For a band that has consistently re-invented themselves with every album that they pump out, Weezer is a band that has made a name for themselves in the greatest way possible. Every time an album comes out, something fresh is introduced. Whether its a new take on modern rock, stunning pop sensibilities, or just plain old experimentation, Weezer is a band that has, at the core of their group, always kept things unique and interesting, both for their band and their fans.
The band will be making their big stop in the Bay Area with Panic! At The Disco for one of the most highly anticipated tours of the summer. Join us as we take a look back at the stunning and eclectic ten albums that the band have released throughout the years.
Weezer: The Blue Album
Release Date: May 10, 1994
Label: DGC
Producer: Ric Ocasek
Lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - lead vocals, guitars, keyboards, harmonica
Brian Bell - backing vocals
Matt Sharp - bass
Patrick Wilson - drums/percussion
Weezer have released four self-titled records thus far in their career, each represented not only by a different style of music but by a certain color. This is the first of those self-titled albums.
In February of 1992, Weezer was formed in Los Angeles by Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Matt Sharp, and Jason Cropper (who would go on to leave the band during the recording sessions). The band recorded a series of demos, and eventually got the attention of DGC Records, who signed them in 1993.
Prior to recording, the band practice barbershop-quartet style songs that allowed them to perform the types of vocal sessions they wanted to achieve (and it's clearly audible on the record.)
Geffen wanted them to have a producer, so they eventually decided to bring in Ric Ocasek. Ric contributed something rather interesting but major to the creation of the band's sound. He got the band to change their guitar pickups from the neck to the bridge of the guitar. This resulted in a much brighter sound, and is a big reason why the guitar sounds the way it does on The Blue Album. (Fun fact: according to Ocasek, Rivers Cuomo laid down every track for the record, in one day, with only one take per song.)
The songs dealt with a lot of personal experiences faced by Cuomo. "My Name Is Jonas" dealt with River's brother who had been in a serious car accident and had insurance problems. "Undone - The Sweater Song" is actually considered a sad song by Cuomo, "but everyone thinks its hilarious". "Say It Ain't So" was inspired by the divorce between Cuomo's parents. For a light-hearted-sounding record, the material is rather heavy in certain moments.
The album was well received by critics upon its initial release. It was certified Gold in America only seven months later, finally hitting platinum on the first of the year in 1995. Since then, it has achieved triple platinum status in the United States. Additionally, The Blue Album is considered to be one of the albums that truly represents the sound of the 90s. Weezer left behind a legacy, and there would be much more to come as the years progressed.
Pinkerton
Release Date: September 24, 1996
Label: DGC
Producer: Weezer
Lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - guitar, vocals, keyboards
Patrick Wilson - drums
Brian Bell - guitars, backing vocals
Matt Sharp - bass, backing vocals
Before Pinkerton, the band's highly anticipated follow-up, Weezer actually had plans for a rock opera entitled Songs From The Black Hole. While this would have been amazing, the band followed up with Pinkerton, an album that while not received in the most revered way at first ended up solidifying itself as a cult classic among the band and their fans.
During a break for the holidays from touring, Cuomo began preparing material for Weezer's net album using an 8-track. After receiving extensive leg surgery and undergoing painful physiotherapy sessions, Cuomo left to Harvard University to study classical music composition. This was indeed a darker time for Cuomo, feeling increasingly frustrated by the limitations that he felt were placed upon him by rock music. He would listen to Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera Madama Butterfly after every rehearsal with the band, and the depth and sadness of the opera inspired him to push his much further. Additionally, the album's name came from the opera's character BF Pinkerton, who Cuomo felt perfectly symbolized who he was trying to come to terms with being on the record. Lyrically, Cuomo wrote of even deeper topics, taking on dysfunctional relationships, sexual frustration and identity struggles.
With this record, Weezer hoped to explore a deeper and darker side of their songwriting abilities. In order to truly harness their live sound, they produced Pinkerton themselves. In order to give it more raw feeling, Cuomo, Bell and Sharp recorded their vocals around three microphones rather than recording them one at a time and overdubbing them.
Before Cuomo left for Harvard, Weezer went into Electric Lady Studios in New York City and tracked the songs "Why Bother?", "Getchoo", "No Other One", and "Tired Of Sex". During winter break, the band went to Sound City Studios in Van Nuys and completed several songs they had tracked the year before, in addition to recording new tracks "El Scorcho" and "Pink Triangle". During spring break, they returned to Sound City to record "The Good Life", "Across The Sea", and "Falling For You". The finishing touches were placed on the album in 1996 after Cuomo finished his studies, and Pinkerton was ready for a fall 1996 release.
The initial reviews of Pinkerton were mixed. People were unsure of what to think having just heard The Blue Album. The album peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard 200. Cuomo later went on to say that he thought he was a terrible songwriter, and was incredibly hard on himself in the press that followed. He described the album to Entertainment Weekly in 2001 in the following way:
"It's a hideous record...It was such a hugely painful mistake that happened in front of hundreds of thousands of people and continues to happen on a grander and grander scale and just won't go away. It's like getting really drunk at a party and spilling your guts in front of everyone and feeling incredibly great and cathartic about it, and then waking up the next morning and realizing what a complete fool you made of yourself."
By 2008, Cuomo reversed his stance, upon the album receiving better critical reception from fans alike and word-of-mouth. In an interview, he stated that "Pinkerton's great. It's super-deep, brave, and authentic. Listening to it, I can tell that I was really going for it when I wrote and recorded a lot of those songs."
Weezer: The Green Album
Release Date: May 15, 2001
Label: Geffen
Producer: RIc Ocasek
Lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - guitar, vocals, keyboards
Patrick Wilson - drums/percussion
Brian Bell - guitar, backing vocals
Mikey Welsh - bass, backing vocals
After the failure (at the time) of Pinkerton, Cuomo had the band go on hiatus, returning to Harvard University before eventually dropping out to focus on songwriting. He played in a different band during this time called Homie, where he met bassist Mikey Welsh, who would go on to replace Matt Sharp.
In February 1998, Cuomo headed back to Los Angeles to start working again on Weezer demos. Bassist Matt Sharp was rather absent from numerous rehearsals, and eventually left in April 1998 to focus full-time on his new band, The Rentals. Frustration and tension was heavy among the band members, and creative inspiration was at an all time low. Patrick Wilson returned to Portland, while Cuomo went into a period of depression. It has been said that he painted the walls of his house black and "placed fiberglass insulation all over the windows so that no light could ever get through".
During this entire time, the band had no idea that their fanbase was connecting and growing via the Internet, which was in turn increasing their reputation and growing album sales. When the band eventually returned to form in 2000, their fan reaction was off the charts. Talk of a new album was finally back on the table and on October 23 they announced that they would be entering the studio to record a third album. Rehiring Ocasek, they set to record the album in Los Angeles, looking through seventy-five demos that would be narrowed down to the album that we hear today known as The Green Album.
The album was met with great enthusiasm from the label, with the rock-edged "Hash Pipe" being the first single. Upon release, it received mainly favorable reviews from the critics, debuting at number four on the Billboard 200. It went on to be certified Platinum in September of 2001. The band were finally back on track.
Maladroit
Release Date: May 14, 2002
Label: Geffen
Producer: Weezer
Lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - lead vocals, guitar
Patrick Wilson - drums
Brian Bell - guitar, backing vocals
Scott Shriner - bass, backing vocals
Remember what I said about the band always trying to be innovative and experiment with new things? This didn't just hold true with their music, but also with their system for delivering songs. With a newly discovered Internet fan base, the band wanted to start releasing their demos online, every day, while recording Maladroit. This way, a great amount of communication was held between the band and their fans. Some radio stations even began playing unfinished versions of some of the tracks. Tensions rose between Cuomo and the record label because of this, leading the band to self-fund and produce the record themselves.
Maladroit was met with generally good reviews from critics. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified Gold by the RIAA.
Make Believe
Release Date: May 10, 2005
Label: DGC/Geffen
Producer: Rick Rubin
Lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Brian Bell - guitar, backing vocals
Scott Shriner - bass, backing vocals
Patrick Wilson - drums, percussion
Make Believe was the record that landed Weezer their first Grammy nomination. It undisputedly launched them into the rock mainstream and solidified their position among the masses. While it is still heavily debated among critics and fans as to whether or not its truly a great or one of the best albums in Weezer's arsenal, there's no denying the significant impact it made on the band's career.
Demos began as early as spring of 2002. Cuomo's discovery and practice of the art of meditation influenced the content on some of the album's tracks, particularly on "Pardon Me". "Hold Me" was written after Cuomo fasted for 24 hours and then wrote a song, an experiment in songwriting. The band have always pushed their boundaries when it comes to songwriting.
Producer Rick Rubin helped with this boundary-pushing as well, getting the band to write different kinds of songs. One result of this was "Haunt You Every Day", the first song Cuomo had written entirely on piano.
The critical reception was very hot and cold. Regardless, the album went on to receive that Grammy nod and has earned platinum status in the USA. It has sold 1,215,000 units as of 2007. Imagine what that number looks like today.
Weezer: The Red Album
Release Date: June 3, 2008
Label: DGC
Producer: Rick Rubin, Jacknife Lee, Weezer
Lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - lead vocals, guitar, backing vocals
Brian Bell - guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Scott Shriner - bass, backing vocals
Patrick Wilson - drums/percussion, backing vocals
The self-titled saga continues! After a break, a wedding proposal from Cuomo to his wife, graduating from Harvard University Phi Beta Kappa, and getting married, as well as Patrick Wilson and Brian Bell's appearances in movies and playing with various other bands, Weezer finally announced in 2007 that they would begin recording soon.
The entire record was done in three sessions. Every member sang on at least one song, taking the role of lead vocals. Rick Rubin oversaw the first half of production, while the band themselves oversaw the second half. The third session was only done at the request of Geffen, who had believed there wasn't enough commercial material for the band to showcase.
While Cuomo took the reigns with songwriting, other members started contributing to the songwriting and final product.
The release of The Red Album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with 126,000 copies being sold in the first week.
Raditude
Release Date: October 30, 2009
Label: DGC/Interscope/Geffen
Producers: Dr. Luke, Jacknife Lee, Polow da Don, Butch Walker, Rivers Cuomo
Lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
Brian Bell - lead guitar, backing vocals
Scott Shriner - bass guitar, backing vocals
Patrick Wilson - drums/percussion
Raditude showcased Weezer exploring a much more pop-filled side of their music, while still maintaining their rock sensibilities. The album featured more producers than ever before on a Weezer record, and various co-writes with artists like Butch Walker, Tyson Ritter, and even hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri. Lil' Wayne even provided guest vocals on a track. While guitarist Bell had certain hesitations about releasing Ratitude due to its pop sound. Cuomo eased his hesitations with a conversation, and the album was released to the world in 2009, hitting number seven on the Billboard 200.
While the album did receive a mixed critical response, it should be noted that this was a great risk on the band's part. This is just another example of the band reaching outside of their comfort zone and striving to create something new and different from what we're accustomed to.
Hurley
Release Date: September 10, 2010
Label: Epitaph
Producer: Rivers Cuomo, Shawn Everett
Lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
Brian Bell - lead guitar, backing vocals
Scott Shriner - bass guitar, backing vocals
Patrick Wilson - drums/percussion
Based on the reception that Ratitude had received, the announcement of an eight record from the band received a decent response. Additionally, the band's label contract with Geffen had officially reached its end, therefore allowing the band to explore other options. After weighing the options, the band signed to Epitaph Records. The album proved to be a bit more of a return to form for Weezer, showcasing the original raw, rock side that fans had grown to know and love. It wasn't exactly how we knew the band, but it was pretty damn close. Critical response of the album was favorable, and it debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, selling 45,000 units in the first week.
Everything Will Be Alright In The End
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Label: Republic Records
Producer; Ric Ocasek
Lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
Brian Bell - lead guitar, backing vocals
Scott Shriner - bass guitar, backing vocals
Patrick Wilson - drums/percussion
Sometimes, in order to remember who you are, you have to go back to the beginning. The result of this act of returning back to their original producer and a more rock sound spawned, Everything Will Be Alright In The End, the most critically revered Weezer album since Pinkerton.
The band reunited with Ric Ocasek to record the album, and a majority of it was recorded in The Village, a studio in Los Angeles. 200 songs were auditioned for the album, with only 20 being tracked and a select few chosen for the final product. With an album theme that presented an, according to Cuomo, "increased awareness of the impermanence of everything we take for granted and how to make peace with that", and songs that hinged heavily on the side of the Weezer that we first grew to love in those first three records, it seemed like the band were truly back to their original form. But, with a newer, more modern and refined twist.
Reviews for the album were rather positive, and it earned a number five Billboard 200 debut This was Weezer's fifth albumin the top five, and their seventh top 10 album in a row.
Weezer: The White Album
Release Date: April 1, 2016
Label: Atlantic Records, Crush Music
Producer: Jake Sinclair
Lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
Brian Bell - lead guitar, backing vocals
Scott Shriner - bass guitar, backing vocals
Patrick Wilson - drums/percussion
All of these albums bring us to 2016's current focus, and the tenth studio record from the band, dubbed The White Album. While Cuomo continues to explore new songwriting techniques (like adding lyrics to a spreadsheet and then adding them to a song based on syllable count and word stress), the band only gets more and more interesting and entertaining.
After the release of Everything, the band chose a new management team, and their new manager suggested that they make "a beach album". Cuomo called this suggestion "so obvious that we never even realized it". The band teamed up with producer Jake Sinclair and got to work. The two of them pulled each other in various directions, pushing their songwriting limits as far as they could go and helping them produce fresh, new ideas.
Once again, the album received generally great reviews, and it premiered at number four on the Billboard 200, selling 49,000 units in the first week.
Weezer has touched on so many areas of the music world and pushed their boundaries an unprecedented amount of times in terms of their capability of songwriting. It's rather unbelievable to look back and see that they are a band where no two albums truly sound exactly alike. There maybe common elements and tones here and there, but every Weezer album is truly a snapshot in the band's history. I can only imagine what their next release will entail, but I can definitely tell you that I'm highly looking forward to it.
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