A Birthday Tribute to River Cuomo

 

It's Rivers Cuomo's birthday. The Weezer frontman has always gotten a lot of props for his skills as a songwriter. His iconic image stands out among a host of uber-masculine dude-bro rock stars. The idiosyncrasies of his personality make him even more memorable. 

But one thing he doesn't get a lot of props for is his skill as a lead guitar player. He doesn't light your eyebrows on fire with his blazing scale runs, sweep arpeggios and fretboard tapping (though judging by his playing on his pre-Weezer recordings, he probably could). He's not Van Halen or Petrucci or Abasi or even the little shithead at the guitar store who can shred through note-perfect covers of Trivium songs. But he has an approach to the instrument that makes him immediately stand out from all those other guys, which is more impressive than anything some Alexi Laiho clone can scare up.

So today, on his birthday, I thought I would look at my Top 10 Favorite Rivers Cuomo guitar solos on Weezer recordings. I hope this turns out to be a fitting tribute to someone I've stolen a huge chunk of my musical identity from. Here we go...

10. Ain't Got Nobody 

The first track off Weezer's return to form, Everything Will Be Alright in the End, features a glorious solo from Rivers. It opens some off-kilter phrases before moving on into a repeated melodic statement and ending with a mid-speed scalar run. Yummy.

9. The Perfect Situation

This tune features some of Cuomo's most conventional lead playing, with lots of bends and pentatonic stuff. But I dig his phrasing and vibrato. Also, his wah-wah work makes his guitar honk and squeak like cheese curds. In a good way.

8. Take Control 

One of the heavier tunes Weezer ever wrote, the main riff owns this song. But Rivers comes through with a solo that features some cool muted lines and that's catchy enough to hum along with after a few listens.

7. The Good Life 

This solo is a two-parter. It opens with Rivers giving us some off-kilter yet melodic goodness before ending with a quieter moment, complete with some tasty slide guitar.

6. Cleopatra

Start with some tasty hammer-ons and bends. Throw in a sweet harmonized section. End with a descending flourish. That's how you write the perfect solo.

5. (Girl We Got a) Good Thing

This one's here purely because the killer harmonized guitar lines conjure memories of some old Thin Lizzy jams I love so much.

4. Tired of Sex 

Few solos fit the mood of the song they're in as well as this one. It's frantic, noisy and desperate. I have no doubt that the mind of someone who fed up with meaningless sex and can't find substance in their life sounds like this. 

3. American Gigolo

Nonsensical, off-kilter licks are the name of the game here. Rivers plays dissonant chords and double-stops to keep you on your toes. I tried learning this one, but got so pissed that I couldn't figure out the weird chords and unison bends that I had to give up.

2. Say It Ain't So

Jimmy Page has Stairway to Heaven. Eddie Van Halen has Eruption. Rivers has this one, which while not as technically mind-blowing or trendsetting as those solos, packs way more drama and melodic power than both of them put together.

1. Susanne 

Maybe it's cuz I've played this solo in front of people. Maybe it's cuz it's so melodic and flat-out fun to play. Maybe it's cuz it fills my head with images of Jay, Silent Bob and their ape, Susanne. Whatever the reason, this solo makes me so fucking happy, it's a little scary. So... maybe don't play this song around me if you don't wanna see that.

So...

There you go. Happy birthday, Rivers! Hope it's a great one!! Thanks for making my life so much more rad!