Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition)

VINYL FORMAT. Few albums in rock history have enjoyed as complete a critical and popular turnaround as Weezer's Pinkerton. Though tagged a disappointment upon its 1996 release, today Pinkerton is considered one of the most influential and important albums of that decade and beyond. In 2004, Rolling Stone even felt compelled to re-review the album, raising it from three stars to the ultimate five. Spin has since honored Pinkerton as among the 100 best albums of 1985-2005 and Guitar World ranks it among the top 100 guitar albums of all-time. Now the 4xLP Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition) adds color to the band's musical journey with the original Weezer-produced album re-mastered and 25 contemporaneous bonus tracks, including every official B-side and 16 previously unreleased recordings. Among the latter are the newly-discovered gem "Tragic Girl," unreleased B-side "I Swear It's True" and numerous live performances, particularly noteworthy given that the band rarely played Pinkerton songs after the album tour. The 1996-1997 concert tracks were taken from the massive Reading Festival in the UK, radio station sessions in Philadelphia and Salt Lake City, and a lunchtime performance won in a contest by Shorecrest High School near Seattle. At the time Pinkerton's vulnerable lyrics and edgier music took audiences and critics by surprise. But redemption was near. Today Pinkerton approached platinum and is widely hailed as one of rock's greatest albums.