Weezer (also known as the Green Album) is the third studio album by Weezer. It was released on May 15, 2001, by Geffen Records. It was the second Weezer album produced by Ric Ocasek, who produced their debut album, and it is the only studio album to feature bassist Mikey Welsh (who replaced Matt Sharp), as he left the band a few months after the album’s release.
After the mixed critical reception and underwhelming sales of their second album, Pinkerton (1996), Weezer went on hiatus and the band members worked on side projects. During this time, their fanbase grew online and Pinkerton‘s standing improved.
After a comeback performance at the Japanese Summer Sonic Festival, Weezer began rehearsing and recording new material. Following the ambitious compositions and confessional themes of Pinkerton, songwriter Rivers Cuomo wrote simpler songs with less personal lyrics.
Three singles were released from the album: “Hash Pipe”, “Island in the Sun“ and “Photograph”. “Hash Pipe” was a worldwide hit, charting on seven different charts. Weezer received generally favorable reviews. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, where it has since sold over 1.6 million copies.
Tracklist:
- Don’t Let Go
- Photograph
- Hash Pipe
- Island in the Sun
- Crab
- Knock-down Drag-out
- Smile
- Simple Pages
- Glorious Day
- O Girlfriend
- I Do (UK bonus track)
Weezer
Rivers Cuomo: vocals, guitar, keyboards
Patrick Wilson: drums, percussion
Brian Bell: guitar, backing vocals, synthesizer
Mikey Welsh: bass, backing vocals
Production
Ric Ocasek: producer, backup vocals (“Don’t Let Go”)
Karl Koch: backup vocals (“Don’t Let Go”)
Chris Bilheimer: art direction
Femio Hernández: assistant engineer
Carlos “Loco” Bedoya: assistant engineer
Alan Sanderson: assistant engineer
Ken Allardyce: engineer
Vladimir Meller: mastering
Tom Lord-Alge: mixing
