Weezer - Weezer (Deluxe Edition)

As if you needed any more evidence, here's how Weezer-whipped I am: I bought this double-disc deluxe edition of The Blue Album even though I already owned all but two of these songs (one of which I owned, but not this recording). Yeah, as if the past 19 reviews of Weezer and Weezer-related albums didn't give it away.

The second disc of this album (titled Dusty Gems and Raw Nuggets) is what I want to really focus on since I already reviewed The Blue Album itself here. Dusty Gems... includes all the b-sides from The Blue Album, as well as a few live tracks and demos. The b-sides are fantastic. "Mykel and Carli" (dedicated to the two sisters who acted as presidents of Weezer's fan club. They tragically died on their way home from a Weezer show in 1997. This song actually predates their deaths, but seems as fitting a tribute as anything could ever be) is potent as ever, and "Susanne" and "Jamie" have always made me wonder why they didn't make the cut. "My Evaline" is a nice old barbershop number that I used to sing back in my barbershop days (in the summer of 2000 I was singing barbershop almost every day. I've done a couple numbers since then, but it's not the same as being in a dedicated barbershop group).

Also included in this deluxe edition are slightly better versions of The Kitchen Tapes (early Blue Album demos) than the bootleg versions which floated around for years. The live tracks are a nice addition, because they're nicely recorded and well-performed. Nothing on the bonus disc will blow the mind of the casual listener, but they're a nice document for the Weezer geeks. The following rating is for the Dusty Gems disc and not the set as a whole, which deserves the full five stars.