While Ween didn’t quite peak here, Chocolate and Cheese is still a terrifically entertaining record, and if you’re a fan you’re going to need to hear this sooner or later.Īccording to Wikipedia “the Jordanaires have been one of country music’s premier backup vocal groups, working with artists such as Patsy Cline, Johnny Horton, Ferlin Husky, Tammy Wynette, Kenny Rogers, Ween, Red Foley, Jim Reeves, and George Jones.” If Dean and Gene Ween look slightly out of place among the above list of country musicians, they do have a country legacy, of precisely one album, 1996’s 12 Golden Country Greats. Yet it’s more than the sum of its parts, careening through a myriad of styles Chocolate and Cheese is dazzlingly eclectic, throwing in everything from Philly Soul (‘Freedom of ’76’), a Mexican/western shaggy dog story (‘Buenas Tardes Amigo’), indulgent guitar soloing (‘A Tear For Eddie’), twee pop (‘Roses Are Free’), and closing advice (‘Don’t Shit Where You Eat’).
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It’s still laced with immature humour, with songs like ‘Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony’, more of a bratty humour than the sophisticated genre parodies that fill their later albums.Ĭhocolate and Cheese is full of good songs, but few great ones – the kiss-off of ‘Baby Bitch’ and the Caribbean groove of ‘Voodoo Lady’ come closest.
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Overlooked Gem: White Pepper GodWeenSatan: The OnenessĬhocolate and Cheese is the first Ween album with professional recording standards – their previous albums are basically home-recorded, but this sounds like the work of a full band in a proper studio, even though Gene and Dean Ween still play most of the instruments. GodWeenSatan: The Oneness | The Pod | Pure Guava | Chocolate and Cheese | 12 Golden Country Greats | The Mollusk | White Pepper | Quebec | Shinola, Vol. The group split in 2012, with Gene leaving, but reunited in 2015 for live performances, and are currently considering a sequel to outtakes collection Shinola. Starting with 1994’s Chocolate and Cheese, Ween started playing with a full band, and making more polished records, and that’s where I get on the bus. Lots of hardcore Ween fans prefer this early period, characterising it as “brown”. I’ve only brielfy covered their first three albums – I always found The Pod and Pure Guava tough to sit through, although their debut certainly has some very strong material. They began making records on four track cassette recorder with a drum machine. Ween were formed by Aaron Freeman (Gene Ween) and Mickey Melchiondo (Dean Ween), who met in 8th grade in New Hope Pennsylvania.
Gene Ween is a vocal chameleon, which helps them cover huge stylistic ground, from easy listening croons and Philly soul to cock rock stomps and progressive rock. But lurking beneath all the silliness is an ace duo who are students of popular music, with the imagination and songwriting skills to affectionately pay homage to or parody everything from Jimmy Buffett to Prince. It’s tempting to write Ween off as a novelty band – their biggest hit single, ‘Push th’ Little Daisies’, is gimmicky and stoned.
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