The Chronological Ween - A Top 25

[D_Davis]

The Chronological Ween - A Top 27

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Sometimes it is hard for a band with a sense of humor to be thought of as anything more than a joke band. I know that some people associate Ween with acts like Weird Al, or Dr. Demento, or other such novelty acts. And as much as I love Weird Al, he and Ween have absolutely nothing in common, except for the immense amount of talent.

http://en.academic.ru/pictures/enwiki/87/Ween_in_Edmonton_Alberta.jpg

Ween is a band that I have liked for years. However, it wasn't until seeing them live - on the Mollusk tour, with Kyus opening - that I learned to love them. They absolutely blew my mind. I mean, I knew that they were incredibly talented; Dean and Gene Ween can write amazing songs, with hilarious lyrics, and are also super talented musicians. But my respect, admiration, and love for them reached epic proportions after witnessing their stage presence and talent as a live act. I've seen many, many bands in my life, including such great acts as Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Public Enemy, and Brian Wilson. However, none of these compared to Ween.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qsOLuczktts/TGlDFOMjZ-I/AAAAAAAAAC4/tKhPFeFqvDY/s1600/Ween.jpg

This top 27 (three tracks from each of the studio albums) will be presented in chronological order, and on an album-by-album basis. The reason for this is that so those of you unfamiliar with the band can experience the evolution of Ween. They've grown and changed throughout their career, but they still possess that undeniable sound of the boognish. They started off as a couple of stoner DIYers, somehow releasing their 4-track recordings on Electra Records, and have become one of the greatest neo-psychedelic, experimental prog-rock bands around, and yet they still have their sense of humor and adventure.

Hope you enjoy the ride.

[D_Davis]

1. Don't Laugh (I Love You) - God, Ween, Satan: The Oneness

http://criticalmassesmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/600px-Ween-GodWeenSatan2.jpg

Don't Laugh (I Love You) is a prototypical early Ween song including retro-sounding drum machine, pitch-shifted vocals, silly lyrics, and an odd pop sensibility. While the band is most often thought of as being somewhat experimental, they are also capable of writing a great little pop tune, and this is an example.

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This live version shows just how amazing the band can be - check out that amazing bass line played by Dean Ween. Blows my mind. He's, by far, the most talented musician I've seen play live. You'll see more as the list goes on...

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"Which one controls the rock?"
Hilarious.

[ledfloyd]

awesome. i'm a huge fan of ween. their live show really is unbelievable. live in chicago is one of my favorite live DVDs.

[Thirdmango]

Ween is my second favorite band of all time and a band I could quite easily pull together a top list of as well so I'm excited to see your list here as well.

[D_Davis]

2. Squelch the Weasel - God, Ween, Satan: The Oneness

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Ween were neo-folk before neo-folk was popular, and Squelch the Weasel is an awesome tune. If one were to listen to the song without paying much attention to the lyrics, one might think that this was some ultra-serious folk song, complete with amazing, and totally brown, guitar solo. However, the lyrics are what elevates this song to a whole new level of awesome. Ween's lyrics aren't just silly and hilarious, they're also highly crafted examples of poetic word play: each word is perfectly utilized, and each phrase is expertly constructed for maximum effect.

Squelch the little weasel, crush him before he spawns
Break it to me gently, but with merriment and song
Squelch the little weasel, juice him as he bleeds
Feed him to the many, for thoust their souls shall weep

Sipping of the sunray blading in the earth
Evolving was the nectar given to the weasel birth
I was just a puppet until the clouds caved in
Bless me now you are sacred my flesh betwixt my skin

Here is a great live performance from 120 Minutes.

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[D_Davis]

awesome. i'm a huge fan of ween. their live show really is unbelievable. live in chicago is one of my favorite live DVDs.

Yeah, totally. I'd encourage anyone into amazing live music of any kind to attend a Ween show.


Ween is my second favorite band of all time and a band I could quite easily pull together a top list of as well so I'm excited to see your list here as well.

Nice. I knew you dug them. :)

[Russ]

Oh yeah, Squelch is a great song, happy that it was included. Curious to see which three songs off the next two albums will make the list ("Is he gonna include the Prince cover?")

EDIT: Oops, forgot! That Prince song is on this album.

[D_Davis]

3. Up on the Hill - God, Ween, Satan: The Oneness

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This marks the introduction to the Lord Boognish, a Cthulhu-like demon-beast of Ween's own construction. The fictional mythology of the Boognish is something that Ween will explore throughout their career: Boognish is to Ween what Lord of the Rings was to Led Zeppelin.


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=boognish

1.) Demon God who has shown himself thrice to the prophet brothers Deaner and Gener. Resides somewhere outside the orbital buffer. Tradition has it that this entity holds a scepter in each hand: that of wealth and that of power


A Boognish sighting in Iraq.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/BoognishArmy.JPG


An artist's rendition of the Boognish rising.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2642146288_fea3c649b8_z.jpg?zz =1

[Russ]

Great selections. If memory serves, I also really like the abrasiveness of In the Mood to Move, the studio inventiveness of the (absurdly overlong, but I luv it) classic, Nicole, and the aforementioned Prince cover song (L.M.L.Y.P.). Funky Ween, git down! :cool:

[D_Davis]

Great selections. If memory serves, I also really like the abrasiveness of In the Mood to Move, the studio inventiveness of the (absurdly overlong, but I luv it) classic, Nicole, and the aforementioned Prince cover song (L.M.L.Y.P.). Funky Ween, git down! :cool:

It's really hard to pick just three tracks off of most of their albums. I could've also gone with "Nan," "Wayne's Pet Youngin'","Birthday Boy," or "Old Queen Cole."

"Nicole," is awesome as well. But yes, it is too long.

The first time I saw them play live, they closed with a nearly 45-minute long version of "L.M.L.Y.P.," and a few girls got on stage and started taking off their clothes. Dean and Gene were just cracking up. It was pretty wild.

[Thirdmango]

Oh wow, I just realized you're only doing three tracks from each album, that does make it a bit harder. If I had to choose my top three from God Ween Satan off the top of my head I'd go with Don't Laugh, LMLYP and Marble Tulip Juicy Tree.

[ledfloyd]

yeah, it would be hard for me to pick three tracks from god ween satan and not include marble tulip juicy tree.

[D_Davis]

4. Sketches of Winkle - The Pod

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Gotta love that cover...the scotch guard super bong...

http://www.amiright.com/album-covers/images/album-Leonard-Cohen-The-Best-of-Leonard-Cohen-0.jpg

The Pod is a rough album. Lots of noise and chaos on this one. While I enjoy a lot of it, I have to be in a very special mood to listen to it all in a single sitting.


"Sketches of Winkle" is a top 5 Ween song. Love it to death. It just rocks, and I love the drum programming on it. Their drummer is tight! And that guitar tone! So cool.

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And here it is live...with a full band

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I wish there was more footage available of Ween as a two-piece with the drum machine and tape deck.

[ledfloyd]

The Pod is a rough album. Lots of noise and chaos on this one. While I enjoy a lot of it, I have to be in a very special mood to listen to it all in a single sitting.
i can't remember the last time i listened to any of their first three albums in a single sitting. they all have several songs i like but they're rather abrasive and i'm so rarely in the mood for that.

[D_Davis]

What's your least favorite?

Mine is Pure Guava. It's going to be hard to pick 3 songs that I like from that one.

[ledfloyd]

What's your least favorite?

Mine is Pure Guava. It's going to be hard to pick 3 songs that I like from that one.
yeah, no contest. easily pure guava.

[D_Davis]

5. Captain Fantasy - The Pod

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This was one of the first Ween songs I ever heard, and I knew I had to hear more. I instantly fell in love with the retro-sounding drum programming, and as a budding home-recording artist, I was inspired by how much this simple little song rocked, and by how good the guitar sounded. A lot of my love for Ween stems from me considering them kindred audio-spirits.

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[D_Davis]

6. Pollo Asado - The Pod

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Ah yes, Pollo Asado. One of the all time great stoner jams. Who hasn't ordered too much good food when high? Here Ween takes that experience and turns it into a hilarious little piece of sonic art.


Ok, that'll be $16.07
Out of $20? Ok, $16.07's your change.

Ok, that'll be $22...
Uh, oh yes, I would like two lemonades and one medium iced-tea
Ok, that'll be $20.07
Out of $22? Ok, $1.52's your change
Thanks a lot -- your food will be up -- here, let me get your drink

Hi, can I help you?
I would like a basket of chips,
A beef chimichanga with a side of sour cream
I would like some guacamole on my chimichanga
With a quesodilla of tomato, onion, and vegetables
I should like a burrito with beans, beef, and
I would like a carne asado taco
Could you put some hot sauce on that for me?
No, inside the taco, not on the side
Yes, can I have a carne asado taco?
Not a pollo asado, we don't have chicken

[Thirdmango]

God Ween Satan is my least favorite album followed by Shinola and then Pure Guava. The Pod was my second album I purchased and I have about six songs on there I could listen to on a regular basis. Captain Fantasy is at the top of that list.

[D_Davis]

7. The Stallion Pt. 3 - Pure Guava

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Pure Guava is my least favorite Ween album. Which is funny seeing as how it was also the one that made the band somewhat popular thanks to 120 Minutes and the video for "Push th' Little Daisies." I know a lot of people hate that song, but I think it's pretty rad. I don't dislike the album because it became popular, I simply dislike it because it's not very good. However, there are a few solid tracks on it.

"The Stallion" is to Ween as "Larks Tongue in Aspic" is to King Crimson. This is Ween's ever-growing rock epic, of sorts. Although they haven't done a new part in some time. This part is pretty dang awesome. I love the cryptic lyrics; no one writes these kinds of crazy, fantasy-tinged, new age, prog-lyrics better than Gene Ween.

Mach 10 at sudden speed, flying into the wind now
I'm flowing at my feet something of likeness to you now
I spotted you in the sun, I called your name from a distance
I knew you were the one, I called again

I do declare I can float in the air
And with some love from above you must

Don't caress the weasel and don't fall too soon
Don't seek the blood from the panther
Don't take a trip to you soon
I'm the one helding the time back from the sun
As I scope the lobe

I am the one who controls the sun
And I know that things will pass as time elapse, lapses

Time elapses through the sound of you
And the things we could do
Just think of the master
Trying to fool the blastman
Check the cards at the table
Scream softly you are able

This live version is incredible. I like it more than I like the album-version.

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[D_Davis]

One of the best things about Ween is that they are totally opened to tape trading and keeping their fans happy with all kinds of stuff on their website. Also, they are slowly buying back from the labels their back catalog and re-releasing their albums through their own label, Chocodog (another similarity to King Crimson. Isn't it a shame that a band has to buy their own songs back at all?).

Anyhow, there are a ton of great-sounding Ween bootlegs out there. Here is one of the best:

Live at Stubb's 2007 (http://www.archive.org/details/Ween2007-08-10.FLAC16)

32 tracks spanning their entire career. The sound is amazing, the performances are awesome, and the set list is epic.

[ledfloyd]

my favorite song not included from the pod? pork roll egg and cheese.

[D_Davis]

my favorite song not included from the pod? pork roll egg and cheese.

That's a good one.

[D_Davis]

8. Don't Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy) - Pure Guava

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Another one of Ween's hilarious and brilliant psych-neo-folk-rock songs with Gene's mystical lyrics. I wish he'd write a fantasy novel some time. I bet it'd be pretty good.

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Don't get too close to my fantasy
Don't be afraid to clutch the hand of your creator
Stare into the lion's eyes and if you taste the candy
You'll get to the surprise

[Russ]

Big Jilm better make this list.

Just sayin'...

[D_Davis]

Big Jilm better make this list.

Just sayin'...

I'm afraid you're going to be disappoint.

[Russ]

* sigh *











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[Thirdmango]

Good, Don't get too close is by far the best song on that album.

[Thirdmango]

Big Jilm better make this list.

Just sayin'...

When I do my list Big Jilm will not make my list.

[D_Davis]

9. Little Birdy - Pure Guava

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This song sounds drunk, and it makes feel all loopy when I listen to it. Pure Guava may be Ween's most f'ed up album, and perhaps their most drug-fueled as well, and so this trippy little album-opener perfectly sets the stage.

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This live version is hilarious. I was at this show. It was good.

[ledfloyd]

no big jilm gets a big thumbs down. :P

[Russ]

Big Jilm live in Chicago. What's not to love?? :pritch:

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[D_Davis]

Don't get me wrong, it's a good song!

:)

That live version is especially awesome. Much better than the original.

[ledfloyd]

the good news is that we're into their run of really great albums. i'm excited to see what you pick from the next few.

[D_Davis]

the good news is that we're into their run of really great albums. i'm excited to see what you pick from the next few.

Yep - now it starts to get really good...

[D_Davis]

10. Roses are Free - Chocolate and Cheese

http://soundsgoodmusic.curtisblackwel l.com/wp-content/uploads/wpsc/product_images/Ween-ChocolateandCheese.jpg

While I do (mostly) enjoy the early Ween albums (mostly), it is here, on Chocolate and Cheese, where Ween really started to get awesome. This is the first album that was not recorded on a tiny little 4-track, and while it's still just Dean and Gene, it's a full-on, in-the-studio recording. Chocolate and Cheese is a great transitional album, paving the way for what would soon come.

And who can deny the awesomeness of that cover? Underboob for the win, not to mention the Boognish belt buckle.

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"Roses are Free" is a superb little pop-gem. It's bubbly, catchy, quirky, and bouncy. I have no idea what its about, if anything, but damn is it ever memorable. It's got great melody, and a totally brown guitar solo.

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From one of the legendary Stubb's shows. Ween always looks like they're having so much fun playing. That's one of the reasons why their live shows are so damn awesome.

[D_Davis]

11. Buenas Tardes Amigo - Chocolate and Cheese

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A mock-ballad worthy of Marty Robins, chronicling the narrator's quest of revenge for the death of his brother, and with a nice twist at the end. The song is epic, hilarious, and perfectly demonstrates Ween's chameleon-like ability to tackle any genre with skill. It also features Gene's great phrasing and word choice.

Buenas tardes amigo
Hola, my good friend
Cinco de Mayo's on Tuesday
And I hoped we'd see each other again

You killed my brother last winter
You shot him three times in the back
In the night I still hear mama weeping
Oh mama, still dresses in black

I looked at every fiesta
For you I wanted to greet
Maybe I'd sell you a chicken
With poison interlaced with the meat

You... you look like my brother
Mama loved him the best
He was head honcho with the ladies
Mama always said he was blessed

The village all gathered around him
They couldn't believe what they saw
I said it was you that had killed him
And that I'd find you and upstand the law

The people of the village believed me
Mama... she wanted revenge
I told her I'd see that she was honored
I'd find you and put you to death

So now... now that I've found you
On this such a joyous day
I tell you it was me who killed him
But the truth I'll never have to say

Buenas tardes amigo
Hola, my good friend
Cinco de Mayo's on Tuesday
And I hoped we'd see each other again
Yes, I hoped we'd see each other again
I hoped we'd see each other again

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[ledfloyd]

i'm a huge fan of roses are free.

[D_Davis]

12. Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony? - Chocolate and Cheese

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This song tells the sad story of a boy's sick pony. There might be something wrong with his lung.

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[D_Davis]

It's becoming increasingly harder to pick only 3 songs from each album.

[ledfloyd]

i just brought up chocolate and cheese in itunes to see which tracks were 'missing'. and i found nearly all of them would have been in consideration for a top three. except for possibly spinal meningitis and the HIV song.

[D_Davis]

i just brought up chocolate and cheese in itunes to see which tracks were 'missing'. and i found nearly all of them would have been in consideration for a top three. except for possibly spinal meningitis and the HIV song.

So many great songs. I love Spinal Meningitis, but the HIV Song is probably the only Ween song that is too offensive for me to enjoy. I just feel way too bad bobbing my head and rocking out to a happy little tune about AIDS and HIV. And this is in relation to a song that will be mentioned soon that contains a sing-a-long chorus of "Get on your knees you big booty bitch, start sucking."

But yeah, C&C is amazing. The first truly great Ween album.

[D_Davis]

13. Piss Up a Rope - 12 Golden Country Greats

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c5/Ween-12GoldenCountryGreats.jpg

12 Golden Country Greats contains 10 songs. Also, the studio musicians were a bunch of old-timer Nashville guys who played and recorded the songs without hearing the lyrics. The music is as authentic-country as you can get, but the lyrics are straight up Ween.

Piss Up a Rope...

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Get on your knees you big booty bitch, start sucking.

What more can I say? This song is awesome.

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[D_Davis]

14. You Were the Fool - 12 Golden Country Greats

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This song is just awesome. I love the production and instrumentation, how the instruments come in and out and create space within the sound, and how the fiddle and pedal-steel guitar work off of each other. It's laid back, has a nice little groove, and a killer melody. These dudes were alt-country before it was cool.

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[D_Davis]

15. I'm Holding You - 12 Golden Country Greats

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I'm a sucker for the pedal-steel guitar, especially on these slow, Marty Robbins-like ballads; the pedal-steel sounds like its crying. It is, perhaps, the instrument capable of the most emotion. The steel work here is really nice, and the song is a nice throwback to a time when country music was cool.

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[D_Davis]

The Mollusk

http://img.maniadb.com/images/album/184/184710_1_f.jpg

One of the all-time best albums, ever.

16. The Mollusk - The Mollusk

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Picking only three songs from this brilliant post-psych, neo-folk, experimental-party-rock nautical-concept album is an impossible task. Really. The entire album consists of one amazing track after another. However, the title track is one that MUST be included here simply because it is so damn good.

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[D_Davis]

17. Mutilated Lips - The Mollusk

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Mutilated Lips contains some of Ween's best lyrics:

I lick my brain in silence
Rather squeeze my head instead
Midget man provoking violence
Listen not to what I said

I said please calm it down
Everything is turning brown

Mutilated lips give a kiss on the wrist
Of the worm like tips of tentacles expanding
In my mind, I'm fine, accepting only fresh brine
You can get another drop of this, yeah you wish...

Laughing lady living lover
Ooo you sassy frassy lassie
Find me the skull of Haile Sellase, I...
Give me shoes so I can tapsy
Tap all over this big world
Take my hand you ugly girl

The song itself is a spacey little psychedelic ballad with a nice laid back groove. It's just the perfect song for a nice, lazy Sunday afternoon.

This live version is amazing.

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[D_Davis]

18. Ocean Man - The Mollusk

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This is a top 5 Ween song, and generally one of my favorite songs. It's a perfect pop-song. It was also featured in the Sponge Bob Square Pants movie; you know those dudes are total stoners.

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[Thirdmango]

good choices. Mutilated Lips was my bridge from merely liking Ween to loving Ween. The Mollusk is probably my favorite album of all time.

[D_Davis]

White Pepper

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1e/Ween-WhitePepper.jpg

White Pepper. As of right now, this is my favorite Ween album. I used to really dislike it. It's so normal, and totally not weird. During the first few years that I had it, I thought it was totally boring, and lacked the Boognish power. However, now I think it is a masterpiece of beautifully written and expertly composed songs. This is Ween as a full band at their absolute best.

There is a theory that the album's title is paying homage to The Beatles' albums The White Album and Sgt. Pepper's. I don't know if this is true or not, but it does make sense.

18. Exactly Where I'm At - White Pepper

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Album openers don't get any more awesome than this. After the filtered intro, the song kicks in with an amazing and powerful driving bass line and groove. It's a basic and simple song, one that focuses on changing dynamics rather a complex arrangement.

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[D_Davis]

19. Flutes of Chi - White Pepper

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Flutes of Chi was an outtake from The Mollusk - you can tell because it's in 3/4, and that album is almost entirely in 3/4. And Ween said so. It's also a goddamn brilliant song - modern psychedelic at its very best.