| Songs from the Black Hole | |
|---|---|
 Header from The Pinkerton Diaries | |
| Studio album (unfinished) by | |
| Recorded | December 1994 – June 1996 |
| Studio |
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| Genre | |
| Producer | Weezer |
Songs from the Black Hole is an unfinished album by the American rock band Weezer, recorded between 1994 and 1996. The songwriter, Rivers Cuomo, conceived it as a rock opera that would express his mixed feelings about the success of Weezer's 1994 self-titled debut album. Its characters were to be voiced by members of Weezer, plus the guest vocalists Rachel Haden (of That Dog and the Rentals) and Joan Wasser (of the Dambuilders).
Cuomo recorded demos for Songs from the Black Hole over Christmas 1994, and Weezer held recording sessions over the following year. In late 1995, Cuomo enrolled at Harvard University, where his songwriting became darker and more confessional. Weezer abandoned the Black Hole concept and their second album became Pinkerton (1996), which incorporated some songs once intended for Songs from the Black Hole.
Two Songs from the Black Hole tracks, "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" and "Devotion", were released as Pinkerton B-sides. Demos, lyrics and sheet music were released on Cuomo's compilations Alone (2007), Alone II (2008) and Alone III (2011), and on the 2010 Pinkerton reissue. The songs received positive reviews. Rolling Stone described Songs from the Black Hole as a "lost mythical masterpiece".