Tag Archives: ween

#883: Ween – Mutilated Lips

Leave a reply

Many would consider ‘Mutilated Lips’ to be a clear highlight from The Mollusk. For the longest time though, I didn’t. When I heard the album the first time in 2014, it was obvious that it was a record like no other. The tracks were strange, the cover surreal… The Mollusk is a weird package, but the music was phenomenal. For the longest time, ‘Lips’ stuck out to me as the ‘weird’ song that was made for the point of being weird. The backward reverb before each line, the alternate tuning, the high-pitched voice during the ever-going sentence that makes up the song’s chorus. It all just gave an impression to me of “Yep, this is the weird one.”

So I didn’t care for it for a few years. I had my choice cuts from the album set in stone. But then I watched the band’s 2003 Live in Chicago DVD on YouTube where they performed the song, and it sort of clicked from that. There’s a skinny, potentially strung out Gene Ween on the acoustic guitar, eyes bulging out of his skull, changing the pitch of his voice automatically whenever the song requires it… he’s just owns his performance. And here the song is performed in a different key which I think suited it much better. But those aforementioned things that put me off the track up to that point, I suddenly rated quite highly. Except that backwards echo thing, that doesn’t happen in the live take. But hearing that performance made me listen to the album version with open ears. It’s been an favourite in my music library ever since.

As arguably the strangest song on the album, you’d think it wouldn’t be the track that record labels would want the people to hear when they find out a new Ween album was arriving. Well, Elektra Records did, and selected the track to be the first single released from The Mollusk, much to Gene and Dean Ween’s confusion. I maybe would have chosen the album’s title track, but I’m not a label rep, so what would I know? Below is that Live in Chicago performance, just so you don’t have to open another tab and search for it yourself.

#866: Ween – Mountains and Buffalo

Leave a reply

‘Mountains and Buffalo’ is a track recorded by Ween during the making of their 2003 album Quebec. Though it wasn’t included on the eventual final tracklist, I guess because it just doesn’t reach that odd weirdness that runs throughout that record, the band saw enough potential in it that they released it as a double A-side single alongside ‘Tried and True’.

As far as the track goes, it’s a pretty solid rock band performance. Gene and Dean Ween are on the guitars pulling off some great chord progressions, Dave Dreiwitz on bass guitar pulls off some good runs, and Claude Coleman Jr. powers through with those drums. Well, I’m assuming those four guys are playing on here. There are plenty of instances on Quebec where it’s only Gene and Dean on a track and none of the band’s other members are on there. There’s definitely a band performance aura about this one though.

Although the live band performance feel would stick out had it been included on its parent album, the lyrics certainly don’t. They’re quite obscure, not very linear… more based on imagery rather than having a full-on narrative. Though inspecting them closely, I think Gene Ween’s singing about having a few drinks and having a quickie with a fine lady. The way he expresses this encounter really makes the experience sound quite spaced out and trippy. It’s all great though. Something of a deep cut in the Ween discography because that double A-side single is hard to find. Very memorable yet understated, which I always like to find in a song.

#854: Ween – Mononucleosis

Leave a reply

I saw someone describe Ween’s track ‘Mononucleosis’ as ‘basically’ (or was it “virtually”..) ‘the title track to The Pod. This is Ween’s second album, released in 1991. And when I saw that I thought, “Yeah, it kind of is, isn’t it?” The track mentions the album name in the lyrics. Plus, the infection itself is partially one of the reasons the record came out sounding the way it did. The main reason is probably that it was recorded on some very cheap equipment in a rented apartment. Yeah, The Pod is an enigma of an album. From my experience of listening to it over the years, you can’t deny the songs sound like absolute crap. But they have some great melodies, rhythms and hilarious moments that make it so entertaining to listen through. But anyway, yes, ‘Mononucleosis’, let’s get to that.

Gene and Dean Ween, the two guys and main brains behind the Ween name, both came down with mono during the making of The Pod, but on separate occasions. When Dean had it, Gene wrote this song which is pretty much him describing the whole situation and detailing his feelings upon seeing his good friend suffer from the infection. Each verse on here is underlined by a blunt expression of “Oh, dude”, which I think is sometimes all you can say when you’re feeling sympathy and sadness for someone who’s suffering in some way. I also think I read a description somewhere that said that this song sounds how having mono feels. While I can’t relate to that, I can probably understand. The track really drags, guitar notes ring out and drone with a very groggy tone, Gener sounds like he’s singing at the bottom of a well with all the reverb that accompanies his vocal. It’s a track about a very unfortunate situation, yet when I first heard it in about 2015 I couldn’t stop repeating it, I was enjoying it so much.

I believe this is the first song from The Pod that I’ve come to talk about on here. More are to come. But because I couldn’t write about it due to time and whatnot, I’ll point you in the direction of ‘Captain Fantasy’. Another personal favourite of mine. If you like what you’re hearing, kudos to you, not a lot of people would. You might as well dive in to The Pod and the 77 minutes of music it has to offer. You probably won’t be able to listen to music the same way after.

#849: Ween – The Mollusk

2 Replies

Beautiful, beautiful stuff right here. ‘The Mollusk’ is the title track from the 1997 album by Ween, and after intro track ‘I’m Dancing in the Show Tonight’ is where the records themes of the sea and other things related to it truly begins. Mollusks aren’t the nicest creatures to look at. Mollusks are things like, snails, squids, octopuses. Things you usually go ‘ew’ or ‘whoa, cool’ at. Quite polarizing emotions. But Ween’s dedication to these animals make them sound like some of the most out there, mystical creatures to exist.

It starts straight away with the hypnotizing acoustic riff that is backed by that bubbling, whistling keyboard note that fritters and echoes into the distance. I don’t know where else in you could be placed in your mind other than a beach next to a calming wave within those opening seconds. The instrumental properly sets this calming momentum that lulls you into the track’s opening line, one where Gene Ween asks a little boy what he has and in response the backing vocals as the boy answer “Kind sir, it’s a mollusk I’ve found”. The whole song follows this sort of call and response tactic in the verses, they work well. And then they come together during the chorus to I guess symbolize this new interest in this mollusk that this man and the boy share. Describing it, it does sound quite strange. But listening to it really takes you to another place.

One question that’s usually asked about this song arises from its closing lyrics. Gene Ween proclaims to the listener that ‘there are three things that spur the mollusk from the sand’. Yet people are confused as he seems to list only one of those. I do think he lists them in plain sight. The waking of all creatures etc etc., one faint glance back into the sea, and its wandering eye. It’s obvious, isn’t it? It did take me a while to figure out too, gotta say. Oh, yeah, there’s also an episode of SpongeBob where he literally says “Mind your wandering eye, you little mollusk”. Reference to this song. It’s not breaking news.

#810: Ween – Marble Tulip Juicy Tree

Leave a reply

I could never have predicted what I would be in for when I chose to listen to GodWeenSatan: The Oneness for the first time back in 2015. Before then, The Mollusk was the only Ween album I’d heard. And I thought that album was fantastic. Still do, today. So I went on Spotify, searched up Ween and thought, “Why not?” and pushed play. ‘You Fucked Up’ started and finished, and I was into it from then on. The madness started there and for another 70+ minutes just kept coming. I would describe ‘Marble Tulip Juicy Tree’ as the grand finale of the entire album. It’s what the previous 24 songs (or 27 if you have the ‘Anniversary’ edition) have been leading up to. Even though ‘Puffy Cloud’ is the album’s actual closer, I think of it as more of a credits song. Or at least something that comes in the stinger.

So what’s ‘Marble Tulip Juicy Tree’ about? If you were to guess that it would be about nothing just from looking at the title, you would be right. You’d also be a bit wrong too. It’s about everything, and nothing at the same time. It’s no secret that members Gene Ween and Dean Ween dabbled in a lot of drugs in their younger age. The lyrical content would probably have been inspired by some mushroom-LSD-hallucinogenic trip. That doesn’t stop it from being one of the most uplifting and glorious punk rock songs that I know. I think this song is made up of only five chords, but the way everything’s just executed is brilliant. Backwards guitars, guitar solos that pan from one ear to the other. There’s this booming speech by one of the band members friends that comes in as the song nears its end, and when that finishes the track climaxes with these strident guitar strums and what sounds like some sampled strings. It’s a massive song, honestly.

Listening to GodWeenSatan that one time sent me on a journey. 2015/2016 was my Ween year. I started a song discussion thread thing on the Ween reddit, I was so hyped about them. And coincidentally, the band reunited while I was gradually making my way through their discography. It was a good time to be a Ween fan. Glad I did become one sooner rather than later.