This Week In Rock History: Keith Richards, The Stooges, Weezer
Plus: More rock anniversaries from the Stooges, Weezer and more
May 10, 1994: Weezer release The Blue Album
Weezer formed in 1992, at the apex of grunge rock, and seemed a perplexing, preppy anomaly by comparison. Mercurial, brilliant frontman Rivers Cuomo, formerly a long-haired metalhead, peered out nervously behind smudged black plastic glasses, singing reedily about Mary Tyler Moore and gang violence (“Buddy Holly”), playing Dungeons and Dragons alone (“In the Garage”), and the fatalist undertow of surfing (“Surf Wax America”). Yet these songs formed the crux of Weezer’s hit self-titled debut (commonly referred to as the Blue Album for its cover photo), which shot the young quartet into triple-platinum sales.
The Blue Album forms half of the Weezer’s beloved origins: together with 1996’s esoteric Pinkerton, it has achieved cult status and is defended rabidly by the group’s earlier fans (the same followers who often decry the band’s current output as shallow and complacent by comparison). It was produced by Cars frontman Ric Ocasek and featured the group’s original lineup: Rivers Cuomo (singer/guitarist), Patrick Wilson (drums), Brian Bell (guitarist) and Matt Sharp (bassist; he left the group after Pinkerton and now fronts the Rentals). The Blue Album peaked at Number 16 on the Billboard charts and spawned the hit singles “Undone (The Sweater Song),” “Buddy Holly,” and “Say It Ain’t So” ”” as well as innovative, cheeky music videos (“Undone” and “Buddy Holly” with burgeoning director Spike Jonze) and widespread emulation of Cuomo’s nebbish, erudite persona.
May 14, 1998: Frank Sinatra dies
Ol’ Blue Eyes disdained many things ”“ warm vodka, wearing brown after dark, hitting the town without a dame on each arm ”“ but he especially loathed the idea of leading a static life. “You’ve gotta love livin’, baby,” he said often. “Because dyin’ is a pain in the ass!”
When Frank Sinatra passed away from a heart attack at age 82, he was celebrated around the world for living a glamorous, passionate life that few could equal. A cultural icon from the Swing Era until his death, he sold millions of records, won Grammys and an Academy Award, mingled with mobsters, was befriended by presidents (most famously Kennedy and Clinton), and romanced beautiful starlets with abandon.
Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on December 12, 1915, Sinatra rose to early musical fame as a swing heartthrob before he turned traditional pop crooner””ultimately releasing over 200 records in his career, 51 of them Top 40 albums””as well as won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his tragic turn in 1953’s From Here to Eternity. He also founded Reprise Records, a still-thriving imprint and an unlikely bastion of excellent rock & roll (Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, the Beach Boys all signed there), served as the highball-slinging ringleader of the Rat Pack, donated millions to humanitarian causes, and generally went about his life with unparalleled zeal. Following his death in Los Angeles, he was mourned in the international press and buried in Cathedral City, California.
