Diary

Sunny Day Real Estate | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 10, 1994)
• Original Release Date: May 10, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sub Pop
• ASIN: B0000035GC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,957 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible, February 26, 2002

By 

philster (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diary (Audio CD)

You may already know this is considered a classic of the nineties, a cornerstone of the emo movement, and the best work of the band's career by many. What gets me, however, is how few people that have recently jumped on the emo bandwagon have never even heard of Sunny Day. This isn't poppy, the lyrics don't sound like high school love letters, and there's a lot of classic rock influence, but you cannot deny the way this album shaped emo today. Importance aside, just look at some of the amazing songs on here. "Seven" is the perfect opener, with tons of energy and a bit of a Rush feel to it. "In Circles" is next, a song that layed the groundwork for bands like Mineral and Appleseed Cast. "Song About An Angel" is my personal favorite. Like most of the songs on this album, it develops slowly, and takes time to be digested. "Diary" is best when listened to alone late at night, with time to read into the lyrics and take in all the nuances. Guitar and bass interplay is beautiful, and the drumming is very creative. I highly recommend everyone check this album out.

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Birth of 90's Emo ****, April 8, 2005

By 

JWKrappy New Year "jwk" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diary (Audio CD)

I like Weezer; don't get me wrong. They're clever, distinguished, joyful, nerdy, and smart. I've enjoyed their albums (especially "Pinkerton") for years now and I think they deserve much of the credit they get from critics. But why does no one point to SDRE's "Diary" as at least HELPING to catalyze a movement that would later become the end of the 90's to 2000's resurgent indie/emo scene? Fans, critics, and fellow musicians all pointed to Weezer's influence as the reason for a more introspective, lovelorn style in rock music. Very few name-drop SDRE or "Diary."

This confuses me a little. The album may be more diffiult than "The Blue Album," but usually critics thrive on obscurity. Think of obtuse records of recent praise - Arcade Fire's "Funeral," Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," Walkmen's "Bows + Arrows" - and tell me music magazines weren't clamoring to be "the first" to celebrate their originality. My conclusion is "diary" was ahead of its time. At least the blue album had connections to accesible music; the Pixies' intensity, Beatles/Beach Boys melody, guitar stylings of KISS. SDRE were much more humble.

The music is fantastic. Rock Operas are said to take its listeners on a journey through a story. "Diary" takes the listeners on a journey through emotion, the very definition of Emo. Floating effortlessly via atmospheric guitar work and solid rhythm, the debut touches on obscure ballads, piano, and darkness, but stays mainly in the signature electric guitar/scream-sing/painful-love-lyrics bread and butter of the genre. "In Circles" of course became the SDRE theme song, but in 94 it spoke to thousands of mid-west teens confused by love. It remains one of the most powerful singles of the 90's, and the album is one of the greatest debuts in alternative music history.

Overall: 8 out of 10.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In My Humble Opinion, The Greatest Album Ever Made, August 17, 2000

By 

Jack Moore (Charlottesville, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diary (Audio CD)

Diary was released back in 1994, so now in 2000 is a fairly appropriate time to call this the greatest record ever produced in the history of rock music. I know you'll disagree with me, but with one listen to this, you'll be swept off your feet and see what I mean. The music is kind of midwestern-y, typical of emo music, but it is also darker, at least at the time this was released. No one should be without this quite pleasing piece of plastic and joy, no one. This here is what basically sparked the whole "emo" explosion in the states today.

Yes the cover art is very cunning, and it does draw you in from the start. But underneath the mysterious images on the front (these are quite ingenious), you get a tunnel to another world filled with wonderful melodies and highly emotional vocals. As with many other emo CDs, you get the feeling that Jeremy Eingk is very depressed throughout the verses. Then after a brief silence, or a drumbeat that gets louder and louder, they explod into a huge, euphoric chorus. Sunny Day Real Estate write some of the greatest lyrics known to man, including my favorite and the already mentioned "the rain was there to wash away my tears." Melodic guitars and sonic drum beats fill the record, while Jeremy's angst-ridden vocal soars above the music.

In all of their twisted brilliance, Sunny Day Real Estate are great at finding a melody and making it heavy, as demonstrated in the wonderfully titled "The Blankets Were The Stairs." Easy to listen to, Diary is exactly what you're looking for, and a great thing to purchase from the wonderful store that is Amazon. If you want more proof about this record's greatness, find MP3s of "In Circles", "The Blankets Were The Stairs", "Seven", or "Shadows", for these are songs of great brilliance and deserve a listen from you. Please don't hesitate to contact me via email for any more questions.

If you don't like this you are one of the following A. completely insane, B. someone who just can't get into it, or C. someone who doesn't understand what Jeremy is singing about. If you're either B or C, read the lyrics, they'll help. Either that, or listen to it again, after a while, you'll catch on. If you're letter A, well then...you're completely insane. Similar bands include Fugazi, Burning Airlines, Pedro The Lion, or Noise Ratchet (check them out on ..., incredibly talented musicians).