Weezer is a rock band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 1992. They’ve put out 15 albums in their near 30 year run, with more on the way. I listened to one album every day for 17 days (including one rarities album and one unreleased album).

Here’s how I’d rate them and some thoughts on each album!


Blue - 8.5/10
  • My Name Is Jonas: 10/10
  • No One Else: 5/10
  • The World Has Turned And Left Me Here: 9/10
  • Buddy Holly: 10/10
  • Undone - The Sweater Song: 10/10
  • Surf Wax America: 7/10
  • Say It Ain't So: 10/10
  • In the Garage: 8/10
  • Holiday: 7/10
  • Only In Dreams: 9/10

Thoughts
Blue is an effortlessly fun album from a band with no expectations on them. It's a shame we'll never get to hear them without that pressure again, cause this is great.

Pinkerton - 8.8/10
  • Tired Of Sex: 9/10
  • Getchoo: 8/10
  • No One Other: 9/10
  • Why Bother? 8/10
  • Across The Sea: 8/10
  • The Good Life: 8/10
  • El Scorcho: 10/10
  • Pink Triangle: 9/10
  • Falling For You: 10/10
  • Butterfly: 9/10

Thoughts
A raw look at Rivers dealing with isolation and loneliness from starting college and recovering from a painful surgery. It's problematic lyrically, but it's a phenomenal album - definitely my favorite.

Green - 7/10
  • Don't Let Go: 6/10
  • Photograph: 7/10
  • Hash pipe: 10/10
  • Island in the sun: 9/10
  • Crab: 7/10
  • Knockout Dragout: 5/10
  • Smile: 6/10
  • Simple Pages: 7/10
  • Glorious Day: 8/10
  • O Girlfriend: 5/10

Thoughts
This album is too polished, too guarded, and rarely takes any chances. It's the unfortunate effect of the massive backlash from Pinkerton. Rivers famously said "everyone hated it," which helps contextualize why the next decade of Weezer happened.

Maladroit - 5/10
  • American Gigolo: 6/10
  • Dope Nose: 4/10
  • Keep Fishin: 4/10
  • Take Control: 7/10
  • Death And Destruction: 6/10
  • Slob: 7/10
  • Burndt Jamb: 4/10
  • Space rock: 3/10
  • Slave: 6/10
  • Fall Together: 6/10
  • Possibilities: 4/10
  • Love Explosion: 3/10
  • December: 3/10

Thoughts
A messy, unfocused album that certainly didn't benefit from Rivers being hyper aware of what fans were thinking and duking it out with them on message boards. I guess it's not all bad, because fans convinced him to add one of the best songs (Slob) to the album.

Make Believe - 3.1/10
  • Beverly Hills: 4/10
  • Perfect Situation: 2/10
  • This Is Such A Pity: 3/10
  • Hold Me: 5/10
  • Peace: 5/10
  • We Are All On Drugs: 1/10
  • The Damage In Your Heart: 2/10
  • Pardon me: 3/10
  • My Best Friend: 2/10
  • The Other Way: 2/10
  • Freak Me Out: 4/10
  • Haunt You Every Day: 4/10

Thoughts
Easily the worst Weezer album - commercial and bland in the worst ways. In an “anxious” letter to their producer, Rivers said:

Rick, no. I cannot get into meditation because it will rob me of the angst that’s necessary to being an artist

Rivers went on to try meditation anyway. Now I can only wonder what Make Believe would have sounded like without meditation

Red - 4.6/10
  • Troublemaker: 7/10
  • The Greatest Man That Ever Lived: 6/10
  • Pork And Beans: 8/10
  • Heart Songs: 8/10
  • Everybody Get Dangerous: 4/10
  • Dreamin': 5/10
  • Thought I Knew: 3/10
  • Cold Dark World: 4/10
  • Automatic: 4/10
  • The Angel And The One: 5/10
  • Miss Sweeney: 2/10
  • Pig: 3/10
  • The Spider: 4/10
  • King: 2/10

Thoughts
Red marks a gradual return to form for the band, but loses steam halfway through. The first few songs are so long, but it's nice to hear the band let loose a bit.

Raditude - 3.5
  • If You're Wondering: 5/10
  • I'm Your Daddy: 2/10
  • The Girl Got Hot: 2/10
  • Can't Stop Partying: 3/10
  • Put Me Back Together: 7/10
  • Tripping Down The Freeway: 4/10
  • Love Is The Answer: 4/10
  • Let It All Hang Out: 5/10
  • In The Mall: 3/10
  • I Don't Want To Let You Go: 4/10
  • Get Me Some: 5/10
  • Run Over By A Truck: 4/10
  • The Prettiest Girl: 3/10
  • Underdogs: 4/10

Thoughts
A bit of a detour on Weezer's Redemption Arc™, but not as embarrassing as Make Believe. There's one good song on here. Oof.

Hurley - 6/10
  • Memories: 9/10
  • Ruling me: 8/10
  • Trainwrecks: 7/10
  • Unspoken: 7/10:
  • Where's My Sex?: 6/10
  • Run Away: 7/10
  • Hang On: 6/10
  • Smart Girls: 4/10
  • Brave New World: 4/10
  • Time Flies: 3/10

Thoughts
The redemption arc continues! Hurley is a fun album that's missing most of the embarrassing missteps from the last couple albums. During the recording process the band scrapped, re-worked, and wrote songs at a chaotic pace, which seems to have worked for them.

Everything Will Be Alright In The End - 7.2/10
  • Ain't Got Nobody: 8/10
  • Back To The Shack: 8/10
  • Eulogy For A Rock Band: 6/10
  • Lonely Girl: 7/10
  • I've Had It Up To Here: 7/10
  • British: 6/10
  • Da Vinci: 5/10
  • Go Away: 6/10
  • Cleopatra: 8/10
  • Foolish Father: --
  • I. The Wasteland: 8/10
  • II. Anonymous: 9/10
  • III. Return To Ithaka: 8/10

Thoughts
A confident album that maintains its quality throughout the entire run. The album title comes from the passing of a dark time in Rivers life. That’s a nice thought.

White - 8.1/10
  • California kids: 10/10
  • Wind In Our Sail: 8/10
  • Thank God For Girls: 7/10
  • Girl We Got A Good Thing: 7/10
  • Do You Want To Get High: 9/10
  • King Of The World: 8/10
  • Summer Elaine And Drunk Dori: 6/10
  • LA Girlz: 8/10
  • Jacked Up: 9/10
  • Endless Bummer: 9/10

Thoughts
White is an excellent album that captures the fun and introspection of old Weezer, while still managing to experiment too*. Rivers mentioned the producer pushed for a more classic sound instead of experimenting, but that [Rivers] would win next time. I wonder how that's going to turn out :thinking:

Pacific Daydream - 5.3/10
  • Mexican Fender: 6/10
  • Beach Boys: 6/10
  • Feels Like Summer: 6/10
  • Happy Hour: 7/10
  • Weekend Woman: 3/10
  • QB Blitz: 6/10
  • Sweet Mary: 3/10
  • Get Right: 5/10 -La Mancha Screwjob: 7/10
  • Any Friend Of Diane: 4/10

Thoughts
An oddly poppy and safe album that kind of sounds like something you'd hear while you're shopping in a mall. Kind of fun, though?

Black - 5.8/10
  • Can't Knock The Hustle: 6/10
  • Zombie Bastards: 9/10
  • High As A Kite: 6/10
  • Living In LA: 4/10
  • Piece Of Cake: 5/10
  • I'm Just Being Honest: 6/10
  • Too Many Thoughts In My Head: 6/10
  • The Prince Who Wanted Everything: 4/10
  • Byzantine: 3/10
  • California Snow: 9/10

Thoughts
During the recording process, Rivers mentioned this album is going to “feel like an urban environment, night-time and gritty.” Awkwardly channeling this vibe makes for some fun songs, but it’s weighed down too much by inconsistency.

OK Human - 8/10

OK Human:

  • All My Favorite Songs: 8/10
  • Aloo Gobi: 9/10
  • Grapes Of Wrath: 8/10
  • Numbers: 8/10
  • Playing My Piano: 8/10
  • Mirror Image: 7/10
  • Screens: 6/10
  • Bird With A Broken Wing: 8/10
  • Dead Roses: 9/10
  • Everything Happens For A Reason: (interlude)
  • Here Comes The Rain: 7/10
  • La Brea Tar Pits: 10/10

Thoughts
Notable for being piano driven, using no electric guitar, and utilizing a 38-piece orchestra - the result is the most open and vulnerable album since Pinkerton.

Van Weezer - 6.9/10 (nice)
  • Hero: 8/10
  • All The Good Ones: 8/10
  • The End Of The Game: 7/10
  • I Need Some Of That: 9/10
  • Beginning Of The End: 7/10
  • Blue Dream: 8/10
  • 1 More Hit: 4/10
  • Sheila Can Do It: 5/10
  • She Needs Me: 5/10
  • Precious Metal Girl: 6/10

Thoughts
This album feels more like Weezer songs kind of inspired by Van Halen, rather than Weezer writing Van Halen songs. It's inconsistent and a bit embarrassing lyrically.


Bonus!

In an effort to save space, I've condensed my thoughts on these non-official albums:

Songs From The Black Hole - 8/10

This is an unreleased album, available via demos leaked/released over the years. It would have come after Blue, but Rivers scrapped it. It's really great and sad that Rivers didn't have more confidence in the album. Sound wise, it's a mix of Blue and Pinkerton and even includes some demos that would become songs on Pinkerton.

Stream here (youtube)

Death To False Metal - 4.7/10

This is a collection of unreleased songs that Rivers felt was ready to release right after Hurley. It's a mixed bag and only two songs (Turn Up The Radio, Trampoline) are actually good.

Teal - 6.2/10

The covers album. It's alright, nothing special. Some songs they really make their own, some songs are too close to the originals. Mostly forgettable tbh.


That wraps up my thoughts on Weezer. I've grown quite fond of this band over the last couple weeks. This is like two weeks later than I wanted it to be, because I wrote too much and it didn't fit the limit. Naturally, I needed a week or two to pout before I stopped being a baby and edited it

If you have any questions about Weezer (lmao) please ask away

:cat-vibing: :penguin-dance: :duck-dance: :spongebob-party: :meow-bounce: :snom:

  • Kanna [she/her]
    hexagon
    ·
    3 years ago

    Ehh to each their own haha. No embarrassment there