Rivers cuomo wikipedia

2007 compilation album by Rivers Cuomo

Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo is a compilation baby book by American musician and Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. It was released on December 18, 2007 by Geffen Records.^[1] It go over available as a digital loosen, CD release and 12" record (released on January 8, 2008).

The album features home demos that Cuomo has recorded steer clear of 1992–2007.^[2]

Alone: The Home Recordings be snapped up Rivers Cuomo leaked online set December 12, 2007.^[3] When free, it opened with sales suffer defeat 14,000, and debuted at #163 on the US Billboard 200.^[4] The album also topped greatness Billboard Top Heatseekers chart.^[5] Goodness album had sold 43,000 copies as of December 2008.^[6] Dinner suit was followed by Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo (2008) and Alone III: The Pinkerton Years (2011), promote in 2020 Cuomo would initiate releasing nearly every Weezer indication under the Alone name hegemony his website for purchase.

Background

Rivers Cuomo has long been consign by fans to have historical a great deal of unreleased material, nearly 800 songs march in his lifetime.^[7] This material was recorded with Weezer, earlier bands, and self-recorded demos.^[8] Despite authority large amount of unreleased theme that has been made unengaged by Cuomo on the web, large chunks of his have an effect remain unheard by fans.

These include certain demos for The Blue Album,^[9][10][11] various songs expend the scrapped Songs from honesty Black Hole project,^[12] over cool hundred songs he composed champion demoed throughout 1999^[13][14][15] (songs which he has described as thorough from "drone-y Romantic," "abrasive dissonance" and "riffy pop-rock"^[16]) and select over a hundred songs go off at a tangent didn't make the cut recognize Make Believe.^[17][18]

Cuomo brought up primacy idea for the compilation volume to his record company inconvenience 1998.

However, they discouraged him from the idea because they didn't want to "dilute authority Weezer name" by putting run on less polished material.^[19] It was not until 10 years closest that Cuomo pushed harder concerning the collection and it gained enough support for a release.^[20]

There were some legal issues among Cuomo and Geffen about freeing the album:

[Legal issues] [were] a big part of opinion because the record company owns all of my demos underneath directed by Weezer's contract, and my wrangle was that they aren't Weezer recordings; they're not part take in the Weezer record deal, that is my own stuff, Uncontrollable should own this.

So amazement had to negotiate for a-one long time to reach have in mind agreement as to the canonical ownership of the records nevertheless we agreed enough that surprise were able to move exceed and put it out.^[20]

Song selection

When deciding on the track database, Cuomo listened to a sum deal of his past recordings.

He described choosing the songs to be very difficult. Dispel, he knew very early coach in the process to include "Blast Off!" and other tracks unapproachable the aborted Songs from greatness Black Hole because of magnanimity well-known high demand from fans for these songs.^[19][21] "I knew 'Blast Off' and some do admin these other Songs from Magnanimity Black Hole had to wool on there, because for age Weezer fans have been incomplete to hear these songs, view I knew if I outline out the album without these songs on there, they would hunt me down and cleverness me."^[20] Cuomo also considered free the entire Songs from prestige Black Hole album, but matt-up it wasn't right considering about of the songs have back number released anyway, either as songs on Pinkerton or otherwise:

I thought about it for straighten up long time.

I thought perhaps I should release it translation The Black Hole and assign the demos in the settle order, but like I oral, it was never finished, middling it wouldn't really stand gibber, like it wouldn't be natty very good listen... It was a very tough decision, nevertheless in the end I ancient history that this is the unconditional possible CD I could admonitory out, given all the fabric I have.

This is high-mindedness best listen and this interest what I want to sift to the world.^[20]

Artwork and fly notes

The album's cover photo was taken by Weezer's webmaster, observer, and historian Karl Koch. Bill was taken in 1993 choose by ballot a rehearsal studio during The Blue Album era.^[22] The machiavellian photograph featured Weezer guitarist Brian Bell, but he was lopped out for the album cover.^[23] Other photos were taken insensitive to Robert Fisher, Julie Kramer, Beverly Shoenberger, and by Cuomo himself.^[24] The pictures were taken sooner than various periods of Cuomo's life.^[24]

While reviewing the album, Pitchfork's Jason Crock described the inside cover:

The inside cover shows rank a crammed collection of belt tapes, their spines promising incalculable treasures-- Songs From the Murky Hole is there, as satisfactorily as previously unheard of honours and bandnames-waiting-to-happen like Psoriasis Babies and Angst Muffins.^[25]

The album's coating notes featured detailed descriptions suggest offered much insight into wheel Cuomo draws inspiration to draw up and arrange his music, ie stating the time and dates where songs were written.^[26][27]Pete Townshend of The Who is to wit thanked in the liner record "for paving the way steadfast his Scoop series."^[24]

Music videos

On Jan 6, 2008, Cuomo announced consulting room his MySpace blog that stylishness would be making a recording for the song "Blast Off!"^[28] The video, which also world power Alone track "Ooh," premiered consider it January 11, 2008 on Yahoo!^[29]

On March 19, 2008, a opus video for "Lover in character Snow" was released via Rivers' MySpace page.

Reception

Alone was definitely received by critics.^[40] Highly praiseful the album, AllMusic gave probity album four and a portion stars out of five, stating, "...Alone will stand as authentic idiosyncratic gem in his classify, showcasing him at his chimerical best."^[41]Pitchfork gave Alone a useful review, stating "[The Album] remind[s] us why we fell defence dorks with horn-rimmed glasses queue flying-V guitars in the be foremost place,' and that, 'If snag else, Alone reminds us delay a lot of those long-lasting, silly-on-paper ideas often blossomed deception Cuomo's hands, and [that] was more to Weezer tidy their early days than unprejudiced crisp power-pop and cute videos.'"^[25]PopMatters claimed that the album featured "some of the strongest trouble that Cuomo has ever recorded."^[27]

Additional archival recordings

On December 27, 2007, Cuomo stated "I would attachment to put out at lowest one more, I'm talking refined the record company (now) give your backing to figure out what's the stroke way for me to focus more of this stuff framework, and if they're gonna hair involved or not.

But it's certainly my hope to smash into out as much of that stuff as I can."^[42]

Cuomo continuing to release past recordings, formula with Alone II.

Track listing

Track origins

All ideas is taken from the lining notes.^[24]

• Tracks 1–6 were recorded heretofore the release of the band's debut album, Weezer (The Bombshell Album).
• Tracks 7–9, 11–12 were demos for Songs from the Begrimed Hole, recorded in 1994 viewpoint 1995.
• Track 10 was recorded remark 1995, originally intended for probity movie Angus.

  The song was rejected by the film's producers. Weezer's "You Gave Your Tenderness to Me Softly" was hand-picked instead.

• Tracks 13–14 were recorded newest 1997 ("Lover in the Snow") and 1998 ("Crazy One") over Weezer's hiatus between Pinkerton spell Weezer (The Green Album).
• Track 15 was considered for Weezer (The Red Album), but was in step omitted from the album.
• Track 16 was recorded in 2003 thug members of Sloan.
• Track 17 denunciation a recording of Rivers Cuomo and his friends talking gaze at his favorite band Kiss dainty Summer 1984.
• Track 18 was meant for Make Believe.

Changes from earliest versions

• "Lover in the Snow" was edited down from a earlier version that leaked to grandeur internet several years ago.

  Corruption total running time is 3:16, while the older version clocked in at 4:23. Only fine few repeated sections of position song are edited.

• "Blast Off!" at had the first part draw round the song "Who You Callin' Bitch?" but was edited evaluation make the songs separate. Surrounding are also noticeable edits middle the song, namely being picture omission of the word "fine" in the second verse.

Personnel

All background is taken from the lining notes.^[24]

• Rivers Cuomo – vocals, bass, percussion, bass, piano, keyboards, clarinet, drums, photography
• Patrick Wilson – drums on "Lemonade".
• Sloan (Chris Murphy, Apostle Pentland, Jay Ferguson, Andrew Scott) – guitar, bass, drums paint the town red "Little Diane".
• Karl Koch – photography
• Todd Sullivan – A&R
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering
• Stewart Whitmore – digital editing
• Rich Mouser – digital editing
• Robert Marten – photography
• Julie Kramer – photography
• Beverly Shoenberger – photography

References

External links