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Best/Favourite Ween Albums?

Started by Hand Solo, July 27, 2020, 04:22:56 PM

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Hand Solo

Right, I'm not a big fan of the earlier punky ones, and haven't heard all of the live or session ones yet, but my top 3 would go in no particular order:

White Pepper
The Mollusk
Quebec

I first heard them obviously through the Beavis & Butthead episode featuring Push th' Little Daisies back in the 90s which jumped back into my head a few years later as the crazy high pitched weird daisy song and I misremembered the band being called Pavement, which got me nowhere looking online until remembering some of the lyrics managed to find the band was called Ween. I do like some of weird pitch-shifted unorthodox stuff like on Chocolate & Cheese, but prefer their more 60s bubblegum or psychedelic songs, hence my albums choices above.

Noodle Lizard

I think The Mollusk is probably the most consistent favourite for me. I must've heard it 30 times through, but it's always such a pure fun experience from start to finish. I think that album really embodies everything good about Ween, from all eras. Chocolate & Cheese is a pretty close second, though.

I think the entire run from Chocolate & Cheese thru Quebec is pretty much perfect, though, and there are very few songs on any of their albums that I'll skip as a rule (although I probably play The Pod and Pure Guava the least). I know La Cucaracha was seen as a bit of a dud, but at least four or five songs on it are as good as anything else they did. They have possibly the most solid discography of any band I'm a fan of. I was lucky enough to see them play three nights in a row when they reunited, different setlist every night, around 100 songs in total and not one excuse to go for a piss.

Hand Solo

#2
Quote from: Noodle Lizard on July 27, 2020, 05:25:37 PM
I think the entire run from Chocolate & Cheese thru Quebec is pretty much perfect, though, and there are very few songs on any of their albums that I'll skip as a rule (although I probably play The Pod and Pure Guava the least).

I coincidentally just listened through The Pod for the first time in a while during cooking and it still doesn't really do much for me, I'm going to try and go through a few of the other early albums again to see if there's the odd track I can favourite on to my playlist from there as I haven't given them any time in ages.

One of my friends is a massive Mike Patton obsessive and obviously listens to Faith No More/Mr Bungle and other side-proejcts obsessively and I've tried to get him to listen to Ween but I don't think he's bothered much beyond the odd track I send him over Facebook. Which album do you think would most appeal to him? I'm guessing Chocolate & Cheese?

Some of my favourite tracks overall for anybody else:

Even If You Don't - Just pure bubblegum rock that's to a formula that's been done a million times, but they just happen to do it from a slightly sideways angle that makes it seem fresh to me.

Mutilated Lips - Nice bit of semi-pscyhedelia and nice spacey (cancelled) slap-back echo and alternate tuned chords, and that warm clean guitar tone in the solo section is to die for.

Tried & True - A love song from the Sun to the Moon, just love the pitch-shifted vocals and cosmic vibe to the whole thing - but the "can you smell my (w)hole... life?" which I'm sure is an intentional joke marrs it a bit for me, that humour works in a lot of their other stuff but not here.

Happy Colored Marbles - Another Bubblegum rock type song with a bit of weird pitch-shifting and effects stuff to make it all off-kilter

The Golden Eel - Another great psychedelic semi-stupid song.

The Flutes Of Chi - A lovely spirited tribal beat of a track.

Buckingham Green - A great rocker with silly lyrics that builds and builds until they bring out the timpani drums and have it with a fuck off fuzzed guitar.

Brundle-Fly

It'll have to be Pure Guava for sentimental reasons, because it was the first Ween album I bought when I saw them live around that time. Then, Chocolate & Cheese and White Pepper. I thoroughly enjoy the rest too, but that's my top three.

BTW. A couple of months ago my girlfriend freeze-framed this image from an old war movie she was watching on TV and called me into the room squealing, "Dean Ween!"

Whaddaya reckon?






poloniusmonk

It's The Pod for me. Because it's the first album of theirs I bought, and subsequently listened to a lot, it's kind of ingrained in me now. Just so murky and stupid and food-obsessed and willfully offputting but sometimes secretly gorgeous. I love it.

Pancake

I only know White Pepper but I do love White Pepper so I'm going to say White Pepper, particularly:

Flutes of Chi
Stroker Ace
Ice Castles

The Mollusk

"The Mollusk" is definitely their most consistent, there's not a bad song on it. "Chocolate and Cheese" and "Pure Guava" are my personal favourites but they have a couple of songs I'm not always in the mood for, like "Voodoo Lady" or "Mourning Glory", or "Candi" which is one of their worst songs in my opinion and one I always skip.

"La Cucaracha" is obviously their weakest but as Noodle says it still has some corkers. "Your Party" is far and away one of the most stylish and accomplished things they've ever done and works perfectly as being the 'final' proper Ween song. It's fucking incredible. Gener's voice! The saxophone! The candy and spices, and tricolour pastas!

"Quebec" is probably only like 70% great, to me. A lot of people beg to differ but I find tracks like "Captain", "The Fucked Jam" and often even "Among His Tribe" to be completely disposable fluff. But then again tracks like "The Argus" and "If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)" are among the band's strongest songs in terms of how epic and polished they are, and "Chocolate Town" is probably in the top 5 best Ween songs ever for me. I love the dusty warmth to the production on that track, it's just marvellous.

It took me years to really fully appreciate "The Pod" but there was a thread here recently saying there's not really another album like it, and that's pretty much spot on. It's so fucking good, a weird Xanax-and-wine fever sweat loosely operating as a pop record. "Demon Sweat" is about as brown as the blues can get, and the version on "All Request Live" shows just how gorgeous it is when it's taken more seriously. The band's most supreme unwavering talent.

I will just add that there's at least one full albums worth of top tier Ween material in the Quebec (Caesar) demos as well. I find it weird that scorchers like "Things You Already Know" or "Don't Let The Moon Catch You Cryin'" never made the cut, or never surfaced on a second volume of "Shinola" which they have more than enough material to fill, but hey, it ain't my band and those tracks still rule as scrappy demo versions so I can't ever complain.

famethrowa

I'm going for Pure Guava. Hits that right spot between stupid and clever, still mostly sounds like a home recording. Though Golden Country Greats might be second, great from start to finish.

Ace thread. White Pepper and Quebec. I like the earlier pretty ones like Oh my dear (I think I'm falling in love); Push th' Little Dasies; Freedom of '76, Joppa Road; and pretty much everything after that. Thanks to Noodle and Nags for showing the way over the years.

Hand Solo

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on July 27, 2020, 06:43:01 PM
BTW. A couple of months ago my girlfriend freeze-framed this image from an old war movie she was watching on TV and called me into the room squealing, "Dean Ween!"

Whaddaya reckon?



Close. Stranger Things have happened..


famethrowa

Here's one of my favourite clips ever. It seems to be from another, gentler age... the talk show host is friendly and intelligent, she and the audience are interested in what these 2 slackers are doing on their stage with their garage junk. They play an awesome song and everyone is happy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzYykIA1xVg

Noodle Lizard

As The Mollusk pointed out, a lot of great songs they recorded never made it onto their "proper" albums. These three in particular are as good as anything they did:

Eye 2 The Sky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEoRAdOy5qA
I'll Miss You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5uyltRASHY
Boys Club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKpSSl2Ouqo

It's actually surprising they never got more popular. Obviously they have a pretty large and very dedicated following, but they had more than enough "accessible" music that even my mum loves, so it's almost a shame that Push Th' Little Daisies about as big a "hit" as they saw. Then again, they seemed perfectly happy exactly where they were at.

Brundle-Fly


Egyptian Feast

I love all of their albums, but I could make a case for any of the first four albums being my favourites. My first was Pure Guava, inspired by a negative review of Chocolate & Cheese in Hot Press which made them sound fantastic. Another (more positive) review in Vox led to the revelation that this was the band who did that 'Push Th' Little Daisies' song Jakki Brambles had been playing a couple of years back (I'd misheard my brother and thought the band was called Wee). I ordered it into the local record store and 3 weeks later shelled out £18 for a CD that was not quite what I was expecting (or like much I'd heard before) and caused a friend to punch me hard in the arm 30 seconds into 'Little Birdy'. Regardless, I persevered and fell in love after a few listens.

I got Chocolate and Cheese next and was completely blown away. It became my favourite album on first listen and I became an evangelist for the brothers Ween, spreading the illness through my friends back home and then to the new people I met in my first year of college in Dublin. I played it to death, then played my very favourite tracks to death, so I don't need to hear it ever again, but it'll always be a very important album for me.

An American hippie I met at the hostel I stayed in during my first year at college was the first person I'd met who'd already heard of Ween. He taped me The Pod and the 'Freedom Of '76' single ('Now I'm Freaking Out' is still a favourite), which became the only cassette that saw the inside of my walkman for months. It eventually got chewed and I bought the CD, which sounded really slow & wrong compared to my tape, which must've been playing slightly faster for some reason. I got used to it eventually and played that one to death as well.

I picked up God Ween Satan just before 12 Golden Country Greats came out and it completely overshadowed the later album for a long time. I played that fucker everywhere, even got barred from a pub that allowed punters in the snug to put their own CDs on in quiet periods (rightly so, I might add). It's another one I played so much I don't think I need to hear again. Out of the earlier albums, Pure Guava is the only one I dig out occasionally, so that's my current favourite.

I never had the same connection to the later albums. I still played them loads, but not quite to death, so if I was in the mood for listening to a Ween album now, I'd most likely go for one of the later ones.

shagatha crustie

'The Fucked Jam' should be destroyed.


Egyptian Feast

Wait a second, I forgot about Live In Toronto, Canada Featuring The Shit Creek Boys. That's my favourite Ween album these days.

As for the unreleased stuff, as The Mollusk says, I can't believe they haven't done a second Shinola album or even expanded reissues yet. They're sitting on a goldmine! I couldn't attempt to pick a favourite or I'd be here all day, but I've always related to 'Booze Me Up And Get Me High'.

The Mollusk

Ah mate. "Live in Toronto" is the best live album I've ever heard. I feel like I'm in the fucking room every time I hear it, and I've never felt like that with a live album. It is unbelievable. The Shit Creek Boys, who are a hugely accomplished group of Nashville country session musicians, adapt absolutely perfectly to the setting and add a remarkable atmosphere to what the band was already achieving on the stage at that point, which is pretty much perfection. The way they flesh out "Buenas Tardes" and "Fluffy" to the 10+ minute epics is astounding.

Fuck it I'm drunk enough to spit this stupid post at 1:30am, who cares

The Mollusk

"Gimme some fuckin red light up here so I can chill ... like a good friend of mine said, 'take me home and feed me sweat'."

"No wait, like my mama used to say ... 'FUCK YOU'."

Hand Solo

#18
To Noodle Lizard which it was originally directed to, or anyone else with Patton obsessive knowledge:

Quote from: Hand Solo on July 27, 2020, 06:02:35 PM
One of my friends is a massive Mike Patton obsessive and obviously listens to Faith No More/Mr Bungle and other side-proejcts obsessively and I've tried to get him to listen to Ween but I don't think he's bothered much beyond the odd track I send him over Facebook. Which album do you think would most appeal to him? I'm guessing Chocolate & Cheese?

Oh I should actually correct this he was born in `97.. so.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Hand Solo on July 29, 2020, 01:45:21 AM
To Noodle Lizard which it was originally directed to, or anyone else with Patton obsessive knowledge:

One of my friends is a massive Mike Patton obsessive and obviously listens to Faith No More/Mr Bungle and other side-proejcts obsessively and I've tried to get him to listen to Ween but I don't think he's bothered much beyond the odd track I send him over Facebook. Which album do you think would most appeal to him? I'm guessing Chocolate & Cheese?

Oh I should actually correct this he was born in `97.. so.

That's a tough one, as I don't think they're doing anything especially similar other than being "esoteric musicians". I think a proper Bungle fan (especially the demos and first two albums) would be more inclined to like the first three Ween records (especially The Pod, which I suppose is their Disco Volante), but I always lure people in with more accessible tracks from C&C or White Pepper.

I found them just through hearing their name mentioned so many times, decided to try The Mollusk from start to finish and it clicked instantly. Then I watched Live In Chicago and it blew me away - maybe that's not a bad place to start if he's already heard a few tunes?

SteveDave

Since becoming a father I can no longer listen to "Spinal Meningitis" as it ruins me.

Weirdly I've not heard any other Ween LPs other than "Chocolate And Cheese". I spent many an afternoon looking at the cover in MVC when I was a short teenager unable to reach the grot mags.

Puce Moment

Even though it has a racist song about the Irish, The Mollusk is the obvious answer from me.

My wife is a much bigger fan than me, listening to all their albums for decades now, but she knew that album would be the one to click with me.

phantom_power

Quote from: Puce Moment on July 29, 2020, 01:48:06 PM
Even though it has a racist song about the Irish, The Mollusk is the obvious answer from me.


I always thought it was about pirates

The Mollusk

I dunno, is there anything in the history of the Blarney Stone that pertains to pirates or general seafaring at all (besides the way it was transported, which doesn't really hold enough relevance to be made into a song)? Although to be fair it's just as likely to be used by Ween as some form of absurdism or abstract, as their lyrics often do. But then it is sung in what could easily be construed as an Irish accent. Hmm.

Egyptian Feast

In its defence, when they did 'The Blarney Stone' the last time they played Dublin in 2008 (with a new verse about Deaner breaking his leg), the crowd roared the words back louder than any of the other songs they played that night, so I doubt it bothers many Irish fans, this one included.

I was hoping a recording of that gig would turn up eventually, it was fucking incredible. Someone should at least have captured that song and the venue-baiting extended cover of 'Let Me Lick Your Pussy' that ended the show (backstory: a group of female fans had requested it before the gig and took to the stage to dance along, but it was getting close to the curfew when they began the final encore and the venue staff were getting antsy; the band kept stopping and starting to wind them up, so it had a ridiculous amount of false endings and seemed to last about 20 minutes - cunty, but very funny).

The Mollusk

They faced a lot of backlash when they released "The HIV Song" as well but likewise it's been reported that most of their gay fan base things it's a great song, it's just fucking stupid and funny.

Ween are definitely in the Leigh Francis camp when it comes to having questionable or offensive subjects in their work, in that some of it is obviously not okay, but I haven't ever seen any malicious intent behind any of it. They're just writing dumb shit, they didn't mean to be offensive even though some of it clearly is. "Mango Woman" (as you mentioned before, Feasty) is one of the worst offenders and "Mister Richard Smoker" is eyebrow-raising to day the least, but then it's hard for me to conclude that Ween are homophobic because the songs "Homo Rainbow" and "Boys Club" are very affectionate nods to the gay community.

PaulTMA

A friend of mine theorised that The HIV Song was a musical representation of HIV at work within the body.  That was not what had initially occurred to me but have since chosen to adopt this viewpoint myself.

Puce Moment

Quote from: Egyptian Feast on July 29, 2020, 07:58:12 PMIn its defence, when they did 'The Blarney Stone' the last time they played Dublin in 2008 (with a new verse about Deaner breaking his leg), the crowd roared the words back louder than any of the other songs they played that night, so I doubt it bothers many Irish fans, this one included.

Yes, and this Irish person was obviously joking. It's a Ween thread!

phantom_power

Quote from: The Mollusk on July 29, 2020, 07:39:30 PM
I dunno, is there anything in the history of the Blarney Stone that pertains to pirates or general seafaring at all (besides the way it was transported, which doesn't really hold enough relevance to be made into a song)? Although to be fair it's just as likely to be used by Ween as some form of absurdism or abstract, as their lyrics often do. But then it is sung in what could easily be construed as an Irish accent. Hmm.

I'm not saying I am right, just that I hadn't considered it to be an Irish song before. I just took it to be a sea shanty and pirates sing those.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: The Mollusk on July 29, 2020, 01:30:02 AM
Ah mate. "Live in Toronto" is the best live album I've ever heard. I feel like I'm in the fucking room every time I hear it, and I've never felt like that with a live album. It is unbelievable. The Shit Creek Boys, who are a hugely accomplished group of Nashville country session musicians, adapt absolutely perfectly to the setting and add a remarkable atmosphere to what the band was already achieving on the stage at that point, which is pretty much perfection. The way they flesh out "Buenas Tardes" and "Fluffy" to the 10+ minute epics is astounding.

Fuck it I'm drunk enough to spit this stupid post at 1:30am, who cares

My other half's favourite Ween thing is the Live In Chicago DVD. The number of times I'd hear this blasting out the TV speakers at 1am about twelve years ago. Initially, she just used to watch my copy but decided she must possess her own copy, which made me slightly nervous. One of my greatest contributions to the relationship is introducing her to Ween. She loves all kinds of music but when it comes to the crunch, she's a metalhead. She was also a big Queen fan. Funnily enough, when she shifted her affections, Ween weaned her off Queen. She cannot bear the band now.