weezer - pinkerton
after the success of the blue album - rivers cuomo got depressed over everything and wrote this album. it really did go amiss though when released in 1996 - grunge was dying out and our nation didn't really know what else to do other than start bigging up the union jack and listen to schlock brit-pop. but this maybe is my confession - as i missed the album first time round too.
it wasn't until college in 1999 when i watched kevin smith's 'clerks' - loved it - went straight out to watch 'mallrats' - loved that too - but more importantly loved the closing song 'suzanne' by weezer, although i never knew what it was called. The only album they had done since the blue album was pinkerton, so i bought it - and was instantly disappointed as the song from mallrats was not on there. i didn't like the record on first play - none of it - there weren't even any singles you could play that you knew you liked!
i was doing a heap of driving at the time - and in the comfort of my clapped out motor vehicle, but with an okay sound system - i really started to discover what a complete work of art pinkerton was - in every way
everything on it is genius, songwriting, instruments, artwork, lyrics and most importantly production. from opener 'tired of sex' the drum sound just ploughs towards you like a pregnant whale - the kick drum and snare 'clip' and 'distort' on numerous occasions only adding the bass and mid end to the treble hiss of the high hat and cymbals. The bass has no sound just an 'in utero' thud and the guitars speak in an overload of mid eq tongue.
the song writing is sarcastically simple with dunes of falsettos in all songs, held up by the constant honesty but self assuredness of rivers main vocal.
i hereby conclude 'pinkerton' as one of those albums you don't rate at first for whatever reason but these are the albums which will go and grow and grow on you - till you tire of no songs - as the album was not bought just cos you liked one single - hence you listen to all tunes - each in turn - like you should do when listening to an album - afterall - you couldn't easily skip tracks on an album in the good old days of vinyl - you had the decency to listen to the whole album - hence feeling all the spirit and passion on which the album was recorded.
(as reviewed by eso from the foofs)