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Weezer (Red Album)

Weezer - Weezer (Red Album) Audio CD

A fair review of the Weezer "Weezer (Red Album)" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Weezer reviews here, or go back to the Weezer tabs.

Band: Weezer
Title: Weezer (Red Album)
Rating:

Release Date: 2008-06-03
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Troublemaker 2: The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn) 3: Pork and Beans 4: Heart Songs 5: Everybody Get Dangerous 6: Dreamin' 7: Thought I Knew 8: Cold Dark World 9: Automatic 10: The Angel and the One

The Red Album
Only Classical music would thrive to the future day, and with the exception of song from the Beatles or Rolling Stones, pop music, at least the vast majority of it would wither and die and be stomped upon like old, ragged fashion. At some point, perhaps it was during Make Believe, or perhaps it was long before, Rivers Cuomo realized that pop music is ultimately inconsequential, only a recycling of old riffs and rehashing of simple four-chord ideas from the old, creaky graves of folk and the blues. Since Cuomo didn't have it in him to pen a new La Boheme, he decided, perhaps, that he'd just continue what he'd do best, that is, pop music, only he'd stop taking it so seriously, because it wouldn't amount to anything important anyway. Gone are the days of making an emotional operatic Pinkerton, gone are the days of making an impressive breakthrough like the Blue Album, or an attempted gold record like Maladroit - no this wouldn't do at all, ultimately, any album made by Weezer, or any bands these days, had little value except to the audience that they pander to, and perhaps the money that they make. So Cuomo stopped trying to please, both himself and the critical/popular world, and just decided to make music, nothing serious, but face value pop, for what it is, throwaway garbage, and as he has it in him to write a serious hook, why not keep making records? It's a poor argument, I know, and I still think that Maladroit should have been the last Weezer album, but I am only trying to understand Cuomo's mind, and following the relative disaster that was Make Believe, you can't be upset at what Weezer became. A self proclaimed, open armed generic pop band, with band collaboration, experimentation, and every possibility open to their willing imaginations. It's a completely different band than that which made those first four albums. A different band it might be, and I won't judge them for it. The Red Album is nothing special, except for the fact that the songs are written by a genius, and this shines through even in the dullest, dumbest moments. You can't escape it. Cuomo, despite whatever philosphical pretension he might be filtering through his musical motivations, is a genius, and this music is the work of a genius, for better or for worse. To understand the Red Album, it might be better to start at the end, with "The Angel and the One". Sings Cuomo, "I've got the magic in me. I am complete is what I'm saying. " This is a man who has finally come at peace with himself, with his music, with his career, with his life. Make Believe aside, Cuomo is finally ready to assert his inner peace quite publicly, and rather than use that as a motivation for songwriting, it simply is a fact, and it comes through quite radiantly on this song. As for the rest of the record, what we have is musicL ideas scattered around quite aimlessly, some we could care less for, some we may like more. "The Greatest Man that Ever Lived" and "Troublemaker" are shockingly good in their pop sensibilities. "The Greatest Man" showcases Cuomo's best and worst. Here he runs through what must be 14 different genres, and hits or misses on them accordingly. The rap section is quite atrocious, as is the glam rock section, but the punk section at the end, is the most gorgeous section since the Blue Album. The largest blunder on this album is Cuomo's lax regard for his band members by allowing them to share songwriting credits. The three songs before the finish easily sink the entire ship, and Cuomo's one-two-three ugly lean-in of "Heart Songs" (which is basically an R&B song turned grunge if you listen closely) "Dreamin'" (which is more horrible than we'd like to admit) and "Everybody Get Dangerous" (a good song, but lyrically, wtf?) doesn't help either. But you have to give the guy some credit. It's certainly interesting, and the bonus tracks which include "Pig" and "Miss Sweeney" are gorgeous, just wonderful. We can only wonder at the tracklisting of this album. So with a certain amount of forgiveness, I give this four stars, and conclude that the Red Album it is a frustrating, but interesting, and often thrilling listen nonetheless.

Something went very, very wrong
It's like looking at a disgusting, fatal car wreck; you just can't take your eyes (in this case, ears) off of it. Weezer's Red Album is one of those albums that is so bad that I can't help but admire it. The terrible lyrics and occasionally terrible music just kind of put things into a new, weird perspective with these guys. I don't hate this album, that's too strong a word. I guess I just love how bad it is.

Prior to its release, a friend of mine who is/was a Weezer fan gave me a CD with three songs on it: "Pork & Beans," "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived," and "Dreamin. '" "Greatest Man" took a little getting used to what with its completely jarring shift of styles, but I came to thoroughly enjoy these three songs. I really thought this album would be a slam-dunk for Weezer.

I was just not prepared for how dumb this whole package sounded. I heard "Troublemaker" and knew something was amiss, but the album hits rock-bottom with "Heart Songs," one of the worst songs written by anyone, anywhere at any time. Red never really recovers either, proving that the other three members of the band aren't up to the task of writing and singing quality songs. "The Angel and the One" wraps things up monster ballad style, which really doesn't bother me considering the dreck that precedes it.

So out of ten songs, I only care for four of them. The rest can be either awful or really funny. "Blowing up mailboxes" with baseball bats? Stabbing road kill with a knife and then licking it? What's that all about? 65 in a 25 zone, watch out!

Weezer still has a good album in them. I just wonder if they'll get around to making it.

Terrible, awful, embarassing, immature, derivative, and impossible to enjoy
The lyrics make me cringe so badly that I honestly haven't been able to make it all the way through a single song. This album is terrible, and not just by Weezer standards, but any kind of standard that could be applied to music. Seriously, check out some of the "gems" on this record:

"Who needs stupid books, they are for petty crooks" (very insightful Rivers, books are for crooks, why didn't I think of that?)

"Why am I so glad? I am running through the meadow. . . I am singing, I can sing so loud" (you CAN sing loud can't you, that's a good boy. I'm proud of my glad boy)

"No safety pads were ever put on, drivin' home on country roads, 65 in a 25 zone" (woah Rivers, let's not get TOO DANGEROUS, I mean no safety pads? Speeding in your automobile? That's just irresponsible)

"After the havoc that I'm gonna wreak, no more words will critics have to speak, I've got the answers to the tangled know, sleep tight in your cot" (wow Rivers, you're REALLY good at rhyming)

This album is embarrassing for any Weezer fan or any fan of music. Please do not support this music.

.

Critics Got This Wrong
Having a long drive I popped in Pinkerton. Having only owned the Blue Album I decided to try two new Weezer CDs--their second CD, Pinkerton, and their latest CD, the Red Album. This was supposed to be my 'safe' purchase, the CD Rolling Stone admitted to reviewing "wrong" the first time. Three stars the first time, Five stars the second. "It was genius," they sheepishly admitted on the second review. Actually, they were right the first time. But I'm here to review the Red Album. I love the catchy riffs and the videos for "Pork and Beans" and "Troublemaker" but, according to all the reviews I read, that was pretty much all there was to this disc. They were dead wrong. Look, I can't play a goddamn note of music. Maybe Pinkerton was "genius" but I just didn't see it. I went into it with an open mind, expecting the best. Other than "Across the Sea" and "Butterfly", it left me bored. But The Red Album. . . as it listened to track after track, my anger built up. Who the hell reviewed this album? This was the best album I had heard from start to finish since Dave Matthews "Under the Table and Dreaming. " And believe it or not, the one track I didn't quite love was the one everyone had quoted "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)". While I thought it showed the band's versatility, I generally dislike a song that can't be reproduced in concert. Call me a sucker but I loved "Heart Songs". Yes, it was this album's "In The Garage"--but then I loved "In the Garage". I thoroughly rocked with "Everybody Get Dangerous". I felt like I was listening to Third Eye Blind. "Dreamin'" just felt light, airy and very enjoyable. Again I kept asking myself "Who does this sound like?" and it definitely wasn't Weezer. (Then the false ending came and I knew it was Weezer). When I heard the Brian Bell track "Thought I Knew" I almost felt like e-mailing Geffen and telling them they missed the third single on the CD. There was a Cracker/Elvis Costello feel to it. Definitely the third best song on here. (But scrap the 3 second techno intro. ) "Cold Dark World" was just what I expected in a song co-written by bassist Scott Shriner. "Automatic" by Patrick Wilson rivaled Bell's track in that I could see it being a third or fourth single. Like Pinkerton's "Butterfly", the final track "Angel and the One" let Rivers Cuomo be the lovelorn geek that he is. And I bought it all. Taken in total, Weezer may have delivered the most complete, catchy, versatile, maybe-only-cue-past-one-or-two tracks Grammy-ready disc of 2008. I absolutely loved it. Maybe even more than the Blue Album. And I f***ing loved the Blue Album. Great job, guys!.

Pinkerton revives
Well, this surely counts for Weezer's Red Album. Some say it takes time to appreciate a good album.

I bought it as soon as it was available, listened to it a few times and sais: "All right, but I've heard better", and let it aside. A few months later I put in my cd-player and then. . WOW. What a sound.
"Troublemaker" is a good introduction. "The greatest man that ever lived" is just plain wonderful, with different styles mixed in one song and so making Weezer's own Bohemian Rhapsody.
In the cynical "Pork and beans" Cuomo gets his way by 'doing his own things'. And "Heart song", beautiful "Heart songs", excellent.

"Dreaming" is a very nice song, altough it sounds weird to hear Cuomo (over 30) sing about that he doesn't like to do what teacher or father tells him to do. "Thought I knew" is a lesser track, but the album closes with the astonishing "The angel and the one".

Weezer has continued the anti-establishment themes which they enrolled on "Make believe". But apart from that, they are experimenting with different styles and tunes. They did this once before on "Pinkerton" and got blasted away. Not this time, I hope they will continue this musical path.

You can see a complete list of all Weezer discography, or go back to the Weezer tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.