Pinkerton (album)
| Pinkerton | |||||
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| Studio album by Weezer | |||||
| Released | September 24, 1996 | ||||
| Recorded | September 1995–June 1996 | ||||
| Genre | Emo alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 34:36 | ||||
| Label | DUI | ||||
| Producer(s) | Weezer | ||||
| Weezer chronology | |||||
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“Rivers Cuomo is such a weirdo.”
Pinkerton is the second studio album by American rock band Weezer. It is sometimes referred to as The Pink Album among fans, despite the cover being clearly black. It was released on September 24, 1996 by DGC Records, and was produced by the band themselves after Ric Ocasek crashed his car and was unable to make it to the studio. Purists have described it as the band's last good album, as it was before Matt Sharp left, and Rivers went on to turn the band into a self-parody meme.
Background and recording[edit]
In March 1995, Cuomo, who was born with one arm shorter than the other, had surgery to shorten the other arm so that he can play guitar better. With the nerd-rock sound of the Blue Album, the band felt compelled to take their music in a more darker and emo direction. Mainly writing songs about sex, nachos, and sending letters to Asian girls, Cuomo and Sharp preyed upon the male fantasy of falling in love with a girl to the point you wish to marry her, only for her to turn out to be a lesbian.
Songs from the Black Hole[edit]
The initial idea of Pinkerton was to make an epic space-rock opera, since Rivers made friends with George Lucas while on the set of The Phantom Menace and wanted to help promote the first of the prequel films. This idea was later scrapped after Rivers could just not figure out a good track list order for the album. Over fifty variations of the track listing were made, but only about five or six are known. With the deadline of the album's release approaching, Brian Bell took over and chose a couple of the best songs from the concept album, and made Rivers record a few extra songs that he had written about butterflies and being across the sea to create the album now known as Pinkerton.
Deluxe edition[edit]
In 2010, Weezer pulled a Pokémon, and released two albums side-by-side. These being Death to False Metal and the deluxe edition of Pinkerton. This deluxe edition included early takes of the songs, never heard before live performances, and b-sides that weren't commercially available until now. Due to this double release of Weezer material, and with most fans being poor, many opted to just buy one. Those that chose Death to False Metal later regretted their actions, while those that chose the deluxe edition of the band's second album, also regretted their actions.
Reception[edit]
Pinkerton's initial release was faced with harsh criticism, with fans and critics calling Rivers an "incel" and a "virgin". The others were also victims of hate, but only becaause they let Rivers make such a stupid second album. This caused Matt Sharp to leave the band, and to get a job at Blockbuster. Sharp worked there for a month or so before forming a new band with other Blockbuster employees — who were left out of a job after Netflix put the video store out of business.
However, over time, the album's critical stature grew, and is now regarded as one of their best albums. It inspired the first wave of emo bands like The Get Up Kids, Promise Ring, Juliana Theory, and Jawbreaker — back when emos were influenced by hipsters instead of Slipknot.
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tired Of Sleeping With Your Mum" | 3:01 |
| 2. | "Getchoo Into The Back Of My Van" | 2:52 |
| 3. | "No Other Two (One Just Isn't Enough For Me)" | 3:01 |
| 4. | "Why Bother With Life?" | 2:08 |
| 5. | "Across The River (See What I Did There?)" | 4:32 |
| 6. | "The Shit Life" | 4:17 |
| 7. | "El Nachos (Yum)" | 4:03 |
| 8. | "This Song Is About A Lesbian" | 3:58 |
| 9. | "Falling Down The Stairs Cause You Tripped Me" | 3:47 |
| 10. | "Sad Song That Has Nothing To Do With A Butterfly" | 2:53 |
| Total length: | 34:37 | |
Personnel[edit]
- Rivers Cuomo – vocals, guitar, writing all the songs 'cause he's a mad lad
- Matt Sharp – vocals, bass, quitting the band
- Brian Bell – vocals, guitar, bells
- Patrick Wilson – drums, looking cool
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