Weezer (Teal Album)

Last updated
Weezer
Weezer Teal Album.jpg
Studio album of cover songs by
Weezer
ReleasedJanuary 24, 2019 [1]
Recorded2018
Studio
Genre
Length36:18
Label
Producer
Weezer chronology
Pacific Daydream
(2017)		Weezer
(2019)		 Weezer
(2019)
Singles from Weezer
  1. "Africa"
    Released: May 29, 2018

Weezer (also known as the Teal Album) is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Weezer. It was released digitally on January 24, 2019, through Crush Music and Atlantic Records, with a retail release on March 8. The album is composed of cover songs, mostly from the 1980s, making it the band's first covers album. It was announced and released on the same day as a surprise precursor to Weezer's thirteenth studio album, which was released on March 1, 2019. The album received mixed reviews, with some praising the self-aware frivolity of the project, while others criticized the arrangements.

Contents

Background

Following the release of Weezer's eleventh album Pacific Daydream , an Internet fan campaign was launched to get Weezer to cover "Africa" by Toto. After initially releasing a cover of "Rosanna", a different Toto song, as a joke, Weezer released their "Africa" cover in May 2018. [5] The cover hit the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. [6]

Teal was unexpectedly released on January 24, 2019, without prior promotion or advertisement. [7] Several covers on the album have previously been performed live by both the band and frontman Rivers Cuomo at solo shows. [8] [9]

Cuomo has since described his use of Spotify's data on most played songs to establish the tracklisting for the album. [10]

The album was released digitally on January 24, 2019, with the physical version planned for release on March 8, 2019. To promote the album, Weezer released a teal velcro wallet available for purchase on their website, with the first 100 copies sold including a dollar bill signed by the band members. [11] The velcro wallet sold out quickly, so Weezer released a second promotional bundle on January 24 with a teal Rubik's cube. [12] The band's cover of "No Scrubs" received significant social media attention, with the song trending on Twitter and sparking both sincere and ironic reactions from fans who found the song choice surprising, [13] while TLC member Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, who sang lead vocal on the original version, openly praised Weezer's rendition, declaring it "AWESOME!!!" on her Twitter account and adding, "It would be even better if we sang it with ya'll!!! I see a TLC/Weezer concert coming up." [14] [15] Weezer themselves responded to Chilli through their own Twitter account by posting the reply, "Hope you want our number", referring to a key line in the song's chorus. [16]

At their 2019 Coachella performance, Weezer brought out TLC's Chilli, as well as English band Tears for Fears for live versions of "No Scrubs" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", respectively. [17]

Though not appearing on the official soundtrack, their cover of A-ha's "Take On Me" is featured in the 2020 animated film The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run .

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 58/100 [18]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [19]
Consequence of Sound B [20]
Dead Press!Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [21]
Glide MagazineStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [22]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Now Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [23]
Punknews.orgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [24]

The Teal Album was met with divided opinions from critics. At the aggregating website Metacritic, the album has received a normalized rating of 58, based on 9 critical reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. In a review of the album for AllMusic, editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "Taken on a strictly musical terms, The Teal Album is pretty anodyne stuff. Weezer replicates the arrangements of beloved songs, adds a bit more fuzz on the guitar solos, and flattens the vocal affectations, which amounts to one weird trick: Weezer doesn't attempt to make the songs their own, yet these versions unmistakably sound like Weezer." [19] Matt Beaumont at NME stated "Respectful enough to rouse any struggling family gathering but knowing enough to amuse those in on the joke, 'The Teal Album' at once satirises the covers album and makes a decent stab at perfecting it." [1]

Reviewing the album for Glide Magazine, James Roberts concluded that "The lifelessness of the covers ensures that it has a shelf life that isn’t much longer than your average meme. I suppose given the origins of the album as a Twitter meme it makes sense. Everything about the album—from its conception to its surprise, digital only release—points to the fact that we aren't meant to take it that seriously. But that's kind of the problem, isn't it? Nothing Weezer does can be taken seriously anymore." [22] Nick Flanagan gave the album a grading of 1 out of 5 in the review for Now , claiming that "what's horrible about this record is the total lack of controversy, the lack of anything. It doesn't even pass as a joke album – they're just straight-ahead paint-by-numbers covers, like something a wedding band might play." Tim Sommer wrote that “… there is no reason to listen to The Teal Album. There are no revelations, no hearts are placed on sleeves, no one will be moved, and no one will bother to play one of these tracks in the future”, adding that “… Weezer despise the American music consuming public, and want to prove that today’s consumer will click on literally the most banal and redundant nonsense.” [25]

Michael Roffman was more positive in an assessment for Consequence of Sound , writing "At best, it's a blueprint or rather a teaser for their forthcoming tours, as if to say, "Well, you loved 'Africa', look what else we can do? Come out, folks." Again, that's a more cynical outlook, but hey, maybe Cuomo is being cynical. Maybe this is the self-defeater in him, acknowledging the times, knowing damn well that if he's going to give 'em what they want, he's going to meet them at their level with a shit-eating grin and walk back to the bank." [20]

Commercial performance

The Teal Album peaked at number five in its second week on the Billboard 200, after debuting at number 47 the previous week. [26] This was a significant rebound from Weezer's previous album, Pacific Daydream , which only reached number 23. In its first full tracking week, it debuted with 39,000 album-equivalent units, of which 27,000 were pure album sales. [26]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."Africa"
 Toto 3:58
2."Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
 Tears for Fears 4:04
3."Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
 Eurythmics 3:34
4."Take On Me"
 A-ha 3:43
5."Happy Together"
 The Turtles 2:25
6."Paranoid"
 Black Sabbath 2:44
7."Mr. Blue Sky" Jeff Lynne Electric Light Orchestra 4:46
8."No Scrubs"
 TLC 3:10
9."Billie Jean" Michael Jackson Michael Jackson4:54
10."Stand by Me"
Ben E. King3:00
Total length:36:18

Personnel

Weezer

Production

Visuals

Charts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weezer</span> American rock band

Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Brian Bell, and Scott Shriner. They have sold 10 million albums in the US and more than 35 million worldwide.

<i>Weezer</i> (Green Album) 2001 album by Weezer

Weezer is the third studio album by American rock band 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, as he left the band a few months after the album's release.

<i>Maladroit</i> 2002 studio album by Weezer

Maladroit is the fourth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on May 14, 2002, by Geffen Records. It was self-produced by the band, and was their first album to feature bassist Scott Shriner, following the departure of former bassist Mikey Welsh in 2001, although Shriner was featured in the music video for "Photograph" from the band's previous album Weezer. Musically, the album features a hard-rock sound and heavy metal riffs uncommon to Weezer's previous releases.

<i>Weezer</i> (Blue Album) 1994 studio album by Weezer

Weezer is the debut studio album by the American rock band Weezer, released on May 10, 1994, by DGC Records. It was produced by Ric Ocasek of the Cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Scrubs</span> 1999 single by TLC

"No Scrubs" is a song recorded by American girl group TLC as the lead single from their third studio album, FanMail, released on February 2, 1999, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The song was written by producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, former Xscape members Kandi Burruss and Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, and TLC member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. The song lyrics describe the role of a man in a relationship. Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas sings the lead vocals for the first time on a TLC single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weezer discography</span> Band discography

The discography of Weezer, an American rock band, consists of 15 studio albums, two compilation albums, one video album, nine extended plays, 37 singles and 40 music videos. Weezer's self-titled debut studio album, often referred to as The Blue Album, was released in May 1994 through DGC Records. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number 16 on the US Billboard 200 and spawning the singles "Undone – The Sweater Song" and "Buddy Holly", both of which were responsible for launching Weezer into mainstream success with the aid of music videos directed by Spike Jonze. It has sold 3.3 million copies in the United States and has been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), becoming the band's best selling album to date. Following the success of their debut album, Weezer took a break from touring for the Christmas holidays. Lead singer Rivers Cuomo began piecing together demo material for Weezer's second studio album. Cuomo's original concept for the album was a space-themed rock opera, Songs from the Black Hole. Ultimately, the Songs from the Black Hole album concept was dropped; the band, however, continued to utilize songs from these sessions into work for their second studio album. Pinkerton was released as the band's second studio album in September 1996. Peaking at number 19 on the Billboard 200, it was considered a critical and commercial failure at the time of its release, selling far less than its triple platinum predecessor. However, in the years following its release, it has seen much critical and commercial championing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hands Up (TLC song)</span> 2002 single by TLC

"Hands Up" a song by American girl group TLC. It was written and produced by both Babyface and Daryl Simmons for the band's fourth studio album, 3D (2002). A sensual mid-tempo song that deals with romantic betrayal, it was selected and released as the album's second single in the United States on February 3, 2003, following lead single "Girl Talk" (2002). Arista Records consulted several producers to remix the song for its single release, including Richard X, LaMarquis Jefferson, and Jermaine Dupri.

<i>Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo</i> 2007 compilation album by Rivers Cuomo

Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo is a compilation album by American musician and Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. It was released on December 18, 2007 by Geffen Records. It is available as a digital release, CD release and 12" vinyl. The album features home demos that Cuomo has recorded from 1992–2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Undone – The Sweater Song</span> 1994 single by Weezer

"Undone – The Sweater Song" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released on the band's self-titled 1994 debut album. It was released as their debut single in 1994.

<i>Weezer</i> (Red Album) 2008 album by Weezer

Weezer is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Weezer, released on June 3, 2008, by DGC and Interscope Records. Rick Rubin and Jacknife Lee both produced parts of the album, with the band producing a handful of tracks themselves. It is the only Weezer album to feature lead vocals from all four band members. The album also features more musical experimentation in comparison to their previous efforts, especially shown in such songs as "Dreamin'", "The Angel and The One", and "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pork and Beans (song)</span> 2008 single by Weezer

"Pork and Beans" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released on the group's 2008 self-titled album Weezer, also known as the Red Album. It was released to radio on April 22, 2008 and released in digital form on April 24. The track debuted at number 19 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart, and spent eleven weeks at number one. The song charted in many countries such as Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Africa (Toto song)</span> 1982 single by Toto

"Africa" is a song by American rock band Toto, the tenth and final track on their fourth studio album Toto IV (1982). It was the second single from the album released in Europe in June 1982 and the third in the United States in October 1982 through Columbia Records. The song was written by band members David Paich and Jeff Porcaro, produced by the band, and mixed by engineer Greg Ladanyi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To</span> 2009 single by Weezer

"(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" is a song by American alternative rock/power pop band Weezer. It was released as the first single from the band's seventh studio album Raditude. Initially scheduled to be released to American rock radio on August 25, 2009, the official release of the single to radio was moved up to August 18. The single debuted at number 21 on the Billboard Rock Songs Chart, and in the same position on the Alternative Songs chart. The music video features Odette Yustman. The song was first played live on August 23, 2009 in Toronto, Ontario at the Molson Amphitheatre. The main riff of this song bears a similarity to the main riff of The Jam song "Town Called Malice".

<i>Hurley</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Weezer

Hurley is the eighth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on September 10, 2010. It is Weezer's only album released by Epitaph Records. The album was produced by Rivers Cuomo and Shawn Everett, and, similar to their previous album Raditude, features songs co-written with songwriters outside of the band.

<i>Weezer</i> (White Album) 2016 album by Weezer

Weezer is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Weezer, released on April 1, 2016. The album marks their first produced by Jake Sinclair. It is the first release through Crush Music and was distributed by Atlantic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sober Up</span> Single by AJR from 2018

"Sober Up" is a song by American indie pop band AJR, from their second studio album, The Click. Released as the album's fifth single, it features Rivers Cuomo, lead singer and frontman of American rock band Weezer, although certain radio stations instead play a version with band member Ryan singing Cuomo's verse. "Sober Up" became the first number-one song for AJR on the Billboard Alternative Songs, when it peaked at number one on the chart in March 2018. Similarly, Cuomo had his first number one on the alternative Billboard chart as a solo artist.

<i>Weezer</i> (Black Album) 2019 album by Weezer

Weezer is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Weezer. Produced by Dave Sitek, it was released on March 1, 2019, through Crush Music and Atlantic Records, nearly two months after The Teal Album. It received mixed reviews.

<i>Van Weezer</i> 2021 studio album by Weezer

Van Weezer is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on May 7, 2021, by Crush Music and Atlantic Records. Featuring a classic rock and hard rock inspired sound, the album was announced in September 2019 with an original release date of May 2020, coinciding with announcement of the band's participation in the Hella Mega Tour alongside Green Day and Fall Out Boy. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was delayed indefinitely and Van Weezer's release was delayed until May 2021, almost four months after the release of the band's previous album OK Human.

<i>OK Human</i> 2021 studio album by Weezer

OK Human is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on January 29, 2021 by Crush Music and Atlantic Records. Featuring a baroque-pop influenced sound, inspired by albums such as Harry Nilsson's Nilsson Sings Newman (1970) and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (1966), the album was recorded entirely with analogue equipment and features a 38-piece orchestra. The album was preceded by the lead single "All My Favorite Songs", released on January 21, 2021. The album received generally positive reviews from critics. OK Human is the first of two Weezer albums to be released in 2021, followed only four months later by Van Weezer.

<i>SZNZ: Winter</i> 2022 EP by Weezer

SZNZ: Winter is the tenth EP by American rock band Weezer, and the last of four EPs in their SZNZ project. It was released digitally on December 21, 2022, coinciding with the December solstice. It spawned a single, "I Want a Dog", released on December 9, 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mark Beaumont (January 25, 2019). "Weezer – 'The Teal Album' review". Nme.com. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  2. ↑ "Weezer cover 'No Scrubs', 'Billie Jean' on surprise new album". Gulfnews.com. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  3. ↑ "Rev Ranks: Weezer's 'Teal Album' is corny, but fun | The Daily Reveille". lsureveille.com. 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  4. ↑ "Surprise! It's A Weezer Covers Album | News | Clash Magazine". Clash. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  5. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (May 24, 2018). "Weezer Cover Toto's "Rosanna," Trolling Viral Campaign for "Africa" Cover". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Alternative Songs: Top Alternative Songs Chart". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  7. ↑ Billboard (2018-09-14). "Weezer Release 'The Teal Album' Featuring Covers of A-Ha, Tears For Fears, Michael Jackson". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  8. ↑ "Weezer and The Pixies were happy together in New Orleans". NOLA.com. 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  9. ↑ "Rivers Cuomo Concert Setlist at August Hall, San Francisco on September 12, 2018". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  10. ↑ "Rivers Cuomo on His Data-Driven Approach To Weezer". billboard. March 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  11. ↑ Weezer US. "Totally Tubular Teal Bundle | Weezer US". Weezerwebstore.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  12. ↑ "Teal Rad Rubik's Cube Bundle". Weezer US. Retrieved January 24, 2019.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Everyone is talking about 'No Scrubs' because of Weezer. Welcome to 2019". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  14. ↑ "TLC's Chilli Wants to Perform 'No Scrubs' With Weezer, Thanks to 'Teal Album' Cover". Billboard. 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  15. ↑ "Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas Twitter account". @officialchilli on Twitter. 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  16. ↑ "Weezer Twitter account". @weezer on Twitter. 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  17. ↑ "Watch Weezer Bring Out TLC's Chilli, Tears for Fears at Coachella 2019". Pitchfork. 14 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  18. ↑ "Weezer (Teal Album) by Weezer". Metacritic . Retrieved 2019-02-03.
  19. 1 2 Stephen Thomas Erlewine (January 25, 2019). "Weezer [Teal Album] - Weezer". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  20. 1 2 Michael Roffman (January 23, 2019). "Weezer - Weezer (The Teal Album)". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
  21. ↑ "ALBUM REVIEW: Weezer â€" Weezer (Teal Album) | DEAD PRESS! | It's more than "just music" to us". Dead Press!. 5 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  22. 1 2 James Roberts (January 24, 2019). "Weezer's Surprise Release 'The Teal Album' Covers All the Wrong Bases (ALBUM REVIEW)". glidemagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  23. ↑ Nick Flanagan (January 28, 2019). "Weezer - Weezer (The Teal Album)". nowtoronto.com. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
  24. ↑ "Weezer - Weezer". Punknews.org. January 24, 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
  25. ↑ Tim Sommer. "Weezer's Vapid Teal Album Has Our Critic Seeing Red". RealClear Life. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  26. 1 2 3 Caulfield, Keith (February 3, 2019). "Backstreet Boys Score First No. 1 Album in Nearly 20 Years on Billboard 200 Chart With 'DNA'". Billboard. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  27. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Weezer – Weezer (Teal Album)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Weezer Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Irish Albums Chart: 1 February 2019". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  31. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 11, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  33. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  34. ↑ "Weezer Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.