wielding midgets, I might just choose it as my favorite song, period. I still get chills during the opening bars, and I'm oblivious to everything else while it's on. That semi-embarrassing revelation out of the way, there isn't really a bad song on the disc. "Undone" and even "Buddy Holly" generally get listened to, because in the flow of the album, they work well. "No One Else" would qualify as the album's most filler track, yet it is still pleasant, and "Holiday" leads nicely into the epic closer "Only In Dreams." The album stays solid all the way through, a likely combination of the band's talent, and Ric Ocasek's production prowess. It still surprises me a bit just how much I enjoy listening to this disc, even though I'm still vaguely ashamed that I like it so much. Hmmmm … is there a support group I can join for my musical schizophrenia?
Review by Mario Speedwagon |