Firewater: Founded, 1995

Few bands were as successful and influential during the post-grunge explosion of alternative rock during the mid-1990's as was Weezer.

The band's eponymous self-titled "Blue Album" debut in 1994 made them a near-overnight sensation, helped along by a series of enormously popular MTV music videos. Critics and fans were instantly attracted to Weezer's refreshing, yet somewhat geeky and poppy brand of alternative rock music.

Soon after the release of the "Blue Album", Hollywood legend Spike Jonze directed the group's first hit video, "Undone (The Sweater Song)", featuring films of the band spliced with scenes from the generational hit TV series Happy Days. The "Undone" music video put the band on a nearly endless rotation on MTV for months.

Other songs from the debut album, including hits like "Buddy Holly" and "Say It Ain't So", dominated college radio station playlists, and even seeped into the otherwise "cookie-cutter" rock radio markets from Los Angeles to London and New York to Melbourne.

Now, 14 years since their historic "Blue Album" debut, Weezer - with only a couple of original band members remaining and large gaps in the creation of new material - have released their long awaited new release.

The self-titled "Red Album" (aka, #6) was officially released this week. Already, "Red" has received largely positive reviews from the music press, bloggers and fans, following months of anticipation, rumors, leaks and wild speculation.

The following are new MP3s from "Red".

MP3: "Pork & Beans" by Weezer from the new "Red Album"

MP3: "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" by Weezer from "Red Album"

MP3s are not guaranteed to work and have been provided by the blog Quick Before it Melts - the hint is in the name. If you enjoy these songs, definitely show your love and purchase the band's albums whichever way you obtain your music - whether via an online music service or by visiting your local record shop.

The limited Deluxe Edition of "Red" contains four bonus tracks with a special digipak featuring a deluxe booklet of lyrics, photos, liner notes and the band members' thoughts about the new songs.

Red Album Track Listing (from Geffen Records):

1 - Troublemaker 2:45
2 - The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn) 5:52
3 - Pork And Beans [Album Version] 3:11
4 - Heart Songs 4:06
5 - Everybody Get Dangerous 4:03
6 - Dreamin' 5:12
7 - Thought I Knew 3:02
8 - Cold Dark World 3:51
9 - Automatic 3:08
10 - The Angel And The One/Non Musical Silence 6:46
11 - Miss Sweeney [Bonus Track] 4:02
12 - Pig [Bonus Track] 4:03
13 - The Spider [Bonus Track] 4:43
14 - King [Bonus Track] 5:11

Interestingly enough, MTV has named Weezer the "Buzzworthy Artist of the Week" (for June 2, 2008) and produced a series of video clips (see below) to celebrate the band's new release.

Yet, in 1997, MTV pretty much abandoned the "Weezer sound" after years of a mutually rewarding relationship by changing its format to embrace the emerging popularity of hip-hop.

The legendary AllMusic Guide summed it up by describing how Weezer's sophomore album, Pinkerton, failed to generate the enthusiastic response that "Blue" had, and "MTV and modern rock radio had withdrawn their support not only to Weezer, but their style of guitar-driven punk-pop in general."

Years after its release, Pinkerton - now considered a classic by some hardcore Weezer fans - was unearthed by a new generation of so-called 'emo' lovers, and "their audience grew despite not having a new album in the stores" for five long years (until 2001's "Green Album" and the 2002 release of Maladroit).

Following Maladroit, the band set off for another hiatus (releasing only one mediocre album Make Believe in 2005 that contained the mainstream radio single "Beverly Hills") consumed by side projects. The temporary parting of ways by the band members fueled speculation that the band had broken up.

Weezer has certainly gone through a metamorphosis since 1994, yet the release of the "Red Album" is proof that the band can still deliver a quirky and unique brand of alternative rock to the pleasure of long-time fans while also appealing to a new generation of media saturated music lovers.

Here are some more great Weezer links:

- Watch the official Making of the "Pork & Beans" Video on MySpace
- MTV's collection of 13 Weezer video and music clips
- AllMusic Guide's in-depth Weezer biography
- YouTube video of "Island in the Sun", directed by Spike Jonez
- Weezer.com
- Weezer's official MySpace page