View source for Maladroit

{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Maladroit
| type         = Studio
| artist       = [[Weezer]]
| cover        = Weezer_Maladroit.jpg
| alt          =
| released     = [[May 14]], [[2002]]
| format       =
| recorded     = December [[2001]] at Cello Studios, Los Angeles
| studio       =
| genre        = Alternative rock, hard rock
| length       = 33:43
| label        = [[Geffen]]
| producer     = Weezer, [[Rod Cervera]], [[Chad Bamford]]
| riaa         = {{riaa|gold}}
| reviews      = {{Template:Maladroit reviews infobox data}}
| metascore    = 72
| song_reviews =
| prev_title   = [[Weezer (The Green Album)]]
| prev_year    = 2001
| next_title   = [[Make Believe]]
| next_year    = 2005
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name           = Maladroit
 | type           = studio
  | single1      = [[Dope Nose]]
  | single1date = [[2002]]
  | single2      = [[Keep Fishin']]
  | single2date = [[2002]]
  }}
}}

'''''Maladroit''''' is the fourth studio album by [[Weezer]], released on [[May 14]], [[2002]]. The album is known for its "heavy metal" sound, and for the Weezer fanbase's involvement with the recording process.
==Overview==
<blockquote>{{Interviewer|Kerrang!|I think you’ve been childish, a bit "toys out of the pram". Do you know what I mean?}}
{{Rivers|I think so (laughs). Well, I try to give myself complete license to do whatever I want at any time regardless of how it affects other people and … I think the benefits I gain artistically from living like that outweigh the costs of, um, all the problems that I have with society.}}
{{Interviewer|Kerrang!|Meaning?}}
{{Rivers|Everyone hating me.}}</blockquote>
:::—''[[Kerrang! article - April 27, 2002]]''
Immediately following the release of ''The Green Album'', Weezer fired their management, Atlas/Third Rail Management, and longtime manager [[Pat Magnarella]], leading to a protracted legal battle.<ref>Pollack, Marc, and Simutis, David. "[https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=274861&title=UNDER-NEW-MANAGEMENT UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: You Need A Scorecard To Keep Track, So We've Provided One]" ''Hits Daily Double''. 3 July 2001.</ref><ref>[https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/TAC/2001-21%20Rivers%20Cuomo%20et%20al%20v%20Atlas%20Third%20Rail%20mgmt%20inc.pdf RIVERS CUOMO, an individual; PAT WILSON, an individual; BRIAN BELL, an individual; and MIKEY WELSH, an individual; collectively and professionally known as “WEEZER” vs. ATLAS/THIRD RAIL MANAGEMENT, INC., a California corporation; and PAT MAGNARELLA, an individual]"</ref> According to [[Karl Koch]], the firing was a "statement of intent" and [[Rivers Cuomo]] felt that the band didn't need management, and could simply fund their next album with their own money and pay themselves back when the album sold.<ref name="vaultdive1">Weezer Fan Club [https://archive.org/details/wfc-vault-dive-1 Vault Dive #1]</ref> Within mere weeks of the release of ''Green'', the band began recording wholly new songs, booking recording sessions at [[DC Demos|Monster Island Studios in Washington, D.C.]] with the intention of finding potential producers for the band's next album.  When performing for the BBC Radio 1 program ''[[BBC Sessions|The Evening Session]]'' on [[June 13]], [[2001]], rather than performing songs to promote ''Green'', the band instead opted to perform exclusively new songs.

Cuomo began recording low-fidelity demos onto an Olympus handheld digital recorder<ref>''[[Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo]]'', [[Alone II liner notes|liner notes]]</ref><ref name="maladroitpreview" /> around July of [[2001]].<ref>Cuomo, Rivers. "[http://weezerpedia.com/catalogofriffs.html The Catalog O' Riffs]" 2002. Archived by ''Weezerpedia''</ref> Said Cuomo in [[2021]], "...this was my nadir, if not as a songwriter/artist/human being, at least in terms of recording quality."<ref name="maladroitpreview">"Maladroit Preview 2021-12-27 14.38.mp3" ''[[Alone VIII: The Maladroit Years]]''</ref>

Meanwhile, bassist [[Mikey Welsh]]'s mental health began to deteriorate as a result of undiagnosed bi-polar disorder, drug abuse, and the duress of constant touring, leading him to attempt suicide via overdose in early August of [[2001]]. The rest of the band, unable to determine Welsh's whereabouts for several days, quickly scheduled try-outs to find a replacement bassist in order to continue touring, eventually selecting [[Scott Shriner]], who has remained the band's bassist ever since. Weezer began recording its first studio demos with Shriner at [[SnS Demos|Sage & Sound Recording Studios]] in Hollywood from [[August 29]] through [[September 8]], right before embarking on the band's [[Midget Tour]] beginning on the [[September 12|12th]].

Between legs of the Midget Tour, the band recorded more demos at [[Steakhouse Demos|Steakhouse Studios]] in late October, and [[Cello Demos|Cello Studios]] in early November. The set of unmastered demos from these sessions would be jokingly referred to by the band as "[[The Black Album (2001)|The Black Album]]". During this period, the band also revived the moniker "[[Goat Punishment]]" to perform a series of shows, including one recorded and [[Weezer concert: 10/24/2001 - Los Angeles, CA|broadcast for the HBO program ''Reverb'']]. On [[November 14]], the band recorded a set of songs at [[Glenn Sound Demos|Glenn Sound Studios]] intended as exclusives for the radio station 107.7 The End, though the songs were never broadcast. Weezer entered [[Cello Studios]] to begin the proper recording sessions for ''Maladroit'' in December of 2001, and would continue throughout February of [[2002]].
{{Quote|My role as a producer, I would say, was "producer-lite," because really, how I ended up on that record was because [[Rachel Haden]] was touring with [[Jimmy Eat World]] and [they were] playing with Weezer, and Rachel was talking with Rivers one day and he was saying "I need to find a producer for this next record and I just want to go into hiding and do it under the radar"...She just happened to say "why don't you hire Rod to do it?"... And he just called me up and said "do you want to produce this record?" What I think he really wanted me to do was kinda sit in the studio with them, hang out, listen to things, say "hey, what do you think of that? Does that sound good?" I was not somebody making decisions in the studio."|[[Rod Cervera]]|''The Powered by Rock Podcast'', [[2024]]<ref>Kuhlman, Isaac. "[https://poweredbyrock.com/blogs/pbr-podcast-season-5/how-weezers-blue-album-changed-rock-music-forever How Weezer's Blue Album Changed Rock Music Forever" ''The Powered by Rock Podcast''. 2 June 2024.</ref>}}
Throughout the process of writing and recording ''Maladroit'', Cuomo began encouraging webmaster [[Karl Koch]] to upload in-progress demos to [[weezer.com]], in order to get feedback and to let the fans decide what direction the album would take. In the words of Koch, "...in a nutshell, the [[Summer Songs of 2000]] died because of the need to please the record company, whereas the demos that became ''Maladroit'' existed to ''piss off'' the record company."<ref name="vaultdive1" /> Koch also uploaded soundboard recordings from the [[Midget Tour]]. By the time ''Maladroit'' was completed, the band had uploaded over 150 in-progress MP3s in various states of completion from the Cello sessions alone, in addition to numerous demos from the [[Maladroit Demos|preceding studio sessions]], all without Geffen's awareness or permission. During this process, an online message board called the "Rivers Criticism Board" was set up by fans. The board was soon after renamed the [[Rivers Correspondence Board]] after Cuomo himself began posting under the username "ace" (a nod to [[Ace Frehley]] of KISS). Cuomo would clash with fans in these interactions; the lyrics to the song "[[Space Rock]]" were rewritten during the ''Maladroit'' sessions to express his frustration with his fanbase ("''They want it all, and they're pinning you to boards''"). However, some fan suggestions ''were'' taken into account. The title "Maladroit" was suggested by a fan by the username of "lethe". Cuomo also admitted in an interview with Guitar World, "I never would have thought to put the song "[[Slob]]" on the record if the fans did not request it."<ref>Beaujour, Tom. "Odder Than Hell" ''Guitar World''. May 2002. [[Guitar World interview with Rivers Cuomo - May 2002|(Transcript)]]</ref>

Prior to the album's release, the band created a promotional CD featuring eight songs titled ''[[Songs from the Forthcoming "Maladroit"]]'', again without the label's foreknowledge, and sent it to hundreds of radio stations. Said Koch:{{Quote|This was sent out by hand—we were stuffing envelopes—and we got the list of all the radio station addresses and who to send this to...we sent out hundreds of these things all over the country. Again, the label did not know we were doing this, even though we specifically asked them "Could you please get us the list of the radio stations you send CDs to?" They're like "Oh, sure! What do you need that for?" "Ah, don't worry about it!"|Karl Koch|Weezer Fan Club Vault Dive; [[June 27]], [[2020]]<ref name="vaultdive1" />}}
With the release of the promotional CD and the MP3s uploaded to the band's website, radio stations began playing the new songs and publications began reviewing them [[Karl%27s_Corner_-_01/24/2002|as early as January]]. Karl Koch thereafter began reporting daily on the airplay of ''Maladroit'' tracks as part of his [[weezer.com]] updates. This airplay, however, eventually brought the attention of Geffen, who then insisted that Cuomo [[Karl's Corner - 03/01/2002|write a letter to all of the radio stations]] the band had sent promos to, asking them to hold off on playing any of the new songs until the record company was ready to service the "[[Dope Nose]]" single.

Recording of ''Maladroit'' concluded in February, with additional bonus track recording sessions in April. By February of [[2002]], the band had already begun [[Album 5 Demos|recording demos for their ''next'' album]], well in advance of ''Maladroit'''s May release.
===Release===
''Maladroit'' was released on [[May 14]], [[2002]], and was self-produced like ''[[Pinkerton]]'' (Rivers would describe it as "unproduced" at the time). The release date between ''[[The Green Album]]'' and ''Maladroit'' was, at the time, the shortest between any two Weezer yet released, at only one day shy of a year between them (although this record has since been beaten with the release of ''[[Hurley]]'' ten months after ''[[Raditude]]'', and again with ''[[Weezer (The Black Album)|The Black Album]]'', released just 37 days after ''[[Weezer (The Teal Album)|The Teal Album]]''). The man on the cover was dubbed [[Rupert Peasley]] by fans. The cover was ranked as one of "The Worst Record Covers of All Time" by [[Pitchfork Media]] in [[2005]].<ref>DiCrescenzo, Brent "[http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/6194-the-worst-record-covers-of-all-time/7/ The Worst Record Covers of All Time]." ''Pitchfork''. 14 November 2005.</ref>

As with all Weezer albums, it was an album of firsts.  It was the first album to feature current bassist [[Scott Shriner]] after the breakdown and departure of [[Mikey Welsh]], the first to contain a booklet with lyrics (which included a special message thanking Weezer boardies), and the first to feature more than ten songs. The first 600,000 copies of ''Maladroit'' were numbered in a limited edition, with gold foil digits at the bottom corner.

==Reception==
===Critics===
{{Template:Maladroit reviews}}
''Maladroit'' received mostly positive at the time of release, but remains one of the band's lowest-selling albums. The album's only singles, "[[Dope Nose]]" and "[[Keep Fishin']]" received respectable radio play and MTV circulation, propelled by popular music videos, but failed to really get the album off the ground. A ''Rolling Stone'' reader poll ranked ''Maladroit'' as the 8th best album of 2002, with another reader poll from 2002 ranking it as the 90th greatest album of all time.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20110628073126/http://rocklistmusic.co.uk/rolling.htm Rolling Stone Readers' Top Ten of 2002]". ''Rolling Stone''. Archived from [http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rolling.htm#2002 the original] 28 June 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2007.</ref>

In a 2022 retrospective on the occasion of ''Maladroit's'' 20th anniversary, Stereogum writer Rachel Brodsky said of the record, "In terms of actual album content, ''Maladroit'' is so much better than most remember. It’s a peculiar kind of aging, and what you think of the album may have everything to do with how old you are. For those ’90s die-hards who won’t accept anything after Pinkerton, Maladroit represents a broken, unacceptable band on a perma-decline. For the younger sect — say, anyone born in or after the ’90s — Maladroit is early enough in Weezer’s overall catalog that it represents an acceptable entry point before things got really bad."<ref>Brodsky, Rachel. "''[https://www.stereogum.com/2186430/maladroit-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary/ Maladroit'' Turns 20]" ''Stereogum''. 13 May 2022.</ref>
====Individual songs====
{{Maladroit song reviews}}

==''The Maladroit Years''==
{{Main|Alone VIII: The Maladroit Years}}
Cuomo released a digital compilation of demos from the ''Maladroit''-era for sale on [[riverscuomo.com|his website]] in November of [[2020]], comprised mostly of demos recorded to a handheld digital recorder.
==Track lists==
<tabber>
|-|Original album=
{{Track listing
| total_length    = 33:43
| all_writing     = Rivers Cuomo
| title1          = [[American Gigolo]]
| length1         = 2:42
| title2          = [[Dope Nose]]
| length2         = 2:17
| title3          = [[Keep Fishin']]
| length3         = 2:52
| title4          = [[Take Control]]
| length4         = 3:05
| title5          = [[Death and Destruction]]
| length5         = 2:38
| title6          = [[Slob]]
| length6         = 3:08
| title7          = [[Burndt Jamb]]
| length7         = 2:39
| title8          = [[Space Rock]]
| length8         = 1:53
| title9          = [[Slave]]
| length9         = 2:53
| title10         = [[Fall Together]]
| length10        = 2:02
| title11         = [[Possibilities]]
| length11         = 2:00
| title12         = [[Love Explosion]]
| length12         = 2:35
| title13         = [[December]]
| length13         = 2:59
}}
|-|International release=
{{Track listing
| total_length    = 37:03
| all_writing     = Rivers Cuomo
| title1          = [[American Gigolo]]
| length1         = 2:42
| title2          = [[Dope Nose]]
| length2         = 2:17
| title3          = [[Keep Fishin']]
| length3         = 2:52
| title4          = [[Take Control]]
| length4         = 3:05
| title5          = [[Death and Destruction]]
| length5         = 2:38
| title6          = [[Slob]]
| length6         = 3:08
| title7          = [[Burndt Jamb]]
| length7         = 2:39
| title8          = [[Space Rock]]
| length8         = 1:53
| title9          = [[Slave]]
| length9         = 2:53
| title10         = [[Fall Together]]
| length10        = 2:02
| title11         = [[Possibilities]]
| length11         = 2:00
| title12         = [[Love Explosion]]
| length12         = 2:35
| title13         = [[December]]
| length13         = 2:59
| title14         = [[Island in the Sun]]
| length14         = 3:20
}}
|-|United Kingdom and Japanese releases=
{{Track listing
| total_length    = 39:43
| all_writing     = Rivers Cuomo
| title1          = [[American Gigolo]]
| length1         = 2:42
| title2          = [[Dope Nose]]
| length2         = 2:17
| title3          = [[Keep Fishin']]
| length3         = 2:52
| title4          = [[Take Control]]
| length4         = 3:05
| title5          = [[Death and Destruction]]
| length5         = 2:38
| title6          = [[Slob]]
| length6         = 3:08
| title7          = [[Burndt Jamb]]
| length7         = 2:39
| title8          = [[Space Rock]]
| length8         = 1:53
| title9          = [[Slave]]
| length9         = 2:53
| title10         = [[Fall Together]]
| length10        = 2:02
| title11         = [[Possibilities]]
| length11         = 2:00
| title12         = [[Love Explosion]]
| length12         = 2:35
| title13         = [[December]]
| length13         = 2:59
| title14         = [[Island in the Sun]]
| length14         = 3:20
| title15         = [[Living Without You]]
| length15         = 2:40
}}
</tabber>
===Mini movies===
*''The Quiet Storm''
*"Dope Nose" (Live)
*"Death and Destruction" (Live)
*"Burndt Jamb (Live)
*''The Cobo Challenge''
*"Keep Fishin'" (Live)
*"Take Control" (Live)

=== Other songs recorded during ''Maladroit'' sessions ===
*"[[Acapulco]]"
*"[[Ain't Got Much Time]]"
*"[[Better Off Alone]]"
*"[[Broken Arrows]]"
*"[[Change the World]]"
*"[[Don't Pick on Me]]"
*"[[High Up Above]]"
*"[[How Long?]]"
*"[[Listen Up]]"
*"[[Mr. Taxman]]"
*"[[Porcupine]]"
*"[[Sandwiches Time]]"
*"[[Saturday Night]]"
*"[[Seafaring Jamb]]"
*"[[Serendipity]]"
*"[[We Go Together]]"
*"[[Your Room]]"
*"[[Zep Jamb]]"

==Personnel==
*[[Rivers Cuomo]] – lead guitar, lead vocals
*[[Patrick Wilson]] – drums
*[[Brian Bell]] – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
*[[Scott Shriner]] – bass guitar, backing vocals
<br>
*[[Chad Bamford]] - additional production, engineering
*[[Rod Cervera]] - additional production
*[[Jordan Schur]] - executive production
*[[Todd Sullivan]] - A&R
*[[Tom Lord-Alge]] - mixing
*Femio Hernandez - assistant engineer (South Beach)
*Chris Carroll - additional engineering
*Carlos "Loco" Bedoya - additional engineering
*Darren Mora - assistant engineer
*Steven R. Robillard - assistant engineer
*Stephen Marcussen - mastering
*[[Francesca Restrepo]] - art direction
*[[Karl Koch]] - "Farm Hand", photography
*[[Sean Murphy]] - photography
*[[Chris McPherson]] - photography
*[[Sarah C. Kim]] - photography

==See also==
*[[Maladroit demos]]
*[[The Black Album (2001)]]

==References==
<references />


{{Navbox Maladroit}}
{{Discography}}

[[Category: Weezer albums]]
[[Category:Book-end tracks]]
[[Category:Featured article]]
[[Category:2002 releases]]
[[Category:Self-produced Weezer albums]]
[[Category:Geffen Records]]
[[Category:Scott Shriner]]