Really dope to hear this. I’m actually a huge Make Believe stan, it’s one of my favorites in their catalog. I do prefer Rivers’ impassioned and heartfelt performance on the finished record. That being said, I’m really surprised that Rivers can just summon that Pinkerton sound at will without even trying.
yeah, I agree, isnt as bad as people say. Unfortunately, songs like Beverly Hills and We are all on Drugs and messy poppy mixing really spoil the whole album for me. However, the demos ive seen so far are great. It makes me wonder if Rivers wasnt so insecure to write songs like he did in Pinkerton, maybe the record would be better.
This whole album is awesome. I love seeing when others appreciate it too. And some have mentioned that Pinkerton sound on the demos for this album and I 100% agree. All I need is Rivers with an electric guitar in my life and I'm set.
Wow. When I heard Hold Me for the first time, after the album leaked I think and my friend and I just couldn't wait, it became my favorite song on Make Believe instantly and that never changed. Hearing it this way both gives me odd nostalgia, and vibes from seeing Weezer on that Make Believe tour at the Aragon in Chicago... They opened with Tired of Sex, and the Aragon is pretty big ad goes back quite a ways. I was maybe 25 feet from the stage before the push began, and all of the sudden my group is about 15 feet closer and smudged together with a ton of people. And when TOS fully kicked in, it was just a rush.... Never had heard them open with it before. They played a pretty good track list that night as far as older stuff goes, and hits from newer albums, etc... They also played Hold Me. My favorite part of their Make Believe performances.... and I'll always remember that particular show for how it began and just how insane the crowd was, and I've been to a lot of Weezer shows, including the Pinkerton/Blue memories tour, with the Pixies a few times... so on and on. Make Believe could have been so much better, but bad choices for singles and overproduction or just plain shoddy production at times just made it what it is.... a passable Weezer release, which is what a lot of their albums feel like to me. A few good songs, and a lot of stuff I skip over. It just amazes me how the demos for so many of these songs seem to generate the feel from the Blue album and PInkerton years.... and then production on the final product comes in, and it sounds glossy and washed out. The demo for Keep Fishin' is a good example, even if I like the album version too. That demo has so much more energy, sounds so much better, and is just.... better. So many songs never saw the light and if they did, it's after I stopped following a lot.... I do kjnow some great stuff like Walt Disney, Snow Angel, etc. was released on Rivers' home demo tapes I think... It would be really awesome if they decided to just compile some sort of re-release for each album on vinyl/cd with a demo version of the thing, since they're almost all being compiled into demo albums on here already. Or maybe they could just release one gigantic 2 LP (or more) release of demos and rarities... or a CD boxed se... anything. Last thing I'll say... to this day, Blue album demos sometimes get me off more than the album versions, and I'll even say that the tennis ball snare Pat has in a lot of them isn't too intolerable when I factor in the good things about the demos. Ric Ocasik
Make Believe is the reason my ex dumped me back in 2012. I was so down and into songs like this one. I guess she didnt want to hold me. It doesn't mean we are useless, its just that everybody needs support sometimes. Its all good anyway. love you!
This is a very valuable lesson. Contrary to movies and tv, the emotional sensitive nice guys dont keep the woman. Youve been lied to. Women want to know that if a crazy man on bath salts is kicking in the door at 1 in the morning, she has a protector not "someone whos afraid of all things and frightened of the dark." Dont ever listen to this in the presence of a woman. Trying to help friend.
Man, the mix and recording of the final version really butchers the rawness and power of this song, at least in comparison to this. Whenever I listen to the song I always, without thought, go to this version. Thank you so much for uploading this!
Last thing I'll say... To this day, Blue album demos usually get me off more than the album's final cuts, and I'll even say that the tennis ball snare Pat has in a lot of them isn't too intolerable when I factor in the good things about the demos. Ric Ocasek essentially put them on the map with his production for Blue..... but at the same time, Weezer's demos for Blue were all very abrasive compared to the final cuts. Rivers' vocals are a lot more raw, there is more screaming and emotion coming from it all... My Name is Jonas sounds so much cooler. Buddy Holly doesn't suck as much. Undone is weird, but in a Weezer way. Ocasek tried to make them the Cars of the '90s and it may have been working for as second or two, but I sometimes wish the Blue album had Butch Vig producing it or something... The demos have a true rock and roll/garage rock and even borderline grunge/punk sound to them. And they still have some amazing songs and the recordings sound great... Only In Dreams is no better or worse on the demo.... Thief, You've Taken.... is the most criminally underrated Weezer song ever.... and the rest of the Blue demos, jus just the Kitchen Tape, but all of them really.... If you listen to them and then listen to the album you can tell that Ric Ocasek put his touch on it an maybe did it a little bit too much, even if that worked at the time. I feel like it also set Pinkerton up for failure...
