Weezer reissues first six albums

I'm curious now that a little more time has passed, are there any additional opinions on the sound of the new dmm to the MFSL, for the blue album and pinkerton?

 

anyone have any additional thoughts?

 

Didn't get any yet but I'm thinking of just completing the MFSL collection either way

 

I like the mix of the MFSL blue vinyl well enough, but it's got a little more surface noise than what I've heard on other MFSL albums.

 

IMO, the Blue album is about the 5th best album of the 1990s. It's awesome, every song is a "hit". IMO, more than half of all the really good songs Weezer ever made are on Blue.

 

So I just did a shootout of the song "In the Garage" on the 3 most prevalent pressings of Blue; the German pressing, the MoFi, and the new DMM. Why did I choose "In the Garage" you ask? Simple, really...it's a song that captures a lot of their sonic elements, and when it sounds great, that means that everything is working. It's got harmonica, vocals with subtle inflections, acoustic guitar, distorted guitar with incredible tone - 2 of them, and dynamics. It's really a great song, but also one that can sound quite different on different systems/pressings. I actually use this song when testing out new gear.

So how did it turn out?

3rd place - MoFi. This may seem surprising to many, but I've commented on this pressing before, and while it isn't bad, the EQ choices seem poorly suited to the material. It's very gentle and refined, but it lacks dynamics and the bottom end has a bit of bloat without the clarity that would make the excess bass enjoyable. Overall, it just sounds too polite, and kind of makes Rivers sound a wee bit more depressed than the other 2 pressings.

2nd place - DMM. This was actually a tough call - the DMM is very quiet and dynamic, and has much better definition in the bottom end than either of the other 2 options, a combination which makes it very satisfying. It's a very nice-sounding record on its own, and if it weren't for the specific benefits of the German pressing then this would be my choice.

1st place - German pressing. This one has a slightly muddy, yet slightly too-low-in-the mix bass. Thankfully those 2 issues kind of offset each other. Dynamics are much better than the MoFi, but perhaps a hair below the DMM. So it's not perfect...but man does it ever nail the tone. The voice is just that little bit more natural (in the same way that 1st pressing Beatles LP's seem to be just a bit more natural in the vocals than any subsequent pressing). The harmonica rings just right, and the tone when the distorted guitar kicks in is just so. While the lack of bottom end relative to the DMM means that some might prefer that option, I just can't say no to tone.

My conclusion...DMM and the German pressing are both excellent. Get the German if it's available inexpensively, otherwise get the DMM. If you have an overly bright system, either get the MoFi, or change some gear so that it's not so bright.

 

I know I can probably look this up, but is the German the original pressing?

 

The German issue was released in the early 00's - there's a UK press from 1994, but I've never seen or heard it.

 

I didn't find a German release on discogs

 

Discogs shows it as EU 2002.

 

Nice reviews, but I don't see the latest reissue in there.

 

DMM is the latest reissue.

 

Ahh, sorry. I have it but forgot about that fact. Thanks. I only have this one but I like it.

 

What are the other four?!

 

Good question. I'm partial to "Keep Fishin'" from Maladroit. And "Suzanne", from the Mallrats soundtrack. But maybe I should have said 80% of their great songs are on Blue?

 

I don't know what pressing I have, but in January I bought a new copy of Pinkerton for less than $15 and I'm pretty disappointed in the sound. It gets noticeably distorted toward the end of each side. I'm not picky as far as sound goes most of the time, so for me to notice it and cringe at it is really saying something, I think... Maybe a cleaning would help. I'll try that at some point.

 

I just picked up the DMM Blue album and aside from a slight edge warp (not worth freaking out about considering today's crappy across the board lack of quality), it plays perfectly and it sounds great. I wish it had a little more push in the top end (IIRC, it was always mixed this way - my personal preference would be if the cymbals ring a bit more and the snare should had more snap) but overall I am very satisfied with this album. The lows and mids are perfect, the guitars crunch, the bass thumps, and the record just sails through the system. I'm not a big fan of DMM but this is one record that I think does better with this process than traditional plating. I played it on 2 of my turntables and it sounded great on my TT dedicated to junkers. On my good TT with the Hana, it was a wonderful experience. My poor neighbors....

 

I, in a fit of madness, bought the DMM Make Believe the other day.

It's probably an improvement on the original CD - everything sounds crisper and the soundstage is a bit bigger. But overall it has that typical 2000s boxed in sonic quality. Probably too late to save this from the dreaded Rick Ru-Bin.

Packaging is a bit disappointing. Only a lyric sheet on the inside, with none of the band photos or the quote from 'The Tempest' that the original had. Still, not a big deal.

One thing that the remaster does bring out is that some of the guitar and vocal performances were outstanding. Rivers' voice hits the right notes of vulnerability without being whiny.

As for the main reason the album is criticised - the lyrics - well, with 14 years hindsight I'd say they are a mixed bag. Everyone wanted, and still wants, Rivers to go back to the highly personal style of Pinkerton. He on the other hand felt burned by the initial reaction to that album. So here he has gone for personal lyrics that have been simplified and stripped of all personal details.

Sometimes, like on We Are All On Drugs and Freak Me Out, it's embarrassing. But when it works, like on Hold Me and Haunt You Every Day, this approach is actually quite touching.

 

Dang it, when I saw that title I was expecting a deluxe reissue of Green along with b-sides & rarities. Long overdue! I know Green is rather samey, but it would be cool to get all that era stuff on one set. I'm talking the SS2K songs, Christmas CD, demos, b-sides & the few songs they did post Pinkerton in 98. On b-sides, especially to make Teenage Victory Song easily accessible as the Japanese Island in the Sun CD still evades me!

 

I wanted to add that I compared the 2002 EU Blue vinyl (aka 320/German release) against the newest DMM Blue currently available on Amazon for cheap. The 2002 release is slightly punchier in the drums but the DMM has an overall more open sound with "crunchier" guitars. Also worth it to note that the DMM starts side B with Say It Ain't So, whereas the 2002 starts B with Surf Wax America. This gives side B on the DMM a better flow and allows "Only In Dreams" to breathe a bit better rather than being crammed at the end, IMO.

Only thing I'll hold against the DMM is that the sleeve artwork isn't quality. It looks like a bad digital scan or something. The 2002 has better art.

I prefer the DMM sound-wise, but both are good releases.