Weezer - Best/Worst/Favorite/Overrated/Underrated - Album by Album

I started this last blog series this past year and well, why not give it go with my favorite band to love and hate, Weezer. On this post, I added the "Guilty Pleasure" category for albums and songs that I particularly find myself perplexed that I actually enjoy. It does not apply to every album. 

As always, here are my overly-detailed definitions of terms:

Best - this is obvious, what I think is the best track on the album in terms of composition and what it sets out to do.

Worst - also obvious, although, this definitely has more bias in it than "Best", it should be noted that this song may or may not even be "bad". 

Overrated/Underrated - This is completely subjective but I am basing this category off of "hard-core" Weezer fans. It may or may not align with the broader public's opinions. Also, the Underrated category acts as another way for me to shoehorn one of my favorites into the list.  Finally, if I place a song in the overrated category, it doesn't mean it's a bad song, it just means it's overrated. No more, no less.

Favorite - My personal favorite, not always the best track. It's the song I most connected with or have a special memory associated with. Again, also another way for me to shove a song I really like onto the list. 

So with that out of the way, here we go:

Blue Album

This was by far the easiest album to do this activity on. 

Best: Say it Ain't So

Worst: Surfwax America

Overrated: Only in Dreams

Underrated: The World Has Turned And Left Me Here/Holiday

Favorite: The World Has Turned And Left Me Here

Pinkerton

Best: Across the Sea

Worst: Why Bother?

Overrated: Falling for You

Underrated: Butterfly

Favorite: Across the Sea

Green Album

Best: Island in the Sun/O Girlfriend (this is not cheating, it's my blog and my rules, stop judging me)

Worst: Crab (I kinda even like this dumb song)

Overrated: Smile

Underrated: Glorious Days 

Favorite: Simple Pages 

Maladroit 

Best: Slave    

Worst: Possibilities (one of Rivers Cuomo's laziest songs recorded for an album). 

Overrated: Burndt Jamb 

Underrated: Keep Fishin' (radio edit only)

Favorite: Slave

Make Believe 

Best: The Other Way

Worst: My Best Friend (If I could list this twice, I would).

Overrated: Haunt You Everyday 

Underrated: This is Such a Pity/Hold Me 

Favorite: The Other Way 

Red Album 

Best: The Angel and the One 

Worst: Cold Dark World 

Overrated: Pork and Beans 

Underrated: Dreamin'

Favorite: The Angel and the One/Ms. Sweeney (Ms. Sweeny is on the "Deluxe Edition, sue me)

Raditude 

Best: I Don't Wanna Let You Go 

Worst: Love is the Answer

Overrated: None 

Underrated: (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To

Favorite: Prettiest Girl In the Whole Wide World (Deluxe Edition, again) 

Guilty Pleasure: I'm Your Daddy (I know, gross, right?)

Death to False Metal 

The studio leftover album that becomes even more insane now that we have 95% of Rivers' demos...how were these songs selected? A random draw from a hat?! 

Best: Blowin' My Stack 

Worst: Losing My Mind 

Overrated: None 

Underrated: Autopliot 

Favorite: Blowin' My Stack

Hurley

Best: Run Away 

Worst: Where's My Sex? 

Overrated: Unspoken

Underrated: Run Away

Guilty Pleasure: Smart Girls (there, I said it and no, I'm not proud of it either).

Favorite: Ruling Me 

Everything Will Be Alright in the End 

Best: Foolish Father 

Worst: Back to the Shack

Overrated: Ain't Got Nobody 

Underrated: I've Had It Up To Here / Eulogy for a Rock Band 

Favorite:  Foolish Father 

White Album

Best: Wind in Our Sails 

Worst: Thank God For Girls 

Overrated: Thank God For Girls 

Underrated: (Girl We Got A) Good Thing

Favorite: Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori/Jacked Up

Pacific Daydream 

Best: Feels Like Summer 

Worst: Get Right 

Overrated: Sweet Mary 

Underrated: Feels Like Summer 

Favorite: Weekend Woman 

Guilty Pleasure: Mexican Fender (I am legitimately embarrassed that I like this song)

Black Album 

I refuse. I hope this album burns in hell. 

Teal

I also refuse this one too....it sucks. It's cynical, lifeless, and isn't worth thinking about. 

OK Human

Best: Aloo Gobi and Dead Roses

Worst: All My Favorite Songs 

Overrated: Numbers

Underrated:  La Brea Tar Pits 

Favorite: Playing My Piano/Mirror Image (I can't disconnect these two).

Van Weezer

Best: Shelia Can Do It (the Homie version is still a hundred times better). 

Worst: Hero 

Overrated: 1 More Hit 

Underrated: None thus far 

Favorite: I Need Some of That (it's dumb, I get it, but what can I say? I like it). 

Art Post: All Suffering Soon To End! (Collage)

 I haven't shared some of my older work in a long time and most of what I have shared was cartoon stuff. 

I became obsessed with creating collages back in 2010-2013 era. I would hunt for old books and materials at garage sales or antique shops some older stuff I destroyed, most I made color copies and used the copies. 

This is a piece stitched together primary with a US Navy handbook of some kind and a Jehovah's Witness track brochure. Some other stuff was also used to fill in the spaces. I liked the contrast of the end of all suffering and preparing for war. 

Enjoy! 

Stumbling Back Home Again Fragments

Well, what can I say, I've been away from the blog for a while. 

Pandemic life peaked and we had an unexpected snowstorm that shut down pretty much the whole state. We got vaccinated (as well as our two oldest children) and of course, things are starting to get back to normal (albeit at a slow and steady rate). 

In the meantime, I toyed with the idea of starting a Spurs podcast (focused on re-watching old playoff series/old games a la my blog of the 2007 championship, in particular, my deep dive into the 2007 Suns series). I did a ton of research into Spurs, podcasting, etc. recorded half an episode and just felt like it was boring and no one in their right mind would listen to it. I abandoned the project, although it honestly might come back as a blog at some point. I dunno. I have a hundred different ideas for future projects, so I just can't say. 

I honestly struggled this last semester, it felt like every day was a Groundhog Day and like most people, I felt stuck and circling down in a swirl, with the drain nowhere in view. 

A few bright spots along the last few months:

• The fam. Despite the fighting amongst the younger two, I take much pleasure at being a "Dad" or "the husband" definitely a way to escape your own brain for a while and focus on caretaking.
• As stated a few months back, I have really taken to cooking. My favorite dishes include New Orleans (BBQ) shrimp, Chicken Paprikash (Hungarian) and Karachi Chicken (Pakistani). There are more but those are my faves off the top of my head.  
• I planned out a big trip out West this July. We are headed to Colorado, Utah and Arizona. I'm looking forward to a ton of it....so many highlights. I'll have a blog series/post on that (probably). 
• I finally presented my research at an academic conference this week.....and it went really well. I wish we had been able to be in person but it was still a great experience overall. I may look into publishing my research but time will tell. 

I had the last two weeks off and I don't really think I have taken advantage of it in a big way. I thought about painting but just ended up doodling, I thought about a "real" blog post, and ended up writing this, this past two weeks have been restful but also in-between and indecisive. It has been nice to not have a grading or other stuff hanging over my head. This past week I spent gearing up for my summer classes (starting next week) and for the conference presentation, so it wasn't wasted. 

I may do some blogging this summer, I have an art post to get to of a painting I did a few years ago but never got around to sharing (I also lost it during our move last year). And I will at least get back to blog a bit about our travels. 

In the meantime, look up a neat recipe on Youtube and give it a shot. Oh, and text an old friend this week and say hi.