Book Weezer

By the time the album’s final single, ‘Say It Ain’t So,’ was released in the summer of 1995, the group had gone on hiatus once again, with Cuomo returning to Harvard. When Weezer reconvened in the spring of 1996 to record their second album, he had written a loose concept album that featured far more introspective material than their debut. Ironically, the band sounded tighter on the resulting album, Pinkerton. Before they could enter the recording studio to record their third release, however, Weezer tested the waters by landing a spot on the 2000 edition of the Warped Tour, where they were consistently the day’s highlight. Hooking up again with the producer of their 1994 debut, Ric Ocasek, Weezer recorded what would be known as ‘The Green Album’ (an informal title given by fans, since it was actually their second self-titled release). The album was an immediate hit, debuting at number four in May 2001 and camping out in the upper reaches of the charts for much of the spring/summer, during which such songs like ‘Hash Pipe’ and ‘Island in the Sun’ became radio and MTV staples, reestablishing Weezer as one of alt-rock’s top dogs.
The limited-edition live EP Lion and the Witch appeared in May 2002, and Maladroit’s ‘Keep Fishin” was released as a single. Weezer returned to the studio in 2004, working with Rick Rubin on their fifth full-length album. Make Believe appeared in May 2005, prepped by the single ‘Beverly Hills,’ and eventually went platinum in multiple countries. Weezer (Red Album) followed in 2008. They jumped to the indies in 2010, releasing Hurley on Epitaph.