| Weezer | |||||
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| Studio album by Weezer | |||||
| Released | May 15, 2001 | ||||
| Recorded | December 2000, Cello Studios, Los Angeles, California | ||||
| Genre | Alternative | ||||
| Length | 28:34 | ||||
| Label | Geffen | ||||
| Producer(s) | Ric Ocasek | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
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| Metascore | 73 | ||||
| Weezer chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Weezer | |||||
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Weezer, also known as "The Green Album", is Weezer’s third studio album, released May 15, 2001, nearly five years after Pinkerton. It is Weezer's first "post-Pinkerton" album, their comeback album, and the first Weezer album to feature Mikey Welsh. It is notable for its short, poppy, and punchy sound.
Weezer's sophomore record, Pinkerton, failed to achieve the same success of the band's debut album, polarizing critics and failing to meet sales expectations. Cuomo subsequently distanced himself from Pinkerton for the next several years, calling it a "hideous record" in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2001,[1] adding, "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." Rather than return to Harvard, Cuomo instead opted to focus on songwriting again, performing shows with friends in the Boston music scene.[2] Cuomo fronted a handful of small-venue concerts to try out new material and audition potential new bassists for Weezer following the departure of Matt Sharp, experimenting with both "goofball"[2] songs (under the moniker "Homie") that didn't fit with the darker, more personal songs of Pinkerton, as well as minimalist, "drone rock" compositions utilizing as few chords as possible (a reaction to the negative response to Pinkerton, which featured numerous chords and key changes).
Cuomo ultimately selected bassist Mikey Welsh to join Weezer, and the two moved into a townhouse at Park La Brea in Los Angeles with drummer Pat Wilson.[3][4] Weezer resumed rehearsals, primarily at T.K. Rehearsals in Los Angeles.[5] Cuomo and Welsh later moved into an apartment on Sepulveda Boulevard. By the beginning of 1999, however, Cuomo had failed to write any material in which he felt confidence.[6] "My band-mates each were pursuing other projects." Cuomo reflected in 2008, "Weezer's manager and record company rep stopped calling me regularly. Friends and family grew distant. I encouraged the space so that I could be alone. I determined that with enough concentration and effort, I could analyze my way out of the predicament I imagined myself to be in, the predicament of 'poor songwriting'." Cuomo began an analytical process of regarding his songwriting sessions as "experiments," assigning each a number and maintaining a log dubbed "The Catalog o' Riffs." "I analyzed a large number of writing methods, varying what seemed to be every possible facet of the process: the order of the steps (guitar, melody, lyric, beat, riff, etc.); the tempo; the feel; the level of distortion on the guitar; whether I was composing aloud or in my head; the time of day; my emotional state; whether I had eaten or not; the number of drinks I had imbibed, if any. My goal was to ascertain the one method by which I could write the best songs."[6] Meanwhile, he unplugged his phone, painted the walls and ceiling of his apartment bedroom black and covered the windows with fiberglass insulation.[7][8][9] He began studying and dissecting the songs of the bands Nirvana, Oasis, and Green Day, assembling his studies into a three-ring binder he called "The Encyclopedia of Pop," in hopes of discovering a formula for writing pop songs.[10] By late summer of 1999, Cuomo felt despondent in his efforts and briefly considered returning to school, but missed the registration deadline.[9] Weezer performed secret shows during this time—under the pseudonym "Goat Punishment"—wherein the band (sans Pat Wilson) covered songs from Nirvana and Oasis' respective debut albums.
In December of 1999, Cuomo moved into a house and built a rehearsal studio in the garage.[4] After receiving an offer to join the Vans Warped Tour, Weezer prepared by performing a number of shows at smaller venues (under their own name) in June of 2000. The subsequent Warped Tour revitalized the band's confidence. "I was practically in tears," Cuomo recalled a few years later, "After years of isolation and being 100% certain that no one cared about us anymore at all, then to step out in from of 20,000 people that are screaming their heads off because of us was really cool."[11] Weezer continued touring throughout the rest of that summer.
By mid-August of 2000, Weezer had begun meeting with various producers, learning and rehearsing new songs in their new garage, and ironing out plans regarding the recording of a new album.[12] The band met with several potential producers, including Jerry Harrison (formerly of Talking Heads), Jerry Finn (known for his work with Blink-182) and Dave Sardy (of Barkmarket).[13] Ultimately, though, the band decided to work with Ric Ocasek, who had previously produced their first album.
On November 15, Karl Koch confirmed that a third Weezer album had been greenlit by Interscope/Geffen and that recording would begin in December. In total, there were at least 75 initial songs in contention for the album, based on band demos and solo demos by Cuomo from the prior two years.[14] Through the remainder of the year, Cuomo continued composing new songs while the band collectively rehearsed and pared down the list of potential songs.[15] Ric Ocasek arrived in Los Angeles on December 10[16] and the band pared down the list of songs to 24.[17]
On December 27, 2000, work on the new album officially began as Weezer entered Cello Studios. On the first day, the band recorded drum and bass tracks for "Knock-down Drag-out" and "Don't Let Go". On December 28 (day 2), the band recorded newer takes of "KDDO" and "Don't Let Go" as well as brand new attempts at "Cryin' and Lonely", "Break Up", "Gimmie Some Love" and "Homely". On December 29, drum and bass tracks were recorded for "Island in the Sun", "Starlight", "Hash Pipe", "Oh Lisa", "O Girlfriend", "My Best Friends", "Crab", and "If You Want It". On December 30, new attempts were made of "Island In The Sun", "Hash Pipe", and "Crab", and all-new recordings were started of "Inside A Smile", "Teenage Victory Song", and "Sugar Booger". Later, the band, under the name Goat Punishment, played a rock show at Hollywood's Knitting Factory, with Ozma opening the show.
On New Years Day, songs were given fresh tries and some editing: "Island in the Sun", "O Girlfriend", "Hash Pipe", "No More Disappointments", "If You Want It", and "Crab". The next day, on January 2, new versions were recorded of "No More Disappointments", "O Girlfriend", "Hash Pipe", "Knock-down Drag-Out", and "Crab". Additionally, edit work was done on "My Best Friends Are Gone" and "If You Want It", and a brand new recording was started: many attempts were made at "Always". In just six days, Weezer had basic tracks for 19 tracks. On January 3, the day was divided into three parts: redos, editing the reels, and fixing bass lines. For redos, four songs were completely restarted: "Starlight", "Break-Up", "Teenage Victory Song", and "Homely". For editing the reels, the final best basic takes of each of the 19 songs were compiled onto 6 master 2" tape reels, from the 25 or so master reels they were spread out on. While the engineers did this, the band went to dinner. On January 5, "Starlight" was completely redone. Karl wrote that the song was a struggle, but that the redo placed the song back in the "favorites" category. Pat was also approached by Jay Leno on the TV segment "Jaywalking".
The new basic tracks were: "Gimmie Some Love", "Homely", "Island in the Sun", "Starlight", "O Girlfriend", "My Best Friends are Gone" (aka "My Best Friends"), "Crab", "If You , ant It", "Inside a Smile", "Knock-down Drag-out", "Don't Let Go", "Cryin' and Lonely", "Break Up", "Hash Pipe", "Oh Lisa", "Teenage Victory Song", "Sugar Booger", "No More Disappointments", and "Always".
On January 4, Karl announced the results of the bands online poll to determine a touring opener. Previously, The Get Up Kids were selected for slot 1 of 3. It was announced that Ozma would be opening in the other slot. On day 10 of recording, January 6, the label paid a surprise visit to Weezer in the studio. Despite the songs being in very rare form, the label was displeased with the songs. Karl wrote, "Very lengthy debates and discussions of what should/shouldn't/could be done with the tracks led to renewed attempts to nail down some songs. Later, after intensive internal debate within the band, a few songs got "the boot", their slots in the final running taken over by others that were "bubbling under". Additionally, another song, "Gonna Make My Move" was given a first time attempt." Also, when everyone left the studio, Rivers began work on I Do, which was at the time referred to by Karl simply as "a new song that he wrote earlier today, featuring a Wurlitzer organ." On January 7, the bass and drum tracks were finished. On January 8, the band began doing the guitar work. After moving into a new and smaller studio (where Pet Sounds was recorded), the band did rhythm guitar tracks for 12 songs. Over the course of the next few days, the band continued work on guitars. Rivers also had the band take a mock photo replicating a famous Beach Boys picture (since they were in the same studio).
Karl wrote:
I've gotta tell you, this stuff is starting to sound AMAZING. The sounds, the playing, the songs, the arrangements are beginning to crystallize, and while there is lots more to do (including the crucial solos and vocal work), the foundation these guys are laying down is blowing me away. I really can't believe the criticism we've encountered on this project so far. I, for one, believe that the naysayers will be proven utterly wrong.
On January 11, the studio flooded. Fortunately, nothing was damaged in Weezer's room, which had minimal flooding. On the same day, Karl updated the list of songs: "If You Want It", "Sugar Booger", "Don't Let Go", "Island In The Sun", "Knock-down Drag-out", "O Girlfriend", "Crab", "Oh Lisa", "Always", "Hash Pipe", "Inside a Smile", "Gimmie Some Love", "Starlight", and a new song that would ultimately become "I Do". Other songs considered "bubbling under" included: "Teenage Victory Song", "Gonna Make My Move", and "My Best Friends Are Gone"
As the days went by, backup vocals were recorded. "O Girlfriend" took a last minute key change. After much of the guitars were recorded, and the album was really coming together, Rivers contracted a very sore throat. After many days, Karl said:
"Rivers' terrible sore throat got no better today. He continues to be barely able to speak, and singing is totally out of the question. Various lead vocal parts remain unfinished, so this really puts the completion of the album in jeopardy. He is taking medicine, but so far no improvement. the waiting continues... "
Finally, Rivers throat got well enough that he could take numbing medication which allowed for brief hours of vocal takes followed by relaxing his voice. During some songs, Justin Fisher, Ric Ocasek, and Karl Koch provided gang vocals. The album was finally ready for mixing on January 31 in Miami, Florida. While in Florida, the band continued to do some tweaks to songs. At one point, a wild "girl's night only" party was taking place while they tried to record, which Karl said made things difficult to focus. Ric and Mikey sang gang vocals on "Don't Let Go" as the party went on. While the band waited for mixes to be made, they often golfed.
On February 10, 2001, the new album was finished.
The art direction of the album was handled by Chris Bilheimer with photography from Marina Chavez and Karl Koch. The album cover was shot in between band practices. It featured Mikey Welsh, Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell and Patrick Wilson standing left to right in front of a plain, lime-green backdrop in a manner similar to the band's debut album. This was done as a tribute to Ric Ocasek who had produced their first album, and to symbolize the band's back-to-basics approach they took while recording the album. This is evident in a quote in the linear notes of the album, "Torniamo all'antico e sarà un progresso." This is a quote from Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi that roughly translates to "Let us return to old times and that will be progress." Cuomo remarked on the artwork:
“I set out to design the package exactly how I would want it, and it just turns out that it's very similar to the first album. I'm the same person as I was then, pretty much. I have the same taste so I don't see why it should be different.”
During an interview for the iTunes Originals compilation in 2010, Cuomo added that the cover was initially supposed to be white and therefore the picture was shot in front of a white backdrop. Additional to his requested version, Cuomo was provided with alternate copies with different-colored backgrounds by the art director. After printing them out and putting them on record store shelves, he decided that green was the best choice as it stood out the most.
The inside picture of the CD booklet is a photo of Weezer playing live. In the lower right hand corner of the image the shadows of Mike Nelson, Tom Servo and Crow from the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000. Best Brains, the production company that produced MST3k, is credited in the liner notes. Under the CD tray of the album on the white paper's edge, the word "no" can be found. Some fans speculate that this is a response to Radiohead's album OK Computer which has the text "I like you. I like you. You are a wonderful person. I'm full of enthusiasm. I'm going places. I'll be happy to help you. I am an important person, would you like to come home with me?" This has, however, not been confirmed. The band's official explanation was vague, simply stating, "No means no."[citation needed]
The album is dedicated "In loving memory of Mykel and Carli" for Mykel and Carli Allan, sisters devoted to developing fan clubs for up-and-coming bands. The two, who had been influential in starting Weezer's fan club, died in a car crash in 1997.
| Reviewer | Rating | Review date | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metacritic |    (73/100)
|
Continuous | Average score of collected album reviews |
| Allmusic | (4.5/5)
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Not listed | Stephen Thomas Erlewine |
| Amazon | Not given | Not listed | Jaan Uhelszki |
| Drowned in Sound | (9.0/10)
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May 14, 2001 | Terry Bezer |
| Fazed | (3.0/5)
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Not listed | Matt Parks |
| IGN | (7.0/10)
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December 21, 2007 | "JR" |
| The Onion A.V. Club | B+ | May 15, 2001 | Stephen Thompson |
| Pitchfork Media | (4.0/10)
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May 14, 2001 | Spencer Owen |
| PopMatters | Not given | May 15, 2001 | Jason Thompson |
| NME | (5.0/10)
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May 24, 2001 | Sarah Dempster |
| Nude as the News | Not given | Not listed | Jonathan Cohen |
| Rolling Stone | (4.0/5)
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May 15, 2001 | Rob Sheffield |
| Yahoo! | (8.0/10)
|
May 15, 2001 | Ian Wade |
| Stereogum | No rating given | May 14, 2021 | Nate Rogers |
| Reviewer | Rating | Review date | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Glorious Day" (Teenage Victory Songs) | Mixed | December 12, 2015 | Teenage Victory Songs |
| "O Girlfriend" (Teenage Victory Songs) | Positive - The Grand Playlist | December 18, 2015 | Teenage Victory Songs |
| "Photograph" (Teenage Victory Songs) | Positive - The Very Best | December 5, 2015 | Teenage Victory Songs |
| "Smile" (Teenage Victory Songs) | Positive - The Grand Playlist | February 4, 2010 | Teenage Victory Songs |
Green received strong reviews from nearly everyone, and it successfully created a new wave of Weezer fans. However, many fans fault the album for its generic pop songwriting, supposed lack of emotion, and the simple solos that only serve to follow the melody. Pat Wilson, prior to the album's release, said, "It's kind of like the first album, but more compressed." Karl Koch has stated in an Albumsix chat that it was an album that was awesome up until it was compressed and flattened by production near the end. Pat has also said it sounds like, "The Beatles, if they had big rock guitars".
All songs written and composed by Rivers Cuomo.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Let Go" | 2:59 |
| 2. | "Photograph" | 2:19 |
| 3. | "Hash Pipe" | 3:06 |
| 4. | "Island in the Sun" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Crab" | 2:34 |
| 6. | "Knock-down Drag-out" | 2:08 |
| 7. | "Smile" | 2:38 |
| 8. | "Simple Pages" | 2:56 |
| 9. | "Glorious Day" | 2:40 |
| 10. | "O Girlfriend" | 3:49 |
Total length: |
28:34 | |
All songs written and composed by Rivers Cuomo.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Let Go" | 2:59 |
| 2. | "Photograph" | 2:19 |
| 3. | "Hash Pipe" | 3:06 |
| 4. | "Island in the Sun" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Crab" | 2:34 |
| 6. | "Knock-down Drag-out" | 2:08 |
| 7. | "Smile" | 2:38 |
| 8. | "Simple Pages" | 2:56 |
| 9. | "Glorious Day" | 2:40 |
| 10. | "O Girlfriend" | 3:49 |
| 11. | "I Do" | 1:52 |
Total length: |
30:26 | |
All songs written and composed by Rivers Cuomo.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Let Go" | 2:59 |
| 2. | "Photograph" | 2:19 |
| 3. | "Hash Pipe" | 3:06 |
| 4. | "Island in the Sun" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Crab" | 2:34 |
| 6. | "Knock-down Drag-out" | 2:08 |
| 7. | "Smile" | 2:38 |
| 8. | "Simple Pages" | 2:56 |
| 9. | "Glorious Day" | 2:40 |
| 10. | "O Girlfriend" | 3:49 |
| 11. | "The Christmas Song" | 3:06 |
| 12. | "I Do" | 1:52 |
Total length: |
33:32 | |
All songs written and composed by Rivers Cuomo.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oh Lisa" | 2:44 |
| 2. | "Don't Let Go" | 2:44 |
| 3. | "O Girlfriend" | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Island in the Sun" | 3:24 |
| 5. | "If You Want It" | 2:57 |
| 6. | "Sugar Booger" | 3:40 |
| 7. | "Knock-down Drag-out" | 2:07 |
| 8. | "Gonna Make My Move" | 3:23 |
| 9. | "Crab" | 3:10 |
| 10. | "Starlight" | 3:28 |
| 11. | "Teenage Victory Song" | 3:04 |
| 12. | "Inside a Smile" | 3:21 |
| 13. | "Gimmie Some Love" | 2:57 |
| 14. | "Hash Pipe" | 2:58 |
Total length: |
44:09 | |
Around early 2001, fourteen songs from the album session were leaked. Most of them featured slightly different edits or song parts, all were unmastered. Some of the songs appeared under early titles. It is unknown who leaked the songs.
