Well it has been a while since I last posted here for which I apologize, since I know that all of my loyal readers have been anxiously waiting for my review of Weezer's Red Album... So with out further ado, here it is!
1. Troublemaker-- In the fashion of so many other great Weezer albums, they have given us a powerful opener that is not only a great song, but gets you pumped up to hear the rest of the album. Great Track!
2. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived-- Upon my first listen, I thought "What is this..." but over time it has grown on me... I'm not sure I'll ever get used to the rapping at the beginning of the song, but aside from that, it is a very good track. The name of the song comes from a Facebook club that is dedicated to Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo and refers to him as "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived." Consequently the band has written a song that incorporates every style the band has ever used in the past (and a few they haven't) and brings together a nearly 6 minute track that has something for everyone. Overall it has some brilliant moments and is a great track!
3. Pork and Beans-- This track is great! Musically it sounds like something straight off of Pinkerton, and lyrically it sounds like modern Weezer. It's a great combination of both old and new, and should be a favorite for all Weezer fans alike.
4. Heart Songs-- Essentially Heart Songs is a list of every band that Rivers likes. Although I really like the concept of this track, I'm not a huge fan of it. It kind of bores me until the third verse were he starts singing about Nirvana... It's okay, but nothing special.
5. Everybody Get Dangerous-- Like the previous track, I'm not a huge fan. The music is decent, but lyrically it's pretty weak, and the "boo yeah" in the chorus is a little much for me... Enough said.
6. Dreamin'-- For every Weezer fan who says they have changed... Go listen to this track! Dreamin' sounds like something straight off of the Blue Album. I love this track (granted there is a middle section with Brian singing about birds, fields, butterfly's and what not, which is a little strange... but hey this is Weezer after all...). Overall this is a great track, and clearly one of my favorites!
7. Thought I Knew-- Although I think it is a noble effort of guitarist Brian Bell to write and sing his own song on this album, I feel the same way about it that I feel for the album his band Space Twins put out... It's okay, but nothing special.
8. Cold Dark World-- Worst song on the album... enough said
9. Automatic-- Drummer Pat Wilson decided that he to wanted to put out his own song too, and fortunately for the listeners, Pat has written a gem! This is a great song, it reminds me a lot of another band I really enjoy, The Special Goodness :)
10. The Angel and the One-- Talk about leaving the best for last. This is hands down my favorite track on the album, I love everything about it. The previous 9 songs could all be horrible, and the album would still be worth purchasing because of this song. Mark my words, fifty years from now when scholars are studying alternative music, this song will be viewed as Weezer's defining song. It is as good if not better than anything else the band has ever done. I love it!
Now for the bonus tracks, if you got the regular CD instead of the special edition you can ignore this.
Miss Sweeney-- Although several of my friends like this track, I find it kind of boring... The music and actual singing are decent, but the talking/verses are not worth taking a second look at.
Pig-- I really like this track, the lyrics are a little bizarre, but still a good track. Katie tells me it's about Charlotte's Web and seeing as it mentions Wilbur and it is called pig, I'm pretty sure she's right :)
The Spider-- Can I make this the worst track instead of Cold Dark World? This is like Part II of Freak Me Out from Make Believe, which wasn't a good song the first time around... Oh well, it's a bonus track, so I guess you take what you can get...
King-- This track is decent, I enjoy it, and hey bassist Scott had to get his lead vocals in somewhere too.
So there you go, that's my complete review of The Red Album, overall I give it an A-, because even with the tracks I'm not a huge fan of, I still listen to the album in its entirety and really enjoy it, and would recommend it to Weezer fans of all generations!
