Rivers Cuomo - Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
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Free Music Notes for Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Free Music Review: Rivers is the man
Hit: 5 Stars
Although my fascination with Weezer has gone down in recent years due to the change of their music style, Rivers Cuomo will always have a sweet spot in my heart. The fact that he writes, and makes every part of the songs on this album is awesome. I recommend it.Free Music Review: Awesome
Hit: 5 Stars
I was totally sure what I was going to get when I bought this album, but I have to say that it is amazing. If you are a Weezer fan, than this is a must own. I can't think of a song on this record that I didn't like.Free Music Review: great!
Hit: 5 Stars
Be sure to keep in mind that these aren't studio recordings as your listening. Some of the songs are raw, but if you're a huge weezer fan, you'll love this album, just like I do.Free Music Review: Discarded Flaws and Gems
Hit: 4 Stars
Anyone who is a Weezer fan should get this cd just for the glimpse it offers into the creative process of Rivers Cuomo. Complete with liner notes by the artist himself, we get a collection of songs that range from discarded gems like "Superfriend" and "This is the Way" to playful nonsense of "Lemonade" and "Chess." After listening to this release, I'd have to say that most of the songs were rightly left off of Weezer's official releases as they benefit more from this low key format even more than many fans might suspect. There's something about envisioning the songwriter alone in a room with just his guitar, some equipment, and the song that makes it a more personal listening experience. While not quite as bleak or anywhere as good as say Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska, this collection is comparable in that it really conveys the craft of the songwriter without letting the loudness of the music overpower the songs.
This collection does have its flaws. Cuomo's lyrics have always had a tendency to rely heavily on cliches and generic phrases. Much like with the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, his talent really is his natural instinct for time changes and melody rather than with lyrics. There are times I listen to Weezer and wish that for just one album Cuomo would try to ditch his lyrical comfort zone, but if you're a Weezer fan these songs are written in the same manner as all his other songs so you probably don't mind.
We also get a glimpse of what the imfamous Songs from the Black Hole album might have sounded like if it had really taken shape. Certainly an ambitious project that probably needed some further refining, the songs represened here from that project are "Blast Off," "Who You Callin' B***?" "Dude, We're Finally Landing" and "Superfriend". "Longtime Sunshine" was once thought to be part of that project as well. "Blast Off / Who You Callin ..." and "Superfriend" are real highlights in this collection, but the plot of this concept album seems a litttle muddled so it was probably for the best that they recorded Pinkerton which turns out to be my favorite Weezer album.
Overall, I'd say the real gems in this collection are "Blast Off / Who You Callin'", "Wanda (You're My Only Love)", "Superfriend", "Lover in the Snow", "Crazy One", "This is the Way", and "I Was Made For You". Some other songs would certainly be interesting for hardcorefans, but for the most part prove pretty disposable like "Ohh", "Lemonade" and "Chess". Cuomo's liner notes certainly enahnace the listening experience.
Free Music Review: Essential for any serious Weezer fan
Hit: 4 Stars
The ebb-and-flow of Rivers Cuomo's creative streak over the years has been interesting to follow, for as much as we the public at large can follow is (mostly by seeing how good or not so good a Weezer album is, and how long it takes for a new Weezer album to materialize). But Rivers has taken this to an entirely new level by digging into his musical treasure chest and sharing a bunch of demos, of old and previously unheard songs alike.
"Alone: The Home Recording of Rivers Cuomo" (18 tracks; 47 min.) is not only a fascinating look into the writing process of Rivers, but on top of that brings some pretty good music too. Most interesting are the demos of songs intended for the eventually shelved second album "Songs from the Black Hole" (instead "Pinkerton" was released), which as they are heard here almost play like a musical ("Blast Off", "Dude, We're Finally Landing", "Superfriend" and "Lover in the Snow"). In spirit they certainly are closer to Pinkerton than the Blue Album. Other interesting items: the 1995 track "Wanda (You're My Only Love)", a rejected song for the "Angus" movie soundtrack (instead "You Gave Your Love" made it on the soundtrack); "This Is the Way", cut from the "Make Believe" album; the cover "Little Diane" (recorded in 2003); and the closing track "I Was Made for You" (from 2004").
In all, this album plays surprisingly well, even if obviously the recording quality is not optimal. But a contributing factor to making this album so enjoyable are the lines notes from Rivers. And no, they are not just a line or two pre song, they fill pages and pages as Rivers explains in detail the background of each song (and the lyrics are also printed). In all, while of course this does not break any new musical ground as such, this set is essential for any serious Weezer fan.