Battle Number 2

Weezer's Blue Album VS Pavement's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

Article by Justin Gregory

It was 1994. Kurt Cobain finally died. Rock was ready for a comeback.

Pavement had already become cult heroes in 1992, with the indie classic Slanted and Enchanted.  Some claim that Slanted and Enchanted influenced Weezer in some fashion, but it wasn't until Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, I was entirely convinced. The perfect example, is the two singles that made these albums so popular:  "Buddly Holly" and "Cut Your Hair."  It's hard not to hear the similarities, especially the "(wh)oo oo oo" parts.  The difference between The Blue Album and Crooked Rain, are that one is the indie and popular match of eachother.  Crooked Rain is an indie classic, while The Blue Album happens to be known to every white surburban male 1994 to present. But that's not the point of this article, which is better?

The Blue Album:  Weezer debuted with their eponymous a.k.a "The Blue Album" in May of 1994.  With the release of "Buddy Holly" Weezer became an MTV hit resulting in The Blue Album becoming one of the most successful rock albums of the post-Nirvana era. 

There's no secret to why Weezer is so popular.  First, Rivers Cuomo's lyrics are the kind of lyrics that "every dude" can relate to.  Cuomo's lyrics would know be called what most would call "emo," although Weezer just sowed the seeds for "emo." Second, The Blue Album was popular because it included some of the catchiest guitar-rock songs created.  From "Buddy Holly" to "Say It Ain't So" you will be humming before the song is even over.

The one flaw of the Blue Album, is that Weezer basically re-arranges the same three chords for ten songs.  The 8 minute jam of "Only In Dreams" may make up for this, being probably the most unique song on the record, next to "Undone." "Only In Dreams" closes the album, which if immersed in, can leave you in awe.

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain:  Pavement benefited greatly from Crooked Rain being their second LP.  Before, Pavement was never an actual band, but a mere studio project that became an indie classic.  Opening with the sloppy intro of "Silence Kit," Crooked Rain rocks on, rolling you into submission.  But, unlike Weezer where most songs are the same tempo and mood, Pavement offers a varied group of 12 songs.  Crooked Rain inlcudes the creepy and chilled "Stop Breathin'" and "Newark Wilder", while also delivering the catchy singles "Cut Your Hair" and "Gold Soundz."

Crooked Rain lacked straight forward lyrics but was made up of songs with obtuse phrases and observations.  But, these songs did have meaning.  "Stop Breathin'" was about war, "Cut Your Hair" was about the things you try to do to get people to like you, and to round it off was "Unfair" which was about California.  The real gems of Crooked Rain are the songs the vary the most, "Fillmore Jive" and "Range Life." 

"Range Life" will be eternalized for dissing the Smashing Pumpkins, but it still is one the greatest Pavement songs to date.  The highly underrated, epic, "Fillmore Jive" offers some of the best lyrics on the album, including finishing the album with a incomplete sentence.  As with the Blue Album, epics close the album, but unlike "Only in Dreams" which includes one giant buildup, "Fillmore Jive" is much better with about 3 guitar explosions. 

The Verdict:  It's a shame that Crooked Rain wasn't received as well as the Blue Album. Especially since Crooked Rain is the better album of the two.  The Blue Album may have sowed the seeds for emo, a genre that has become one of the most annoying to date, but Pavement sowed the seeds for indie-rock, a genre that will out live emo and when looked at perspectively, will be thought  of as some of the best music ever made. 

Battle Number 1.

Article By Justin Gregory

Radiohead's     OK Computer   VS   The Bends

No matter how much experimenting the good ol' boys from Oxford do, they will still have these two amazing albums to fall back on. The Bends, a pop-arena rock record, with great singles and guitar work. OK Computer the worldwide art rock success that sparked Pink Floyd comparisons. Both are amazing albums but one must be better than the other, here is the case for each...

THE BENDS:  The Bends, as fore-mentioned is basically a pop-rock record. But nothing near the crap of the pop-rock albums of today. The Bends produced many singles: "High And Dry", "Fake Plastic Trees", "Just", "My Iron Lung", and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)". On the topic of the singles lets disect them. Some could argue that "Just" is one of the greatest guitar-rock songs ever, while "High and Dry" and "Fake Plastic Trees", are both very gentle tunes with astounding lyrics and content. "My Iron Lung" provides of a mix of the two styles, with the slow verse, then explosive "Just"-like chorus.

The rest of the The Bends is just as solid. "The Bends", "Bones", and "Blackstar" are both straight up rock songs. "Planet Telex" and "Sulk" are a bit more complex, more lyrically complex, straight up rocks songs. There are a few songs left, all slow and a bit sad. "Bulletproof...I wish I was" is even slower than prementioned gentle tunes and sadder. "Nice Dream" seems like a run of the mill acoustic guitar track, until the violent solo ensues. This solo gives the song a unique touch, and more points for The Bends. The final track on the album, "Street Spirit", is a emotional slow, sad guitar tune. Touching on many lyrical points, this songs closes The Bends like no other.

As you can see The Bends is a great record. But what it may lack is that some songs aren't as unique and arty, as its opponent, OKC. Will it hold up? Read on...

OK COMPUTER: When OKC hit the scene in 97' it exploded and gave Radiohead most of the fame it has today. There was a reason, OKC was a remarkable record, mostly because of its layered and guitar/electronic effects driven approach. Though not accessible by any standards, compared to The Bends, after a couple of listens, OKC definately got your attention.

There was of course, singles of the album: "Paranoid Android", "Karma Police", and "No Suprises". Though "Lucky " and "Airbag" were both released later as singles, those are the main ones. "Paranoid Android", the Bohemian Raphsody of the 90's, with 2 freak out solos and blending 3 different songs into one. "Paranoid Android" is hailed as one of the best Radiohead songs to date, and is a huge fan favorite. "Karma Police" blends songs together also, with its acoustic verse, until it spirals out of control. The singles are good, but the other tracks are easily on the same level.

The spacey, "Subterranean Homesick Alien", is very Floyd-esque, while "Electroneering" is the most normal guitar rock song on the album. Then there is "The Tourist" and "Lucky", both with beautitful solos and composition. "Climbing Up The Walls", the scariest track on the record, with the analog and dum-dum drum beat. One of the more emotional songs on the album, "Exit Music (For a Film)", strums acoustic verse, until it comes to a explosive climax. This is one thing most songs on the record have in common, they all come to some kind of climax. May it be a solo, or a long bridge, they all represent some sort of importance, throughout the album. "Let Down" the last song to mention, is also very Pink Floyd, with the Roland keyboards, and lyrics about travel.

Of course OKC is just as good as is its opponent, The Bends. But one thing OKC does have over The Bends is the artwork included in the CD booklet. Time for the verdict...

THE VERDICT: As stated, these are both great albums of the 90's, from Radiohead. But, one must win out and there were many things to consider, yet OKC won out in the end. Why? Well first off, OKC is a personal record to me, because it completely changed the way I looked at music and will always be one of my beloved records. This is nothing to take away from The Bends, as it is also a awesome album but, just doesn't have the extra feeling the OKC does.