Label: Geffen
Release year: 2001
Here’s our review for Weezer’s third album, highly anticipated at the time of its release after a five-year hiatus.
It was May 15, 2001. The anticipation before this date was big.
There was a ton of excitement surrounding Weezer’s third official studio release and second self-titled record before it came out.
Fans of all different ages were going to see Weezer at shows and tuning into any updates from Karl Koch about the progress of their next endeavor.
Much of the detailed history can be found on Weezerpedia.com- a place where a Weezer fan can learn just about anything related to them.
Green, though always a mixed bag, was mostly well received by both the general public and critics, but over the years received even more criticism. It became less known as the “28 minutes” album and more known as the album that cut a lot of songs, and these aren’t just any songs. These are demos, b-sides, unreleased, and incomplete tracks that many of the fans wish had been picked over the ones in the final product.
This wasn’t just about the music. If anything, it was all about their return. Suddenly, Weezer became one of the most famous groups all over again. Much to their surprise, they were gaining an abundance of support before and after the release of The Green Album.
It was intended to appeal to the masses and seemed to have accomplished that intention.
The target to a large audience, with the sense of hope trying to fight against the feeling of uncertainty, is really reflective of Rivers Cuomo’s goals at the time. His purpose was to write these songs as meaningless and musically simplistic.
For some, that worked. However, not everyone was pleased with these changes. Cuomo wanted the style to be completely unlike Pinkerton.
During this time was when he denounced Pinkerton. Even knowing that the fanbase of the 1996 album was growing more popular, his hatred only grew worse, and perhaps this was when it was at its height.
Green features a couple of their biggest hits. “Island In The Sun” and “Hash Pipe” are considered to be some of their best songs.
“Hash Pipe,” a single that they fought for (ultimately paying off), was huge that year, and still remains one of their most loved songs.
“Island In The Sun” and “Hash Pipe” are two opposites, one with aggressive guitar playing featuring a sumo wrestling music video, and the other a relaxing tune that has a warm, sunny video filled with cozy animals to go with it, or a Mexican wedding as you might have it.
“Crab” is considered a track many would prefer to skip, while it seems to have a cult following that holds it as a personal favorite.
“O Girlfriend” is an emotional closer, punching you in the heart with the sad instrumentals and the high pitched vocals from Rivers. “Glorious Day” and “Simple Pages” are probably the two most guilty of sounding similar.
“Knock-Down Drag Out” is an energetic anthem with a short run time and as much power as the name. Some might view “Photograph” or “Smile” as too generic or repetitive, but their catchy lyrics and upbeat sound cannot be ignored.
Depending on who you ask, not much of a variety was offered in the project as a whole, yet the underlying charm in crafting it that way can’t be denied.
Many articles, from the time it was first released up until now, have said basically the same thing over and over again, just in different words; the rough process of making the album, Rivers’ sad experience with Pinkerton, the biased opinion on whether or not Green is good, the hiatus and the background of the band members in that era.
So, what can be concluded about The Green Album that hasn’t already been stated a million times already?
Well, it’s important to look at the way it impacts us in our present time.
It may not have the same effect as Pinkerton or The Blue Album did, but it’s unique in its own way. It has its own identity and knows exactly what it wants to be.
Listeners that first heard Green when it was new, may look back on it fondly because of memories or many other different reasons.
The fact that it still appeals to many young people 21 years later shows that there must be something special about it.