Rivers Cuomo - 'Alone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo' (Geffen) Released 04/02/08

1994; Jim’ll Fix It ended after a run of 19 years, Kurt Cobain committed suicide and Wet Wet Wet’s ‘Love Is All Around’ held onto the number one spot for 15 weeks. It was also the year that fixing a lightening bolt emblazoned strap to an ill tuned guitar, hanging out in musty smelling bedrooms and sporting horn rimmed glasses, was cool… unless your name was Fred West. It was of course the year that would see Weezer wholeheartedly stamp their goofy mark on the world of Geek Rock. And then the magic died. Weezer would go onto to record a further four albums and retain a huge fanbase but their original kudos and creative output took a distinct downturn.

But the Weezer story is far from over and fourteen year’s later, in anticipation of a sixth studio album, front-man Rivers Cuomo has released his debut solo offering, ‘Alone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo’. As expected from a body of work that is made up entirely from a selection of demo’s and covers recorded between 1992 and 2007 (the majority pre 1996) the album is extremely intimate and the fact that Cuomo plays virtually all the instruments featured, including the clarinet, only adds to its impressive nature. But better than that, this isn’t a collection of songs dragged out of a dust filled darkened room with no other purpose than to add to the pension jar, its everything that Weezer promised to be back in the day; over indulgent, weird but somewhat wonderful.

For the hardcore Weezer fan there’s plenty to get excited about, it might not all be new, but it’s all in one place and in parts gives a plotted history, not just of the band but of the man’s musicality. The opening six tracks including ‘Lemonade’ (Patrick Wilson making an appearance on drums) and ‘Chess’ were recorded prior to the release of ‘Weezer’ and are bolstered with a passionately rough edged cover of Gregg Alexander’s (New Radicals front-man – remember them!) ‘The World We Love So Much’, an energetically, over-cooked pace shifting take on Ice Cube’s ‘The Bomb’ and the slightly inebriated, unsure demo of that classic among high school classics ‘Buddy Holly’… and it still sounds as good as ever and not too dissimilar to the fully produced album version.

More exciting is the inclusion of ‘Blast Off’ and ‘Who You Callin’ Bitch?’ (originally one song now split into two) the piano ballad ‘Longtime Sunshine’, barber shop quartet infused ‘Dude We’re Finally Landing’ and ‘Superfriend’ which are all taken from the unreleased and unfinished ‘Songs From The Black Hole’. Named as a “mythical lost masterpiece” and ranking number 7 in a list of ‘Top 10 Never Released Album’s’ the concept behind ‘Songs From The Black Hole’ was that of a five man crew undertaking a special mission, set in space, in the form of a rock opera. Yes it sounds odd, but this is Weezer after all and part of their appeal. However, part way through recording, the album was discarded, never to see the light of day and would eventually morph into what would become ‘Pinkerton’.

Illustrating the period between ‘Pinkerton’ and ‘Weezer’ (Green Album) is a shortened version of ‘Lover In The Snow’ and the most complete sounding track yet, ‘Crazy One'. ‘I Was Made For You’ was written for 1995’s ‘Make Believe’ whereas ‘This Is The Way’ had originally been considered for inclusion on the forthcoming sixth studio effort but after careful consideration was ultimately left off the tracklisting, which is understandable considering its middle of the road leanings. Filling the holes in between the history is plenty of examples of Cuomo hanging out with friends, discussing the merits of face paint loving rockers Kiss in ‘I Wish You Had An Axe Guitar’ (which could come straight from a scene from The Goonies) and a cover of Dion’s 1962 top ten hit ‘Little Diane’ recorded with Canadian power pop quartet Sloan.

The majority of the material that spans these 18 tracks is comfortably familiar and marches along with enjoyable uniformed diversity. But ‘Alone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo’ should never be mistaken for that all illusive lost Weezer album, more a face value, halcyon fuelled companion record to Mr Cuomo himself as opposed to the band he’s fronted for so long.