By Fraser Allan
Remember when Weezer were good? Fraser Allan of Edinburgh collective Titus Pullo does...
When asked to consider writing an article on an album that has had huge influence upon me, my thoughts automatically turned in a certain direction. As a member of the ‘High Fidelity’ school, I instantly turned to my top five albums, the records that have always been in heavy rotation. Ever since I was 15, there has only ever been one at the top of that list; Weezer’s self -titled 1994 debut album (Editor’s note: often referred to as ‘The Blue Album’ to differentiate itself from two later self-titled efforts by the band).
Many column inches are taken up with discussing the significance and impact of this album, but, in the spirit of this feature, I am here to talk about how it has affect me. I am a relative newcomer to the band I play in now but, whatever line-up or group I end up playing in, the DNA provided by ‘The Blue Album’ is always present. I would seriously challenge any musician to listen to the album and not be able to take something from it they can use to make their playing, songwriting or compositional skill better.
It is an entirely perfect listening experience, not because of any ground-breaking, epoch shattering content but because it is, in fact, hugely familiar. It acts as the distillation of thirty years of pop-rock song writing and culture in one forty minute package. After listening to ‘The Blue Album’, before I had learned a thing about music theory I was able to pick out harmonies quickly, both vocally and on guitar. Frankly, it is impossible not to after being exposed to such simple and direct usage of three part harmonies and interlocking lead lines on any of the album’s ten tracks.
Once you get past the novelty music videos and the band’s one hit wonder status circa 1995, you quickly discover how rewarding and self-assured their debut was. Nearly twenty years on, every time I pick up my guitar at a rehearsal, some element of ‘The Blue Album’ still sneaks into my musicianship. My enthusiasm for backing vocals, for choosing the right guitar tone for a riff or lead part, for chunky octaves and power chords, for moments of guitar indulgence to cap off a tune; these all stem from hearing that album in my formative years.
If I had to choose my favourite thing about growing up with the album? Perhaps most important of all is that it has provided a great shared experience. It’s a record that many of my musical peers, and many of my friends, also cite as a classic and so we are able to draw inspiration from it together.
