[Playlist is an attempt to distill my favorite artists to 80-minute compilations and, hopefully, provide a gateway into their music.]
Some artists don't lend themselves to the Playlist process. I love Bruce Springsteen, but he has way too many songs for me to properly cover his catalog in 80 minutes. Furthermore, some albums don't work back-to-back. I can't jump from Nebraska to Magic on the spot. The same could be said, to a different extent, for Weezer. They have more than enough good songs to fill 80 minutes. But here's the trouble - most of those songs come from their first two albums, plus B-sides from that era. I'd be stupid to pick anything from Make Believe over Pinkerton. And if the playlist consists entirely of two albums, there's really no point in making it.
But that got me thinking - every Weezer album, no matter how awful, has had at least one good song. So why not pick the best of their lackluster crop and throw 'em together? Instead of a Weezer Playlist, I would draft a Shitty Weezer Playlist (and it's labeled as such on my iPod). No "Blue Album." No Pinkerton. No '90s B-sides or demos from the Alone series.
I came close, but Make Believe, the worst Weezer album, remains unrepresented on this mix. Album ender "Haunt You Every Day" is a decent song, but it's too long for me to justify cutting tracks. I briefly considered "Perfect Situation" as well, but then I remembered FUCK THAT SHIT FOREVER.
So the next time somebody at a party says Weezer's output has sucked post-1996, put on this playlist instead of arguing. Seriously, don't argue. Because it's kinda true; Weezer without Matt Sharp is a suckfest. But by putting on this mix, you can create the illusion of being right, and isn't that what most drunken arguments are about?
Shitty Weezer
1. "Teenage Victory Song," "Island in the Sun" single
2. "I Do," "Hash Pipe" single
3. "Starlight," "Hash Pipe" single
4. "Don't Let Go," "Green Album"
5. "Photograph," "Green Album"
6. "Hash Pipe," "Green Album"
7. "Island in the Sun," "Green Album"
8. "Crab," "Green Album"
9. "Keep Fishin'," Maladroit
10. "Slob," Maladroit
11. "Dope Nose," Maladroit
12. "Troublemaker," "Red Album"
13. "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)," "Red Album"
14. "Pork and Beans," "Red Album"
15. "Everybody Get Dangerous," "Red Album"
16. "The Angel and The One," "Red Album"
17. "Miss Sweeney," "Red Album" deluxe edition
18. "If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To," Raditude
19. "The Girl Got Hot," Raditude
20. "Can't Stop Partying," Raditude
21. "Put Me Back Together," Raditude
Also, fuck "Beverly Hills."
Some artists don't lend themselves to the Playlist process. I love Bruce Springsteen, but he has way too many songs for me to properly cover his catalog in 80 minutes. Furthermore, some albums don't work back-to-back. I can't jump from Nebraska to Magic on the spot. The same could be said, to a different extent, for Weezer. They have more than enough good songs to fill 80 minutes. But here's the trouble - most of those songs come from their first two albums, plus B-sides from that era. I'd be stupid to pick anything from Make Believe over Pinkerton. And if the playlist consists entirely of two albums, there's really no point in making it.
But that got me thinking - every Weezer album, no matter how awful, has had at least one good song. So why not pick the best of their lackluster crop and throw 'em together? Instead of a Weezer Playlist, I would draft a Shitty Weezer Playlist (and it's labeled as such on my iPod). No "Blue Album." No Pinkerton. No '90s B-sides or demos from the Alone series.
I came close, but Make Believe, the worst Weezer album, remains unrepresented on this mix. Album ender "Haunt You Every Day" is a decent song, but it's too long for me to justify cutting tracks. I briefly considered "Perfect Situation" as well, but then I remembered FUCK THAT SHIT FOREVER.
So the next time somebody at a party says Weezer's output has sucked post-1996, put on this playlist instead of arguing. Seriously, don't argue. Because it's kinda true; Weezer without Matt Sharp is a suckfest. But by putting on this mix, you can create the illusion of being right, and isn't that what most drunken arguments are about?
Shitty Weezer
1. "Teenage Victory Song," "Island in the Sun" single
2. "I Do," "Hash Pipe" single
3. "Starlight," "Hash Pipe" single
4. "Don't Let Go," "Green Album"
5. "Photograph," "Green Album"
6. "Hash Pipe," "Green Album"
7. "Island in the Sun," "Green Album"
8. "Crab," "Green Album"
9. "Keep Fishin'," Maladroit
10. "Slob," Maladroit
11. "Dope Nose," Maladroit
12. "Troublemaker," "Red Album"
13. "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)," "Red Album"
14. "Pork and Beans," "Red Album"
15. "Everybody Get Dangerous," "Red Album"
16. "The Angel and The One," "Red Album"
17. "Miss Sweeney," "Red Album" deluxe edition
18. "If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To," Raditude
19. "The Girl Got Hot," Raditude
20. "Can't Stop Partying," Raditude
21. "Put Me Back Together," Raditude
Also, fuck "Beverly Hills."
2 comments:
The Green Album and Maladroit actually have quite a few great songs- don't let go, photograph, island in the sun, keep fishin, death and destruction, december, etc. Everything they have released since then has been horrible. Even though those first two 2000s records were decent, Weezer without Matt Sharp isn't really Weezer.
LEGIT GOOD WEEZER SONGS FROM THIS ERA:
Note: despite your crotchty, sweaterclad, rentals-loving shittiness, these songs hold up with the Weezer classics, and I will dick punch you if you disagree:
Teenage Victory Song
Slob
I Am The Greatest Man That Ever Lived
If You're Wondering...
And the first 2 minutes of Dreaming
I know you mentioned a bunch of these song, I just wanted you to know they are actually good, not shitty good.
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