Ween was a band ahead of its time. The world had been so fascinated or reviled by the band’s self-mythology and gross humour that it had lost sight of just how they were. Better than most, maybe the best of its time. “The Mollusk” made it clearer for some. But the album’s real impact came later as Ween became one of the favourite bands of the internet.
Is “The Mollusk” so good, or is it just some kind of internal joke that you’ve not been made aware of? That’s exactly what I’m looking at today as I dissect, review, and revisit “The Mollusk” from the Boognish-devoted Ween.
Ween’s Mad and Maddening Career Before “The Mollusk”
Ween’s music requires a bit of a sense of humour and, preferably, a love of classic songwriting and a taste for anarchy. Those who got it, like Black Flag’s Henry Rollins and certain music reviewers in the know, were quick to point to the band as the shining hope of alternative music. But most audiences were left stunned, baffled and, well, very often plain indifferent.
Ween was made up of two oddball kids, Aaron Freeman and Michael Melchiondo Jr., who used to attend the same typewriting class. Eventually, they gave up on bullying each other and formed a band.
The duo called their band Ween. They rechristened themselves Gene and Dean Ween and professed to be the loyal slaves of the demon Boognish, who had entrusted the mission of carrying his message to the world through the medium of music.
The earliest music Ween produced was weird and uninviting. It was also brilliant. Gene Ween would pitch-shift his vocals in odd ways. Dean Ween would handle all the playing, blending classic rock with avant-garde sounds. Albums like “God Ween Satan” or “The Pod” were take-it-or-leave propositions. Most audiences decided to leave it.
The “Push the Little Daisies” Novelty Hit
Usually high on LSD but willing to work like slaves on a merchant ship, Ween secured a near-miraculous hit single, “Push the Little Daisies.” It may have been a novelty song. But it made some take notice of Ween.
Those who heard “Chocolate and Cheese” and “12 Golden Country Greats” were either awed by the acquired musical proficiency of the band and by their humour or fearful of this attempt to blend so many elements together.
Indeed, Ween, with all its irony, inside jokes and willingness to make songs in any style, was the epitome of alternative music in the 1990s. Now, it was time to create a masterpiece.
“The Mollusk” Reviewed
Ween was not a duo by the time of “The Mollusk” anymore. Sure, Gene and Dean still wrote the songs. Yes, their faces were on the merch and concert posters. But they had a great backing band who’d toured the world with them.
And their avant-garde ramblings, while still there, were wrenched into bizarre head trips turned into great songs. “The Mollusk” was to be a concept album surrounding the sexiest of themes… marine biology.
“The Mollusk” is filled with great songs and cartoonish comedy, but it never lets listeners get too comfortable. It’s no wonder that children love Ween so much. Gene and Dean make highly engaging music.
Album opener “Dancing in the Show Tonight” allows Gene to whip out the old shift-pitch pedal as he delivers an old kid’s favourite. This segues into “The Mollusk,” a prog-rock parody and all-encompassing journey song.
That maritime theme is kept for the awfully underrated “Polka Dot Tail” before things devolve into chaos on the maniacal “I’ll Be Your Johnny On The Spot” and brown acid-laced “Mutilated Lips.”
There are still time songs that seem to come out of a tavern of ragged fishermen, “The Blarney Stone,” The Golden Eel,” or “Pink Eye – On My Leg.” There’s still time for more acid-taking, despair and reassurances on the bizarre “Buckingham Green” and “It’s Gonna Be Alright.”
“Ocean Man” & Sponge Bon
Finally, Ween delivers the band’s great pop moment, that album and, possibly, career-defining “Ocean Man.” The album blends the entire 14-song collection into two minutes of pristine pop songwriting.
“Ocean Man” would be co-opted by the massively successful kids’ show SpongeBob Square Pants. This would open up Ween’s music to a new and ideal audience. The colourful, zany world of Ween and the band’s humour is ideal for kids and fans of unusual, slightly immature entertainment.
Success would come to Ween, but not as quickly as merited. Gene and Dean still had one masterpiece album in them, the incredible alternative-rock album “Quebec.”
However, it was only by the time that the very proggy indie band had become semi-active, following one on stage nervous breakdown, that music fans truly wanted to hear and witness Ween in its full glory. Nowadays, Ween is one of the biggest concert draws in the U.S., and rabid fans are spending the good word on the internet. “The Mollusk” is the best album by one of alternative rock’s best and strangest bands.
