Songs from the Black Hole possible release

[Cack Hen]

Geffen have given the go-ahead...

Rivers said:

I've compiled a CD of my favorite demos from the years 1992 to 2007 and Geffen Records has agreed to put it out this December, on the eleventh.  I hope you enjoy it.  I may also be able to put out more demo CDs in the near future.

Rivers said in Rolling Stone:

In terms of the remaining tracks, several of them are from my unfinished rock musical, Songs From the Black Hole

I don't know if this means he'll be putting out the stuff that isn't already available, but it should be interesting. I'd rather he just bit the bullet and tried to finish the damn thing.

[no_offenc]

I'm crossing fingers AND toes for this.

[drberbatov]

I still can't quite put my finger on what went wrong for Rivers Cuomo. The blue album and Pinkerton are two of the greatest pop albums of the least twenty five years yet the last three Weezer albums were mostly dross bar one or two songs.

Pinkerton was the album that seemed to cut him up quite badly and with the whole indecision phase that he went through regarding attending Harvard and the fallout with Matt Sharp his well seemed empty, hopefully this release will help us understand what went wrong and whether in time he will be considered a 'musical genius' ala Brian Wilson

[Marvin]

This has leaked, not that I know where of course, so if you PM me I won't be able to tell you.

Not had a chance to listen but it's apparently fairly dreadful overall, redeemed by the inclusion of an 'official' version of Blast Off! and Superfriend.

[PaulTMA]

it's leaked on albumsix.com, which is a forum of course.  I think it's great, but then again I love the green album and think 'O Girlfriend' is one of the best songs of all time.  Mmm, think I'll put it on now.

[trotsky assortment]

Since I only like the Blue and Green albums and find everything else somewhere between dull and borderline tosh, I'm finding it hard to get excited.  Seems to me that Rivers and co only ever stop being pedestrian whenever they work with Ric Ocasek.

[Marty McFly]

trotters in not liking Pinkerton shocker!

I'd say my ranking of the albums is:

1. Blue Album
2. Pinkerton
3. Green Album / Make Believe (it's a tough call)
5. Maladroit

As for the demos collection - yes, it's leaked, yes, I listened. I'd say maybe half the tracks are good, the rest are mediocre. so glad to have a good quality recording of 'Wanda', at last, and for some reason I'd not actually heard Superfriend before, and that one is marvellous.

[trotsky assortment]

I read somewhere that even Rivers thinks 'Pinkerton' is 'shit'.

Maybe I just like Ric Ocasek too much.

[thugler]

The blue album is great, everything else they've done is either alright or shit imho.

Never saw the fascination with songs from the black hole bar the interesting concept.

[PaulTMA]

Latest bit of insanity from Rivers:-

[youtube=425,350]http://youtube.com/watch?v=thYRy9MBY_c[/youtube]

[alan nagsworth]

What's all this about then? Can anyone give me the lowdown? Is it Rivers' solo stuff? Questions?

[Waking Life]

I read somewhere that even Rivers thinks 'Pinkerton' is 'shit'.

Maybe I just like Ric Ocasek too much.

He does.  He compared it to the feeling of waking up the morning after with horrible regrets about the night before.

But what does he know?  He worked with Fred Durst.

I had the Blue Album for ages and didn't really "get it" and all my friends would rave about how good Weezer were.  Then I saw Pinkerton for really cheap and had read a lot of bad things about it by people who were fans of the debut, so I snapped it up.

And I really enjoyed it.  I still don't rate Across The Sea and think it's the worst on that album.  I've gotten into the Blue Album a bit more and realised I misjudged it a bit.  Never really heard much from later albums, bar the singles, and they weren't too hot.

[Marty McFly]

What's all this about then? Can anyone give me the lowdown? Is it Rivers' solo stuff? Questions?

review wot I wroted. it's definitely a try before you buy kind of album.

http://cdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=4869

[PaulTMA]

Weezer's new single 'Pork And Beans' is here:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7czfNOWx6E[/youtube]

...and a great comeback single it is too.  Very blue album sound to the chorus.

[Paaaaul]

Thanks Paul, I didn't think they had it in them to be that good again. All they need now is to be a little less happy and they'll be back to super-ace.

[drberbatov]

What the hell happened to Brian? he looks like a maniac in that pic

[Marty McFly]

ah, excellent. sounds very promising, I must say!

[Famous Mortimer]

I still can't quite put my finger on what went wrong for Rivers Cuomo. The blue album and Pinkerton are two of the greatest pop albums of the least twenty five years yet the last three Weezer albums were mostly dross bar one or two songs.

I'm not entirely sure anything really went wrong for him. Maybe he just had a finite number of good ideas inside him, and he used them all up? Since "Pinkerton", I've only ever heard their singles and they still seem decent to me (not decent enough for me to pick up the albums, admittedly) but like...Gang Of Four, they had a brief moment of brilliance and lots of albums which sucked?

[Paaaaul]

Radio rip of Pork and Beans

(do you think the album version might not say "I don't give a hoot about what you think"?)

I'm not entirely sure anything really went wrong for him. Maybe he just had a finite number of good ideas inside him, and he used them all up? Since "Pinkerton", I've only ever heard their singles and they still seem decent to me (not decent enough for me to pick up the albums, admittedly) but like...Gang Of Four, they had a brief moment of brilliance and lots of albums which sucked?

I think the Green album is pretty good too. Mostly lightweight but fun pop songs missing the weight that stuff on the first two had. The last two albums are very patchy with a couple of good tracks on each.

[PaulTMA]

Radio rip of Pork and Beans

(do you think the album version might not say "I don't give a hoot about what you think"?)

I hope so!  It would be quite un-Rivers-like to 'cuss' at that moment, especially when he's using phrases like "tickled pink" and "fine and dandy" in the same chorus.

[Marty McFly]

weezer.com has the song playing in full on the front page and it appears to these tired ears to sound a little better than the KROQ rip. either way, it's a grower all right.. but, come on, another self-titled album?

[PaulTMA]

weezer.com has the song playing in full on the front page and it appears to these tired ears to sound a little better than the KROQ rip. either way, it's a grower all right.. but, come on, another self-titled album?

That's what I thought.  But I suppose with all members contributing songs for the first time, if there's any time to name the album after the band, it's now.

It had better be the last time, though.

[PaulTMA]

Alone II, with the best album cover of all time, has leaked via the fan forum albumsix.com.  Far more consistant than volume 1 and surely even the "old Weezer!  Pinkerton!   Wah wah wah angst Pinkerton Mummy!!!" bores have something to be happy about for once.  I'm on my fourth consecutive play - even the 'Don't Worry Baby' cover is surprisingly great.

Not forgetting the album's video for 'My Brain Is Working Overtime' finds Cuomo back at his eccentric best (can't embed, but worth a click):
http://media.imeem.com/pl/PtcG6KQKKx/aus=false/pv=2/

[Morrisfan82]

Can't believe I didn't post on this thread first time around.

I really enjoyed Alone, it was such a joy to hear some Rivers magic again (even though the Red Album quickly came along and threw water on that fire... though I'll give it the glory of having two *great* songs on it). Alone seemed to pitch itself just right, between rough sketches and fully-fledged demo greatness; old and new(er); Weezer material and more indulgent solo material. Not to mention having non-awful-quality versions of great songs like Chess and Wanda.

I especially loved the sleevenotes though, I couldn't believe how candid and detailed Rivers seems prepared to be these days, offering a really personal insight into the songs.

Anyway, looking forward to having a copy of Alone II (out next week isn't it?). A listenable recording of The Purification Of Water alone is a gleeful enough prospect, let alone more unheard ...Black Hole material and everything else. And lovely sleevenotes.

[PaulTMA]

Anyway, looking forward to having a copy of Alone II (out next week isn't it?).

In the States, we get it a week later as usual...

[Morrisfan82]

I was going by the release date on the Wiki page, November 25, 2008.