Weezer - An In-Depth Look
WEEZER (an in-depth look)
We're going to start in reverse order, with the chaff before the wheat, and the scoring will be as per the BANGERS method outlined right here.
12. Death To False Metal [2010]
BANGERS Rating: 0.000
Good. Lord. This collection of "great songs, great recordings, but for some reason they didn't make the final cut for a record" (Rivers' words, not mine) should have stayed buried, preferably in a nuclear bunker with a warning not to open the door for a thousand years. The songs collected here represent the very worst that this band can offer. Lazy lyrics, lazy melodies and absolutely zero quality control. Even the wry sense of humour that comes across in Rivers lyrics falls flat on this record. This is the kind of nonsense that bands used to chuck out to get out of contracts or maybe as a bonus disc from a deluxe edition, not a full priced album.
If we're going to be generous, I Don't Want Your Loving is definitely the best of a bad bunch, but then you hear I Am A Robot, and all that generosity is straight out of the window.
To quote a lyric from this album, "The autopilot / Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yeah / it’s pissing me off"
Me too mate, me too.
12. Pacific Daydream [2017]
Notable tracks - 0/10: Again, not a sausage.
It was all starting to turn around. As soon as they dropped Feels Like Summer though, the old alarm bells started ringing. Single after single started appearing. Mexican Fender. Beach Boys. Happy Hour. Each one more turgid than the last. I don't even know what this album is. Is it an attempt to get in on the Taylor Swift / Carly Rae Jepsen style pop so beloved by twenty somethings? An album of summer jams? The band-destroying results of a front man's innate desire to be recognised as a mainstream songwriter? Who knows? I do know one thing though, if I never have to hear it again, I'll die happy.
11. Raditude [2009]
Notable tracks - 1/10: (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To
It all started so well! With a frankly amazing album cover, which, aside from the "four dudes standing next to each other" standard, is the epitome of what a Weezer cover should be, and then an incredible lead single in ...I Want You To, I had high hopes for this album.
Unfortunately, once again I got burnt. The songs on this album aren't terrible (bar a couple), but they're not that great either. I Can't Stop Partying in it's original form on one of the Alone records was a melancholy slow song, almost a tale of regret of Rivers' known troubled times post debut album (see Pinkerton), but here it's positioned as a good time hedonistic tale, featuring Lil' Wayne of all people, and frankly, it's bordering on embarrassing. I'm Your Daddy isn't much better, but it does have the uncanny ability to make you cringe yourself inside out, so I suppose that's better than nothing. Let It All Hang Out could have fit on the Green Album from a musical standpoint, but lyrically it's an abomination, with nods to hanging with homies, Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupris. I know there's an element of self-deprecation in Weezer's lyrics, it's been there from day one, but on albums like this, you can't help see Cuomo as the living equivalent of that "How do you do, fellow kids?" line from 30 Rock.
A great first song, but ultimately forgettable.
10. Make Believe [2005]
Notable tracks - 3/12: Beverly Hills, This Is Such a Pity, Hold Me
Initial hopes were high for this one. Following on from a pretty solid Maladroit (more on that later), arriving on the back of a pretty decent lead single in Beverly Hills, with it's typical Weezer video, mixing awkwardness amongst good times, and the fact that it had Rick Rubin behind the desk led to quite a bit of pre-release hype.
Like most hype however, it didn't necessarily live up to it. It's not a bad album, it's completely inoffensive, but it's just not very exciting. This Is Such A Pity is a notable highlight, a great 80's new wave style tale of destructive love, with a strong guitar line and a great solo, and it's one song where the highly polished production style really works in the song's favour. On a lot of the album though, it feels like the production style works against it. Perfect Situation, Peace, The Other Way; all of these songs could have been more given a edgier, rawer mix, rather than the radio friendly polish that permeates the whole album, normally reserved for singles. Hold Me is another highlight, nailing the loud/quiet/loud dynamic of their biggest early influences of Nirvana and Pixies, but all in all, the record just kind of meanders along. Not bad, not good, just existing.
9. Hurley [2010]
Notable tracks - 3/10: Memories, Trainwrecks, Unspoken
That bloody cover. Retconned later to cover up the fact that they named the album Hurley as a thanks for the clothing label funding the recording after they left Geffen, it sums up the hodge-podge nature of this record. Memories is a great opener, possibly the first example of the looking backwards nature of a lot of modern Weezer songs, by pining for their glory days. Used as part of the soundtrack for the third Jackass movie and featuring that crew on backing vocals, it's almost the perfect pairing as both groups have faded into mediocrity after white hot universally loved early days. Trainwrecks is another solid song, almost a prequel to Make Believe's This Is Such A Pity, acting as both a metaphor for destructive personal relationships and the bands career since coming out of hiatus. The standout from the album is Outspoken though, starting as a breezy acoustic number, getting angrier and angrier as the strings come in, until that GLORIOUS gang vocal before the whole band kicks in. A great song, but probably not one for all time. The rest of the album isn't really worth discussing, it's all very forgettable, bar Where's My Sex?, which is just awful, apart from the 20 second bit at 2.30, which is classic Weezer.
7. Weezer (Teal) [2019]
BANGERS Rating: 0.350
Notable tracks - 3/10: Africa, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Sweet Dreams
Surprising pretty much everybody, Weezer dropped the Teal Album, an full length album of cover versions, unannounced on the 24th of January 2019. No doubt a reaction piece to the success of their Africa (Toto) cover, which is included here front and centre, the album overall has an 80’s pop radio look and feel to it, with the teal reminiscent of 1980s aesthetics and the band themselves styled in clothing of the period. Now, a Weezer album full of covers is a tantalising project, because they’ve done some corkers in the past, such as Love My Way and Viva La Vida, but unfortunately this collection doesn’t quite soar as it could.
The Africa cover is solid enough, and it’s inclusion is obvious, but the far superior cover of Rosanna is missing, which is a shame, as it’s the better of the two Toto covers. It’s the most Weezer sounding one, which is where this record primarily suffers. Most of the covers are facsimile, lacking any flair that the band could have given them. Sometimes this works brilliantly, Everybody Wants To Rule The World is a great cover, probably the strongest track on the album, and Sweet Dreams has Cuomo’s strongest vocal on the album, actually matching Annie Lennox at times, which is impressive. Take On Me is solid, but pedestrian, practically indistinguishable from the original coming off as maybe a missed opportunity, but perfectly listenable.
At Happy Together however, the concept starts to wobble. Is this an 80’s album? It’s certainly designed like one, the first four tracks are that way and the production is massively big 80’s AOR/pop, so why drop a dull cover of a 60’s pop classic? Paranoid is in the same vein, a big 70’s hard rock / metal track that is RIPE for reinterpretation, but it’s played straight and earnest, just coming across like bad karaoke. Mr. Blue Sky is likable, but pointless, as it’s almost note for note to the original, which is the main criticism of this collection as a whole. If you’re going to do a whole album of covers, surely giving them your own take and sound is where you should be going? No Scrubs and Billie Jean are both novelty tracks, veering dangerously close to David Brent territory, and prime examples of why Rivers should stop trying to do urban music, as it just always ends up two steps away from white dudes with acoustic guitars “reimagining” Blackstreet’s No Diggity. At least Billie Jean isn’t as bad as the Chris Cornell cover though, and mercifully keeps the hee-hees down to a minimum. Stand By Me closes the album out, weirdly giving the first glimpse of any Weezer-ness to the proceedings, with the big drum sound, a big =W= tone solo and an earnest vocal.
All in all, it’s a solid collection for the car or as background music at a social gathering, but on the whole it’s playlist fodder, designed to be chopped up and saved in different mixes, I can’t see it being a long termer in the album format.
7. Weezer (White) [2016]
BANGERS Rating: 0.350Notable tracks - 3/10: Africa, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Sweet Dreams
Notable tracks - 3/10: Thank God For Girls, Do You Wanna Get High?, Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori
Another mixed bag, but overall it's an enjoyable listen. There's nothing particularly terrible, probably Endless Bummer is the least enjoyable song, but it's saved by being a great bookend to the overall album, which is almost the perfect analogy for this album. Some average songs elevated by great sections (the belting chorus of King of the World, the bait-and-switch build of Jacked Up, the solo on ...Good Thing, the lyrics alluding to a metaphorical band history in Wind In Our Sail)
There are definitely three standouts though. Thank God For Girls initially set all those alarms off when paired with the atrocious lyric video it launched with, but it's definitely a grower, ending up being a highlight of the album, with the added bonus of featuring one of Patrick Wilson's best drum tracks for a long time. Summer Elaine... is one of those songs that Cuomo nails lyrically, it's ambiguous, it's sad, it's wistful, but it's buried in a bright, almost The Cars-esque melody, making something ultimately quite uplifting. Do You Wanna Get High? is a glorious slice of proto-emo, nailing that Pinkerton sound (surely they're the same synths?), uncomfortable biographical lyrics and tight instrumentation.
Not a bad album by any means.
6. Weezer (Red) [2008]
Notable tracks - 3/10: Troublemaker, The Greatest Man That Ever Lived, Pork and Beans
Supposedly initially rejected by Geffen for having no commercial elements at all, the "Red" album is an odd one. On one hand, it's a band at a creative nadir, self-indulgent to the max, everyone getting a go at being the front man, side project songs getting chucked in the pot, resulting in a complete lack of consistency throughout. On the other however, it shows a band not afraid to move away from what they are known for, to push some boundaries and to deliver an experimental record devoid of expectation. My inability to juggle those two viewpoints was the whole reason I designed this process. I like a lot of the album, but I think I'd like it more if it wasn't put out as a Weezer album, because with that band there is a preconception of what makes a great Weezer song, and without Troublemaker and Pork and Beans, this album has none of them. I think The Greatest Man... is a brilliant song, it's all over the place, seemingly being nine songs all at the same time, from the almost Across The Sea piano intro, straight into lovably bad rap delivery, guitar chugs, double time sections, acoustic vulnerability, falsetto, guitar solos, it's got it all, and I find it great.
The two other belters are Troublemaker and Pork and Beans though, no doubts. There's an element of familiarity to them, sure, but they are PERFECT Weezer songs. Troublemaker is lyrically funny, the "arts and crafts..." bit cracks me up every time, it doesn't take itself seriously at all, both being clever and stupid at the same time, with purposely juvenile lyrics, building up a ragingly egotistical description of the kind of front man he is, with it's tongue firmly planted in it's cheek.
Pork and Beans was allegedly written and recorded after the feedback that there wasn't a hit on it. It's frustrating as a fan of the band that they can put together something like this when challenged to, but that creativity is lacking on so much of the later records. It's a great, great song, with perfect harmonies, the perfect guitar tone and the kick in after the bridge is almost euphoric.
One negative though, Heart Songs is a clunky mess, especially the third verse, with really forced lyrics and lazy rhyming.
5. Maladroit [2002]
Notable tracks - 5/13: Dope Nose, Keep Fishin’, Slob, Possibilities, Burndt Jamb
How many bloody songs appeared for this record? During those halcyon days of the early 00’s Internet revolution, there seemed to be a new ‘leaked’ Weezer song appearing every 6 hours, which naturally I would happily grab through perfectly legal means. Seeking the Soul of the band, as it were. When the album finally dropped, I felt like I’d already heard it in nine different configurations already, which is both a good and a bad thing.
This album was the first real pairing of the band and their rabid online fan base. Basically built via the Weezer forums and self-funded, the fans picked which songs went on the album, the cover art and even the title. This does give it a disjointed feel, and it what makes the album lack cohesion overall. Forgetting that though, there are some GREAT songs on this record. Dope Nose is a power pop masterpiece, with crunchy guitars, Whoa-ohs all over the place and a glorious chorus, the track was allegedly written in one Ritalin and tequila fuelled session that also spawned Green’s Hash Pipe, and the similarities are definitely there.
Keep Fishin’, particularly the video, was where Weezer shot back into the mainstream territory they occupied with the Buddy Holly video, with a killer chorus, a fun and goofy attitude and of course, Kermit and friends. It’s pretty much a perfect example of what a Weezer song should be in the Scott Shriner iteration of the band. Take Control is a solid straight up rock song, but it’s after this that the album has one of it’s moments of feeling like a compilation. Death and Destruction kind of kills the mood of the album, it’s slow, it’s heavy (yet still melodic), but it just feels completely out of place. It does set the scene for Slob however, which personally I think is a great song and contains one of the best solos in their catalogue. It’s not technical, it’s not showy, but it compliments the song and builds perfectly into the final verse. Burndt Jamb comes after this, with it’s jazz style main riff (which may or may not have been lifted straight from George Benson’s Breezin’ - I’ll let you decide), with a counterpoint of a heavy alternative rock style bridge, it’s one of the first examples of the experimentation that led the way on the Red album, and it’s a great song. From here on out however, the album is all over the place, with the only real highlight being Possibilities, a bang on two minute piece of pop-punk gold about a one-night stand (well, I think it is anyway), but unfortunately the closer, December, is a bit of a stinker.
4. Everything Will Be Alright In The End [2014]
Notable tracks - 5/11: Ain’t Got Nobody, Back to the Shack, Eulogy For a Rock Band, Lonely Girl, Futurescope Trilogy
Before we start, a quick disclaimer - I’m classing the closing three tracks of the album as one song, which I’ll refer to as the Futurescope Trilogy. You can’t have one without the others, much like 2112 etc, so to me it’s one song
After the jab, jab, uppercut to the listener’s face that was Raditude, Hurley and Death…, it’s safe to say that confidence wasn’t particularly high when work on a new album was announced. Then, all of a sudden it was abandoned as the songs weren’t good enough. Could this be… quality control? A year later, they’re back in the studio, they’ve got Ric Ocasek (The Cars / producer of Blue / Green) back on board and there’s a new focus on guitar parts and defined band roles. Had the penny finally dropped as to what kind of sound brings out the best in all of them? Basically, yes. This album nails the guitar driven power-pop that Rivers can write in his sleep. You drop that needle on the record and then it’s BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, one solid Weezer track after another.
From the chug-chug opening of Ain’t Got Nobody, with it’s nods to their previous mindset and alienation, into band history / mission statement of Back To The Shack, into Eulogy…, there’s a real sense of an apology letter for past transgressions crossed with a slight dig at their fan base for not embracing what they were trying to do. There’s some interesting sounds in the songwriting here too, a cross between his two great loves, the fuzz of Nirvana crossed with the arena pomp of Kiss. Lonely Girl is another great song, a driving power chord riff into a classic Weezer guitar solo, just a three minute slice of harmonised magic.
This is the point it drops off for a bit. Not in a bad way, these are still good songs on a good album, but they’re not songs for all time. I’ve Had It Up To Here goes a bit Queen meets Kate Bush at the bridge, and when you see that Justin Hawkins (The Darkness) has a co-writing credit, you can see which bit he had a hand in. The British Are Coming is the tale of the American Revolution, so I guess this is Weezer’s Iron Maiden moment, a decent song, but nothing special. Da Vinci, Go Away, Cleopatra and Foolish Father carry on the good-but-not-great vibe, catchy songs that can happily last out of a car window on a sunny day, but it’s with the start of the Futurescope Trilogy, The Waste Land that the handbrake gets yanked, and the album takes a final swerve into the leftist of fields to close the album out. An instrumental piece, it’s riffs on top of riffs with solos flying around all over the place until the piano break of part two, Anonymous. It’s got that big drum sound, the Phil Collins echoey sound, noodling guitars and vague lyrics, until it all goes double-time and the dual guitars start shredding into the final part, Return to Ithaka, which is another instrumental piece of riffs and driving drums into a belter of a hair metal ending, it’s like Cheap Trick meets Rush and I love it.
Shame it didn’t last, eh?
3. Weezer (Green) [2001]
Notable tracks - 5/10: Don’t Let Go, Photograph, Hash Pipe, Island In The Sun, Glorious Day, Knockdown Dragout
After 4 years convinced that the world hated him and his band after the initial commercial DISASTER that was Pinkerton, during which he became clinically depressed and lived in a house with all the windows painted black, and numerous attempts to record a new Weezer album (prompting Matt Sharp to leave the band to concentrate on The Rentals), it was an out of the blue offer to play a festival in Japan that convinced Cuomo that he had gotten it wrong, and that their fans had been there all along. With a renewed focus, studio time was booked, a new bass player was in the band (the late Mikey Welsh, on his one and only Weezer record), Ric Ocasek was back behind the board and they had over 100 demos to mine for gold. All in all, it’s a thoroughly solid album, a relentlessly paced power-pop album of simple riffs, bright guitars and massively catchy melodic hooks, which seems to be influenced by Ozma’s Rock and Roll Part Three, which in itself is hugely influenced by Weezer and the Get Up Kids, in a case of influencing your influences, which must be unbelievably fulfilling as a band.
You could call this The Lean Album, because it does not fuck about at all. There’s ten songs and it clocks in at 28 minutes long. 28 minutes! As soon as you press play, you’re hooked. BOM BOM BOM BOM, oooh woah-ah-woah, that opening on Don’t Let Go is telling you exactly what kind of record this is going to be, and that is fun pop music. There’s no feedback and introspection like Pinkerton, there’s no radio friendly “Alt-Rock” like their debut, it’s clean production, crispy guitars, hand claps and solos that mirror the melody of the verses. Photograph, Glorious Day, Knockdown Dragout, all of which are just fantastic pop songs even the more forgettable tracks like Crab and Simple Pages all follow this formula to the tee, and it just works. Hash Pipe is possibly the only song that doesn’t quite fit the formula, but with it’s playful lyrics referencing drug use and transsexual prostitutes, it’s definitely one of the bravest singles to launch a comeback on, and is a song that will forever remind me of being 18, drunkenly dancing week in and week out and generally just loving life.
There is one stand-out track though, and I believe you could make a very solid case that’s it is possibly the greatest pop song they have ever written.
Island In The Sun is just outstanding. If ever a song has fitted it’s title, it is this one. That riff on the verses, the HEP-HEP in the background, the laid back bass line, you can close your eyes and see yourself on a beach, swinging in a hammock and drinking pina coladas. Out of all the songs that have been influenced by Brian Wilson, this is by far the epitome of what his songwriting is. If I’m ever feeling glum, in the cold grey monolith that is the modern British city, this song on my headphones will turn the sky golden, make the rain dry up and radiate warmth throughout my body. Truly, truly glorious stuff. “And it makes me feel so fine / I can’t control my brain” - never a truer lyric has been sang.
2. Weezer (Blue) [1994]
Notable tracks - 10/10: My Name Is Jonas, No One Else, The World Has Turned and Left Me Here, Buddy Holly, Undone (The Sweater Song), Surf Wax America, Say It Ain’t So, In The Garage, Holiday, Only In Dreams
The one that started it all. Coming at the tail end of the "grunge" era, one month after the death of Kurt Cobain, Weezer released what to many is their greatest ever record, which also just happened to be their debut. I mention Nirvana, because I see a lot in common between this record and Nevermind, beyond the Geffen link and the sea of blue on the cover. Much like Nevermind, the album is so tight and focused, every song absolutely perfected and rehearsed within an inch of it's life, and the slightly dirty guitar tones and bombastic drums are polished into that space between pop and alternative masterfully by Ric Ocasek. Much like the aforementioned Nirvana record, there is hook upon hook upon hook and they are all MASSIVE. Big singalong choruses, bigger riffs and a solid lead / rhythm dynamic between Cuomo and Bell delivered the same shock to the serious arty system in 1994 that was delivered to the Sunset Strip in 1991. They made being nerds cool again, it's not about looking like a rock star with tight jeans and long hair, or dressing well like the art rock scene of the time, it's four kinda nerdy dudes in chinos and shirts, thick rimmed glasses and comic book references before this was ubiquitous with the "emo kid" look (not that all in black swept hair nonsense either). They just looked like they couldn't give a fuck what you thought about the way they looked, acted or sang about, even if deep down there was insecurity, and the lyrics on this album run the full range of emotions and subjects, but are bookended by two tales of yearning, one for the childhood past and the stress of adult responsibilities in My Name Is Jonas and finishing on the yearning surrealism of unrequited love, followed by the explosive catharsis of THAT solo on "Only In Dreams".
There's a lot of characters at play on the Blue Album, be that the misogynistic prick at the heart of The World Has Turned... and No One Else, beating off to a photo of his ex, after (presumably) she's left him for being a controlling arsehole, the fantasist of Surf Wax America and Only In Dreams, longing inside to be the guy out on the Pacific, surfing his woes away or dancing with his dream girl, flying through the air like the perennial high school loser finally made king of the prom, but at the heart of everything is the real Cuomo. The nerdy kid that grew up loving KISS and comic books and is scared of what people think of him and his interests (In The Garage), scared of being harassed in public for the way he looks (Buddy Holly) and most tellingly of all, the fear of rejection and loss that dominates so much of Cuomo's later work and persona, Say It Ain't So. The song deals with the struggles of growing up around alcoholism and absent fathers and how it can grow to drive your actions in adulthood. It's a nakedly personal song, comparatively stripped back against the rest of the record and really is one of the standout songs of their entire discography. Everybody knows Buddy Holly and it's accompanying Happy Days video, but arguably every song on this album deserves that same kind of pop culture immortality, as the whole album is essentially perfect. It would be the greatest thing that they'd ever released, if it wasn't for the fact that this next album exists...
There's a lot of characters at play on the Blue Album, be that the misogynistic prick at the heart of The World Has Turned... and No One Else, beating off to a photo of his ex, after (presumably) she's left him for being a controlling arsehole, the fantasist of Surf Wax America and Only In Dreams, longing inside to be the guy out on the Pacific, surfing his woes away or dancing with his dream girl, flying through the air like the perennial high school loser finally made king of the prom, but at the heart of everything is the real Cuomo. The nerdy kid that grew up loving KISS and comic books and is scared of what people think of him and his interests (In The Garage), scared of being harassed in public for the way he looks (Buddy Holly) and most tellingly of all, the fear of rejection and loss that dominates so much of Cuomo's later work and persona, Say It Ain't So. The song deals with the struggles of growing up around alcoholism and absent fathers and how it can grow to drive your actions in adulthood. It's a nakedly personal song, comparatively stripped back against the rest of the record and really is one of the standout songs of their entire discography. Everybody knows Buddy Holly and it's accompanying Happy Days video, but arguably every song on this album deserves that same kind of pop culture immortality, as the whole album is essentially perfect. It would be the greatest thing that they'd ever released, if it wasn't for the fact that this next album exists...
1. Pinkerton [1996]
Notable tracks - 10/10: Tired of Sex, Getchoo, No Other One, Why Bother, Across the Sea, The Good Life, El Scorcho, Pink Triangle, Falling For You, Butterfly
To borrow the allegory from the last album, Weezer's In Utero. From the feedback kicking off the blistering opener Tired of Sex, you know this is a very different album to what came before. Anger, desperation, loneliness, depression, ego and self-loathing ooze out of practically every song, with the stripped back production highlighting the more dynamic, aggressive instrumentation. There's no polish to any of this really, it's a really raw sounding record, self-produced by the band to fit both their live sound and the way they felt the songs should sound. At times, songs devolve into chaos, say the free form nature of El Scorcho, the crescendo of The Good Life or the ending of Getchoo, just the band playing live, no overdubs, string scrapes, amplifier buzz and off key backing vocals all kept in, adding to the general feel of immediacy that the record gives you. Pinkerton is a concept album, a modernisation of both Madame Butterfly's selfish protagonist and it's fetishisation of Japan as a beautiful delicate flower, but it's the thinnest of veils to how Rivers Cuomo found himself at that point of life, a jaded, tired, lonely "star", trying anything to find purpose in it all.
Tired of Sex is a fucking masterpiece of jaded rock star songwriting, a rumination on just how pointless an existence the "character" is feeling. The empty string of groupie sex, moving on and on to find what they truly desire, which is somebody to love them, but the self-destructive need to carry on every night with someone else, a self-perpetuating emotional disaster played out again and again, be it Pinkerton travelling from port to port or Cuomo travelling from town to town, this feeling carries over into Getchoo, where it's clear they've found that girl, that anchor, and they've fucked it up somehow and pushed them away, and now use these feelings of being rejected to play the victim, before coming to the realisation that they're the cause of their own misery. As far as one-twos go to open an album, it's incredibly bitter and angry, really setting the tone for what to expect. There's nothing happy here, and I think this abrasiveness is what initially turned people off to the album, based on the mixed reviews and commercial success of the album at release.
In direct juxtaposition however, No Other One is next, a tale of unhappy relationships from the other side, scared to leave and scared to be alone, or are they just pushing their anxiety onto another, finding faults and reasons to criticise, like on The Blue Album's No One Else, the idea that a partner should be a possession, beholden to your every whim and anything else is a betrayal? Why Bother? is the most conventional Weezer song so far, a two minute blast of power pop with big hooks and a driving bass line, but the fatalism in the lyrics is something else entirely. There's not a second of happiness in it. The writer has abandoned any pretence of happiness through love, it's pointless. The act of falling for someone is written off as nothing more than sexual desire, and it's pointless to try and progress a relationship, as they're only going to wrong him and leave him broken hearted, like the two people before them. There's so much bitterness here, the album begins to border on misanthropy, a feeling that nothing could be good.
Tired of Sex is a fucking masterpiece of jaded rock star songwriting, a rumination on just how pointless an existence the "character" is feeling. The empty string of groupie sex, moving on and on to find what they truly desire, which is somebody to love them, but the self-destructive need to carry on every night with someone else, a self-perpetuating emotional disaster played out again and again, be it Pinkerton travelling from port to port or Cuomo travelling from town to town, this feeling carries over into Getchoo, where it's clear they've found that girl, that anchor, and they've fucked it up somehow and pushed them away, and now use these feelings of being rejected to play the victim, before coming to the realisation that they're the cause of their own misery. As far as one-twos go to open an album, it's incredibly bitter and angry, really setting the tone for what to expect. There's nothing happy here, and I think this abrasiveness is what initially turned people off to the album, based on the mixed reviews and commercial success of the album at release.
In direct juxtaposition however, No Other One is next, a tale of unhappy relationships from the other side, scared to leave and scared to be alone, or are they just pushing their anxiety onto another, finding faults and reasons to criticise, like on The Blue Album's No One Else, the idea that a partner should be a possession, beholden to your every whim and anything else is a betrayal? Why Bother? is the most conventional Weezer song so far, a two minute blast of power pop with big hooks and a driving bass line, but the fatalism in the lyrics is something else entirely. There's not a second of happiness in it. The writer has abandoned any pretence of happiness through love, it's pointless. The act of falling for someone is written off as nothing more than sexual desire, and it's pointless to try and progress a relationship, as they're only going to wrong him and leave him broken hearted, like the two people before them. There's so much bitterness here, the album begins to border on misanthropy, a feeling that nothing could be good.
Across The Sea is the first moment on the record that could be described as positive, a bit of light in the darkness that has been the protagonist's outlook so far. Starting with gentle piano notes, the vocals in the verses have a lightness about them, with restrained instruments and none of the bitter, angry tone the other tracks have had. The positivity shines through, they're feeling that glow of potential love and adoration, feelings that the writer hasn't allowed themselves so far, but in the end, it's ultimately futile, as this is a relationship that will never be realised, and the second verse starts to chip away at that initial light, and the track builds back to the bleakness of before, blaming his mother, or the female figure she represents, for his repression of feeling and again the disillusion of the rock star life ("So you send me your love from all around the world / As if I could live on words and dreams and a million screams / Oh, how I need a hand to find, to feel").
The end of this track is the end of Side A on the vinyl pressing, and it also demonstrates a clear cutting point on the record. Side A is the dark, Side B is the light. From here on out, the record takes a turn into a different outlook on life, the second half of the persona at the heart of the songs.
The Good Life is a moment of clarity, that these feelings of isolation and loneliness are a cycle of destruction that can be avoided, he needs to put himself out there and live the life of a young man again. To not let this pain (both physical and mental - Cuomo himself was in recovery from painful surgery to correct a short leg) define him, he is going to embrace who he is, engage in those animalistic desires he's spent the whole first half lamenting, and just to get out there and dance again, with El Scorcho being the result.
He's back out amongst the girls, he's having a good time, but amongst the good times, the longing has begun again, he's attached those feelings of potential love to someone - is she the one? The free form nature of the track adds to this freewheeling happiness, it's by far the happiest track on the album, even if the brief time change section pulls those bad thoughts up from his subconscious, that he doesn't know how to express himself outside his music, but the track pushes on, this could go somewhere (even if he does read her diary!)
Pink Triangle is another one of these unrequited love songs, a flight of fancy into what could have been. Finding out the person you've had a crush on would never be interested in you, in this case because they're gay, but it could be any other reason. An anthem for the fantasist in us all, with an incredible middle breakdown / solo section. Tellingly though, there's no blame here. If this was earlier in the record, it could have been bitter, blaming the girl for leading him on, but at this point in his journey, it's the opposite, he knows it is his fault for attaching these feelings to someone he doesn't even know and comes to terms with it.
"Holy Cow I think I've got one here / Now just what am I supposed to do?". He's only gone and done it. Falling For You is the victory song of the record. He's finally found what he's been looking for, just as he had got back into the party lifestyle, he has to "turn in (his) rock star card / and get fat and old with you". As the song builds to a finale, a bit of doubt sweeps in, that this girl, this idealised musician goddess, could be interested in "little ol' three-chord me", but he pushes those thoughts away, he's ready, she is the one.
Which is what makes Butterfly even more heartbreaking. The most direct analogy to Madame Butterfly on the record, this is a tale of leaving a devoted partner at home, whilst you leave and carry on as you were before, living the selfish life and inadvertently destroying theirs. The simplest song that Weezer have probably ever done, with just an acoustic guitar and simple percussion, it is a powerful admission of flaws and guilt, even if you interpret it purely as the retelling of Pinkerton and Butterfly's ultimately doomed relationship.
Pinkerton was critically derided on it's initial release, but retrospectively is viewed as one of the greatest and most important albums of the 1990s. It is without a doubt the high point of Weezer's career and will almost certainly never be topped by the band. To me, it's truly a perfect record and deserves to be at the top of this list. A truly stunning piece of work.
The end of this track is the end of Side A on the vinyl pressing, and it also demonstrates a clear cutting point on the record. Side A is the dark, Side B is the light. From here on out, the record takes a turn into a different outlook on life, the second half of the persona at the heart of the songs.
The Good Life is a moment of clarity, that these feelings of isolation and loneliness are a cycle of destruction that can be avoided, he needs to put himself out there and live the life of a young man again. To not let this pain (both physical and mental - Cuomo himself was in recovery from painful surgery to correct a short leg) define him, he is going to embrace who he is, engage in those animalistic desires he's spent the whole first half lamenting, and just to get out there and dance again, with El Scorcho being the result.
He's back out amongst the girls, he's having a good time, but amongst the good times, the longing has begun again, he's attached those feelings of potential love to someone - is she the one? The free form nature of the track adds to this freewheeling happiness, it's by far the happiest track on the album, even if the brief time change section pulls those bad thoughts up from his subconscious, that he doesn't know how to express himself outside his music, but the track pushes on, this could go somewhere (even if he does read her diary!)
Pink Triangle is another one of these unrequited love songs, a flight of fancy into what could have been. Finding out the person you've had a crush on would never be interested in you, in this case because they're gay, but it could be any other reason. An anthem for the fantasist in us all, with an incredible middle breakdown / solo section. Tellingly though, there's no blame here. If this was earlier in the record, it could have been bitter, blaming the girl for leading him on, but at this point in his journey, it's the opposite, he knows it is his fault for attaching these feelings to someone he doesn't even know and comes to terms with it.
"Holy Cow I think I've got one here / Now just what am I supposed to do?". He's only gone and done it. Falling For You is the victory song of the record. He's finally found what he's been looking for, just as he had got back into the party lifestyle, he has to "turn in (his) rock star card / and get fat and old with you". As the song builds to a finale, a bit of doubt sweeps in, that this girl, this idealised musician goddess, could be interested in "little ol' three-chord me", but he pushes those thoughts away, he's ready, she is the one.
Which is what makes Butterfly even more heartbreaking. The most direct analogy to Madame Butterfly on the record, this is a tale of leaving a devoted partner at home, whilst you leave and carry on as you were before, living the selfish life and inadvertently destroying theirs. The simplest song that Weezer have probably ever done, with just an acoustic guitar and simple percussion, it is a powerful admission of flaws and guilt, even if you interpret it purely as the retelling of Pinkerton and Butterfly's ultimately doomed relationship.
Pinkerton was critically derided on it's initial release, but retrospectively is viewed as one of the greatest and most important albums of the 1990s. It is without a doubt the high point of Weezer's career and will almost certainly never be topped by the band. To me, it's truly a perfect record and deserves to be at the top of this list. A truly stunning piece of work.
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So, there you have it, that is my ranking of Weezer’s album discography to date, although I'll be sure to update it once The Black Album sees the light of day. Let me know in the comments how you feel about it, did I get it wrong? Have I overlooked a gem of a song? If you want to send me your own scores, please do, you can find the template here, send them over to me at thebangersmethod@gmail.com and I’ll add them to the blog post.
All of the tracks mentioned as notable above have been compiled as a Spotify playlist, and you can find that here too, and this is how the notable tracks are split across the bands discography
Pleased to see "I Want You To" got a BANGERS rating!
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