History Music / Maladroit

''Maladroit'' was recorded through December 2001 to January 2002 at Cello Studios behind their label Geffen's back. They only found out about the new album when they began hearing the lead single, "Dope Nose", on the radio, after Rivers personally mailed radio stations a copy of the song. Geffen was ''furious'' and demanded that the band would turn over the master tapes and issue an apology to stations who played the song, to which Weezer refused.

''Maladroit'' was recorded through December 2001 to January 2002 at Cello Studios behind their label Geffen's back. They only found out about the new album when they began hearing the lead single, "Dope Nose", on the radio, after Rivers personally mailed radio stations a copy of the song. Geffen was ''furious'', and demanded that the band would turn over the master tapes and issue an apology to stations who played the song, to which Weezer refused.

Despite the strong sales of its two singles and its #3 spot on the Billboard 200, the album underperformed, selling a paltry 605,000 units as of 2007, not as terribly as ''Pinkerton'' when it first came out, but a far cry from the much more successful ''Green Album''.

''Maladroit'' is the fourth studio album by AlternativeRock band Music/{{Weezer}}, released in 2002. Following the successful release of ''Music/WeezerTheGreenAlbum'', frontman Rivers Cuomo got cocky. He fired the band's manager, arranged for the band to self-fund their next album, and got to work on new material. Though initially seeking outside producers, the band made the decision to once again self-produce. Like their [[Music/{{Pinkerton}} last self-produced effort]], this resulted in a much heavier sound than its predecesor.

Notably, Rivers sought to involve the fans into the recording process. He would release demos and works in progress to the band's official website and would communicate with fans directly through an online forum called the Rivers Correspondent Board seeking input for the album. Unfortunately, this innovative approach to album production failed miserably, as Rivers would argue with his fans over what direction to take the album. In an incident infamous in the Weezer fandom, he called ''Music/WeezerTheBlueAlbum'''s closing track "Only in Dreams" "GAY!GAY!GAY! DISNEYGAY! [sic]" in a thread comparing the ''Maladroit'' demos to the aformentioned ''Blue Album'' track. That isn't to say that it was a total waste of time, as some fan input did make it onto the final product: popular ''Green Album'' reject "Slob" was revived for the album by popular demand, and the album name was suggested by a forum member.

Meanwhile, ''Green Album'' bassist Mikey Welsh's mental health began rapidly deteriating following the ''Green Album'' sessions. He failed to appear at several shows and even the shooting for the music video of "Island in the Sun". It turns out that Mikey had a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide. He was checked into a mental hospital in August of 2001. Weezer was forced to replace him with bassist Scott Shriner, whose first appearance was on this album and remained with the band ever since. Mikey Welsh has since retired from music to pursue a career in art. He tragically died of a drug overdose in October 2011.

* AlbumSingle: "Dope Nose" and "Keep Fishin'".

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: This definitely gets a 6. It's their heaviest album since ''Pinkerton''. Some songs like "Death and Destruction" and "Burndt Jamb" alternate between a 2 and a 5.

Meanwhile, ''Green Album'' bassist Mikey Welsh's mental health began rapidly deteriating following the ''Green Album'' sessions. He failed to appear at several shows and even the shooting for the music video of "Island in the Sun". It turns out that Mikey had a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide. He was checked into a mental hospital in August of 2001. Weezer was forced to replace him with bassist Scott Shriner, whose first appearance was on this album and remained with the band ever since. Mikey Welsh has since retired from music to pursue a career in art. He tragically died of heart failure in 2010.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: This definitely gets a 6. It's their heaviest album since ''Pinkerton''.

Despite the strong sales of its two singles and its #3 spot on the Billboard 200, the album underperformed, selling a paltry 605,000 units as of 2007, not as terribly as ''Pinkerton'' when it first came out, but a far cry from the much more successful ''Green Album''. Despite its tepid sales, it remains a beloved album in the Weezer catalog, with many calling it their most underrated album years after its release.

* TheNotRemix: Though they re-recorded "Keep Fishin'" entirely for the music video and single version, the most discernable differences are a new acoustic intro [[note]]the album version starts with a couple measures of drums instead[[/note]] and a slightly different ending.

* TakeThat: "Dope Nose" can be taken as a diss track against fans who want them to return to their old sound.

Notably, Rivers sought to involve the fans into the recording process. He would release demos and works in progress to the band's official website and would communicate with fans directly through an online forum called the Rivers Correspondent Board seeking input for the album. Unfortunately, this innovative approach to album production failed miserably, as Rivers would argue with his fans over what direction to take the album. In an incident infamous in the Weezer fandom, he called ''Music/WeezerTheBlueAlbum'''s closing track "Only in Dreams" "GAY!GAY!GAY! DISNEYGAY!" in a thread comparing the ''Maladroit'' demos to the aformentioned ''Blue Album'' track. That isn't to say that it was a total waste of time, as some fan input did make it onto the final product: popular ''Green Album'' reject "Slob" was revived for the album by popular demand, and the album name was suggested by a forum member.

Maladroit was recorded through December 2001 to January 2002 at Cello Studios behind their label Geffen's back. They only found out about the new album when they began hearing the lead single, "Dope Nose", on the radio, after Rivers personally mailed radio stations a copy of the song. Geffen was ''furious'', and demanded that the band would turn over the master tapes and issue an apology to stations who played the song, to which Weezer refused.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Music-wise, it's much heavier and aggressive than the Green Album. It's also more complex and ambitious. Lyrics-wise, it stayed the same.
* DontLikeDontRead: "Dope Nose", which is interpreted as a jab against Pinkerton fans:

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Pinkerton in a way. While it lacks the emotional lyrics of Pinkerton, it's about as heavy as Pinkerton. It was even self-produced, just like Pinkerton.

* WordSaladLyrics: This style of lyrics is one of the things carried over from the Green Album. Lampshaded on Dope Nose:
--> ''Cheese smells so good''\\

''(Piece of what!?)''

Meanwhile, ''Green Album'' bassist Mikey Welsh's mental health began rapidly deteriating following the ''Green Album'' sessions. He failed to appear at several shows and even the shooting for the music video of "Island in the Sun". It turns out that Mikey had a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide. He was checked into a mental hospital in August of 2001. Weezer was forced to replace him with bassist Scott Shriner, who remained with the band ever since. Mikey Welsh has since retired from music to pursue a career in art. He tragically died of heart failure in 2010.