Add me to the list of "haters". I have and enjoy ALL their albums, but this one never gets played.

Boy you hit the nail on the head there with mention of Matt Sharp, listening to everything that Weezer has done after the departure of Sharp it is apparent how much he had to do with the amazing song writing on both the Blue album and Pinkerton. I personally don't care too much for the three albums Weezer has done sans-Sharp.

I'm not even a big Weezer fan, but Pinkerton is one of my favorite albums of all time. It ranks up there with the white album, sea change, appetite for destruction and legend.

I wish i had more to say about it, but its hard to find the words for how perfect it is.

I am a lover of Blue and Pinkerton. Green and Meladorit are boring as hell with the exception of a few songs.

I think this is the reaction most people had/have when they first hear the album, myself included. Those expecting Buddy Holly part II were not ready for a concept album based on Madame Butterfly. It's not the most accessible music they've made for sure (although I agree The Good Life is hands down one of their best pop songs), but it's still their critical peak. Of course, they're not the same band or people they were 10 years ago, before Rivers began his quest for the perfect pop album and Sharp quit (largely because of the direction Pinkerton took). There's no way they'll recapture this album's vibe, nor should they try these days. However, I still think it's their best work, if given repeated listenings.

Well said. Both of you.

The Blue album was fun and very catchy. All the songs had a reall good melody, and the background chorus was buffoonish, garagy, and very infective.

I rushed out to buy Pinkerton and found none of the elements that made me swoon over Blue. The lyrics were dull, the music was not catchy, and I didn't get that "buffoonish background vocal." The only song that was almost like an outtake from Blue would be Across The Sea but that wasn't remotely as much fun.

I wound up throwing Pinkerton in the garbage.

Dude, that's as bad as pouring good alcohol down the drain. A modern day tragedy for sure.

Smooth move.

I hated Pinkerton when I first heard it. I didn't even buy a copy for about four years.

Now that I have listened to it countless times, it is by far their strongest record. Don't get me wrong, I like the Blue album - Pinkerton just hits all the right notes for me. The lyrics are great and the songs have wonderful hooks that will be missed without repeated listenings. Any good boy who has had heartfelt angst about a girl should like Pinkerton. I mean, come on, "Tired of Sex", "Why Bother?", and "Across the Sea" alone are near perfect songs about lusting after the wrong girls and having your heart broken. Pinkerton's production also kicks serious butt.

Seriously. "Pink Triangle", "El Scorcho", "The Good Life" - what's not to like?

Go Rivers. Get on with your bad self.

the only thing better than that song is the acoustic version on the good life EP.

I couldn't agree more. That song alone makes Pinkerton the best Weezer album. And that song sums up the whole of Pinkerton as well - It's raw, straightforward, honest, geeky, and rockin' all at the same time. I remember the first time I heard that song...I had to put it on repeat and just soak in the lyrics.

I've enjoyed every Weezer CD for different reasons, but the reason Pinkerton stands out is because it just didn't have that one song that was a "single", where as every CD has had at least one since. For example, "Hash Pipe" was a joke, same with "Beverly Hills", but there are songs on the rest of the CD in each case that are just fantastic like "Hold Me" and "Knock Down Drag Out".

The best way I can describe Pinkerton is the word "naked". It just bares it all, nervously and geeky, yet fun and refreshing. It's awkward, ambitious, and somehow has some reluctant confidence.

Count me as one that thinks Pinkerton is Weezer's best album. It has the strongest lyrics of all the ablums. "El Scorcho" is my favorite song with "The Good Life" and "Across The Sea" right behind it. Hell, I even have a copy of Los Miserables' cover of "El Scorcho" called "Chow Chow Zen" on a mix cd. Pinkerton rocks!

Oh, the redhead said you shred the cello
And I'm jello, baby

Weezer was, has been, is and always will be a watered-down Pavement. Pavement with a vagina.

I pretty much agree with this. Although, for what it's worth (and it's not much), as far as this being their critical peak, Rolling Stone named it the worst album of 1996 (while I eventually found it to be the best) and it got some pretty bad reviews. I was hugely disappointed upon first listen. But I kept going back to it. There's a strange comfort in knowing a lot of people have had the same reaction to it: Going from disappointment to total adoration. It's weird. I mean, it truly does grow on you. It was never immediate. And it has so many elements I like in songwriting. It just isn't as easy to notice at first, cuz it's not all there on the surface like The Blue Album, which still has my absolute favorite Weezer song, "Say It Ain't So". I also don't think "Butterfly" is anywhere near the worst song they've recorded. It might be their best album closer.

Pinkerton is my second favorite album of all-time for a reason, and it's weird cuz I like it for a lot of the reasons why I didn't like Nirvana's In Utero (Nevermind being #1).

Make of that what you will.

K

Except for Pinkerton....

How stupid is it
I can't talk about it
I gotta sing about it
And make a record of my heart
How stupid is it
Won't you gimme a minute
Just come up to me
And say hello (to my heart)
How stupid is it
For all I know you want me too
Or maybe you just don't know what to do
And maybe you're scared to say
I'm falling for you

Fast forward to July, 2006 --->I absolutely adore "Pinkerton," and don't understand why I despised it so long ago! What I have been missing - wow!! Such catchy songs, Matt Sharp doing his background vocal best (how'd I miss that upon first listen, considering Tired of Sex is all background vocals), sheering guitars, fantastic!

Since both the Blue album and Pinkerton are only about 35 minutes long, I've put both albums on one CD - and added Mykel and Carli for good measure.

"Pinkerton" has always been my favorite Weezer album since it has "Across the Sea" and "The Good Life" on it. And I love the production (esp. the drum sound).

And I also wish they'd stuck "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" on there (or at least a version with Rivers singing), 'cause that's on of my most played Weezer tracks.

Never been a big Weezer fan but reading through this thread has convinced me to pick up the album this weekend.

As the original poster, I too will admit that this album grew on me. I was listening to it quite a bit about a year ago, but haven't listened to much Weezer recently.

Pesonally, I'm kind of indifferent to Pinkerton, and never understood what all the fuss was about, either. I think it has a few great songs, but overall, it doesn't move me in the same way it seems to most of you.

That said, I do believe it was a record way ahead of it's time - and pretty much soley responsible for spawning the whole 'emo' scene. Wether that's a good or bad thing, however, is an entirely different topic for disscussion.

Well some six months later I finally got around to picking this up after someone played El Scorcho for me. Love the album! Been playing it pretty much non-stop for the last two days.

I've never heard the version with Rivers on vocals - only the version with the chick, which I have mixed in with my Rentals (since the chick on the the song and the chick in the Rentals is the same chick).

I'd love to find the Rivers version, just to compare.

Pinkerton is the album that shows me that Weezer has the ability to be a great rock band, not just a pop or pop-rock band.

No Other One is prolly my fave Weezer song ever.