Maladroit: Difference between revisions

'''''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.

{{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.}}

{{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]] (Magnarella later sued [https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=274861&title=UNDER-NEW-MANAGEMENT], leading to [https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/TAC/2001-21%20Rivers%20Cuomo%20et%20al%20v%20Atlas%20Third%20Rail%20mgmt%20inc.pdf a protracted legal battle]). 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. 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.

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]].

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." 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 [[Guitar_World_interview_with_Rivers_Cuomo_-_May_2002|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."

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:<blockquote>''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!"''</blockquote>

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.

===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 [http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/6194-the-worst-record-covers-of-all-time/7/ "The Worst Record Covers of All Time"] by Pitchfork Media in 2005.

''Maladroit'' received strong reviews 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. The album tends to be divisive among fans, frequently being criticized for it's songwriting and the elsewhere mentioned "unproduced"-ness. Other hardcore fans seem to strongly enjoy it, and it remains well-liked by casual fans.