Reviews

Before I get critiqued for the following review, I felt it only fair that I go over my history with the band WEEZER. Back in 1994, my buddy Steve and I were obsessed with the band NIRVANA. We rushed out to the record store to pick up this new compilation CD called DGC RARITIES just so we could score a new “rare” NIRVANA demo. To our surprise, the rest of the CD turned out to be really, really good. While boasting rare tracks by SONIC YOUTH, THAT DOG and TEENAGE FANCLUB, the one track that totally stood out for us was this low-fi sounding demo called “Jaime” by a band called WEEZER. Now, this was before the self-titled “BLUE” album came out. So, Steve and I searched and searched the local record stores for this brand new band on a weekly basis. (Mind you, this is pre-internet.) Once we found it, we both fell in love and tried to catch WEEZER anytime they came into town. (We saw them open for HOLE at the Academy and also at Mulcahey’s in Wantagh for God’s sake!)

In all honesty, my love for the band and their music only diminished through the passage of time. As their popularity grew, along with the venues they played at, I started skipping their NY shows. I never got into PINKERTON until wayyyy after it initially came out and the group had already disbanded. Then they reunited and we all collectively got excited. Sure, at first listen, the GREEN album was kind of cool, but… egh not so much now. I hated MALADROIT. And MAKE BELIEVE has a couple of good tracks, but I never ended up buying it, I just kept listening to my friend’s copy of it. For whatever reason, the innocence and beauty of the first record was lacking in all the follow-ups. Since then, they broke up again so I never expected to fully re-experience my love for the band as I had in 94 when I first discovered them.

Cut to last week, I’m shopping for new DVD’s with my cousin, and I pass the RED album on the racks (the release having been pushed forward due to an internet leak). Granted, I just caught the You Tube inspired video for “Pork and Beans” and thought it was pretty neat. And hey! It was on sale for $9.99. So, what the hay? I picked it up.

I got home, threw the CD on in the background as I continued to do updates for Icons Of Fright, and by the 3rd or 4th track, I’m amazed by how good this new record is. As the record progressed, I started noticing things I hadn’t heard from WEEZER in years. Funny, ridiculous, yet cute lyrics all over every song. Catchy riffs and melodies. And even songs being sung by the guitarist Brian Bell and drummer Patrick Wilson? OK, what gives? I check the credits and learn that this record was recorded and produced by Rick Rubin, the one guy on the planet that makes every band check their ego in at the door, and usually gets their best work out of them. Once the disc finished spinning, I restarted it from the beginning just to make sure it was as good as I’d initially thought it was and not just a fluke. Not only is this my favorite record of theirs since their first, I haven’t stopped listening to it since.

The album opens strong with a vintage sounding WEEZER track titled “Troublemaker”. Catchy power chords and melody, and a trademark Weezer-esque chorus. The lyrics, while somewhat silly started to remind me of the innocence Rivers words had in the first record, coupled with a new-found confidence and experience. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at his attempts to make certain phrases rhyme like “Marrying a be-yotch, having 7 ke-ods.” Hilarious and priceless.

“The Greatest Man The Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)” is Weezer’s  Bohemian Rhapsody. It reminds me of what Green Day did on American Idiot when they made the second track the “epic” of the album. Same goes here, only for Weezer an epic is a little over 5 minutes long. I love that it essentially shifts from every variation they’ve tried musically as a band through the years from straight forward rock, to metal, to acappella (see their b-side My Evaline) and so on and so forth. Eventually, when they hit the 3:33 and 5:10 time marks, its trademark, vintage Weezer and I can’t help but smile.

“Pork and Beans” is a traditional Weezer single, but I love “Heart Songs”. I look at it as the unofficial sequel to “In The Garage” from the BLUE album. Lyrically, Rivers confesses to his love of all things from Bruce Springsteen to Devo, while citing Iron Maiden and Slayer as the bands that taught him how to shred. The best part is at the 2 minute mark, when the chords shift and the lyrics depict how NIRVANA made him want to start a band. Remember how I started this review by explaining how my love of Nirvana led to me discovering Weezer? Well, perhaps that’s why these following lyrics resonated with me so personally. “Back in 1991 I wasn't havin’ any fun, until my roommate said "come on" and put a brand new record on. It had a baby on it, he was naked on it. And then I heard the chords that broke the chains I had upon me. Got together with my bros at some rehearsal studios. And then we played our first rock show and watched the fanbase start to grow.”

Bell handles lead vocals on “Thought I Knew”, while drummer Wilson fronts “Automatic”. “Everybody Get Dangerous” sounds like producer Rubin letting Weezer channel the Red Hot Chili Peppers, while “Cold Dark World” is a cool, low-key unique sounding tune co-written by bassist Scott Shriner. The stand out tracks for me are “Dreamin’”, which features one of the catchiest melodies the band has ever written and the closing track “The Angel and the One”, which is simply beautiful with its melodies and closing chants of “Peace, Shalom.”

There is a special edition that features 5 bonus tracks. I have heard them, and they’re OK. However, I prefer this tight paced 10 track package that makes up the retail version of the RED album.

I know most WEEZER fans consider PINKERTON to be their best album, but personally I can’t see anything ever topping the stellar debut that was the self-titled BLUE album. However, this new RED album is the perfect record to compliment that first record for a number of reasons. It’s the first WEEZER record I’ve listened to in years that made me smile from start to finish. And I’ve already listened to the BLUE and RED albums back to back and they fit very well together. It’s like having fond memories with an old high school buddy and then catching up with them 10 years later. You focus on the best stuff from high school & now. I know first-hand a lot of people that have written off the band because of their previous 3 records, but I say give this one a shot and try to look at it in the context of what I said above. Otherwise, you’d be missing out on what I consider a really special record from a band that’s finally gotten their groove back. -Robg.