Weezer is a rock band formed in 1993. Style? geek! Ok, ok, alternative or guitar-driven pop-punk. Influenced by Cheap Trick, the Pixies, and Kiss. The band is: Rivers Cuomo - vox, guitar; Matt Sharp(93-99?)/Mikey Welsh(99?-) - bass; Patrick Wilson - drums; and Brian Bell - guitar. thanks to pyro for the bassist change info

After their self-titled album Cuomo went back to school at Harvard and Sharp and Wilson formed The Rentals. This was not the end of Weezer, they were merely on hiatus, and they got back together for Pinkerton. This album didn't go over as well partly because Cuomo didn't want to just make a bunch of clever videos. This didn't upset the other band members too much they all had solo projects they were working on too. But is this the end of Weezer? Only time will tell.

Update: It was not the end of Weezer. Rivers Cuomo finished school and the band started practicing and touring again. They hit the studio and released a new album on May 15, 2001. It is self-titled much like the first album, except this time the back ground is green.

Off the blue album they had such great songs like "Buddy Holly", "Undone - The Sweater Song", "In the garage", "The World Has Turned And Left Me Here", well damn it the whole album is good. Off Pinkerton I'm partial to "Butterfly" and "Pink Triangle".

After listening to the green album a few times, I like it. I do think it is short, but all the Weezer albums only have 10 songs, so it does keep with tradition. My personal favorites in no particular order: "Island In The Sun", "O Girlfriend", "Photograph", and "Crab". While there is no "In The Garage", or "The World Has Turned And Left Me Here", I'm happy with the album.

Albums:
Maladroit -- Geffen Records (2002)
self-titled -- Geffen Records (2001) (the green album)
Pinkerton -- Geffen Records (1996)
self-titled -- DGC (1994) (the blue album)
EPs/singles
The Good Life - OZ EP -- ?? (1996)
El Sorcho -- ?? (1996)
Undone (The Sweater Song) -- Geffen Records (1994)
weezer.net

=rwa=

Matt Sharp left the band a while ago to work full time on The Rentals, Mikey Welsh is the news bassist. They are currently practicing for they're next album at Rivers' house in Los Angeles. (Pat Wilson says that the new album might be out by the end of the year).

Update: They're playing shows on the west coast. Pat has improved greatly since Pinkerton. Mikey is doing great too.

More Singles
Undone, The Sweater Song - (australian version 1995, UK version: 1994 ID:gfstD85)
Buddy Holly - (ID:gfstd88; september 7, 1995 and ID:gefds 21968 released ???)
Say It Ain't So - (ID: gfstm26439; july 13, 1995)


=rwa= =rna= ;-)
FADE IN

AVERAGE CONSUMER'S APT. -- INT

It is dinner time. AVERAGE AMERICAN CONSUMER is getting ready to sit down to an evening of Top Ramen and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? when suddenly his phone rings.

AAC (picking up the phone): Hello?
Screen splits to reveal RIVERS CUOMO from rock band Weezer.
RIVERS CUOMO: Hello, Average American Consumer. This is Rivers Cuomo from your once favorite band Weezer. Sorry to bother you during dinner or something, but I'm calling to tell you that we have a new album out, and I'd really appreciate it if you dropped whatever you're doing and bought it right now.

AAC: Really? Wow! What's it called?

RIVERS: Uhm, it's just called Weezer, like our first album, but has an atrocious green cover instead. Catchy title, huh?

AAC: Actually, that's kind of lame. (glances at television, notes commercials are almost over) So, uh, why should I buy this album?

RIVERS: Well, it's our first in, like, five years or something. Isn't that reason enough?

AAC: Well, I've heard the radio single, and it isn't really that great. How are the other songs?

RIVERS: Pretty bad, actually. They all start with something resembling promise, but end up petering out and disappointing.

AAC: Are there any good songs on the record?

RIVERS: Well, sure. The opener, Don't Let Go, is a solid rock tune, and everything after Knock-down Drag-out is listenable. In fact, you should probably just buy my record on vinyl. Your indie friends will respect you more, and you can just play side 2 over and over again.

AAC: Hmmmm... well, does this record have any merit?

RIVERS (growing more and more apologetic and sheepish): not really. I mean, the thing is only a half-an-hour long, so I guess we could've spent about a year or so perfecting the songs and making the record more worth your money, but we were so eager to milk the unsuspecting public for all they're worth that we just couldn't bother with things like musicianship, pop hooks, and catchy lyrics like all our other records have.

AAC: Uh-huh. Anything else I should know about?

RIVERS: Well, Ric Ocasek produced it. That's kinda cool. And since the album does suck, you'll probably be able to find it for cheap at a used record store in a matter of weeks!

(uncomfortable silence)

AAC: Yeah, well, listen. I gotta go. I think I'd rather watch Regis Philbin than listen to the new Weezer record. And Rivers?

RIVERS: Yeah?

AAC: Don't ever call me here again.
FADE OUT

Rating: 2 out of 5. I feel like Weezer's cock rock semen recepticle. Only half of this album is listenable, and that half is fifteen minutes long. That's the length of a single, plus b-sides. Singles are usually five bucks. I paid more than twice that for this self-indulgent tripe. I don't care if these guys dropped off the face of the earth for a few years: they could at least have the decency to spring back on the scene with a record worth my ill-gotten cash. Granted I haven't given this album the benefit of the repeated listen test, but after the first go around, I don't even want to hear this one again.

Seriously, even the pop trash spectacle that is the REM record that came out today is much more fulfilling. If you meet a member of Weezer on the road, stab him in the throat. He deserves no less.

track list:

  1. Don't Let Go
  2. Photograph
  3. Hash Pipe
  4. Island in the Sun
  5. Crab
  6. Knock-down Drag-out
  7. Smile
  8. Simple Pages
  9. Glorious Day
  10. O Girlfriend

Three years later, initial rage subsiding, here we go: When this record came out it was like Weezer was coming back from the dead, and was going to knock all my pants off, but they didn't. Probably because I was expecting them to (they'd done it before), so I was ready for it.

This record does rock. There is rock music on it. It sounds like Weezer. It's a return to the form of the first record, without the naivette. It's certainly not the worst record ever but it's certainly not the best Weezer has offered up.

And shame on me for weighing so much expectation on a rock band. I promise I'll never do it again.

Once upon a time, there was a band called Weezer who released a highly anticipated album to not so great reviews, but that was ok, because they were still popular and people still liked them. This was due to the fact that the volume of their work was such that, taken in context, their newest album was still 'good', but it wasn't great.

This accurately describes the situation in one town, Phoenix, Arizona. The local alternative rock radio station, KEDJ, The Edge 106.3 & 100.3 arranged for Weezer to come and play a show, sort of a send off for the new tour, which was hyped as being presented in venues of odd variety. So anyway, the radio station decided that the only tickets to the concert (take note that I say concert here, they said this also, it will be important later) would be given away on air to fans. The concert was to be held at Rawhide, a local western themed amusement park, with fake shoot outs and stupid costumes and it was to be called the Weezer Round-Up at Rawhide.

Needless to say, some fans were ecstatic that they would get to see the band live, and hopefully hear their favorite songs. Some were very annoyed that they could not simply purchase tickets, but alas, even in fairy tales, not everyone can be happy all the time. The night of the concert rapidly approached and the fans were very excited. When all the tickets had been handed out and the night had finally arrived, those few fans who did not receive tickets hatched a plan. They would go down to Rawhide and attempt to get into the concert anyway, because they were sneaky and willing to go to any length to see Weezer. So those sneaky fans went down to the park and purchased tickets to enter. They waited until the sun had set and the main park had closed, and they hid in the area where the band would be playing. There were many of them, and the radio station didn't seem to care. Finally, the band came on and everyone was happy. They sang along to the Sweater Song and got to hear a new tunes, but were still hopeful that Weezer would grace the audience with the hits which had defined the band. But, to the dismay of the fans, Weezer only played for twenty minutes. The evil trolls at the radio station had lied, it was not a concert. It was a signing, and the band would only sign a keepsake for their fans if the fans preordered their new album, at twenty dollars per preorder. Needless to say, the fans were upset. Tables were thrown over, feelings were hurt and all through the night the sound of an angry mob chanting 'Bullshit!' could be heard. The next day I heard this story and I was sad, so I wrote this song:

Which I have since removed (Sun, April 21st 2002)
It seems that as always, there is more than one side to the story. Given the perspective provided by time, I feel now that Weezer is just trying to be a band in an industry that doesn't particularly like bands, they only like money. This situation was really the fault of the radio station (the Edge, KEDJ, which has since been sold and changed into an all Spanish format) more than it was that of the band. Therefore, the (if I can be so bold) scathing song parody which appeared here was never really appropriate. To read Weezer's response to this situation (thanks to carbstah for bringing this to my attention) take a gander at:

http://www.weezer.com/karlscorner/archive13-May2001.html

"Weezer"

The 1994 self-titled debut album of the band Weezer, produced by Ric Ocasek. It was recorded in August, September, and October 1993. During the recording sessions, guitarist Jason Cropper left to be with his pregnant wife. He was replaced by Brian Bell, who got the job by sending in an audition tape. 11 songs were recorded, but only 10 went on the final product, as the song Mykel and Carli was unfinished. The late Mykel Allan is featured in a conversation sample on the song Undone (The Sweater Song), along with bassist Matt Sharp and roadie Karl Koch

Known as The Blue Album to fans, "Weezer" became a big hit, owing no small part of its success to the music video for the song "Buddy Holly" directed by Spike Jonze.

The album features the talents of:

The album consists of the following tracks:

  1. My Name is Jonas
  2. No One Else
  3. The World Has Turned and Left Me Here
  4. Buddy Holly
  5. Undone (The Sweater Song)
  6. Surf Wax America
  7. Say It Ain't So
  8. In the Garage
  9. Holiday
  10. Only in Dreams

Weezer has put out another fabulous CD, The Red Album, which was released on June 3, 2008 in the United States (and soon after worldwide). Two of their popular songs, Pork and Beans and Troublemaker, were released prior to the album as singles. Pork and Beans made top 100 on numerous charts, and even topped the U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks list.
"Longer songs, non-traditional song forms, different people writing and singing, instrument switching, TR-808s, synths, Southern rap, and baroque counterpoint." (Rivers)
    All songs were written by Rivers Cuomo, except where noted.
  1. "Troublemaker" - 2:44
  2. "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)"- 5:52
  3. "Pork and Beans" - 3:09
  4. "Heart Songs" - 4:06
  5. "Everybody Get Dangerous" - 4:03
  6. "Dreamin'" - 5:12
  7. "Thought I Knew" (Bell) - 3:01
  8. "Cold Dark World" (Cuomo, Shriner) - 3:51
  9. "Automatic" (Wilson) - 3:07
  10. "The Angel and the One" - 6:46
  11. US & UK Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks include: "Miss Sweeney" (Cuomo, Sarah C. Kim) - 4:02, "Pig" - 4:02, "The Spider" - 4:43, and "King" - 5:11.

”A cheery restless record”

The album has positive reviews. The Metacritic gave it a score of 65, compiling 29 reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called the album “A cheery restless record.” The first week of release saw 161,000 sales, putting it as the 4th best selling album that week on the United World Chart. They had three recording sessions. The third on the request of Geffen records, who claimed there was not enough commercial material. A direct result of that request was arguably the albums best song, Pork and Beans. Here’s an exert:

They say I need some Rogaine to put in my hair
Work it out at the gym to fit my underwear
Oakley makes the shades to transform a tool
You'd hate for the kids to think that you've lost your cool

Personally I think they ripped the Rogaine use from "The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson. That line is really hot when a chick sings it, giving hope to all bald men worldwide, “I'd buy you Rogaine when you start losing all your hair.” The rest of Pork and Beans sounds like a screw you gesture. Lines like, “I’ll eat my candy with the pork and beans.” And “Imma do the things that I wanna do.”

Things to search for on... with this... or that...


Consulted http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weezer_(2008_album)

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