How do people not like Make Believe?
Make Believe is like Pinkerton in terms of lyrics. Songs like Perfect SItuation, Hold Me, Peace and Haunt you everyday are so similar to pinkerton style weezer. How do most people not like this Make Believe, but love Hurley? Please explain.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kezner32 on -
I have been a fan since 1995, a board member since 2002 and love Make Believe. I've contemplated this subject at great length and will offer my thoughts:
History of Post-Pinkerton Weezer and Board Members
Back in 2001, TGA was released. At first, I was happy to get a new Weezer album but, like most, was a bit disappointed. Then came Maladroit, which at least had non-repetitive song structures but still had some awful lyrics. When I first became a board member, the A5 demos were circulating around and people felt that Weezer was going in an interesting direction. Then the demos were scrapped and we waited for 3 years as Weezer recored what some speculated would be there "most important" album. Everyday Karl teased us with ambiguos sketch drawings of the acoustic rehearsals (anyone remember those)? We waited patiently for an album to show us that Weezer was more than a pop band (TGA) and more than a faux-metal band (Mala).
Make Believe - Reaction to the Singles
And then we got our first glimpse of the album...Beverly Hills. People were outraged! It was a big departure for Weezer's sound. Karl even did PR work and posted a message on the site saying that Beverly Hills was just one piece of a rather complex album pie. Fans were worried. We had heard the A5 demos (songs like Private Message, Hey Domingo, 367). All of those songs were better than BvH. Old school fans, that were already becoming jaded due to TGA and Maladroit, felt really disconnected when BvH came out. And then the second single, We Are All on Drugs, probably was the final nail in the coffin for some fans! To this day, I still consider Make Believe to feature the worst hit singles. I think that many people judge the album based on those 2 songs. Pitchfork Media gave MB a 0.4 rating and Raditude a 4.5 rating. Something seems screwy here.
Make Believe - A Personal, Therapeutic Album
When the album leaked, I expected the worst. When I first heard Perfect Situation, I was overcome with relief and thought, "They're back." Those crunchy guitars, the piano…everything sounded so strong. I mean, the album as a whole is pretty good. And I'd argue that it's a personal album. Think of Rivers before Make Believe. The album was very therapeutic for him. Perfect Situation was written during intense fasting that was part of his meditation (Hungry nights, once again). Pardon Me was Rivers admitting he's made mistakes in the past and was trying to repair old relationships. In fact, as he was recording the album, he met with Matt Sharp for a surprise performance. He even called up original guitarist Jason Cropper and invited him to his wedding. Rivers wrote The Other Way for Jen Chiba who he wanted to comfort after her boyfriend Elliott Smith died. However, he doubted his motives about writing the song. Even Freak Me out is kinda personal since it was Rivers honestly writing about being "freaked out" by a spider.
Final Thoughts
I think Make Believe would have been considered a great album if people didn't judge it based on the two singles. If only =w= narrowed it down to 10 songs! I know so many people who didn't buy the album because of the hits. They didn't want to give the album a chance. I can forgive the singles since the rest of the album is strong and personal. MB and meditation led to Rivers becoming who he is today. He repaired old relationships, got married and became more comfortable sharing his material and feelings. I consider it a great Weezer album.
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Permalink Reply by hintofcoolness on -
this
MakeUpOnShelf said:People don't love Hurley. From what I can tell people are pretty indifferent but the reaction has been better than Raditude or Red.
I'm with you Make Believe being..well underrated is not the right word. I think the album actually did pretty well. I just think people are too pretentious to get into it. Perfect Situation rocked my socks off for a long time. This Is Such A Pity sounded unique at the time but didn't age THAT well. I mean, I still like it.
I think the problem was that the low points are just too low for people to overcome. Beverly Hills was a turning point; it really changed what it means to be a Weezer fan. If there wasn't a distinct line between old and new fans that song did it. The other low points (in my opinion) are the lyrics in We Are All On Drugs and the entirety of Freak Me Out.
I've defended this album to death in the last 5 years and I'll spare you the rest of my opinions on this album. You're right, some people loathe this album and I don't know why.
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Permalink Reply by Radioactive on -
It's not "cool" to like Make Believe because it got big.
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Permalink Reply by Buzz Killington [spaz] on -
yeah, because listening to any other weezer album is "cool"
Radioactive said:It's not "cool" to like Make Believe because it got big.
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Permalink Reply by Andy C on -
Weezer fan since '95. Make Believe easily ranks as 3rd favorite album behind Blue & Pink. As for chopping it down to 10 songs, I'd cut Best Friend and Drugs. They don't do it for me. I agree with a lot of the points Kezner32 has for MB.
I can see how some weezer fans spurn Beverly Hills, but that was a huge song that still gets a lot of spin and love on the radio and from more casual fans. I see that song as one thats more fun to put yourself in as the singer than imaging Rivers being autobiographical. Which is something some fans need to get over and realize. All Weezer songs are not like Pinkerton and autobiographical. And this is a good thing btw.
Anyway, I love the energy and feel of MB, and I'm digging Hurley in many of the same ways
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Permalink Reply by MakeUpOnShelf on -
We Are All On Drugs became a single way after I had a copy of the album. It would surprise me that "fans" would wait to hear the singles before giving an album a chance. It's ludacris.
I like all your points but you can't vouch for Freak Me Out by saying it's a personal song. I think it should be a 10 track album, too. Only ditch Beverly Hills and Freak Me Out.
We Are All On Drugs is not appreciated like it should be. Instrumentally it blows you away right from the first measure. Besides, We ARE All On Drugs. Think about it...
Kezner32 said:I have been a fan since 1995, a board member since 2002 and love Make Believe. I've contemplated this subject at great length and will offer my thoughts:
History of Post-Pinkerton Weezer and Board Members
Back in 2001, TGA was released. At first, I was happy to get a new Weezer album but, like most, was a bit disappointed. Then came Maladroit, which at least had non-repetitive song structures but still had some awful lyrics. When I first became a board member, the A5 demos were circulating around and people felt that Weezer was going in an interesting direction. Then the demos were scrapped and we waited for 3 years as Weezer recored what some speculated would be there "most important" album. Everyday Karl teased us with ambiguos sketch drawings of the acoustic rehearsals (anyone remember those)? We waited patiently for an album to show us that Weezer was more than a pop band (TGA) and more than a faux-metal band (Mala).
Make Believe - Reaction to the Singles
And then we got our first glimpse of the album...Beverly Hills. People were outraged! It was a big departure for Weezer's sound. Karl even did PR work and posted a message on the site saying that Beverly Hills was just one piece of a rather complex album pie. Fans were worried. We had heard the A5 demos (songs like Private Message, Hey Domingo, 367). All of those songs were better than BvH. Old school fans, that were already becoming jaded due to TGA and Maladroit, felt really disconnected when BvH came out. And then the second single, We Are All on Drugs, probably was the final nail in the coffin for some fans! To this day, I still consider Make Believe to feature the worst hit singles. I think that many people judge the album based on those 2 songs. Pitchfork Media gave MB a 0.4 rating and Raditude a 4.5 rating. Something seems screwy here.
Make Believe - A Personal, Therapeutic Album
When the album leaked, I expected the worst. When I first heard Perfect Situation, I was overcome with relief and thought, "They're back." Those crunchy guitars, the piano…everything sounded so strong. I mean, the album as a whole is pretty good. And I'd argue that it's a personal album. Think of Rivers before Make Believe. The album was very therapeutic for him. Perfect Situation was written during intense fasting that was part of his meditation (Hungry nights, once again). Pardon Me was Rivers admitting he's made mistakes in the past and was trying to repair old relationships. In fact, as he was recording the album, he met with Matt Sharp for a surprise performance. He even called up original guitarist Jason Cropper and invited him to his wedding. Rivers wrote The Other Way for Jen Chiba who he wanted to comfort after her boyfriend Elliott Smith died. However, he doubted his motives about writing the song. Even Freak Me out is kinda personal since it was Rivers honestly writing about being "freaked out" by a spider.
Final Thoughts
I think Make Believe would have been considered a great album if people didn't judge it based on the two singles. If only =w= narrowed it down to 10 songs! I know so many people who didn't buy the album because of the hits. They didn't want to give the album a chance. I can forgive the singles since the rest of the album is strong and personal. MB and meditation led to Rivers becoming who he is today. He repaired old relationships, got married and became more comfortable sharing his material and feelings. I consider it a great Weezer album.
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Permalink Reply by Radioactive on
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Well, point taken, but I'm referring to indie music I guess. As soon as an album is out of that low-key indie stage, it's not cool for critics to like it. Which Weezer hadn't been indie, but they had been low-key enough.
SPAZMATIK1 said:yeah, because listening to any other weezer album is "cool"
Radioactive said:It's not "cool" to like Make Believe because it got big.
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Permalink Reply by MakeUpOnShelf on
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I sort of agree. I'm the only Weezer fan I know.
Radioactive said:Well, point taken, but I'm referring to indie music I guess. As soon as an album is out of that low-key indie stage, it's not cool for critics to like it. Which Weezer hadn't been indie, but they had been low-key enough.
SPAZMATIK1 said:yeah, because listening to any other weezer album is "cool"
Radioactive said:It's not "cool" to like Make Believe because it got big.
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Permalink Reply by Jamekae on -
Perfect Situation suggests greatness in the introduction and lyrics for sure, but the sterile production has sucked all emotion out of the song. I'd love to hear the demos for Make Believe, hopefully they hold some of the rawness I'm looking for from these songs.
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Permalink Reply by Andy C on
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Weezer is a pop band. This has been evident from their first album. Sorry, but you're not gonna find "indie" or "raw" here.
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Permalink Reply by Jeffrey Watts on -
I love love love Make Believe. It's been one of my fav's since in came out. Not only were the lyrics and music great, but it came with with 3 kick-ass music videos. One of their best. On the promo sticker it said "the most important album of their career". I tend to agree.
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Permalink Reply by MakeUpOnShelf on
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?
Jeffrey Watts said:I love love love Make Believe. It's been one of my fav's since in came out. Not only were the lyrics and music great, but it came with with 3 kick-ass music videos. One of their best. On the promo sticker it said "the most important album of their career". I tend to agree.
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