Published on Sep 18, 1999
If there’s any artist out there in the 1990s who could come
close to emanulating the style of Frank Zappa, it would have to go
to Ween.
If
Chocolate And Cheese were instrumental, you would hear
carefully nuanced tunes. You would hear strict attention to
dynamics and you would hear a good amount of love towards
traditional R&B. But then you wouldn’t hear such creepy like
“Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down).”
Sadly, Ween came into recognition big time when they were
featured on “Beavis and Butt-Head.” The song that almost made the
too-dumb-to-even-be-stoners duo turn off the tube was “Push The
Little Daisies.” Luckily for Ween, it gave them a whole new batch
of fans and a slew of enemies.
Chocolate And Cheese makes no attempt to get new fans. If
you like challenging music, hop aboard and get ready for a trippy
ride that is anything but smooth.
“Take Me Away” jump starts the album. You can tell the band has
a slightly bigger budget on this outing, but the extra cash flow
only expands their already wide ranged palate. Fusing lounge with
alternative rock, “Take Me Away” embraced the lounge mentality
years before it was infiltrated by a bunch of zoot suited fellas
who wanted to start a riot.
“Freedom Of ’76” is a breezy piece that incorporates both ’70s
rock and ’70s R&B. Sure, Gene and Dean Ween may sound like
they’re trying to be Prince (I can say that because I’m talking the
early ’80s version of him), but there is an undeniable sincerity in
their voices.
And if I haven’t said it enough already, the instrumental track
“A Tear For Eddie,” shows that Ween is actually a bunch of very
competant musicians if you can wade through the silliness of some
of their lyrics and the blatant un-p.c. lyrics of some of their
other songs.
Their biggest hit, “Voodoo Lady,” remains a staple for college
radio. The simple clap-like beat and the funky guitar makes for
some great ear candy. Whether or not you like them is irrevelant.
They drop hooks on you that you absoultely can’t get out of your
head.
Like Zappa, Ween pushes the envelope too far on some subjects.
Sufferers of spinal meningitis may want to fast forward through
“Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down).” And “The HIV Song” is a silly
number that only inclues two words, “AIDS” and “HIV.”
Also like Zappa, Ween fans have been known to be incrediably
pretentious and arrogant. Few people actually “like” this band. For
the most part, people either love them or can’t stand them. Hence
the college cult following. No way this band’s going to make it to
the big leagues.
For ambitious music fans,
Chocolate And Cheese is an excellent starting point for
Ween. Some songs you may not get, some songs seem hurtful at one
listen (“Baby Bitch”) and strangly sympathetic on the second
listen. Their try at country music may put off fans who embraced
the weirdness of
Chocolate And Cheese, but it only reaffirms the fact that
Ween is one of the few groups out there that respect an audience
enough to try to challenge them with each recording. There’s a lot
of beauty in
Chocolate And Cheese, but as the middle finger shows you on
the CD case, there’s plenty of ugliness as well. You’ve been
warned, and yes, you’ll probably be rewarded with a couple of
listens.