WEEZER (self-titled) Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab 180 gram High Definition vinyl

$

65

Weezer (self-titled) Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab 180 gram Audiophile pressing MINT

Label:

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab – MFSL 1-394

Series:

GAIN 2™ Ultra Analog LP 180g Series, Original Master Recording

Format:

Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Special Edition, Stereo, Gatefold

Country:

US

Released:

Jul 2013

Genre:

Rock

Style:

Alternative Rock, Power Pop
A1 Don't Let Go 2:59 A2 Photograph 2:19 A3 Hash Pipe 2:51 A4 Island In The Sun 3:20 A5 Crab 2:34

B1 Knock-Down Drag-Out 2:08 B2 Smile 2:38 B3 Simple Pages 2:56 B4 Glorious Day 2:40 B5 O Girlfriend 3:49

• Copyright © – Geffen Records
• Manufactured By Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
• Mastered At – Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
• Lacquer Cut At – Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
• Pressed By – Record Technology Incorporated

• Bass, Vocals – Mikey Welsh
• Drums – Patrick Wilson
• Guitar, Vocals – Brian Bell
• Lacquer Cut By – KW
• Mastered By – Krieg Wunderlich
• Producer – Ric Ocasek
• Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter – Rivers Cuomo

Notes

Numbered limited edition, pressed on 180g vinyl housed in heavy cardboard stock gatefold sleeve.
Even though not mentioned on release, track A3 (Hash Pipe) uses the UK 7" single edit.
℗ 2001, © 2013 Geffen Records. Manufactured by

Mastered by Krieg Wunderlich at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Sebastopol, CA on The GAIN 2™ Ultra Analog System. Digital clone of original digital master to analog console to lathe.
Recorded at Cello Studios, Los Angeles, December 2000
Dedicated in loving memory to Mykel and Carli
Special Limited Edition (№ 000238)

• Matrix / Runout (Side A runout): MFSL1-394 A1 KW  MoFi 20934.1(3)...
• Matrix / Runout (Side B runout): MFSL1-394 B1 KW  MoFi 20934.2(3)...

Weezer Weezer (Green Album) on Numbered-Edition 180g 33RPM LP from Mobile Fidelity: Audiophile Pressing of 2001 Power-Pop Album Is Out of Print.

Band's Fastest-Selling Release Includes “Hash Pipe,” “Island in the Sun,” “Don’t Let Go”. This record launched one of most memorable comebacks in history

     Weezer’s self-titled third album, collectively known as the Green Album, nearly never came to pass. The band had all but broken apart, with leader Rivers Cuomo choosing to go back to college and the other members dismayed at the initial reception to 1996’s Pinkerton. Persuaded at the turn of the century to return to the concert stage, the foursome launched one of the most enduring comeback stories in history, and in the process, penned 75 songs, the choicest of which grace 2001’s concise, tightly played Green Album.
     Pressed on 180 gram High Definition vinyl at RTI, Mobile Fidelity’s reissue presents the music with by far the most dynamic range it’s ever enjoyed. Cars icon Ric Ocasek’s production comes into fuller relief, with guitar notes ringing with front-to-back depth and superb imaging. Cuomo’s singing gains focus and clarity, and the rhythms that help give the tunes their incessant catchiness are better defined, with the low end finally present.
     That nearly everything on Green Album—from the cover to the producer to sonics—reflects those of Weezer’s blockbuster debut isn’t merely coincidence. The quartet, not yet realizing that Pinkerton had already become a cult classic (and, soon after, would be hailed as one of the most prized albums of its generation), intentionally pursued a back-to-basics approach that echoed its roots. Unadorned simplicity, skyscraper-sized hooks, and short-but-sweet arrangements are the hallmarks here, each a signpost on how rock albums can work their way into a listener’s head and provide limitless satisfaction.
     Of course, however crucial, the music is just one component in Weezer’s arsenal. Akin to its sibling efforts, Green Album wouldn’t be the same devoid of Cuomo’s lyrics, which exude charming personality and boyish awkwardness. Absent the heart-on-a-sleeve obviousness of the fare of Pinkerton, the material here echoes with a related emotional universality whereby romantic yearning, fear of rejection, and getaway fantasies spark with the winking promise of enthusiasm and attainment. There’s a reason every passage remains so accessible; playfulness and wryness abound. 

Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine      There's a reason why Weezer's third album consciously recalls the band's first, not just in its eponymous title, but in its stark cover, Ric Ocasek production, and tight pop songs. That's not because Weezer was trying to recapture its core audience, because, unbeknown to the band, it already had. Once its second album, Pinkerton, stiffed on the charts and was lambasted in the press (including an devastatingly unfair pan from Rolling Stone, who named it the worst album of 1996), the group dropped out of sight and leader Rivers Cuomo went into seclusion. Remarkably, the group's following, unlike so many of its peers -- from forgotten label-sponsored alt-rockers like Nada Surf to indie rockers as respected as Sebadoh -- never waned, it only strengthened, as fans slowly realized the brilliance of Pinkerton and how the debut only seemed better, catchier, funnier as the years passed. Weezer eventually realized this through the magic of the Internet (plus an uproarious Japanese tour), and hit the road in 2000, knocking out a new album at the end of the year, when the band realized that there were thousands of fans eager to hear a new record. The cynical out there might interpret this as crass commercialism -- "hey! they only made a record when they realized people were listening" -- but it's actually a reflection of one of Weezer's greatest strengths: Cuomo's shyness and awkwardness, neither of which he can disguise, no matter how he tries. He didn't want to record another album unless he knew somebody was listening, because he didn't know if there was a purpose otherwise. This is the quality that came shining through on Pinkerton (and is most likely the reason he disdains the album as too personal, no matter how great it is), and it's also apparent on this Weezer album (which will inevitably be known as The Green Album, much like how fans dubbed the debut The Blue Album, due to its cover background), even if he consciously shies away from the stark autobiography that made the previous album. Sure, there may be clues tucked away in any of these songs, but for the most part, this is simply a collection of punk-pop songs in the now-patented Weezer style. And that, quite frankly, is more than enough. This may be a very short album -- a mere 28:34, actually -- but that just makes it bracing, a reminder of how good, nay, great this band can be. Especially since this is a conscious return to the band's debut, this may seem like nothing special -- it's just punk-pop, delivered without much dynamic range but with a whole lot of hooks -- but nobody else does it this so well, no matter how many bands try. And, frankly, that's enough, because this band rocks tight and focused, with wonderful melodies and songs that have enough little details to give them personality, even when Rivers is avoiding personality. This is a combination of great performances and great songwriting, something that puts to shame both the mainstream rockers and underground wannabes of the early 2000s. That's Weezer's great strength -- they certainly are accessible, but they're so idiosyncratic within that realm, it's hard not to think of them as outsiders. The fact that this Weezer sounds as fresh as the first is as much a testament to the band's talents as the musical stagnation of the post-grunge, post-Brit-pop '90s, but three albums out, Weezer has yet to deliver a record that isn't immensely satisfying. Yeah, it's about 70 cents per minute, but you'd be a fool not to consider it just about the best value of any rock record released in 2001.