Weezer - Weezer (1994)

When I ask people if they have heard Buddy Holly, a common reaction is "I love that song." Buddy Holly is a legendary figure in rock and roll, but Weezer's catchy, geeky love anthem challenges him for the first thing to pop into people's heads at the mention of his name. "Buddy Holly" is the second single from Weezer's 1994 debut album Weezer, known more commonly as The Blue Album.

The LA band formed in 1992 around drummer Pat Wilson and lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist Rivers Cuomo. The two were soon joined by bassist Matt Sharp and guitarist Jason Cropper. Although Rivers was convinced of the band's quality, their variety of edgy power pop was not able to gain the band much local popularity during a time when audiences wanted grunge. Still, they persevered, largely self-managed, until Todd Sullivan signed them to Geffen Records in the middle of 1993.

The band immediately set to recording their debut, working from a catalog of songs they had been polishing in LA clubs. Not allowed to self-produce the album, Weezer and Geffen roped in Ric Ocasek (of The Cars) to work with them. During production, Jason Cropper was kicked out of the band (under unrevealed circumstances) and replaced with friend-of-the-band Brian Bell. The album was finished to satisfaction and without other turbulence but released without a single and with worry as to how the band would take with audiences.

The Blue Album saw a steady rise in popularity, helped amass a devoted fan base for the band, and received near-universal critical acclaim. The band's popularity and album sales were helped along by the music videos for their first two singles "Undone - The Sweater Song" and "Buddy Holly". Both are fun and memorable videos directed by Spike Jonze, and they gave the band extensive exposure through MTV.

The Blue Album gradually reached triple platinum, and its critical reception has only grown in grace and stature. It is often cited as one of the best albums of the nineties, and credited for rescuing power pop from the depths, bringing it back to quality and prominence in the midst of a grunge-laden music world. Their album of self-conscious, dissonant pop songs jarrs at first but ingratiates over time until you can't help but sing along or get it out of your head.

Here is the discography surrounding Weezer's debut album:

Weezer
Undone - The Sweater Song (1994 single)
Buddy Holly (1995 single)
Say It Ain't So (1995 single)

A deluxe version of Weezer was released in 2004 with a second disc (Dusty Gems and Raw Nuggets) of b-sides and studio outtakes.



Remember to shout out any recommendations for where the Musical History Tour should go next. The more diverse the input, the more interesting the journey. Many thanks to Tyson Badders, Weezer super fan (but not so much as of late), for his help and input on this update.