Hyperlink denotes full review
Discography: Ween. Author: KyleDMuti. In-depth look at Weens discography, recording sessions, bootlegs and demos. WORK IN PROGRESS bbold/b = highlights (A) regular text = good (B) sstrikethrough/s = average / bad (C,D,F). Ween has a pretty big following of tape traders & a substantial web presence in MP3 trading. This comes mainly from their direct involvement in releasing outtakes on.
GodWeenSatan: The Oneness (1990) | — | — |
The Pod (1991) | — | — |
Pure Guava (1992) | The culmination of early weirdness that sometimes has a Beefheart-like effect, but otherwise can be pretty arid. | C+ |
Chocolate and Cheese (1994) | Their satire is always hilarious, and can result in legitimately good songs (“What Deaner Was Talking About”). Other times, it feels too cartoonish (“Voodoo Lady”). I know that’s the point, but after an hour it starts to wear. | C+ |
12 Golden Country Greats (1996) | A semi-serious album that hits the mark, but doesn’t really transcend its trappings. It wasn’t meant to, but there it is. | B- |
The Mollusk (1997) | The original concept strengthens even the parodies. Could use better sequencing (I made my own, if you’d like to hear it). | B+ |
White Pepper (2000) | Sometimes shunned by Ween diehards. Don’t be that way; this is a great album, limited only by its reach. | B+ |
Quebec (2003) | In a way, something feels lost. Certain songs sound like rehashes. Others, like “Transdermal Celebration,” have power that Ween never could bottle before. | — |
La Cucaracha (2007) | — | — |
This here is Boognish.
Feel free to bow, cower, or even run. You can't hide from the Boognish.
Boognish is the demon-god, who has, it has been reported, thrice appeared to the prophets of The Cult of Boognish. Boognish, legend has it, originated from somewhere outside the orbital buffer. It sounds so technical, that it is almost certainly true. One of the prophets to whom he has appeared, Dean Ween, is the subject of this mighty tribute page.
Dean Ween, born with the no-less-mighty name Michael 'Mickey' Melchiondo, Jr., is the super-famous guitarist in the legendary band Ween. When he met the other soon-to-be prophet of The Cult of Boognish, Aaron Freeman a.k.a. Gene Ween, they formed and adopted the illustrious and never-before-seen surname 'Ween'.
Dean also shreds in another group, called 'The Moistboyz'. The name makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it, so I can only imagine its origins. I'll leave that discovery as an exercise for the reader.
Early Discography
Below is what will have to pass for Ween's early discography. These are the albums which turned up after a cursory search (thanks Wikipedia), and any new additions can be mailed in to someone else.
Mrs. Slack
This is the first listed release. I can't find any other information about it.
The Crucial Squeegie Lip
One of the early cassette releases!
Erica Peterson's Flaming Crib Death
This album had some new, as well as some old songs. Very little is known about it.
The Live Brain Wedgie/WAD
Split Live & Studio EP. Only 500 ever pressed, but digital copies are available online.
Prime 5
Early best-of album, comprising songs from their first 5 cassettes.
Synthetic Socks
Gene Ween's own release, with Dean on a few tracks.
Early 90's Low-Fi Madness
Ween signs with A&R, and the world gets its first taste of all that is Boognish.
GodWeenSatan: The Oneness
Originally released on Twin/Tone in 1990, this is the first album from Ween and a gloriously ramshackle exploration of basement-rock excess.
The Pod
The name of this second studio album comes from the nickname given to the band's apartment.
Pure Guava
Major label debut, baby! Also considered by some to be one of their best albums.
Chocolate and Cheese
There was a book written about this album, by Frank Shteamer. It also has one of the greatest album covers ever.
Moistboyz EP
First Moistboyz release. Mickey is known as Mickey Moist.
12 Golden Country Greats
Factoid: Most of the instruments played for this album were by established country and western artists.
Moistboyz II
The first Moistboyz full-length, it was released with the previous EP on Grand Royal. They were later released together on Sanctuary, and again on Chocodog.
The Mollusk
Described by Aaron Freeman as 'their dark, acid rock album', and is Dean's favourite Ween album. They later discovered that the album was a great inspiration in the creation of SpongeBob SquarePants.
Craters of the Sac
Dean gave this album away online, as the band was considering different media paradigms.
Paintin' the Town Brown
Elektra released this live compilation of Ween's 1990-1998 material.
White Pepper
Despite the album's tight polish, it would be Ween's last on Elektra.
Chocodog!
Formed in 2001, Ween began releasing on their own label, Chocodog Records.
Live in Toronto
Denied the right to release Paintin' the Town Brown on Chocodog, this album became their label debut.
Moistboyz III
Claude Coleman Jr.
The first Moistboyz album to feature real drums, III was released on Ipecac Records.
Live at Stubb's
This 3 CD release was recorded during two dates at Stubb's, Austin Texas. The songs span all previous studio albums, and 3 previously unreleased tracks.
Sanctuary
Ween signs to Sanctuary Records in 2003.
Quebec
One of their darker albums, Quebec was the first studio album in 3 years.
All Request Live
This Chocodog release is the only place to hear all 5 parts of The Stallion, and its track-list was based on fan requests.
Live in Chicago
Ween's fifth live album included a DVD of the performance at The Vic Theatre in Chicago.
Shinola, Vol. 1
The Pod
Deaner says that Shinola comes from songs that they regretted not putting on other albums.
The Friends EP
Recorded in 2006, The Friends EP would shortly precede the full length La Cucaracha.
La Cucaracha
Despite a few strong tracks, Gene is said to think that this album is a big piece of shit.
At the Cat's Cradle - 1992
This 2 CD Chocodog release contains a live performance from 1992, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Post-Ween
Having spent a lot of time in Beach Haven NJ as a youth, Mickey set his sights to the sea, and became a fishing boat captain, producing a 12 episode web series called 'Brownie Troop Fishing Show'. He also gives tours, bookable through his website, http://www.mickeysfishing.com/
Then Deaner did something, and Gener got pissed. He released Ween stuff without consulting the band.
The Caesar Demos
These songs were recorded between 2001 and 2003, and contains material that made it on to Quebec, as well as some previously unreleased stuff. This release is the one that Gener was so mad about.
Moistboyz IV
Ween: Worst To Best
A Sanctuary Records release, IV also features Ween's Claude Coleman, Jr.
Moistboyz V
Dean and the crew finally release their fifth album, and on their own label, Neverman Records.
GodWeenSatan: Live
This 2 CD album has the band playing their first album in its entirety, from a performance in 2001.
The Dean Ween Group
A self-proclaimed rotating cast of characters, fronted by Dean Ween himself.
Elektra
The Deaner Album
This is the first release of The Dean Ween Group, for which a 2017 tour is planned.