Some albums have the luck of becoming massive hits. Millions of copies sold or streamed, handfuls of awards, charts topped everywhere.
Other albums have a unique sort of luck of becoming mythical. They develop an ineffable air of coolness and raw authenticity. This is the case with Weezer’s 1996 album Pinkerton, celebrating 30 years of release this year. In the three decades since Rivers Cuomo and company put the record out into the world it has become a standout example of deeply personal songwriting, and is often cited as being the first case of emo – or at least something emo-esque – appearing in the mainstream alternative world.
At the time Pinkerton was not received very well. After the tremendous success of Weezer’s Blue Album it left fans and critics divided, discouraging the band so much that they ended up taking a five year hiatus after touring behind the record. Yes, there were five full years without any word on Weezer. They didn’t reappear until 2001 with their Green Album which brought them right back into the spotlight with hits like “Hash Pipe” and “Island in the Sun”.
In the meantime however, Pinkerton took on a life of its own on Internet message boards and forums. A groundswell of support from fans began turning it into a cult classic; the fan support eventually translated into critics reappraising it and it amassed accolades from many music publications. By the mid-late 2000s the name Pinkerton was synonymous with masterpiece, one of the standout records of the 1990s. It was regularly mentioned in lists of the greatest alternative albums. Its reputation became so great that the band decided to play it in full during certain shows on their Memories tour in 2010, and seven songs off it are in regular rotation on their current tour Weezer: The Gathering.
Scott Shriner and Brian Bell from the band recently stopped by the 102.1 The Edge studio in Toronto and spoke with afternoon host Drex about the feeling of hearing arenas full of fans singing along to Pinkerton‘s hits.
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