The New Music

Let’s forget Weezer’s last decade. Forget everything since they re-emerged with 2001’s untitled “Green Album.” Weezer have been a shell of the band since they went on an unannounced hiatus in 1997. Songs like “Beverly Hills,” “Dope Nose” and the Lil Wayne-assisted “Can’t Stop Partying”? Nope, not buying them.

This post-millennial abandon they have full-on embraced has produced nothing but anthems for whoopee cushion enthusiasts. Barring the lovely “Island In The Sun” (and it’s animal-friendly video), it’s as if Rivers Cuomo, Pat Wilson, Brian Bell and insert bassist’s name here ______ ________ were invaded by the body snatchers.

So, how exciting it was earlier this year when they “emancipated” themselves from major label Geffen and signed to “indie” label Epitaph, fueling rumours that the ’90s-era Weezer we once loved would finally return for an eighth album? But then, slowly it began to fall apart. The name? Hurley. The album cover? Hurley from Lost!?! The promotional tie-in with Hurley, the “youth lifestyle brand.” The flaccid single “Memories.” And then the finished product, which resulted in their sixth clunker in nine years. Sigh.

Thankfully, we always have the past and this week marks the deluxe reissue of Weezer’s 1996 opus, Pinkerton.

Weezer’s 1994 debut self-titled “Blue Album” will always go down as one of the greatest, straight-forward power pop albums of all time. But their sophomore effort is a complex, multi-faceted achievement that is has a back-story to rival the music itself.

Originally, album number two was planned as a synth-based space-themed rock opera featuring the band playing characters with a seamless flow from track to track. The title was Songs From The Black Hole, but then bassist Matt Sharp released a Moog-heavy pop album by his side-project The Rentals, which completely derailed Cuomo’s concept. Instead, he rewrote most of the record based on his miserable time studying at Harvard University and an obsession with the play Madama Butterfly, which can be found in the album’s title and final track, “Butterfly” for direct evidence. (It should be noted that Pinkerton’s “Tired of Sex”, “Getchoo”, “No Other One” and “Why Bother?” were all part of Black Hole’s tracklisting.)

When it was released in September 1996, Pinkerton was a head-scratcher for many fans of their debut. Gone was the catchy, carefree geek rock about sweaters, looking like a dead bespectacled rock star and surfing to work, only to be replaced by anxious confessionals about a forbidden long distance relationship with a Japanese cellist, falling for a lesbian and growing old too soon set to a much rawer sound.

At the time it was considered a bit of a disaster not just by fair-weather fans and some critics, but even Cuomo who later disowned it in Rolling Stone as “a hideous record… 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.” So bad was it that when the band reunited in 2000, they refused to play any of the album at their shows.

But a funny thing happened. As the years went by, Pinkerton began to grow a cult following and earn a reputation for being a misunderstood masterpiece. As ludicrous as it sounds, it’s also considered one of the inspirations for many emo bands. Though Weezer were far removed from the self-mutilating, whiny joke that emo eventually became, there are few albums as emo-tional as Pinkerton.

Fourteen years after its release, Weezer are now publicly promoting their second album more than they did the first time around, and even as much as they are their latest album Hurley, I might add. In fact, the band are set to launch a short tour called “Blinkerton,” which will see them play their first two albums over Cuomo has changed his tune, recently admitting to Exclaim!, “I think it’s a brilliant album; I love it. I love the songs and I love playing those songs and I hope the positive message gets through.”

Of course, the best part of this re-appreciation is Geffen’s reissue of the album as a deluxe edition. Aside from the original ten-track album getting the remaster treatment, there are 33 additional tracks altogether. Yes, the bulk of them are either a live, acoustic or alternate version with radio mixes of singles thrown in, but it’s the bonus tracks that make this reissue worth the hefty price alone.

Comprised of mostly B-sides, there are some real gems here. “You Gave Your Love To Me Softly,” originally from the “El Scorcho” single and Angus soundtrack sounds like it was accidentally left off their debut, while that single’s other B-side, “Devotion,” a Black Hole cast off, is all gorgeous harmonies and crunchy fuzz. “The Good Life” single spawned two more beauties, another Black Hole throwaway, the Moog-heavy “I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams” sung by Rachel Haden (that dog., The Rentals) and the longing “Waiting On You.” Disc two begins with “You Wont’ Get With Me Tonight,” which sounds like their heroes Kiss, had they been AV nerds instead of Gods of Thunder. “Long Time Sunshine,” on the other hand is worshipping at the altar of Lennon & McCartney. “Getting Up And Leaving” and “Tragic Girl” are both undercooked production-wise, but nonetheless sound like the kind of thing they should re-record for future albums… God knows they could use a decent song these days.

And for kicks, there’s “Interview - 107.7 The End - Blue vs. Pinkerton,” where a caller phones in to complain to Weezer about how much better the band’s first album is compared to the second. Awkward!