Draft:Weezer Recording Chronology:Pinkerton

From Weezerpedia
Pinkerton
Studio album by
Weezer
ReleasedSeptember 24, 1996
November 2, 2010 (Deluxe Edition)
FormatCD, vinyl, cassette, digital
RecordedAugust-September 1995, January–June 1996
Studio
GenreAlternative rock, emo
Length34:32
LabelDGC
ProducerWeezer
Weezer chronology
Weezer (The Blue Album)
(1994) 		Pinkerton
(1996) 		Weezer (The Green Album)
(2001)
Singles from Pinkerton
  1. "El Scorcho"
    Released: September 19, 1996
  2. "The Good Life"
    Released: October 29, 1996
  3. "Pink Triangle"
    Released: May 20, 1997
Alternate cover
Cover of 2010 double-CD deluxe edition
Cover of 2010 double-CD deluxe edition

Pinkerton is the second studio album by Weezer. It was releases on September 24, 1996, by DGC Records, and later reissued in 2010.

Overview

The main ten song album released in 1996 was recorded in multiple different sessions taking place between August 1995 and June 1996.

Later, in 2010, an expanded version of the album was released, including songs recorded during the main album sessions that were either released as B-sides previously, or simply unreleased until now. Some of the unreleased songs featured overdubs recorded in 2009. Multiple live shows and a solo Rivers Cuomo demo are also featured.

Track lists

All tracks are written by Rivers Cuomo

No.TitleLength
1."Tired of Sex"3:01
2."Getchoo"2:52
3."No Other One"3:01
4."Why Bother?"2:08
5."Across the Sea"4:32
6."The Good Life"4:17
7."El Scorcho"4:03
8."Pink Triangle"3:58
9."Falling for You"3:47
10."Butterfly"2:53
Total length:34:32

All tracks are written by Rivers Cuomo, except where noted

Disc 1
No.TitleLength
1."Tired of Sex"3:01
2."Getchoo"2:52
3."No Other One"3:01
4."Why Bother?"2:08
5."Across the Sea"4:32
6."The Good Life"4:17
7."El Scorcho"4:03
8."Pink Triangle"3:58
9."Falling for You"3:47
10."Butterfly"2:53
11."You Gave Your Love to Me Softly" (B-Side)1:57
12."Devotion" (B-Side)3:11
13."The Good Life" (Radio Remix)4:08
14."Waiting on You" (B-Side)4:13
15."I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" (B-Side)2:39
16."The Good Life" (Live Acoustic B-Side)4:40
17."Pink Triangle" (Radio Remix)4:02
18."I Swear It's True"3:19
19."Pink Triangle" (Live Acoustic B-Side)4:18
20."Interview – 107.7 The End – Blue vs. Pinkerton" (Hidden Track)1:32
Total length:1:08:31
Disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Won't Get With Me Tonight" 3:29
2."The Good Life" (Live at Y100 Sonic Session) 4:37
3."El Scorcho" (Live at Y100 Sonic Session) 4:07
4."Pink Triangle" (Live at Y100 Sonic Session) 4:10
5."Why Bother?" (Live at Reading Festival 1996) 2:18
6."El Scorcho" (Live at Reading Festival 1996) 4:09
7."Pink Triangle" (Live at Reading Festival 1996) 4:52
8."The Good Life" (Live Acoustic at X96) 4:13
9."El Scorcho" (Live Acoustic) 4:26
10."Across the Sea" (Piano noodles) 0:38
11."Butterfly" (Alternate take) 2:48
12."Long Time Sunshine" 4:17
13."Getting Up and Leaving"Cuomo/Patrick Wilson3:28
14."Tired of Sex" (Tracking rough) 2:58
15."Getchoo" (Tracking rough) 2:57
16."Tragic Girl" 5:26
Total length:58:53

1995

Songs from the Black Hole, as of February 1995

See Songs from the Black Hole

Songs from the Black Hole (hereby referred to and initialized as SFTBH) was intended to be the follow-up to the Blue Album, a space-themed rock opera inspired by the likes of Jesus Christ Superstar and Les Misérables. Cuomo would spend the Christmas break of 1994 and occasional time in the beginning of 1995 writing and demoing new music for this project, while sometimes slotting in older songs to fit the story as well (it is noted where a recording has already been listed). The first demoed tracklist is largely made up of recordings from Christmas break in 1994 and when the band was stuck in Germany in February.

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Rivers Cuomo Blast Off! February 1995 Hamburg, Germany 1:57 Recorded to ADAT tape, same as above recording
Rivers Cuomo You Won't Get With Me Tonight December 1994/February 1995 ? 3:29
Rivers Cuomo Maria's Theme December 1994/February 1995 ? 0:26 Later renamed "Oh Jonas"
Rivers Cuomo Come to My Pod December 1994/February 1995 ? 1:31
Rivers Cuomo This Is Not for Me 06 Oh No This Is Not For Me.mp3 December 1994/February 1995 ? 0:44 Later renamed "Oh No, This Is Not for Me". same as above recording
Rivers Cuomo Tired of Sex 15 Tired Of Sex.mp3 December 1993-January 1994 2226 Amherst Ave., Los Angeles, CA 2:42 8-track demo, same as above recording
Rivers Cuomo Superfriend December 1994/February 1995 ? 3:29
Rivers Cuomo She's Had a Girl 08 She's Had A Girl.mp3 December 1994/February 1995 ? 0:55
Rivers Cuomo Good News! December 1994/February 1995 ? 0:55 Later renamed "Dude, We're Finally Landing"
Rivers Cuomo Now I Finally See 10 Now I Finally See.mp3 December 1994/February 1995 ? 0:42
Rivers Cuomo Getchoo 18 Getchoo.mp3 December 1993-January 1994 2226 Amherst Ave., Los Angeles, CA 3:12 8-track demo, same as above recording
Rivers Cuomo I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams 11 I Just Threw Out The Love of My D.mp3 1995 ? 2:48 Same as above recording
Rivers Cuomo No Other One 22 There Is No Other One.mp3 July 1994 3:00 8-track demo, same as above recording
Rivers Cuomo Devotion 02 Devotion.mp3 July 1994 3:39 8-track demo, same as above recording
Rivers Cuomo What Is This I Find? 16 What Is This I Find.mp3 December 1994/February 1995 ? 1:21
Rivers Cuomo Longtime Sunshine December 1993-January 1994 ?, Connecticut 3:15 8-track demo, same as above recording
Rivers Cuomo Longtime Sunshine 1994/1995 ? Songs from the Black Hole (tracklist 1) Reprise. There are several reprises of "Longtime Sunshine" on Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years, so it is unclear which recording is featured on this iteration of SFTBH
Rivers Cuomo Why Bother? 20 Why Bother.mp3 December 1993-January 1994 2226 Amherst Ave., Los Angeles, CA 2:30 8-track demo, same as above recording. Out of order, true placement in SFTBH is unknown
about this table
Karlification!

Over Christmas break, Rivers worked feverishly on writing, and recording 8 track demos at home in Connecticut, and emerged with a "mock-up" demo of what he was starting to envision as weezers next album. Influenced by musicals, operas, and "rock-operas", "songs from the black hole" was an ambitious concept album idea. By February 1995, Rivers had developed a tracklisting [henceforth known as "Tracklist 1"], and compiled a casssette of it from recordings as old as his late '93 "Tired of Sex" demo, and as recently as new recordings he made over the xmas '94 break at home. In Feburary 95, weezer was stuck in Hamburg, Germany for a week, as Matt had to rush home due to a family emergency, and the least expensive option in light of missing shows, was to just stay put till Matt got back. It was decided that at least some demos could be worked on, and Rivers and Pat rented a modest local recording studio in Hamburg. There the medium was the (then new) ADAT tape system. Both Rivers and Pat did a number of demos (and Pat and Karl even worked on some Southern Fried Swing when nothing else was going on [doing a track called "the complete history of techno", which was done solely to make fun of the nasty music being created in the studio next door]. However, it appears that NONE of the ADAT recordings were ever quite finished. Its POSSIBLE that some of the "black hole" songs were "upgraded" with a new recording here, and replaced on the cassette with fresh recorded demos of the same tracks.

—Karl Koch, Weezer Recording History, Page 7


Miscellaneous Black Hole related recordings

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Rivers Cuomo You Were a Man 1995 You Were a Man.mp3 1995 ? 0:42 Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years
Rivers Cuomo Superfriend 1995 Superfriend w altB.mp3 1995 ? 2:01 Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years Alternate take with rough lyrics and a different chorus
Rivers Cuomo Longtime Sunshine 1995 Longtime Sunshine Reprise.mp3 1995 ? 1:23 Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years Demo of coda
Rivers Cuomo Longtime Sunshine 1995 Longtime Sunshine Vocals#1.mp3 1995 ? 0:25 Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years Vocal demo of reprise
Rivers Cuomo Longtime Sunshine 1995 Longtime Sunshine Vocals#2.mp3 1995 ? 0:28 Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years Vocal demo of reprise
Rivers Cuomo Longtime Sunshine 1995 Longtime Sunshine Vocals#3.mp3 1995 ? 0:36 Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years Vocal demo of reprise
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Sessions at Electric Lady Studios, late August—September 6, 1995

Pinkerton sessions

These sessions marked the beginning of the almost year-long recording process of the album that would become Pinkerton. These songs, despite likely being recorded for the only partially-written SFTBH, were all recorded separately with little to no story continuity, in order to get a jumpstart on the second Weezer album.

"You Gave Your Love to Me Softly" was re-recorded at these sessions, as Rivers Cuomo felt his singing suffered after his leg operation.[1]

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Weezer Waiting on You August 27—September 6, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY Version 1
Weezer Blast Off! August 27—September 6, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY
Weezer Longtime Sunshine August 27—September 6, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY Version 1. A version of this recording is featured on the deluxe edition of Pinkerton, albeit with overdubs recorded in 2009
Weezer Longtime Sunshine August 27—September 6, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition) A coda experiment that starts as "Longtime Sunshine", but after the first verse, portions of "Why Bother?", "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams", "No Other One" and "Blast Off!" are sung on top of it to create a cool overlapping medley, with the different songs vocal parts meshing together. It was then mixed as a fade-out
Weezer Why Bother? August 28, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY
Weezer Getchoo August 29, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY Version 1
Weezer No Other One August 30, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY
Weezer Tired of Sex August 31, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY
Weezer Devotion September 1, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY
Weezer I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams September 2, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY No Rachel Haden vocals
Weezer Getchoo September 3, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY Version 2
Weezer Getchoo September 4, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY Version 3
Weezer Waiting on You September 4, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY Version 2
Weezer You Gave Your Love to Me Softly September 5, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY
Weezer Longtime Sunshine September 6, 1995 Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY Version 2. A version of this recording is featured on the deluxe edition of Pinkerton, albeit with overdubs recorded in 2009
about this table
Karlification!

A lot of stuff was happening all at once. The Blue album touring had finally been wrapped up. Rivers had gotten himself accepted at Harvard for the upcoming fall semester, and was looking forward to escaping the limelight for a while. The band was up for 5 different Mtv Video awards and the awards show was coming up on the 7th in NYC. I was to help the still leg-braced Rivers move to Boston immediately after the awards (which he ironically ended up not attending.) Studio time was booked, in order to get a head start on the new album, which was only partly written at this point.

Rivers was still holding out a torch for his "Black Hole " idea, but as recording got underway, the songs were laid down as before, one at a time- no story, no theatrics, no characters. This reality would later couple with a whole new set of emotions and ideas, spawned over his school year at Harvard, to forge a whole new idea for what was to be called "Pinkerton".

Meanwhile Pat was starting to pursue his own independent musical vision, having seen how Matt got himself his own record deal and noting a large block of "non-weezer" time coming up, courtesy of Rivers's newfound school schedule. Simultaneous to weezer's recording, he booked his own time at Electric Lady, and laid down some fairly slick demos. (see below) ...All this whenever his presence wasnt required down the hall in the other studio room. Phew!

Additionaly (as if enough wasn't going on), the summer 1994 recording of "Suzanne" was remixed in yet another Electric lady room. This remix would later appear on the "Mallrats" soundtrack.

The master tapes were then taken up to Fort Apache Studios in Boston, and worked continued on the guitars and vocals. In the end, only a few of these versions ended up on Pinkerton. Most were later re-recorded in LA.

—Karl Koch, Weezer Recording History, Page 8


Continued Pinkerton sessions at Fort Apache Studios, September 9-15, 1995

The master tapes from the previous sessions were brought to Fort Apache Studios in Boston, MA, during the beginning of Cuomo's semester at Harvard, to work on vocals and guitars. These versions of the songs were leaked and bootlegged throughout the late 1990s.

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Weezer Why Bother? September 9-September 15, 1995 Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA 2:11 Leaked online Very similar to final version, alternate lead vocal with "I know I shouldn't trust in you" in place of "I know I should get next to you"
Weezer Getchoo September 9-September 15, 1995 Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA 2:57 An edited version which removes the opening four-count was featured on the deluxe edition of Pinkerton as a "tracking rough"
Weezer No Other One September 9-September 15, 1995 Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA 2:50 Leaked online
Weezer Tired of Sex September 9-September 15, 1995 Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA 2:51 Leaked online
Weezer Devotion September 9-September 15, 1995 Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA 3:20 Leaked online
Weezer Waiting on You September 9-September 15, 1995 Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA 4:06 Leaked online No lead vocals
Weezer You Gave Your Love to Me Softly September 9-September 15, 1995 Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA 1:55 Leaked online
about this table
Karlification!

these are the versions that were lightly bootlegged at one point..

—Karl Koch, Weezer Recording History, Page 8


1996

Pinkerton sessions at Sound City Studios, early January 1996

Recording sessions continued in early January 1996,[2] lasting about two weeks. New, non-SFTBH tracks such as "El Scorcho" and "Pink Triangle" were recorded, while Cuomo was also holding on to the SFTBH concept by this point. Some of the songs initially recorded at Electric Lady Studios were re-recorded to see if a new studio would make a difference, of which only one Electric Lady recording was deemed better.[2]

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Weezer No Other One January 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
Weezer El Scorcho January 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
Weezer Pink Triangle January 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA Clip of the band tracking the song featured on Video Capture Device, no audio
Weezer Getchoo January 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
Weezer Tired of Sex January 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA Pinkerton (Deluxe) Featured on the deluxe edition of Pinkerton as a "tracking rough"
Weezer Superfriend January 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA Recording erased. Video of the band tracking the song was featured on Video Capture Device
Weezer Good News! January 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA "She's Had a Girl" followed by "Dude We're Finally Landing" acapella with Cuomo and Sharp
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Karlification!

The recording lasted about 2 weeks. During this time, the following songs were worked to semi-completion

Rivers would then return to Harvard for spring semester, Matt would pick up his Rentals tour, Pat would go back into the studio himself, and Brian would continue gigging around LA with the Space Twins.

side note: According to Rivers "COR" document, El Scorcho was originally written at Harvard, October 1995

—Karl Koch, Weezer Recording History, Page 8


Continued Pinkerton sessions at Sound City, spring 1996

By this time, the SFTBH idea had been abandoned in favor of the concept that became Pinkerton, and thus the two songs recorded in January were canned with it. These sessions happened during Cuomo's spring break at Harvard and were mainly just continued work on the sessions from January.

Karlification!

Rivers flew out to LA, and the band got together to continue plugging away at the new album. By this time Rivers had had some major breakthroughs, having written "The Good Life" , Across the Sea" , "Falling for you" and "Butterfly" during his strange months at Harvard.

—Karl Koch, Weezer Recording History, Page 8


Final Pinkerton sessions, May-August 1996

Pinkerton cover art

These sessions saw the introduction of engineer Dave Fridmann, in for Joe Barresi after the band kept asking for the album to sound like Clouds Taste Metallic by the Flaming Lips. "The Good Life", "Across the Sea", "Falling for You", and "Butterfly" had been written by the time of the previous sessions, but weren't tracked until these sessions in the summer. Most of the album was worked to completion by June at Sound City, with "Butterfly" being recorded at 6 in the morning on the final day of recording. "Devotion", "Waiting on You", and "You Gave Your Love to Me Softly" were also completed for B-sides, while "I Swear It's True" and "Getting Up and Leaving" were nearly completed but abandoned. Recording later moved to Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, where Rachel Haden recorded her vocals for "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" in one take, while recording a few extra takes just in case. By this point, Sharp had left to continue work on Seven More Minutes, so during a last-minute session at Rumbo Recorders in Canoga Park, Adam Orth was called in to play bass. This session resulted in "Tragic Girl" being worked on but eventually abandoned. Mixing was done with Jack Joseph Puig at Ocean Way Recording in Los Angeles, and the intro to "Across the Sea" was recorded on August 13. The album was released on September 24.

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Weezer Tired of Sex Summer 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA 3:01 Pinkerton
Weezer Getchoo Summer 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA 2:52 Pinkerton
Weezer No Other One Summer 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA 3:01 Pinkerton
Weezer Why Bother? Fall 1995-summer 1996
  • Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY
  • Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA
  • Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
 2:08 Pinkerton
Weezer Across the Sea Summer 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA 4:32 Pinkerton
Weezer The Good Life Summer 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA 4:17 Pinkerton
Weezer El Scorcho Winter-summer 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA 4:03 Pinkerton
Weezer Pink Triangle Winter-summer 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA 3:58 Pinkerton
Weezer Falling for You Summer 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA 3:47 Pinkerton
Weezer Butterfly June 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA 2:48 Pinkerton Take two, Koch on percussion
Weezer Butterfly June 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA 2:53 Pinkerton (Deluxe) Take one, Cuomo only
Weezer You Gave Your Love to Me Softly Fall 1995-summer 1996
  • Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY
  • Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA
  • Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
 1:58
Weezer Devotion Fall 1995-summer 1996
  • Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY
  • Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA
  • Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
 3:11
Weezer Waiting on You Fall 1995-summer 1996
  • Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY
  • Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA
  • Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
 4:11
Weezer I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams Fall 1995-summer 1996
  • Electric Lady Studios, New York City, NY
  • Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
  • Sunset Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, CA
 2:37 Featuring Rachel Haden
Weezer I Swear It's True Summer 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
Weezer Getting Up and Leaving Summer 1996 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
Weezer Tragic Girl Summer 1996 Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park, CA 2:37 A version of this recording with overdubs was featured on the deluxe edition of Pinkerton
Weezer Across the Sea August 13, 1996 ???, Los Angeles, CA 0:38 Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition) Listed as "Across the Sea (Piano Noodles)"
about this table
Karlification!

After a ton of last minute studio juggling, all 10 tracks were eventually finished and mixed, plus:

  • devotion
  • you gave your love... (new version)
  • waiting on you
  • i just threw out the love of my dreams (w/ Rachel Haden)

Also nearly finished were:

  • i swear its true
  • getting up and leaving

Both of these were worked on to the point of just needing a final mixdown. Although this was never official, its nearly certain that they would have been the b-sides to "Pink Triangle", if that had been put out as a "for sale" single. Of course, that never happened, and the songs were never dusted off and finished up. Note that Matt Sharp had left the recording session early, to fly back to London and continue work on his own second Rentals record. This left the band in a bind near the end, and a substitute bass player was brought in for some of the late b-sides sessions. more info on this as its sorted thru.

Later, "I Swear its true" saw some action at a few soundchecks and at exactly one show in 1994. "Getting up and leaving" was never played at a show, but was possibly played at a soundcheck or 2

—Karl Koch, Weezer Recording History, Page 8


1997

"Pink Triangle" B-side sessions, spring 1997

While Sharp was recording in London with the Rentals, there was a lot of doubt from the rest of the band that they were going to be able to get him back to America in time for the summer tour with No Doubt. "Pink Triangle" was also on track to be released as a single (which never happened in a large capacity, only promotional copies) and they didn't have any B-sides. Both Geffen Records and the band's management felt that if the song were to be released as a single, it would need a lot of cleaning up. Studio time at Fort Apache was booked for Cuomo's spring break at Harvard, where two bass players were auditioned: Scott Riebling (then of Letters to Cleo) and an unknown person named Alex (who Cuomo described as a "bald guy with earrings"). The band ultimately chose Riebling, who played bass on the mostly re-recorded version of "Pink Triangle" with new guitars for radio, alongside completely new versions of "I Swear It's True" and "Getting Up and Leaving".

Actually, there were a few levels of auditions. First there was a cattle call type audition that was held during the daytime at one of boston's Lansdowne street clubs, Axis. I would guess that there were at least 20 bass players there, and I was the first to play. This was the start of what ended up being the most amazing few weeks of my life. Back then, and even to this day, if anyone asks me who my favorite bands of all time are I will retort, the Beatles, Zeppelin, and Weezer. Damn, was I nervous, but totally in heaven. I will never forget the feeling of the guys kicking in with Tired of Sex, at that time my favorite weezer song, my favorite (still together) rock band with ME on bass!! Holy sh*t. I played a few more songs, then Rivers asked if I had a fender bass, and if I could bring it to the next phase of auditions. I thought my '71 gibson les paul signature bass was pretty cool, certainly quite rare, but it didn't have that charasteristic weezer sound.

The next phase of auditions was held at a Boston recording studio called New Alliance. At this point the 20 or so bass players had been narrowed down to five, and we were asked to pick a different set of tunes to play than we had auditioned with the first time.

The last phase of the audition was held at Fort Apache studios, where Pink Triangle would ultimately be completed. Two bass players were invited to this session/audition, me and Mikey Welsh (I think??????) We were both asked to record our version of the bass for Pink Triangle on the original 24 track tape. Mikey (I thought????) went first, and I was told he took about 45 minutes. I went second, took about 10 minutes, then I was cheerfully told by Rivers that I got the gig!

Actually, the entire song was scrapped except for the bells, the vocals, and the drums. All the guitars, bass, and keys for this track were totally recut. I remember how amazing Rivers was as a producer, totally helping guide me to a much better bass line than [either] Matt or I had originally come up with. He brought in this totally ancient EML synthesizer [the Electrocomp 101] that used 1/4 inch patch cables to route the sounds within the instrument. This is a really difficult synth to tune, and get a good sound out of, but the tone rivers got out of it was bigger than a freight train.

Actually, both of these songs were totally recut, drums and all. I wasn't even aware that there were versions of these songs that had been recorded before those Fort Apache/Pink triangle dates. I think there were two more songs that we worked on other than I swear it's true, and Getting up and leaving.

—Scott Riebling, Weezer Recording History, Page 9


The validity of the statement about there having been two extra songs recorded is unclear.

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Weezer Pink Triangle Winter-summer 1996, spring 1997
  • Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA
  • Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA
 4:01 New guitars and bass
Weezer I Swear It's True Spring 1997 Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA 3:19 Pinkerton (Deluxe) A version of this recording with additional mixing done in 2009 was featured on the deluxe edition of Pinkerton
Weezer Getting Up and Leaving Spring 1997 Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA 3:28 Pinkerton (Deluxe) A version of this recording with overdubs done in 2009 was featured on the deluxe edition of Pinkerton
about this table
Karlification!

Weezer wasnt sure if they were going to get Matt back from his extensive U.K. Rentals sessions in time to play the summer tour with No Doubt, plus there was a new single coming out and it wasnt radio-ready.

The problem was that Geffen Records and the bands management felt strongly that if "Pink Triangle" was going to get radio play, it needed a serious cleaning up. Rivers had switched from holding firm to being flexable about what was necessary to get a Pinkerton song on the radio, after the fair-at-best national performance of 'The Good Life' back in the winter. Additionally, there were no b-sides ready to go for the international retail single, With "I Swear Its True" and "Getting Up And Leaving" never having been finished the previous summer during the L.A. Pinkerton sessions.

Rivers was still in Harvard doing his Spring semester, but scheduled a session at Fort Apache for his spring break to get the new single ready for the summer tour. In the absence of Matt, 2 bass players were auditioned, Scott Riebling (formerly of Letters To Cleo) and another guy who no one can recall. Scott got the job.

Scott Riebling comments, 2005: "Actually, there were a few levels of auditions. First there was a cattle call type audition that was held during the daytime at one of boston's Lansdowne street clubs, Axis. I would guess that there were at least 20 bass players there, and I was the first to play. This was the start of what ended up being the most amazing few weeks of my life. Back then, and even to this day, if anyone asks me who my favorite bands of all time are I will retort, the Beatles, Zeppelin, and Weezer. Damn, was I nervous, but totally in heaven. I will never forget the feeling of the guys kicking in with Tired of Sex, at that time my favorite weezer song, my favorite (still together) rock band with ME on bass!! Holy sh*t. I played a few more songs, then Rivers asked if I had a fender bass, and if I could bring it to the next phase of auditions. I thought my '71 gibson les paul signature bass was pretty cool, certainly quite rare, but it didn't have that charasteristic weezer sound.

The next phase of auditions was held at a Boston recording studio called New Alliance. At this point the 20 or so bass players had been narrowed down to five, and we were asked to pick a different set of tunes to play than we had auditioned with the first time.

The last phase of the audition was held at Fort Apache studios, where Pink Triangle would ultimately be completed. Two bass players were invited to this session/audition, me and Mikey Welsh (I think??????) We were both asked to record our version of the bass for Pink Triangle on the original 24 track tape. Mikey (I thought????) went first, and I was told he took about 45 minutes. I went second, took about 10 minutes, then I was cheerfully told by Rivers that I got the gig!"

On the task of shaping Pink Triangle up, Scott re-cut the bassline, making it cleaner and tighter. Rivers did some additional subtle work, and the track was sent to Miami, to be re-mixed by Tom Lord-Alge.

Scott Riebling: "Actually, the entire song was scrapped except for the bells, the vocals, and the drums. All the guitars, bass, and keys for this track were totally recut. I remember how amazing Rivers was as a producer, totally helping guide me to a much better bass line than [either] Matt or I had originally come up with. He brought in this totally ancient EML synthesizer [the Electrocomp 101] that used 1/4 inch patch cables to route the sounds within the instrument. This is a really difficult synth to tune, and get a good sound out of, but the tone rivers got out of it was bigger than a freight train."

Then the b-sides were tackled. Though they were essentially done and needed only a mix, Scott was asked to re-cut the bass on both, as it was decided that the summer '96 Matt bass work was rushed and incomplete. Rivers then decided to make some lyric changes to "Getting Up And Leaving", and worked on vocals for both the songs for some time. Its not known exactly what happened at this point, but the final result was that the 2 songs were never given a final mix, and to date remain in rough mix form, unreleased.

Scott Riebling: "Actually, both of these songs were totally recut, drums and all. I wasn't even aware that there were versions of these songs that had been recorded before those Fort Apache/Pink triangle dates."

In the end, Matt indeed returned in time to start the tour, and the Pink Triangle single was given a radio only promo release (backed with the acoustic Pink Triangle version from the fall '96 Shorecrest High show). The word from Geffen was that the single would be gauged at radio to determine if it had the strength to get a retail release and a video, but the odds were against the 'lesbian' themed song, and releasing it as a promo single only belied Geffen's lack of confidence in the song to do well.

  • Pink Triangle (re-cut bass, other minor elements, re-mixed)
  • I Swear It's True (re-cut bass, vocals, no final mix)
  • Getting Up And Leaving (re-cut bass, vocals, new lyrics, no final mix)

Scott Riebling: "I think there were two more songs that we worked on other than I swear it's true, and Getting up and leaving."

The identities and fates of these other 2 unknown recordings remain a mystery in 2011.

—Karl Koch, Weezer Recording History, Page 9


X96 performance, June 5, 1997

See Weezer concert: 06/05/1997

Weezer performed "The Good Life" for X96 on June 5, 1997. This was later released on X96 More Cheap Live and the deluxe edition of Pinkerton.

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Weezer El Scorcho May 21, 1997 KNDD studios, Seattle, WA 4:13
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Karlification!

This recording later appeared on the X96 benefit CD "X96 More Cheap Live".

—Karl Koch, Weezer Recording History, Page 9


Y100 Sonic Sessions performance and interview, June 20, 1997

See Weezer concert: 06/20/1997

Weezer performed an acoustic set at Sonic Recording Studios for WPLY's Y100 Sonic Sessions on June 20, 1997. This session was later aired on WPLY on June 22, and is widely bootlegged. Three songs were broadcast on WPHL 17, in addition to interviews with fans and a short behind-the-scenes feature.

The performance of "Undone - The Sweater Song" was released on Video Capture Device and three songs were released on the deluxe edition of Pinkerton.

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Weezer The Good Life June 20, 1997 YSonic Recording Studios, Philadelphia, PA 4:39
Weezer El Scorcho June 20, 1997 YSonic Recording Studios, Philadelphia, PA Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition)
Weezer Buddy Holly June 20, 1997 YSonic Recording Studios, Philadelphia, PA
Weezer Pink Triangle June 20, 1997 YSonic Recording Studios, Philadelphia, PA Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition)
Weezer Undone - The Sweater Song June 20, 1997 YSonic Recording Studios, Philadelphia, PA Video Capture Device Matt Sharp's friend Tim "Speed" Levitch provides a spoken word intro
Weezer Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard June 20, 1997 YSonic Recording Studios, Philadelphia, PA Also known as "Good Ol' Boys"
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Karlification!

Tim "Speed" Levitch , Matts weird buddy, guest vocals on "Undone" (rent the movie "The Cruise" for more info on that dude)

Audio bootlegs exist containing the whole thing.

There are 2 different Y-100 compilation CD'S that feature songs from this. One has "undone", the other has "the good life"

The y100 sonic session was not broadcast live. The sonic sessions are always aired the following sunday morning. An interesting side note is that 4 weeks after the sonic session aired on the radio, a local WB-owned station WPHL 17 aired the video version which showed undone, good life, pink triangle, and el scorcho, as well as interviews of the fans by a local dj. "Undone" from this video version (featuring the avant-weird poetry raps of Tim Levitch) appeared on the Weezer DVD.

—Karl Koch, Weezer Recording History, Page 9


References

  1. ↑ Weezine Issue 3 - Summer 1995
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Weezine Issue 6 - Spring 1996
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