Weezer redeemed
Do you remember when you were when Pinkerton came out? Indeed, have you tried to block out 90% of what's come from the once great Geek-rock band since the blue album? Remember how we always insisted that Weezer couldn't have really sucked so badly that Pinkerton was the best sophomore record that they had to offer us? Well it turns out that we were right. Check it out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_from_the_Black_Hole
Anyhow, so apparently (as best I can piece it together), the bassist (Matt Sharp) went off to start his own band (The Rentals) and took a lot of the key songs (which were the ones that he had written) with him. I bought that cd (called Return of the Rentals) used for $6... it really does sound a lot like old Weezer, more so than Pinkerton. This leads me to conclude that those who felt that the bassist was at least 1/2 of the original sound were correct in their analysis. In fact, I like Return of the Rentals substantially more than Pinkerton. However, the best song on the would-have-been record was recorded but unreleased until later, and even then only on the back side of a single for some crappier recent Weezer song. So it's my duty to spread the love. Or in this case, lost love.
The song, titled 'I just threw out the love of my dreams' has that geek-rock sound and lyrical content that always made early Weezer so endearing. It features a guest female vocalist (not a sellout... it was meant to be a "theme" record, and so it fits in the story... just looks weird w/o the rest of the story). Apparently this is the last thing recorded by 'Old Weezer' from when they still had Sharp... besides of course that travesty called Pinkerton. Tell me this doesn't sound like what we were expecting when we got slapped with 'el Scorcho'.
Another thing that's interesting, if you read the article and do a little creative scheming, you can almost pastiche the record, minus about four songs. Still, the article on wiki makes a great case that two and possibly three of the songs from Return of the Rentals would have been on Songs from the Black Hole. Also, three or four actually were on Pinkerton in some form. Plus we've got I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams. So, all in all, you have a nice little Weezer mini-sophomore record as it was meant to be before fate intervened.Although this it all highly redemptive for Weezer in my eyes, it's just sad to know that they probably scrapped the second record we were looking for. (btw, of the Rentals songs that would have been on it, none are bad. They need that extra little Weezer touch, but I could have put them on the first record and they would've sounded at home).
As Wes and I know full well, all truly great bands dream at night of the holy grail of rock... to write a thematic record revolving around space, containing ambiguous sexual overtones. It's not until you have three completely straight guys sitting around strumming a guitar and singing your song to your boy crush at the top of their lungs that you've truly made it. And the only man who has done that... Bowie. Ziggy Stardust is still one of a kind, despite Weezer's best intentions.I like to think that Weezer could have pulled it off if they'd stuck together. Still, they tried, and mad props for that... here's to hoping they try again someday.
For now, indulge yourself on one of the songs that would have been blaring in our expectant ears cc. 1997 rather than... some garbage about half Japanese girls. Enjoy: http://pop.vox.com/library/audio/6a00b8ea074b861bc000c11414da9f5af5.html
Anyhow, so apparently (as best I can piece it together), the bassist (Matt Sharp) went off to start his own band (The Rentals) and took a lot of the key songs (which were the ones that he had written) with him. I bought that cd (called Return of the Rentals) used for $6... it really does sound a lot like old Weezer, more so than Pinkerton. This leads me to conclude that those who felt that the bassist was at least 1/2 of the original sound were correct in their analysis. In fact, I like Return of the Rentals substantially more than Pinkerton. However, the best song on the would-have-been record was recorded but unreleased until later, and even then only on the back side of a single for some crappier recent Weezer song. So it's my duty to spread the love. Or in this case, lost love.
The song, titled 'I just threw out the love of my dreams' has that geek-rock sound and lyrical content that always made early Weezer so endearing. It features a guest female vocalist (not a sellout... it was meant to be a "theme" record, and so it fits in the story... just looks weird w/o the rest of the story). Apparently this is the last thing recorded by 'Old Weezer' from when they still had Sharp... besides of course that travesty called Pinkerton. Tell me this doesn't sound like what we were expecting when we got slapped with 'el Scorcho'.
Another thing that's interesting, if you read the article and do a little creative scheming, you can almost pastiche the record, minus about four songs. Still, the article on wiki makes a great case that two and possibly three of the songs from Return of the Rentals would have been on Songs from the Black Hole. Also, three or four actually were on Pinkerton in some form. Plus we've got I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams. So, all in all, you have a nice little Weezer mini-sophomore record as it was meant to be before fate intervened.Although this it all highly redemptive for Weezer in my eyes, it's just sad to know that they probably scrapped the second record we were looking for. (btw, of the Rentals songs that would have been on it, none are bad. They need that extra little Weezer touch, but I could have put them on the first record and they would've sounded at home).
As Wes and I know full well, all truly great bands dream at night of the holy grail of rock... to write a thematic record revolving around space, containing ambiguous sexual overtones. It's not until you have three completely straight guys sitting around strumming a guitar and singing your song to your boy crush at the top of their lungs that you've truly made it. And the only man who has done that... Bowie. Ziggy Stardust is still one of a kind, despite Weezer's best intentions.I like to think that Weezer could have pulled it off if they'd stuck together. Still, they tried, and mad props for that... here's to hoping they try again someday.
For now, indulge yourself on one of the songs that would have been blaring in our expectant ears cc. 1997 rather than... some garbage about half Japanese girls. Enjoy: http://pop.vox.com/library/audio/6a00b8ea074b861bc000c11414da9f5af5.html
posted by Roland at 3:12 PM
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