Raditude (2009)

Bio

Weezer
Established on February 14, 1992 in Los Angeles, California, these four guys at that time still looked for a proper name for their band when Rivers Cuomo suggested to call the band "Weezer." Since the other members could not find something else that sounded more distinctive, they all agreed to apply "Weezer" as the name of the band.

Their debut album was released on May 10, 1994. It was a self-titled one, but was more commonly known as The Blue Album. Having produced by Ric Ocasek, this album made a breakthrough with its hit tracks, such as "Undone (The Sweater Song)" and "Buddy Holly." Both songs were reinforced by innovative music videos, making them became well known throughout the world.

After spending almost one year to establish their next album, Weezer launched Pinkerton on September 24, 1996. Although it was praised by critics, the album unfortunately could not surpass its predecessor. It was partially because Rivers refused the idea of making another innovative music videos. As a result, the album could only secure 19th position at Billboard 200. The sale was also disappointing, far from the band's expectation. Despite this glum situation, they eagerly embarked on their tour.

After recording some demos in L.A., Weezer participated in a festival of punk/ska music and extreme sports named Warped Tour on June 23, 2000. It turned out very well and the band continued to perform by conducting a summer tour. The tunes that they had sung during this tour were labeled the Summer Songs of 2000 or SS2k. Some of them later appeared in their long awaited album, Weezer (2001) which was often called The Green Album. This was the band's turning point for one of its tracks entitled "Hash Pipe" became a smash hit, reaching 2nd rank at Billboard Modern Tracks. Its success was followed by "Island in the Sun" and "Photograph" which both were included in top 20 of the chart. The band afterwards went to hold their live shows for the rest of the year. By July 2002, The Green Album had sold over one million copies so that Weezer once more was certified Platinum.

They later continued to produce another album, Maladroit, which was released on May 14, 2002. To their relief, it strived to 3rd rank at Billboard 200, becoming the band's first album to enter top three of the chart. This year also was marked by the mysterious departure of Mikey after being together in Weezer for 4 years. Scott Shriner (born July 11, 1965) came in to fill his position. The band soon began to collect materials for the next album. Conducting many demo sessions, they concluded to abort the songs they had recorded, thus took their fourth break for about one year. They reunited in December 2003 with the determination to complete the recording process of their upcoming album. Make Believe ultimately appeared on May 10, 2005. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album soared to 2nd rank in U.S. charts due to the success of its brilliant single, "Beverly Hills." In the meantime, "Make Believe" received various responses and reviews. Some fans considered it as an attractive album, but others, along with music critics, detested and scorned this particular album.

The band fell into another uncertain future after Cuomo hinted a break-up during an interview with MTV in 2006. A media turmoil soon occurred, reporting the band was indeed splitting for good. It was however denied by each members, particularly Cuomo who made it clear that he was misquoted. The band was in fact in full speed to write for the next album, The Red Album, which was released in June 2008.