Author: King Tom

Tragic Girl Adds a New Twist To Old Weezer

The official release date for Weezer’s Pinkerton Deluxe and Death to False Metal is a little more than two weeks away. But some of the new material for both albums is already out there. Seattle’s 107.7 The End is streaming Autopilot and The Odd Couple off Death To False Metal (both from the sessions for 2008’s The Red Album), along with a live version of El Scorcho and the newly-discovered Pinkerton-era track Tragic Girl from Pinkerton Deluxe.

I’m still in the process of listening (haven’t heard Tragic Girl yet) but I like what I hear so far.  Have a listen for yourself at blogs.1077theend.com/aharms/2010/10/14/new-music-weezer-from-death-to-false-metal-pinkerton-re-issue-here-stream/

Edit: I’ve listened to the three new songs a few (to be honest, more than a few) times and I’m happy.  Odd Couple is a sweet little number and Autopilot is a riff-driven new wave tune with a great bridge and interesting lyrics.

But the gem here is Tragic Girl.  I’m not 100 percent sure of the details, but the song was recorded in the summer of either 1996 (while recording some of the Pinkerton B-Sides, after the album proper was complete) or the following summer (for the Pink Triangle remix sessions).  Original bassist Matt Sharp did not play, as he was off galavanting with the Rentals.  Thematically, Tragic Girl fits in with the end of Pinkerton and would have fit in as either the second-to-last or last track.  The solo echoes that of Pink Triangle and the lyrics reference Butterfly. The song is a bit rough, and probably would have been edited had it been officially released.  But as it is, with its raw energy and emotion, it fits in perfectly with Pinkerton and is an amazing listen, even though we’ve had to wait 14 years for it.

King Tom2 Comments

Six Months With Hope

On April 13 of this year, The Civee and I had a baby (The Civee was the one who did all the work, but I’ve been told I helped a lot).

Now today, a half-year later, that baby is still alive and growing.  It hasn’t been entirely easy, but it’s been a lot of fun.  After being warned before her birth that being born with a cleft lip and palate might mean she would face struggles, especially with development, we’ve been amazed at how healthy and happy she is.  Rather than the stories we heard of a cleft baby who struggled with eating eat, we can’t stop her from eating (since a few weeks ago, she gets nearly all of her food into her mouth and her repertoire now includes avocado). Her first surgery is out of the way, her splints, stitches and stents are off and it’s hard to tell that this little baby has been through so much already.

But for a six-month-old, she’s thriving.  She doubled her birth weight.  A month ago.  She can crawl.  Across a room.  And she laughs.  At my jokes.

We have a feeling she’s going to be standing soon and after that, there will be no stopping her.

The Civee and I (and Hope) couldn’t have made it this far without the support of family and friends who have helped out, both in person, and through their long-distance assistance.  We appreciate everyone listening to us talking about her (yeah, I know it’s kind of annoying, but with Lost and 24 off the air, I need something to write about).

And to wrap things up, we have (surprise) another video.  It’s just Hope playing around (with me providing some encouragement).  Nothing too exciting, but it’ll give you an idea what she’s up to.

King Tom2 Comments

Because People Like To Say Salsa

Last week, I went to a n Italian place here in Columbus and was befuddled by an item on the sandwich menu:

I don’t know what’s more odd- the melting cheese or the salsa on a meatball sandwich that clearly has none. It’s probably just a case of false advertising. After all, salsa is America’s favorite condiment.

GEORGE: Why don’t they have salsa on the table?

JERRY: What do you need salsa for?

GEORGE: Salsa is now the number one condiment in America.

JERRY: You know why? Because people like to say “salsa.” “Excuse me, do
you have salsa?” “We need more salsa.” “Where is the salsa? No salsa?”

GEORGE: You know it must be impossible for a Spanish person to order
seltzer and not get salsa. (Angry) “I wanted seltzer, not salsa.”

JERRY: “Don’t you know the difference between seltzer and salsa?? You
have the seltezer after the salsa!”

King Tom

Dinnertime for Hope

This week, Hope started eating real food.

She’s been eating rice cereal and oat cereal for a few weeks.  Now that she has her stitches and stents out, we were told we can start her on other types of food.  So I pureed some green peas.  Yesterday, our first attempt didn’t go so well.  After the fifth or sixth spoonful, she got crabby.  But tonight, she liked them a bit better.  Sure, a lot of the peas ended up in places other than her mouth, but she seemed to have fun.  See for yourself:

Tonight peas, next week, steak!

King Tom2 Comments

Official Pinkerton Deluxe, Death to False Metal Tracklists Revealed

Two weeks ago, I posted news of possible track lists for Weezer’s upcoming November 2 albums, the Pinkerton Deluxe reissue and Death to False Metal, a collection of unreleased Weezer tracks.

Today, in separate venues, the label has published official tracklists for both albums, confirming most of what we already knew.

First, from the official Pinkerton Deluxe press release, here’s that album’s tracklist:

DISC ONE
Original Album:
Tired Of Sex
Getchoo
No Other One
Why Bother?
Across The Sea
The Good Life
El Scorcho
Pink Triangle
Falling For You
Butterfly

B-Sides and More:
You Gave Your Love To Me Softly
Devotion
The Good Life (Radio Remix)
Waiting On You
I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams
The Good Life (Live and Acoustic)
Pink Triangle (Radio Remix)
I Swear It’s True*
Pink Triangle (Live and Acoustic)

DISC TWO
You Won’t Get With Me Tonight*
The Good Life (Live at Y100 Sonic Session)*
El Scorcho (Live at Y100 Sonic Session)*
Pink Triangle (Live at Y100 Sonic Session)*
Why Bother? (Live at Reading Festival 1996)*
El Scorcho (Live at Reading Festival 1996)*
Pink Triangle (Live at Reading Festival 1996)*
The Good Life (Live at X96)
El Scorcho (Live and Acoustic)*
Across The Sea Piano Noodles*
Butterfly (Alternate Take)*
Long Time Sunshine*
Getting Up And Leaving*
Tired Of Sex (Tracking Rough)*
Getchoo (Tracking Rough)*
Tragic Girl*

*Previously unreleased

Looks like we’re not getting as many alternative versions as the preliminary Japanese tracklist, but this is still some great material.  And that Japanese tracklist also had the tracks that were going to make up Alone III: The Pinkerton Years, which will be released at some mysterious future date.

Also today, some quick Googling confirmed what another Japanese site posted as the tracklist for Death To False Metal, from Universal Music Canada’s Web site:

It’s likely that the two additional songs contained in the Japanese tracklist were the Japan-specific bonus songs.  We’ve been told to expect a lot of extra songs along with the album.

November 2 can’t get here fast enough.

King Tom3 Comments

Go To Ten Weezer Shows, See The Eleventh Free

Two months ago, I went to my tenth Weezer show, held about two miles from my house.

Tonight, I went to my eleventh Weezer show, also held two miles from my house.

Weezer played a special (free) show tonight for the local college university’s student activities group.   Supposedly, the show was restricted to students only.  But that didn’t keep me from going.  Although, I was prepared, having dragged along a current student (The Civee) and procuring a student ID from an associate.  (Gee, I don’t think I even went to shows with a fake ID when I was 19!)

As it was held on one of the campus’ open spaces, there was no problem at all to get in.  They didn’t even check IDs, rendering my two measures unnecessary.

As for the show, it was pretty much the same as the show I went to at the State Fair back in July.  They added Memories, their new single to the setlist and took off Can’t Stop Partying and Trippin’ Down the Freeway.  I was hoping it would be a little different, even mixing in some new material from Hurley.  Despite my hopes not being realized, it was still a lot of fun.  I was surprised the Kids/Pokerface medley they’ve been doing for what seems like forever got a great reaction from the crowd.

The two opening bands were local acts and were among the most forgettable opening acts I’ve ever seen.  Weezer’s set had what seemed to be a few technical difficulties, but considering my favorite band was playing two miles from my house, for free, and my lovely life willingly accompanied me, I have no complaints at all.

King Tom

Not Quite the Adventures of Ben and Locke, But Close

A few years back….back during March of aught-seven in my ‘recap’ of the LOST Episode The Man from Tallahassee, I made a simple request:

Dear Lost Producers:
Can we have a whole season of Locke and Ben? Thanks.
Stay Classy,
King Tom

Well, it looks like my wish is their command.  Or something close to it.  It’s being reported in various places that NBC has ordered a pilot for a J.J. Abrams-produced show starring Terry O’Quinn (Locke) and Michael Emerson (Ben) as former black ops agents.

It’s nothing close to a LOST sequel. And while my comment was based around the (incredible) characters of Locke and Ben, we saw through the episodes since then that any scene featuring those two was golden–not only because of the characters, but also because of the actors.  There will never be another LOST.  And I’m not sure I’d even want a LOST sequel.  But even if the characters in the new show are one half as compelling as their LOST counterparts, I’ll be watching.

Michael Emerson told EW that he can’t believe his luck:

I really am AMAZED that what started out as some kidding-around on the set of LOST has turned into a network TV reality! I’m still reeling from this sudden turn of events. I’m an actor who has never even succeeded in testing for a pilot and here I find myself involved in a project custom-built for Terry and me!

This won’t totally buy forgiveness for NBC for what they did last winter, but this may get me to say good things about them again.

On a related note, I probably didn’t say it on here, but I’ve told people that once Lost and 24 were over, I wasn’t going to blog about TV shows on an episode-by-episode basis anymore.  This news has me reconsidering that.

King Tom

The Best Thing That Happened To Me Today

This morning, Hope had an appointment with her pediatrician.  The Civee took Hope to the office and I met both of them there.

(For those interested, she’s growing well and the pediatrician was impressed with her expanding set of motor skills.  We were advised to start investing in gates).

As I was saying, I took some time off from work to accompany the girls to the doctor’s.  The Civee and Hope got there first.  As I walked in, I saw The Civee holding Hope and filling out paperwork.  While The Civee’s nose was buried in the paperwork, Hope looked up, saw me and smiled.  She made a noise and reached her arms out to me before The Civee even noticed.

There are still a few hours left in the day, but there’s not much that will beat that.

Also, this weekend, we (along with Grandma) took Hope to the beach (Lake Erie, not the ocean, unfortunately).  She really enjoyed trying to crawl on the sand.  Because she’s teething, she wears a bib most of the time.  That isn’t a cape around her neck.

King Tom4 Comments

Possible Pinkerton Deluxe Tracklist From Japan

Update 9/27: The official tracklist has been confirmed and is somewhat different from the below list. View the official tracklist here.

Yesterday I posted that a poster on a Weezer message board found a possible tracklist for Death to False Metal (hitting stores November 2), a compilation of unreleased Weezer material on a Japanese Web site.

Well today, I have some similar news; a poster on a Weezer message board found a possible tracklist for Pinkerton Deluxe (hitting stores November 2), a reissue of Weezer’s seminal 1996 album, along with a large number of unreleased and unheard songs. According to www.vanda.co.jp/300/MCO/P_UICY-1495/, the tracklist will be (all titles and comments translated through Google):

(1) Tired Of Sex (album version)
(2) Getchu (album version)
(3) No Other One (Album Version)
(4) Why Bother? (Album version)
(5) Across The Sea (album version)
(6) The Good Life (Album Version)
(7) El Sukorucho (album version)
(8) Pink Triangle (album version)
(9) Falling For You (album version)
(10) Butterfly (Album Version)
(11) Devotion
(12) Your Love To Me Softly You Geivu
(13) Waiting On You
(14) I Just Threw Out The Love of My Dreams
(15) The Good Life (acoustic version)
(16) Pink Triangle (acoustic version)
(17) You Will not Get With Me Tonight
(18) Tragic Girl
(19) I Swear It’s True
(20) The Good Life
(21) El Sukorucho
(22) Pink Triangle
(23) Why Bother?
(24) El Sukorucho
(25) Pink Triangle
(26) The Good Life
(27) The Good Life (Remix Radio)
(28) Pink Triangle (Radio Remix)
(29) Getting Up and Leaving (Alternate Take)
(30) Longtime Sunshine (Alternate Take)
(31) vs Blue Pinkerton Interview
(32) El Sukorucho (Acoustic Live 1996)
(33) Tired Of Sex (Rough Take)
(34) Getchu (Rough Take)
(35) Across The Sea Piano Noodles
(36) butterfly (Alternate Take)
(37) I’m So Lonely (demo Pinkerton Rivers)
(38) Getchu (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(39) Lisa (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(40) Negativland (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(41) Your Love To Me Softly Geivu You (Reverse Pinkerton Demo)
(42) When You’re Alone (Demo Pinkerton Rivers)
(43) Suzanne (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(44) There Is No Other One (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(45) Let Me Wash at Your Sink (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(46) Waiting On You (Reverse Pinkerton Demo)
(47) Oh No, This Is Not For Me (Demo Pinkerton Rivers)
(48) Tired of Sex (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(49) She’s Had a Girl (Demo Pinkerton Rivers)
(50) What Is This I Find? (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(51) Now I Finally See (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(52) Longtime Sunshine (Reverse Pinkerton Demo)
(53) Im A Lonely On A Saturday Night (Demo Pinkerton Rivers)
(54) Oh God I’m hungry (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(55) Im On A Fire, You’re a Liar (Demo Pinkerton Rivers)
(56) The End of My String (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(57) I Can Break Your Heart Slow (Demo Pinkerton Rivers)
(58) Money Makes Me Happy (Demo Pinkerton Rivers)
(59) My Minds On You (Reverse Pinkerton Demo)
(60) Defeat On The Hill (Demo Pinkerton Rivers)
(61) Clarinet Waltz (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)
(62) A glorious moment (Pinkerton Demo Rivers)

Last month, Weezer.com reported that accompanying Pinkerton Deluxe (though probably not released on 11/2) would be the third installment of Rivers’ Alone series, titled the Pinkerton Years. If that’s true, I’m guessing tracks 37-62 are Alone 3.

This is a very impressive collection of songs here. While it doesn’t look like there will be a full-band Superfriend or Blast Off!, this is probably all the mixed-down, final material available from the Pinkerton sessions, including the long-awaited, but never heard, Getting Up and Leaving.

As for the material on Alone 3, combined with the first two editions, we’ll finally have everything Rivers recorded for Songs from the Black Hole, his unfinished Space Rock Opera concept, plus what looks to be a number of other gems.

I know we just got a new Weezer album yesterday, but between Death to False Metal and Pinkerton Deluxe, I’m really looking forward to November 2.

King Tom11 Comments

Weezer Makes Some Interesting Choices For Their Next Album

More than a year ago, Weezer announced they would release a CD of material from past recording sessions that were never officially released.  The compilation, to be released November 2, is titled Death to False Metal (originally titled Odds and Ends), and is even being considered by Rivers Cuomo to be the band’s ninth album.

Keep in mind, Weezer’s eighth album, Hurley, was released today.

(Also hitting stores November 2 is a deluxe edition of Pinkerton, with loads of extra unheard material, but that’s neither here nor there).

As much as I’ve enjoyed the new Weezer material we’ve gotten in the past few years, I’m really looking forward to Death to False Metal.  Rivers is known for his prodigious songwriting and over the years, he and the band have recorded multitudes of songs that haven’t been heard by anyone outside Weezer.  Even though the material may be old (seemingly going back to 1998), it’s still being considered a new album, partially because Rivers has put some extra work in on the songs, as he told the AV Club while discussing ’98 era song Trampoline:

I just got stuck and had a verse and a chorus where I couldn’t figure out where to go. And just recently I was able to put in a new section, and some new chords and a guitar solo and a breakdown, and I just love it now.

The album itself will have ten tracks, although the band will release a number of other songs as bonus tracks in various regions.  In earlier interviews, Rivers confirmed that along with Trampoline, other tracks on the album include Autopilot, Everyone, Turn it Up and a cover of Unbreak My Heart. As for the rest of the album, nothing’s official, yet someone on the official Weezer message board says he’s found a Japanese site with a tracklist (in a manner similar to how I found the tracklist for the original Alone back in aught seven).  According to the site, the tentative tracklist (I’m guessing that songs 11 & 12 are the region-specific bonus songs) is:
01. Turn it Up
02. I Don’t Want Your Loving
03. Blowin’ My Stack
04. Losing My Mind
05. Everyone
06. I’m a Robot
07. Trampoline
08. Odd Couple
09. Autopilot
10. Unbreak My Heart
11. Outta Here
12. Yellow Camaro
If true, this should be a good listen, but one that will disappoint some people.  As I mentioned before, Weezer has a large amount of unreleased material from throughout their career.  You’re not going to make everyone happy in just ten tracks.  Having not heard any of these, it’s a bit hard to predict how the album will sound, but Rivers says some are poppy songs (Trampoline, Autopilot) and other are very heavy (Everyone, Blowin’ My Stack).

The surprising thing here to someone who has studied the Weezer recording history (not currently available on the revamped official site) is how many of these songs originate from the Make Believe Era. I Don’t Want Your Loving and Blowin’ My Stack are from 2003.  Losing My Mind, I’m a Robot, Unbreak My Heart and Outta Here are from the 2004 Make Believe Sessions.  Even Yellow Camaro, a Brian Bell composition already released as part of his side band, the Space Twins, was recorded during the early Album Five sessions in 2002.

As for the rest of the songs, the mystery sessions of 1998 are represented with Everyone and Trampoline.  Autopilot and Odd Couple are from the early Red Album Sessions.  And the albums first track, Turn it Up, is the latest version of 80s Radio, the song developed as part of Rivers’ Let’s Write a Sawng Project.

Obviously, I’m looking forward to Death to False Metal and any associated bonus tracks.  The scary thing is Weezer probably has enough material to make this a series and thus rule my life for the next few years.

King Tom