Weezer
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
ew wave revival band the Rentals, who had a hit later that year with Friends of P. During the hiatus, Cuomo became a recluse, disappearing at Harvard and suffering writers block. When Weezer reconvened in the spring of 1996 to record their second album, he had written a loose concept album that featured far more introspective material than their debut. Ironically, the band sounded tighter on the resulting album, Pinkerton. Released in the fall to generally strong reviews, the album failed to become a hit, partially because Cuomo did not want the band to record another series of clever videos. Grudgingly, the remainder of the band contented themselves to be a supporting group for Cuomo, largely because each member had their own solo project scheduled for release within the next year. DGC, however, had the band make one last chance at a hit with The Good Life, but by the time the single was released, MTV and modern rock radio had withdrawn their support not only to Weezer, but their style of guitar-driven punk-pop in general. Shortly after the tour in support of Pinkerton was completed in 1997, it appeared as though Weezer had fallen off the face of the planet. Stung by the publics initial dismal reaction to their sophomore effort (ever-fickle Rolling Stone named Pinkerton the Worst Album of 1996), the band took time off to regroup and plan their next move. Unhappy with the sluggish rate of the reassessment period, Sharp left the group to concentrate more fully on the Rentals, fueling rumors that Weezer had broken up. But a funny thing happened during Weezers self-imposed exile -- while their copycat offspring were falling by the wayside (Nerf Herder, Nada Surf), a whole new generation of emocore enthusiasts discovered Weezers diamond-in-the-rough sophomore effort for the first time, and their audience grew despite not having a new album in the stores.
Once Weezers members wrapped up work on side projects (Bell: Space Twins, Wilson: the Special Goodness), the band recruited former Juliana Hatfield bassist Mikey Welsh to take the place of Sharp and began working on new material. Before they could enter the recording studio to record their third release, Weezer tested the waters by landing a spot on the 2000 edition of the Warped Tour, where they were consistently the days highlight. Hooking up again with the producer of their 1994 debut, Ric Ocasek, Weezer recorded what would be known as the Green Album (a title given by fans since it was their second to be self-titled). Issued in May of 2001, the album was an immediate hit, debuting at number four on Billboard and camping out in the upper reaches of the charts for much of the spring/summer, during which such songs/videos as Hash Pipe and Island in the Sun became radio and MTV staples, reestablishing Weezer as one of alt-rocks top dogs. During their tour that summer, Welsh fell ill and was replaced by Scott Shriner, also of the band Broken. That fall and winter the group busied themselves with touring with bands like Tenacious D and recording their next album Maladroit, which arrived a year after the Green Album. Just before Maladroits release, former bassist Matt Sharp sued Weezer, seeking compensation and songwriting credit for songs such as Undone (The Sweater Song), El Scorcho and The Good Life. The band eventually reconciled with Sharp, though he didnt rejoin, and Weezer continued on with the lineup of Cuomo, Bell, Wilson, and Shriner. The limited edition live EP Lion and the Witch appeared in May 2002, and Maladroits Keep Fishin was released as a single. Most of 2003 was spent on side projects. Cuomo did some hired-gun songwriting, Bells band the Space Twins put out End of Imagining, and Wilsons Special Goodness project issued Land, Air, Sea. In 2004 Weezer returned to the studio, working with Rick Rubin on their fifth full-length album. Make Believe appeared in May 2005, prepped by the single Beverly Hills. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Greg Prato,
