Weezer (Blue Album)

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2. "Undone - The Sweater Song"Released: June 24, 1994
3. "Say It Ain't So"Released: July 13, 1995

*Weezer* (commonly known as the Blue Album). It 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. Urged to choose a producer instead of self-producing, Weezer selected Ocasek 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. 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.

## Background

Weezer was formed on February 14, 1992, in Los Angeles by singer and guitarist Rivers Cuomo, drummer Patrick Wilson, bassist Matt Sharp, and guitarist Jason Cropper. Although they performed future hits including "Undone – The Sweater Song" and "Say It Ain't So", Cuomo said they struggled to engage audiences, who wanted to see grunge bands instead.

In an effort to create buzz around Los Angeles, Weezer recorded a demo, *The Kitchen Tape*. This attracted attention from major-label A&R reps looking for alternative rock bands to perform on the same bill as That Dog. Weezer were signed to DGC Records on June 26, 1993, by Todd Sullivan, an A&R rep from Geffen Records.

## Recording

While preparing for the studio sessions, Weezer focused on their vocal interplay by practicing barbershop quartet-style songs, which helped Cuomo and Sharp feel more comfortable collaborating during rehearsals. Sharp, who had never sung before joining Weezer, developed his falsetto: "I had to sing an octave higher than Rivers. After a lot of practice, I started to get it down."

Weezer rehearsed 15 songs in New York in preparation for the Electric Lady Studios recording sessions. Four songs from this rehearsal would not be attempted for the album: "I Swear It's True", "Getting Up and Leaving" (which would both later appear on the deluxe edition of the band's second album Pinkerton), and a reprise version of "In the Garage". Another song, "Mykel and Carli", an ode to two women who ran the Weezer fanclub, was recorded. Weezer later recorded another version of "Mykel and Carli" as a B-side for the single "Undone – The Sweater Song", with close friend of Cuomo actor and songwriter Paul Dano, which is also included on the album's deluxe edition.

Weezer considered self-producing the album, but were pressured by Geffen to choose a producer. They decided on Ric Ocasek, who had played with the Cars. Ocasek convinced the band to switch their guitar pickups from the neck to the bridge, resulting in a brighter sound. Sharp and Cuomo imposed several rules on recording, banning reverb and insisting on all downstrokes on guitar. According to engineer Chris Shaw, the "overriding concept" was to treat the guitars and bass as a single, 10-string instrument, playing in unison. Weezer insisted that the guitars were mixed as loudly as those in Radiohead's 1992 song "Creep", burying some vocals.

During the recording, Cropper learned that his girlfriend was pregnant and began acting erratically. Weezer collaborator Paul Dano said: "He wasn't handling it well ... he always said he was fine, and then 20 minutes later he'd be up on the roof of Electric Lady screaming or something." According to Cropper, Cuomo told him he could not allow him to jeopardize the work and asked him to leave. In 2014, Cropper said Cuomo had made the right decision. He was replaced by Brian Bell. While Bell's vocals appear on some tracks, Cuomo re-recorded all of Cropper's guitar parts. Ocasek recalled: "After [the album] was completely recorded, Rivers came in and said, 'I’m firing the guitar player, and I’m going to do all his guitar parts over.' I said, 'You can’t do that!' But he did. In one take." Bell is still credited for playing guitar in the liner notes. Cropper received a credit on "My Name Is Jonas" for writing the intro of it.

## Track Listing

### Original Album

* 1. My Name Is Jonas
* 2. No One Else
* 3. The World Has Turned and Left Me Here
* 4. Buddy Holly
* 5. Undone - The Sweater Song
* 6. Surf Wax America
* 7. Say It Ain't So
* 8. In the Garage
* 9. Holiday
* 10. Only in Dreams

### Dusty Gems & Raw Nuggets/Weezer: Rarities Edition

* 1. Mykel and Carli (B-Side)
* 2. Susanne (B-Side)
* 3. My Evaline (B-Side)
* 4. Jamie (from DGC Rarities)
* 5. My Name Is Jonas (Live B-Side)
* 6. Surf Wax America (Live B-Side)
* 7. Jamie (Live Acoustic B-Side)
* 8. No One Else (Live Acoustic B-Side)
* 9. Undone - The Sweater Song (Kitchen Tape)
* 10. Paperface (Kitchen Tape)
* 11. Only in Dreams (Kitchen Tape)
* 12. Lullaby for Wayne (Pre-Production Tape)
* 13. I Swear It's True (Pre-Production Tape)
* 14. Say It Ain't So (Original Album Mix)