The Ultimate Geek-Rock Record: Weezer (Blue Album) Includes "Buddy Holly," "Say It Ain't So," and "Undone (The Sweater Song)"

Mobile Fidelity's Numbered-Edition Hybrid SACD of 1994 Set Plays with Audiophile Sound: Disc Is Out of Print

Weezer doesn't look like rock stars, its amusing name doesn't evoke stadium-heights glories, and the group's lyrics don't exude confidence or flash. For precisely these reasons, and the fact that the band's songs on their Ric Ocasek-produced 1994 self-titled debut are the stuff of air-guitar dreams and shout-it-out choruses, the quartet became ironic arena-rock stars equally celebrated by in-the-know hipsters and mainstream radio listeners.

Mastered from the original master tapes and out of print, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition  hybrid SACD of the 1994 release Rolling Stone named the 297th greatest album ever recorded possesses the grand-scale sonics that the music's bunker-busting hooks deserve. Cars frontman Ric Ocasek’s polished production is both free of artificial ceilings that previously squashed the explosive dynamics and rid of the compression that saddled the frequency range. Instrumental separation is vastly improved, and the amount of midrange energy seemingly doubled.

Underdogs and misfits, Weezer emerged from Los Angeles, CA as nerdy kids that eschewed traditional party-hard ways in favor of studying Kiss records, engaging in conversations about old LPs, and playing Dungeons and Dragons. The band's awkwardness joyfully translates in the songs on their debut, largely concerned with jealous insecurities, pop culture, true-to-life heartbreak, common accidents, youthful misconceptions, and daydreaming.

Replete with urgent melodies, quirky confessional narratives, wry humor, and gargantuan hooks, Weezer (Blue Album) remains the best geek-rock record ever made. More than three-times platinum, the Blue Album claims an iconic cover that pays tribute to that of the Feelies' Crazy Rhythms. The picture – as well as the bubblegum-inspired content within – has become an indelible part of modern culture. And "My Name Is Jonas," "Say It Ain't So," "Buddy Holly," and "Undone (The Sweater Song)" are all modern classics.