Songs from the Black Hole

Infobox Album | Name = Songs from the Black Hole
Type = studio
Artist = Weezer


Released = Unreleased
Recorded = December 1994 - August 1995
Genre = Alternative rock Power pop
Length =
Label = would have been DGC/Geffen
Producer = Weezer
Reviews =
Last album =
This album = "Songs from the Black Hole" (1995-1996)
Next album = |

"Songs from the Black Hole" (SFTBH) is an unreleased, unfinished Weezer album. A space themed rock opera/musical, it was originally envisioned as the follow-up album to "The Blue Album", but over the course of recording, the album's concept was discarded and the album was transformed into "Pinkerton". Some of the SFTBH songs ended up on Pinkerton (or as b-sides), some slightly altered lyrically and sonically. SFTBH was, in the words of songwriter Rivers Cuomo, "supposed to be a whole album of songs transed together," meaning a seamless flow from one song to the next (previous examples of this technique include the closing medley of The Beatles' "Abbey Road" and various Pink Floyd albums including "The Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here").

In a 2007 Rolling Stone Rock & Roll Daily feature the album was called one of rock music's "mythical lost masterpieces." [cite web | last = | first = | url = http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/02/09/lost-music-green-days-stolen-album-kurts-demos-and-other-mythical-masterpieces/ | title = Lost Music: Green Day’s Stolen Album, Kurt’s Demos and Other Mythical Masterpieces | format = | work = | publisher =Rolling Stone | accessdate = 2007-09-21] In an April 2007 issue of the Australian weekly print mag "Zoo", the album was named number 7 in their "Top 10 Never Released Albums" list. [cite web | last = | first = | url = http://www.weezer.com/community/news_comment.asp?ParentAssetID=1557222&ArtistID=479&Start=&FullStory=Y&type= | title = Top 10 Never Released Albums | format = | work = | publisher =Zoo Weekly magazine | accessdate = 2007-09-21] Songs from the Black Hole also ranked #7 on a list of the top ten albums you have never heard. [cite web | last = | first = | url = http://www.yesbutnobutyes.com/archives/2007/01/top_10_albums_y.html | title = Top 10 Albums You've Never Heard | format = | work = | publisher = Yes But No But Yes blog| accessdate = 2007-10-18]

History

Most of the album was written and recorded solely by Rivers Cuomo on 8-track at his home in Connecticut in 1994.cite web | url=http://www.weezer.com/info/recording/WeezRecHist7.htm|title=Weezer Record History page 7|accessdate=2007-10-24 |publisher="Weezer.com"] The characters were to be Jonas (voiced by Rivers)"Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes] , Laurel "Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes] (voiced by Rachel Haden of that dog.), Maria (voiced by Joan Wasser of the Dambuilders)"Buddyhead Presents: Gimme Skelter" booklet and liner notes, Nettwerk Records, Released October 21, 2003] , Wuan & Dondó (voiced by Brian Bell and Matt Sharp of Weezer)"Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes] , and a robot, M1 (voiced by Karl Koch, a friend of the band and roadie at the time)."Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes] At the time, Joan was unaware of Rivers' intention of having her play a role on the album.

In the words of Rivers, taken from an interview in the November 15, 2007 issue of Rolling Stone, "There's this crew - three guys and two girls and a mechanoid - that are on this mission in space to rescue somebody, or something. The whole thing was really an analog for taking off, going out on the road and up the charts with a rock band, which is what was happening to me at the time I was writing this and feeling like I was lost in space."

Over the course of writing the album, Rivers, who'd enrolled at Harvard in the fall of 1995, changed his focus from the space rock opera theme of SFTBH to the Madama Butterfly theme of Pinkerton. Pinkerton was released on September 24, 1996 and included the songs "Tired of Sex", "Getchoo", "No Other One", and "Why Bother?". These four songs had been written prior to the conception of SFTBH but reshaped for SFTBH. Rivers had unshaped them for inclusion on Pinkerton.cite web | last =Heisel | first =Scott | url = http://altpress.com/features/111.htm | title = Web Exclusive: A conversation with Rivers Cuomo | format = | work = | publisher =Alternative Press| accessdate = 2007-11-01] Further leftovers "Devotion", "Waiting on You", and "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" surfaced as b-sides to the Pinkerton singles El Scorcho and The Good Life. "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" is notable as it features Rachel Haden singing lead vocals.

In 2002, several Songs from the SFTBH demos were 'leaked' on the internet. These included "Blast Off!", "Oh No This Is Not For Me", "Come to My Pod", "Tired of Sex" and "Longtime Sunshine". Another demo, "You Won't Get With Me Tonight", was officially released on a Buddyhead compilation in 2003. A very short clip of the band rehearsing "Superfriend" in Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, in January 1996, was released on the Weezer DVD Video Capture Device in 2004.

Sheet music and lyrics for several unreleased Songs from the Black Hole tracks were made available by Rivers on his MySpace [http://www.riverscuomo.com blog] starting on April 30, 2006. Lyrics were posted for "Blast Off!", "Who You Callin' Bitch?", "Oh Jonas", "Please Remember", "Oh No This is Not For Me", "She's Had a Girl", and "Now I Finally See", while sheet music was posted for "She's Had A Girl", "Who You Callin' Bitch?" and "Oh Jonas". It remains to be seen whether this will continue for the rest of the SFTBH material. He also posted that the song "Lisa", long thought to be part of Track List 2 (see below) and the name of the second female character, was not actually part of SFTBH. This left the character's name to be unknown (for the time being). Rivers could not recall the name, but referred to her as "the good girl."

In a November 2006 interview with a Bloomfield Hills local radio station Pat Wilson told two students that he remembers being caught in Germany and Rivers using a recording studio to record what he wanted to be a rock album. Pat stated that he never knew more about SFTBH other than Rivers wanted to make a concept album.

On December 18th, 2007, Rivers Cuomo released a collection of his home demos entitled "Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo". The collection contained demos from 1992 until 2007. The collection also included five demos for songs intended for or included on "Songs From the Black Hole": "Longtime Sunshine", "Blast Off!", "Who You Callin' Bitch?", "Dude, We're Finally Landing", and "Superfriend." This was the first time fans got to hear "Who You Callin' Bitch?", "Dude We're Finally Landing", and a high quality version of "Superfriend." In the Alone booklet, Rivers explained some of the plot points of the musical, and, after having reviewed his journal notes of SFTBH, revealed that the Good Girl's name is Laurel."Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes]

Three copies of the album are known to exist in CD-R form. Two of them are in the care of Karl Koch, while the third copy is in Rivers' personal archive. These CDs contain the tracks from Track List 2 (see below).

Track Lists

Of the two track lists composed for the album, Track List 2 is supposedly closer to what the finished album's track list would have been. Fact|date=February 2007 Rivers compiled Track List 2 using several newly recorded songs and took out numerous songs that apparently were no longer needed, either due to their new status as 'real' second album songs, or due to simple creative changes of heart.cite web | url=http://www.weezer.com/info/recording/WeezRecHist7.htm|title=Weezer Record History page 7|accessdate=2007-10-24 |publisher="Weezer.com"]

Track List 1
#"Blast Off!"
#"You Won't Get with Me Tonight"
#"Maria's Theme"
#"Come to My Pod"
#"This Is Not For Me"
#"Tired of Sex"
#"Superfriend"
#"She's Had a Girl"
#"Good News!"
#"Now I Finally See"
#"Gitchoo"
#"I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams"
#"No Other One"
#"Devotion"
#"What Is This I Find?"
#"Longtime Sunshine"
#"Longtime Sunshine (Reprise)"

Track List 2
#"Blast Off!"
#"Who You Callin' Bitch?"
#"Oh Jonas" [renamed from "Maria's Theme"]
#"Please Remember"
#"Come to My Pod"
#"Oh No, This Is Not For Me"
#"Tired of Sex"
#"She's Had a Girl"
#"Dude, We're Finally Landing" [renamed from "Good News!"]
#"Now I Finally See"
#"I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams"
#"Superfriend"
#"Superfriend (Reprise)"
#"You Won't Get with Me Tonight"
#"What Is This I Find?"

Other Songs
#"Why Bother?"
#"Waiting on You"
#"Longtime Sunshine (Special 'Coda' Mix)"Note: These songs are not officially on either track list but were worked on along with the rest of the SFTBH tracks at the time.

"You Won't Get with Me Tonight" can be found on the compilation album "Gimme Skelter" by Buddyhead Records. "Longtime Sunshine", "Blast Off!", "Who You Callin' Bitch?", "Dude, We're Finally Landing", and "Superfriend" were officially released on "Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo". "Come to My Pod" and "Oh No, This is Not For Me" can be found online.

Formal studio versions of "Tired of Sex", "Getchoo", "No Other One", and "Why Bother?" are included on "Pinkerton" as the first four tracks. "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" and "Waiting on You" may be found on "The Good Life" single and "Devotion" may be found on the "El Scorcho" single.

Tracks and Plot

Blast Off!

The lead-off track (Act 1, Scene 1)"Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes] for Songs from the Black Hole is a dramatic rock song with a high-reaching melody and shifting dynamics. The song takes place on the main deck of the spaceship Betsy II on May 10, 2126."Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes] The lyrics are a conversation between the main character Jonas and his shipmates Wuan and Dondó. Jonas is excited yet reserved about the prospect of doing what he thinks is his dream job. Wuan and Dondó are much more upbeat about the experience. In the middle of the song M1 interjects via vocoder to remind them of the task at hand. In the last verse we find that a female character, Maria, the ship's cook, has entered the scene and that Jonas has a history with her from back at Star Corps Academy."Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes]

Although previously leaked, this song saw an official release on "Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo",cite web | last = | first = | url = http://www.spin.com/features/news/2007/11/071121_mountaingoats/ | title = Rivers Cuomo Unveils 'Alone' Tracklisting | format = | work = | publisher =SPIN | accessdate = 2007-11-24] where it leads directly into "Who You Callin' Bitch?" as was intended for Track List 2.

An interesting parallel in this song (and indeed the whole album) is the space mission concept being a metaphor for the rock star life that Rivers was about to embark upon, heading out on tour and up the charts with a rock band."Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes]

A [http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/RiversCuomo/Blast-Off%21--54817114;_ylt=AvaJnrlpZCGGL53dvnRqizQvtCUv music video] was made for the song and released on Yahoo! on January 11, 2008.

You Won't Get with Me Tonight

This officially-released 8-track demo recording was done completely by Rivers, who sings as both characters."Buddyhead Presents: Gimme Skelter" booklet and liner notes, Nettwerk Records, Released October 21, 2003] The vocals are panned in order to differentiate the different character parts. In the Gimme Skelter liner notes, Karl wrote that Joan Wasser was to play the other character."Buddyhead Presents: Gimme Skelter" booklet and liner notes, Nettwerk Records, Released October 21, 2003] The song is high-energy with a fast tempo and features a synthesizer/guitar duet during the instrumental break.

For Track List 1, the song leads on from "Blast Off!" as a conversation between Jonas and Maria, the female character from the previous track. Maria really wants to hook up with Jonas but he only wants to be her friend, not her lover. He knows that she will use him for sex, not love. Jonas affirms his friendship with Maria though by telling her that he will protect her from Wuan and Dondó, making sure they won't bother her any more. The story's premise here is preserved in the Buddyhead release of the song.

On Track List 2, the song is essentially split up into two new tracks, "Who You Callin' Bitch?" and "Please Remember" - their titles are both derived from this song and they have similar lyrics. The full "You Won't Get with Me Tonight" wasn't completely dropped from the track lists though, instead being placed near the end. It's unknown whether the Track List 2 version of "You Won't Get with Me Tonight" would have had any lyrical changes to accommodate its new track placement at the end rather than at the beginning of the album/story.

Who You Callin’ Bitch?

This song is similar to "You Won’t Get With Me Tonight" (which it replaces on Track List 2), though it is much shorter and takes the form of an interlude. Karl Koch described the song as being “slow but huge, rocking.” "Who You Callin' Bitch?" was officially released on "Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo".cite web | last = | first = | url = http://www.spin.com/features/news/2007/11/071121_mountaingoats/ | title = Rivers Cuomo Unveils 'Alone' Tracklisting | format = | work = | publisher =SPIN | accessdate = 2007-11-24]

In the song, like "You Won't Get With Me Tonight", Maria becomes angry after she hears Dondó call her a bitch in "Blast Off!"."Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes] Jonas attempts to calm her down.

Oh Jonas [aka Maria's Theme]

Maria sings of her affection for Jonas in this short interlude.

Although the song is so far unreleased and unheard, its lyrics and sheet music were released to the public by Rivers Cuomo.

Please Remember

Leading on from Maria's feelings in "Oh Jonas", Jonas pleads with Maria to remember that he is only a friend and that he can't possibly settle down with her, just like he says in "You Won't Get With Me Tonight". Unlike that song however, Maria is stubborn and attempts to change Jonas' mind, who eventually succumbs.

"Please Remember" has so far not been released. The lyrics to the song were released by Rivers on his blog, but he failed to note the order in which they are sung. Karl Koch has since divulged that the song uses back and forth dialogue between Jonas and Maria much like "Who You Callin' Bitch?".

Come to My Pod

"Come to My Pod" is a duet between Jonas and Maria, continuing their earlier conversation. Here, Jonas quickly falls for Maria's charms and gladly goes to make love with Maria in her private "pod" on the spaceship.

A demo of this track was leaked onto the internet. A short song at one and a half minutes long, it features acoustic guitars, sparse drumming, and some synthesizer (Electronic Music Laboratories Electrocomp 101).

Oh No, This Is Not For Me [aka This Is Not For Me]

Immediately following "Come to My Pod", Jonas realizes the mistake he's made and puts a stop to it. Maria tries to convince him to stay, but he's had enough and is filled with shame. Unlike the slow and soothing previous track, "Oh No, This Is Not For Me" is heavy and dramatic as Jonas comes to terms with what he has done.

This song was also leaked in demo-form over the internet.

Tired of Sex

Once Jonas pulls away from Maria, he realizes that his lifestyle is unfulfilling - he seeks true love, not sex.

"Tired of Sex" is the lone SFTBH song that has survived and appeared on all incarnations of Weezer's second album, including "Pinkerton". There are several demos of the song available spanning the entire 1994-96 period; the lyrics remain the same in every rendition, save for one name change.

uperfriend

"Superfriend" is a slow ballad where Jonas confides to Laurel, the other female character in the story. It takes place during Act 1."Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes] During the song, Jonas reprises his sentiments from the previous two tracks, chiding himself for giving into Maria's seduction despite the fact he does not love her. Laurel urges Jonas to grow up and be better than that. Jonas finds himself smitten with Laurel, but she can see through his act and tells him to get real.

The song has a completely different track placement on the two different track lists - on Track List 2, "Superfriend" comes several tracks after the pivotal "She's Had a Girl". Like "You Won't Get with Me Tonight", whether the meaning and/or lyrics of this song would have changed as a consequence is unknown.

This song was released as a demo, with Rivers singing both parts, on "Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo".cite web | last = | first = | url = http://www.spin.com/features/news/2007/11/071121_mountaingoats/ | title = Rivers Cuomo Unveils 'Alone' Tracklisting | format = | work = | publisher =SPIN | accessdate = 2007-11-24]

Until its release, "Superfriend" had become a "most wanted" track by Weezer fans. It previously appeared in two separate, incomplete incarnations on "Video Capture Device": one of Weezer recording the song at Sound City Studios in January 1996, and one of Rivers playing it on an acoustic guitar without singing.

Karl Koch has stated that the "Superfriend" reprise on Track List 2 is a short instrumental of the song.

he's Had a Girl

A significant amount of time has passed on the ship and Maria has given birth to a daughter, whom Jonas turns out to be the father of. In this song, Jonas laments what has happened. The song appears to be a soft, somehow sad ballad about how he realizes what he truly needed and wanted.

Like "Oh Jonas", the lyrics and sheet music have been released by Rivers Cuomo, allowing people to perform their own interpretations of the track via sites such as YouTube. An official version by Cuomo and/or Weezer is currently not available.

Dude, We're Finally Landing [aka Good News!]

This song takes place in Act II."Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes] In this song the three main male characters, Jonas, Wuan and Dondó sing about how the ship is finally landing after 327 days in space."Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" booklet and liner notes] It shows how excited and more upbeat Wuan and Dondó are and how timid and quiet Jonas is about the situation of landing. In this way the song is similar to "Blast Off!" with a nervous and pessimistic Jonas clashing with the joyous Wuan and Dondó. The song is mainly a cappella, with the three characters all singing their points of view over each other. Some acoustic guitar appears near the end of the song.

This song was released on "Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo".cite web | last = | first = | url = http://www.spin.com/features/news/2007/11/071121_mountaingoats/ | title = Rivers Cuomo Unveils 'Alone' Tracklisting | format = | work = | publisher =SPIN | accessdate = 2007-11-24]

Now I Finally See

Jonas echoes his sentiments from "She's Had a Girl" at the direction his life is taking. This interlude is currently unreleased, although the lyrics (which are reprised from "She's Had a Girl") were released to the public by Rivers Cuomo.

Getchoo [aka Gitchoo]

Although "Getchoo" was scrapped on Track List 2, the song (along with a batch of other SFTBH-era songs) made it onto the Pinkerton album. Jonas presumably feels stung by Laurel who appears to have rejected him, possibly as a consequence of the events in "She's Had a Girl" and/or "Now I Finally See".

The 1995 Ft. Apache demo of this song features slightly different lyrics to those on the final "Pinkerton" version that better fit the SFTBH mold. "What I did to her, you've done to me" seems to refer to Jonas ditching Maria for Laurel, only to end up empty-handed himself.

I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams

Laurel is upset about throwing away her love. She is torn between what she thinks she wants and what she thinks is right. It is unclear whether this means she has rejected Jonas, as is implied in "Getchoo" and is now doubting herself since, or if she's singing about someone else she may have left for Jonas ("I... see him every day, even though my love is a world away").

This song was recorded in studio and officially released as a b-side to "The Good Life" single. Rachel Haden sings lead vocals (representing Laurel for the SFTBH album) and Rivers joins in on the last verse to make the song a duet. It is not known whether this represents Jonas, as the recording was completed after the scrapping of Songs from the Black Hole. This song makes extensive use of the Electrocomp 101.

It is the most complete example of a "Black Hole" song with full male and female vocal parts and the released version is the best representation of what SFTBH would have sounded like had it not been scrapped.

No Other One

Like "Getchoo", "No Other One" appears on "Pinkerton". After losing his chances with Laurel, Jonas contents himself with having Maria by his side, despite his negative feelings for her. The song does not appear on Track List 2.

Devotion

Developing his sentiments explored in "No Other One", Jonas realises how much he has taken Maria's devotion to him for granted while "searching for Mrs Right", and falls in love with her for it.

"Devotion" was dropped from the SFTBH Track List 2, but was later recorded in studio and officially released in 1996 as the b-side to the El Scorcho single.

What Is This I Find?

This unreleased track remains the least-known of all "Black Hole" songs. The plot point explored in the song is rather oblique - Karl Koch has revealed that "This is about some package that was discovered opened.". The only known lyric from the song is Jonas asking "I wonder which of us best of friends opened and used it?".

The song is the finale on Track List 2.

Longtime Sunshine

"Longtime Sunshine" is a slow, piano-driven ballad about the singer's dissatisfaction with life, wanting to return to times when things were more simple for them. It is assumed that the song would be from Jonas' point of view after the chaotic events of the whole opera. The song acts as a contrary to Jonas' feelings about the space mission in the very first track, "Blast Off!", simply wanting to give everything up and return to simpler times. The track was later dropped from the Track List 2.

The song was leaked onto the internet by Cuomo before being officially released as a demo on "Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo".

Although "Longtime Sunshine" appears on Track List 1 (even getting a reprise), there is debate over whether it was ever supposed to fit in the "Songs From the Black Hole" universe. In the liner notes of "Alone", Rivers reveals that the song is of a more personal nature to himself. It's worth noting that "Longtime Sunshine" was written in 1993, prior to the "Songs From the Black Hole" concept, although Cuomo felt it could fit in with the theme.

A "Special Coda Mix" of the song was experimented with at the time of SFTBH, consisting of an overlapping medley of vocals from "Longtime Sunshine", "Why Bother?", "Waiting on You", "Blast Off!", and possibly other songs. Both the "Special Coda Mix" and the reprise have yet to be released.

Demand for SFTBH

To this day, SFTBH tracks remain a holy grail for many Weezer fans. Over the years several petitions have been started with the aim of making the band release the lost "Black Hole" demos much in the same way the ss2k songs were released; the most [http://www.releasesftbh.tk recent petition] was launched by Weezer fans on November 27th, 2005, with the goal of reaching 1000 signatures. It reached its goal of 1000 signatures on March 1st, 2006.

On October 4th, 2005 during a Weezer show at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, the band invited a fan up onstage to play the rhythm guitar for Undone - The Sweater Song. The fan took advantage of this moment to attempt to get the band to play "Blast Off!" by beginning to play the intro to the song and sang the first four lines of the song before Rivers laughed and jokingly pushed him away from the mic. After they finished "Undone", Weezer guitarist Brian Bell and Rivers all laughed at the fan's idea.cite web | last = | first = | url = http://www.weezer.com/community/news_comment.asp?ParentAssetID=1330782&ArtistID=479&Start=&FullStory=Y&type= | title = 10/03/05 'Neath A Purple Desert Sky | format = | work = | publisher =Weezer.com | accessdate = 2007-10-24] In early 2006 a low-quality video bootleg of the show began to circulate around various Weezer message boards and included the fan's special performance of "Undone" and Rivers' subsequent reaction.

Once Rivers posted the lyrics and music for some of the SFTBH tracks, fans were able to cover the songs despite not having heard them. Rivers has even posted comments about the covers he has heard: "By the way, I'm very disappointed not to be hearing any women out there singing Maria's parts. What gives?" (on "Who You Callin' Bitch?") and "Good luck figuring out the time changes... No one's gotten it yet. Look at it this way: 3 beats in a 3/4 measure go by in the same amount of time as 2 beats in a 6/4 measure. Also, these last two sawngs (sic) are elided so that the pickup note of "Oh, Jonas" is the last beat of the last bar of "Who You Callin'" (on "Oh Jonas")."

The future

Rivers Cuomo has stated on his blog that he is unable to release any of his demos (including Black Hole songs) because of his contractual obligations to Geffen Records. Geffen has the exclusive right to release his music:

"...Someday that may change but it won’t be anytime soon...Until I can figure out a way to compensate Geffen records (and in the case of covers songs, the songwriters) I can’t give away my recordings."

In his blog, Rivers also talked about playing his demos to Jordan Schur, the president of Weezer's label, Geffen Records:

"...when we were starting to work on Make Believe in 2003, I sat down with Jordan and played him hours of my old demos, going all the way back to the beginnings of Weezer. He didn’t think any of them were album-worthy. Neither did I. The one song he thought was good was 'Blast Off' but it 'needs a new chorus.' I agreed."

But Rivers did leave fans with some hope that the songs could eventually be heard:

"Thanks to all who have expressed their interest in my unreleased recordings. I hope that everything of quality is eventually made available."

In a 2006 interview, commenting on speculation that "Make Believe" would be Weezer's last album, Pat Wilson (the band's drummer) stated that he would be interested in releasing a compilation of "lost" Weezer tracks. This fueled rumours that the band would release previously unheard Black Hole songs or a completely re-worked version of the "Songs from the Black Hole" concept album in the near future.

Rivers' photo on his MySpace page on December 25th, 2005 was an image of the Wonder Twins, "sidekicks to the Super Friends in the Hanna-Barbera animated television series of the same name". Some fans believed that this was a sign that the 2005 holiday treat would be a high quality mp3 of "Superfriend" but this was later proved to be false.

On April 30, 2006, Rivers released this statement in his blog, and in the process confirmed that the home recordings of the Black Hole songs will be released sometime in the future:

"Thanks for your interest in these songs! I'm putting up the lyrics now because I suddenly realized that I can. I'll also put up the sheet music (when I have time) so that you can play them for each other! I'll release my home demos as soon as I am legally able."

It is unclear however if the recent online [http://www.releasesftbh.tk petition] which garnered over 1000 signatures has influenced his decision.

On October 15, 2007 Rivers posted a blog on his official blog stating that he had permission from Geffen to release a collection of demos spanning 1992-2007, Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo. Shortly after, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Rivers revealed that many of the songs on the CD will be unreleased demos from Songs From The Black Hole. [cite web | last = | first = | url = http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/10/17/rivers-cuomo-talks-solo-work-new-weezer-album-ice-cube/ | title = Rivers Cuomo Talks Solo Work, New weezer Album, Ice Cube | format = | work = | publisher =Rolling Stone| accessdate = 2007-10-18] A news post on Geffen's official website read, "The vast majority will be new to even the most die-hard Weezer fan," hinting that the SFTBH demos will be songs previously never heard. [cite web | last = | first = | url = http://www.geffen.com/artist/news/default.aspx/nid/12141/aid/372 | title = Geffen discusses Rivers new solo album | format = | work = | publisher =Geffen| accessdate = 2007-10-28] In an Alternative Press interview from October 30, 2007, Rivers revealed that "Blast Off!", "Who You Calling Bitch?", "Dude, We're Finally Landing" and "Superfriend" are slated to be on the album.cite web | last =Heisel | first =Scott | url = http://altpress.com/features/111.htm | title = Web Exclusive: A conversation with Rivers Cuomo | format = | work = | publisher =Alternative Press| accessdate = 2007-11-01] It has been reported that "Longtime Sunshine" will also be on the record. A clip of this song was posted on weezer.com on November 27, 2007, along with clips of "Superfriend" and "Blast Off!", confirming that it will also be on Alone.

On November 22, 2007, Rivers updated his blog, stating "I want to share with everyone the excitement I felt when I went back and heard the original master tapes of these demos. In most cases, they sounded much better than the mp3s I've been listening to for years--clearer, warmer, deeper. I highly recommend that listeners buy the CD rather than the digital version so that they can enjoy the highest quality listening experience."

Possible connection to The Rentals

When Rivers was asked on a chat room interview what the reason was for not releasing "Songs From the Black Hole", he simply stated "ROTR". He was referring to Weezer bassist Matt Sharp's then new band The Rentals, whose first album was titled "Return of the Rentals" (ROTR). This album was released in 1995, in between Weezer's first two albums.

Cuomo has further hinted that sonically and aesthetically, Sharp's "Return of the Rentals" borrowed much of its sound from Rivers drafts of "Songs from the Black Hole", thus discouraging Rivers from further pursuing the sound out of fear of the public thinking he was "stealing" Matt's sound with the Rentals.

However, some Weezer fans have speculated that originally both Matt and Rivers were writing songs for "Songs From the Black Hole". Once Matt decided that he wanted to take his songs to The Rentals, the weight of the album rested solely on Rivers shoulders, and eventually he decided to scrap the idea.

Lyrics

A Sharp-penned song entitled "Mrs.Young" was demoed in May of 1993. Sharp wrote the core of the song but asked Cuomo for assistance on filling in details of the song and the performance on the demo.

This song was later reworked into "Please Let That Be You", which appeared on "Return of the Rentals". Some portions of the lyrics may have themes that could be linked to the space theme of "Songs From the Black Hole".

Cquote2|The love I'm searching for in this machine/The systems failed, all the circuits blown, and the message lost in this machineTried all the codes, all possibilities, all combinations, but still nothing/Called for backup from my assistants but no one seems to know anything/Disconnect, shut the main reactor down, and separate from this technology|"The Love I'm Searching For"|"Return of the Rentals

Furthermore, an early version of 'The Love I'm Searching For' can be found on the Rentals' bootleg 'Excellent Stocking Stuffer.' In this earlier take, the lyric "you should be with me" is revealed to have originally been "the mission must be complete." This ties into SFTBH in that several songs from the known SFTBH track lists also mention a mission. In 'Blast Off', there are lyrics referring to 'the purpose of the mission.'

In another interesting twist of events, when the Rentals reunited in 2005 and began touring, the band would cover Weezer's "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams", a song originally intended for "Songs from the Black Hole". Rachel Haden, who performs vocals on the Weezer version, handles lead vocal duties when played live with the Rentals, as she is part of the newly formed incarnation of the Rentals.

It is presently unknown if there is any truth to these theories or if they are simply speculation on the part of fans.

References

ee also

* "Pinkerton"

External links

* [http://weezer.com/info/recording/WeezRecHist7.htm Weezer Recording History Page 7]
* [http://www.sftbh.com Songs from the Black Hole fan site]
* [http://www.anti-favre.net/reewez/sheetmusic.html Songs from the Black Hole Sheet Music]
* [http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1737344 A Close Look at the Mythology Surrounding the Unreleased Album 'Songs From the Black Hole' by David Lawson]
* [http://www.releasesftbh.tk Fan circulated online petition to get 'Songs from the Black Hole' released]
*MusicBrainz release|id=1da85d91-2db3-4d25-b0e9-1e7f980b245a|name=Songs from the Black Hole