Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

General music discussion.
Dr. Medulla
User avatar
Atheistic Epileptic
Posts: 115992
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
Location: Straight Banana, Idaho

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by Dr. Medulla »

Apropos of Hoy's 7/10 ratings:
Image
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Kory
User avatar
Unknown Immortal
Posts: 17319
Joined: 17 Jun 2008, 1:42pm
Location: In the Discosphere

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by Kory »

I love clever people.
"Suck our Earth dick, Martians!" —Doc

matedog
User avatar
Purveyor of Hoyistic Thought
Posts: 25804
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: 1995

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by matedog »

Image

Preface: Released three years after Make Believe, the boys return with yet another self titled "color" album with ten tracks. The goofy costumes seemed to give notice of a less image conscious band. Rick Rubin provided guidance again, but had a much smaller role.

1. Troublemaker – 6. The red album starts off promisingly enough with a pretty simple, tough talking tune. The lyrics are kinda silly, but what really sells the song is sheer exuberance in the delivery. Such energy has only peaked through on occasion post-Pinkerton (Dope Nose, for example).
2. The Greatest Man that Ever Lived – 7. Clearly inspired by Green Day’s recent forays into “A Quick One”-esque mini operas, Rivers set out to compose a song in a similar method centered on an old Shaker hymn. After a piano part introducing the melody, a siren signals the next song in “Beverly Hills”-esque rap. Luckily, it’s not terrible, a bit goofy really, and it is short-lived. From here on out, we are treated to a Prince-like falsetto verse, not one, but two distinct acapella (basically) sections, and a spoken word homage to that one Elvis song that has that weird spoken word part. In this case, the more challenging parts are over before they can wear out their welcome and we are left with a series of one to two minute long songs filled with those hooks Rivers seems to be able to toss off with minimal effort. The band really gels and it’s a very enjoyable listen.
3. Pork and Beans – 6. The big single from the album. This song features an almost “El Scorcho” like riff which is never unwelcome. The lyrics are modern day-personal Rivers which usually means death to the quality of a song. Fortunately, he turns the lyric about record company pressure into an oddly effective “you are fine the way you are” self help mantra which is more universal than his other “here is my meditation practice ritual” personal lyrics. I wish the hook had ever gotten stuck in my head because the song could have really been up there with their best.
4. Heart Songs – 1. I listened to this song once. And then I listened to it one more time to confirm that I wasn’t dreaming about how awful it was. Yes it is competently performed and arranged which should spare it from my lowest possible score. What manages to overcome what little isn’t horrible about this song is the god awful lyrics. Basically Rivers writes about how he grew up listening to songs and they mean a lot to him and now he’s happy because his songs mean a lot to other people. Just the worst shit ever. Supposedly the song was written off the cuff with the subject matter inspired by Rick Rubin’s suggestion. I don’t know who to blame for this wretched awfulness. Rivers even confuses Debbie Gibson with Tiffany.
5. Everybody Get Dangerous – 2. Another terrible tune. I have a feeling Pat endorsed this song for its “rocktastic riff” or whatever stupid shit he’s been on about lately. Dopey lyrics including “Boo-yah”, an uninteresting melody and arrangement, this one is another song I probably haven’t listened to more than three times.
6. Dreamin’ – 5. Earlier I mentioned Rivers’ ability to effortlessly create sweet sweet hooks and this is a mighty fine example. The song wastes no time by jumping directly into its strong point- the chorus. The verses are unmemorable with typically bad lyrics. Thankfully the verses are mercifully short before they return right back to the tasty chorus. Things get worse during the bridge which alternates between tolerable and sheer awful. Brian gets a solo vocal where he starts singing about some sort of nature crap. Rivers comes in and things pick up with a clever two-part vocal interplay. Once this ends, a guitar riff enters signaling a new rock section but then it stops for no reason and it goes back to the vocal part which slowly builds and builds returning to the great chorus slowed down not unlike the end of “Pink Triangle.” This is clearly the high point of the song- the stadium rockified chorus with the vocal harmony effectively entering half way through. The song gets ready for a triumphant ending that is completely ruined by a transition to an entirely different snippet of a song that is tuneless and stupid. Why oh why was that part included? It seems like this was a test run for “Greatest Man” with its non-sequitor parts and general sloppiness. That hook though.
7. Thought I Knew – 4. Rhythm guitarist Brian’s song. He has the most vocal experience of the rest of the band not named Rivers so his delivery is good. He also has done a decent amount with his own groups so he does have songwriting experience. The song isn’t bad. It isn’t good either. The chorus melody isn’t memorable although the verse is somewhat better.
8. Cold Dark World – 2. Bass player Scott’s song. He sings laughably tough with similarly laughably tough lyrics (written by Rivers, I believe). Nothing particularly redeeming about this one. It’s pretty poorly constructed and performed.
9. Automatic – 3. Pat’s song. Sure enough his voice isn’t terrible. This is the mid-tempo riff heavy stuff he seems to favor which also happens to be pretty mediocre. Like the previous songs, this one leaves me pretty empty. I can’t remember the melody or much at all actually.
10. The Angel and the One – 6. Standard ballad album closer. An interesting songwriting exercise for Rivers, this tune eschews a typical verse-chorus structure for an almost Roy Orbison-like arrangement with sparse instrumentation and a low register vocal slowly building up throughout its five minutes to a great climax and nice resolve (the “peace shalom” part). Some of the lyrics are clunky, but it is terrific vocal performance by Rivers showing off his range from soft and low to falsetto wails. Not saying much, but it is the best album closer since “Butterfly.”

Bonus Tracks:
1. Ms. Sweeney – 6. A rather odd tune and another successful songwriting experiment for Rivers. This tune is a one-sided discussion between boss man Rivers and his secretary discussing business matters. In the chorus, he reveals his desire for her, ebulliently. Rivers’ vocal delivery during the verses is terse and awkward, but it kinda works, especially in contrast to the more normal chorus. It’s not great, but it’s certainly enjoyable.
2. Pig – 6. A first person narrative of a young piglet playing with his friends, finding love, getting married, having more piglets, and ultimately dying, perhaps being slaughtered by the farmer he remembers fondly. Like many of the songs on this album, this is also a songwriting experiment. As with “The Angel and the One,” this song has no chorus, but the lyrics are simply a narrative. It also has a similar build in instrumentation that works well with the story arch. Everything falls apart and it returns to the first lines of the sparse verse. Unspectacular, but interesting and enjoyable.
3. The Spider -6. Airy synths and an acoustic guitar introduce the song. Rivers vocals are similarly reverb’d, giving everything a very ethereal feel. Additional synths come and go as does some occasional guitar feedback. Again, no verse/chorus structure and a slow build. An uncharacteristically atmospheric song and I’m surprised I like it as much as I do.
4. King – 4. Scott Shriner sings this one and the song in its entirety is much stronger than “Cold Dark World.” Still, it’s not particular good. So so melodies and nothing else to make up for it. Definitely the weakest of bonus tracks but not that bad.


Conclusion:
This was the first of series of albums that were more about songwriting experiments and branching out from the norm. There are some very strong moments throughout that are spoiled by the failed experiments. The obvious thing I like to do is trade out the awful tunes for the really enjoyable and equally experimental bonus tracks for a really good listen:
1. Troublemaker
2. Greatest Man
3. Pork & Beans
4. Ms. Sweeney
5. Pig
6. Dreamin’
7. Thought I knew
8. The Spider
9. King
10. The Angel and the One

The idea of letting other members write songs was (pretty much) done after this album.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

matedog
User avatar
Purveyor of Hoyistic Thought
Posts: 25804
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: 1995

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by matedog »

matedog wrote:
Flex wrote:
matedog wrote:Yeah, the subsequent albums are really fans only. When I'm done reviewing Raditude ( :( ), I'm going to do a Greatest Hits of the post-Pinkerton songs which might be a decent comp.

Radititude has a stupid name, but I think it's probably the best album they've done since (at least) Green.
The :( was for the name. It's probably one of the better post-Pink albums. I'll see how it shakes up. Thus far the albums (w/o b-sides) look like this:
Blue - 7.0
Pinkerton - 6.9
Green - 5.3
Maladroit - 4.77
Make Believe - 4.75
Red - 4.2
Red w/bonus tracks replacements - 5.3
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

Flex
User avatar
Mechano-Man of the Future
Posts: 35802
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:50pm
Location: The Information Superhighway!

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by Flex »

I kinda like "Everybody Get Dangerous" :shifty:

Good review. If we're looking at the phases of Weezer - especially with their most recent album out now - I can fairly comfortably say that their first phase is the best (blue/pinkterton), their second phase is wretched and nothing I like to dip into (green/the even worse shit), and third phase is imperfect but mostly enjoyable - and getting stronger each album (red/raditude/hurley)
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead

Pex Lives!

matedog
User avatar
Purveyor of Hoyistic Thought
Posts: 25804
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: 1995

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by matedog »

Flex wrote:I kinda like "Everybody Get Dangerous" :shifty:

Good review. If we're looking at the phases of Weezer - especially with their most recent album out now - I can fairly comfortably say that their first phase is the best (blue/pinkterton), their second phase is wretched and nothing I like to dip into (green/the even worse shit), and third phase is imperfect but mostly enjoyable - and getting stronger each album (red/raditude/hurley)
If anything, this is a good test on this rating system. The more reviews I write, the more imperfect it seems. Somehow Maladroit is better than Make Believe and Red with the bonus tracks is as good as Green which just isn't right.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

matedog
User avatar
Purveyor of Hoyistic Thought
Posts: 25804
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: 1995

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by matedog »

Flex wrote:
matedog wrote:Hey Flex, party time?
Party time indeed.
http://www.spin.com/articles/weezer-rev ... ue-details

Pinkerton reissue tracklisting:
Disc One
Original Album:
1. "Tired Of Sex"
2. "Getchoo"
3. "No Other One"
4. "Why Bother?"
5. "Across The Sea"
6. "The Good Life"
7. "El Scorcho"
8. "Pink Triangle"
9. "Falling For You"
10. "Butterfly"

B-Sides and More:
11. "You Gave Your Love To Me Softly"
12. "Devotion"
13. "The Good Life "(Radio Remix)
14. "Waiting On You"
15. "I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams
16. "The Good Life" (Live and Acoustic)
17. "Pink Triangle" (Radio Remix)
18. "I Swear It's True" *
19. "Pink Triangle" (Live and Acoustic)

Disc Two
1. "You Won't Get With Me Tonight" *
2. "The Good Life" (Live at Y100 Sonic Session) *
3. "El Scorcho" (Live at Y100 Sonic Session) *
4. "Pink Triangle" (Live at Y100 Sonic Session) *
5. "Why Bother?" (Live at Reading Festival 1996) *
6. "El Scorcho" (Live at Reading Festival 1996) *
7. "Pink Triangle" (Live at Reading Festival 1996) *
8. "The Good Life" (Live at X96)
9. "El Scorcho" (Live and Acoustic) *
10. "Across The Sea Piano Noodles" *
11. "Butterfly" (Alternate Take) *
12. "Long Time Sunshine" *
13. "Getting Up And Leaving" *
14. "Tired Of Sex" (Tracking Rough) *
15. "Getchoo" (Tracking Rough) *
16. "Tragic Girl" *

*Previously unreleased

A couple of thoughts - Which version of You Gave Your Love? I'll assume the B-side as opposed to the Angus Soundtrack version which is fine because that's the better version. It would still seem definitive to have both. "I Swear It's True"? Wasn't that on the Blue Album special edition?

The whole Pinkerton/ Songs From the Blackhole thing is weird. The SFTBH tunes here (Longtime and You Won't Get with Me Tonight) are here in a non-SFTBH form? Why not release the other not yet released tunes from those sessions? Maybe these are full band demos.

Anyway, of the 25 bonus tracks, I haven't heard pretty much only Getting Up and Leaving and Tragic Girl, so I'm slightly disappointed. It'll be nice to have it on fancy vinyl though.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

Dr. Medulla
User avatar
Atheistic Epileptic
Posts: 115992
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
Location: Straight Banana, Idaho

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by Dr. Medulla »

Somewhere between inspired humour and whiney entitled fan: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/ ... -break-up/
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Flex
User avatar
Mechano-Man of the Future
Posts: 35802
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:50pm
Location: The Information Superhighway!

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by Flex »

Dr. Medulla wrote:Somewhere between inspired humour and whiney entitled fan: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/ ... -break-up/
Ehhhh... I tend towards the latter, just because I can't help thinking "you could always not buy the album." Maybe I'm humorless about such things.

Patrick Wilson's response was pretty funny, tho.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead

Pex Lives!

matedog
User avatar
Purveyor of Hoyistic Thought
Posts: 25804
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: 1995

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by matedog »

Even if their music has an average quality of "decent" over the last ten years, they sure keep things interesting in other ways. Rarities comp coming out soon:
Image
http://pitchfork.com/news/40359-weezer- ... se-metali/
I haven't heard of any of these tunes which could really mean anything.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

matedog
User avatar
Purveyor of Hoyistic Thought
Posts: 25804
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: 1995

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by matedog »

Pinkerton Deluxe on quadruple vinyl arrived yesterday. Of course there was no mp3 code, so I scoured the internet for an illegal copy.

It's a great package and a really thorough representation of the recording sessions in general. I was somewhat disappointed in that with that unreleased b-sides and outtakes, Matt Sharp appears on only one - Longtime Sunshine. This song I was well familiar with because of the demo that has been circulating for years but this is a full band run through. As the song was initially thought to close the album, this version features a very interesting acapella ending with Rivers singing the chorus, Brian Bell singing the chorus to "Why Bother", Matt Sharp singing a falsetto verse of "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams", and another Rivers singing the beginning to "Blast Off." It's not superbly performed, but it is an interesting idea.

"I Sweat It's True" appeared in demo form on the Blue album deluxe. This version has the bassist from Letters to Cleo (it was 1996) stepping in for Matt Sharp and is as slodgy and uninteresting as the Blue version. This was slated to be on the aborted Pink Triangle single along with the much better "Getting Up and Leaving." The album closes out with a tune Rivers put together at the very end of the sessions, "Tragic Girl." I have given it a listen and I don't think it is a "lost masterpiece" but it is quite good. I'll have to come back in a bit to properly assess it.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

Flex
User avatar
Mechano-Man of the Future
Posts: 35802
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:50pm
Location: The Information Superhighway!

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by Flex »

I just got my Pinkerton Deluxe on cd in this morning. Am gonna spin it later today.

Anything extra special about the vinyl version? I was considering going for it, but don't know if it's worth the resources.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead

Pex Lives!

matedog
User avatar
Purveyor of Hoyistic Thought
Posts: 25804
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 4:07pm
Location: 1995

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by matedog »

Flex wrote:I just got my Pinkerton Deluxe on cd in this morning. Am gonna spin it later today.

Anything extra special about the vinyl version? I was considering going for it, but don't know if it's worth the resources.
No, just the artwork is all big n stuff. I bought it via the fansite and it came with an original fanclub booklet of the lyrics. It's pretty minimal so it's not even that neat. I just really wanted it for large size and the hopes that I'd be able to read the Pinkerton Map which oddly is only hinted at on the actual vinyl.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

Silent Majority
Singer-Songwriter Nancy
Posts: 18702
Joined: 10 Nov 2008, 8:28pm
Location: South Londoner in the Midlands.

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by Silent Majority »

Getting Up And Leaving is a great song.
a lifetime serving one machine
Is ten times worse than prison


www.pexlives.libsyn.com/

Howard Beale
Bang Ice Geezer
Posts: 172
Joined: 16 Jun 2008, 1:51am

Re: Mate's Takes - The Weezer Discography

Post by Howard Beale »

Whoa, there's a Pinkerton deluxe edition now? Its about time.

Post Reply