So why is Weezer’s Make Believe on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Unless you’re a deep level Weezer superfan, it’s pretty easy to lose track of all their output and albums simply because of how prolific they’ve been since bursting on the scene with their self-titled debut album (which we all know as The Blue Album) back in 1994.
Cut to 11 years later in 2005, and if Weezer’s on your radar at all at that point, it’s pretty easy to take a quick glance at Make Believe and say something to the effect of, “Oh, this is the one with that ‘Beverly Hills’ song on it.”
Which, yes, “Beverly Hills,” that’s where I want to be, etc. was the big hit off the record, and it’s a fine song. But upon closer examination of Make Believe by yours truly, I’d wager there are a goodly group of songs that are at least as good.
Which is all to say that Make Believe is an exceptionally strong album and one well worth reexamining for Weezer fans both passing and hardcore.
“This Is Such A Pity” is the best song on the record in my view. I’ve often given Stephen Thomas Erlwine at All Music a hard time for his snarky Super Critic commentary, but credit where due: I wholeheartedly agree that Rivers Cuomo is “a pop songwriter fronting a hard rock band, equally enamored with big choruses and loud guitars.”
I’ll add that Cuomo is one of the very best pop songwriters, and Weezer’s execution of his vision, layering in an incredible driving groove on “This Is Such A Pity,” is a pleasure to listen to every time I throw it on.
The piano-driven “Perfect Situation” leans even more into Cuomo’s and the band’s pop sensibilities. Strip away the guitars and you can hear as much Billy Joel and Ben Folds as The Knack or The Cars.
That being said, Weezer can rev up the electric guitars with the best of them, as the fun and rocking “We Are All On Drugs” proves.
I’ll admit that I was taken aback a little bit the first time I heard “Beverly Hills” (perhaps in the final days that I would ever listen to terrestrial radio, circa 2005) and thought, “This is Weezer?” But in retrospect, it makes sense given their quirky nerd rock proclivities, tracking all the way back to “Buddy Holly,” the single that kicked off Weezer’s assault on the alt rock masses.
Some stats & info about Weezer – Make Believe
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Alternative Rock, SoCal Bands, Pop Punk
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3 out of 5 stars (!?)
- When was Make Believe released? 2005
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #290 out of 1,000
Weezer’s Make Believe on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Weezer’s Make Believe that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
This is such a pity. We should give all our love to each other, not this hate that destroys us.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.