Ween - Chocolate and Cheese Album Reaction

[@timcardona9962]

Great reaction as always Walt! - just to clarify some Ween stuff: Gene is the singer and Dean is the guitarist *but* Dean sings some stuff and Gene plays guitar on lots of songs including several leads (double leads with Dean and actual guitar solos). The guitar solo on “I Don’t Want It” is actually Gene, for instance. The 1st album, GodWeenSatan, features Dean playing drums on many tracks but after they moved to the horse farm (The Pod) they had to rely solely on a drum machine. Chocolate & Cheese is the first album recorded in an actual studio and solidifies what would become their touring band. Everything afterwards gets more accessible with each album but the first 3 albums are raw af and will test your devotion to the mighty Boognish.

[@Lmaoh5150]

White Pepper is an obvious next, but 12 Golden Country Greats should be after!

[@carterknudsen525]

This 100%

[@mdog86]

Live in Chicago is one of the greatest live performances of any band ever, if I had a time machine and could only use it once it'd be really hard to pass up going back to that night lol

[@kuiverbe]

Ween is good, Phish is good. I wouldn't want to be in a world where these 2 bands didn't exist.

[@cristabelleblanc309]

When Phish plays Roses are Free, everyone always goes bonkers at the line “get in your car and cruise the land of the brave and free” I guess since so many of us were doing that exact thing seeing the country on phish tour :) love this song, love Ween (this is my fav album and my intro- I love all the banger energy), love Phish, love roses and I’m a florist so really this is my song :)

[@WildLifez]

White Pepper is next i think. Been loving your reactions. Love ween so much. Theyre so underrated.

[@eddiedingle767]

Are we skipping GodWeenSatan The Pod Pure Guava

[@cactusmusics9160]

Walter, i think youre ready for The Pod now

[@pants6951]

THIS COULD BE A TRAGIC REACTION 💀

[@zakzon4249]

THE ONENESS please Walt its so underrated

[@manualboyca]

Where it all began

[@Kittiekonfuzed]

Love the reaction Walt, you should totally do their first album God Ween Satan next !!

[@jerydeath]

DUDE!!!!! Literally JUST finished your quebec review and i see this from 13 minutes ago... unbelievable. C&C is my 2nd favorite ween record, its so great (the pod takes my #1 spot, matter of fact its my favorite album of all time!) I recommend Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam!

[@AzakiahIsYourOnlyGod]

Im about to watch this. Between this and Phish, youre reliving my freshmen year of college. God bless, Phish and Ween are the best. King Gizz is also gnarly

[@wademedlin6831]

White Pepper should be next. You’d like the Beatles vibe.

[@DBlute]

💯

[@RezaSwag]

I just feel like white pepper is lacking the ambition the other albums have. i love some songs on there forsure, but i just think it's less interesting for me personally

[@manualboyca]

God Ween Satan The Oneness next - where it all started. Lots of Ween classics

[@carterknudsen525]

Hey, I'm really loving your videos and your whole vibe. Subscribed and looking forward to more Ween listen-throughs! You will LOVE White Pepper.

[@DedHedRy]

One of the greatest albums of alll-time. Didn’t get to see them until I was 28 but caught them at Red Rocks shortly after moving to Golden. Not a bad place to see your first show.

[@jasongregorius96]

The simultaneous deep dives of Phish, Ween, and King Gizz is insane and I’m front and center for all of it and I’m not the only one! 🙌🙌🙌

[@GarlicToothpaste]

I reckon White Pepper next - it fits in the sequence between The Mollusk and Quebec. Recorded with high production values. - For the more brown sounds you may want to try The Pod or Pure Guava or the first disc of the live compilation "Paintin' the town brown" Pure Guava was the last album before Chocolate and Cheese but couldn't sound more different.

[@howwhatwherewhen8758]

this is such a great album, to anyone who wants some light reading on how they made each track of the album. Look up the book series "33 1/3" series they have one on Chocolate and Cheese by Hank Shteamer. A tidbit from the book I love is on the production for Candi (the brownest song on the record lol): "In the song “Candi,” you can hear the muffled voice of Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman) from time to time; at one point, it sounds as if he’s saying “Get me out of here!” Dean Ween (Mickey Melchiondo) had placed Gene in the trunk of his car and recorded him singing as he drove around the parking lot. The result is the muted, frantic vocals heard in “Candi.” Great reaction man btw.

[@glassermorn1696]

White pepper should probably be where you go next imo, I think its the one that would click with you the most.

[@AzakiahIsYourOnlyGod]

Imagine if you saw an epic Buenos Tardes Amigos live a decade before Jack Black made Nacho Libre

[@bugnurddesigns5268]

40:40 This came out the same year as Elliot Smith’s debut, so hard saying if there was an influence there or just convergent evolution.

[@skyrothman8651]

He covered Birthday Boy so it's fair to say Baby Bitch could have very well been an influence for him

[@DBlute]

Ween “Live In Chicago” was an official release. It’s on Spotify. That’s a great live show to start with and sound quality is tops. And for Phish covering Roses Are Free, I first recommend 12/11/97 which was the first time they covered it. It smokes and it’s tight like the album version. Then go listen to the greatest Roses ever on 4/3/98 and enjoy the ride. 🌹

[@carterknudsen525]

57:30 -- is it "Best of My Love?" That just jumped into my head listening to that part!

[@StunThePuppy]

Ween and Phish!!! Some of my all time favorite albums. I love the two because you don’t know what’s gonna happen next with both bands. A live version of Marble Tulip Juicy Tree is some of my favorite Ween . NEXT do White Pepper 🎉

[@DedHedRy]

Freedom of 76 one of the sexiest songs

[@erikesemo]

White Pepper, Live from Chicago, 12 Golden Country Greats, Pure Guava, The Pod, Good Ween Satan, Shinola Vol. 1, then La Cucaracha.

[@DedHedRy]

I’ve shed my own tears while listening to “tears of Eddie” more than once

[@timcardona9962]

*WHERE TO GO NEXT* - if you go backwards, it’s more like C&C with lots of styles and ups and downs, some killer tracks, some throwaways, acid drenched, lo-fi, occasionally juvenile….you get the picture. White Pepper, on the other hand, is closer to Quebec and you will love it. Many folks will say “you’re ready for The Pod Bro!” but I think it will *discourage* rather than *encourage* you to continue your Ween journey. There are quite a few Candi’s on those earlier records if you know what I mean lol…..After White Pepper you should check out live stuff; that will hook you in even further.

[@carterknudsen525]

I think the Who song from Quadrophenia you're thinking of is "I've Had Enough," specifically the scream at the end

[@phunkyphish3]

Check out this live version of Freedom 76. It's from a daytime TV show, and they were on mushrooms during it. This is how they used to play live shows, with a DAT tape for the Rhythm section. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKu8qp5_dparjMk

[@meramsey]

Would not be at all surprised if Jack Black based his voice in Nacho Libre off of this song. He's a big Ween fan and friends with the band. Saw Tenacious D open up for Ween at Red Rocks in the early 2000s, amazing show.

[@sarahmaske7335]

Ahhh! My husband was at that very show and met Jack Black and then got a picture with Kyle lol. You know Ween was definitely gaining a lot of traction when Tenacious D opened for them at legendary Red Rocks. Although, Tenacious D wasn't as well-known then. Still a cool story!

[@Yarjka]

Another similarity between Phish and Ween is how their live setlists include songs from their entire oeuvre without a lot of repeats. The variety is the appeal.

[@manualboyca]

You should check out the live intro to Can’t Put My Finger On It from the live album “Painting the Town Brown” - it’s great and hilarious

[@mbglosser]

Live in Chicago from 04 is essentjwl. And basically every song from the DVD is on KZbin

[@torinwallace7681]

loved this reaction one of my favrite albums of all time try the pod next

[@WallyPDoyle111]

A Tear For Eddie is an almost note for note tribute to Eddie Hazel's solo in Maggot Brain, just played a but faster

[@manualboyca]

A lot of Ween albums sound like crazy mix tapes

[@ricodogface7139]

You won't understand what they mean by "brown" until you listen to The Pod and Pure Guava

[@rayscott678]

Prince rock n roll hall of fame my guitar gently weeps is crazy awesome and a must watch

[@CesarHernandez-nh1wz]

Funny you mentioned a comparison between Phish and Ween during Roses are Free- Phish covers that song regularly.

[@jeffbrown-hill7739]

1:23:10 HOW DID THEY RECREATE THAT TONE?! It's identical to the one in all the spaghetti westerns, whenever an electric guitar is played.

[@GetSeedsRightHere]

Has anyone told you that this is their first album with a full band? All previous albums were just Aaron and Mick on a 4 track, in their house. Another fun fact, Trey from Phish, huge Ween fan.

[@Throwawayjim119]

That dude who said Prince is meh doesn’t know Prince lol And you’ve gotttttt to check out some P Funk and some solo Eddie Hazel. Incredible stuff all around

[@eddiedingle767]

Deaner initially had much stronger words for Prince, People just have to hear the right songs

[@gbrinkert]

I always interpreted the lyric as "a bake and steak, a perfect match" as in get high and eat a cheesesteak.

[@audiofunkdialect]

OK, I’m definitely not an authority on ween and I only really got into them in the last few years, but this is not the only song phish has covered by them, in their sound check for the Nutter show 97. They did the stallion part three I believe.

[@jeffbrown-hill7739]

Guy in the chat who never got into Randy Newman because of his voice is SORELY missing out. Newman is a national treasure, one of the greatest songwriters ever to live. Don't believe me? Listen to the album "Sail Away". The lyrics will bring you to your knees.

[@matthewwood110]

there's an I95 exit for joppa in maryland. my fave toon on c&c

[@RezaSwag]

WE ARE ONLY GETTIN' BROWNER FROM HERE BABY (besides white pepper i guess...)

[@Pango1981]

WAIT TIL HE HEARS TREY SHRED ON ROSES ARE FREE

[@Neuroheads]

7:51 Fore shadowing

[@Kelpo64]

White Pepper next!

[@timhaines2894]

Live in Chicago, start to finish, is ridiculous

[@timhaines2894]

And BTW, they’re just down to earth guys that make great but perfectly strange music. My entry point was Pure Guava, so I’m sure you’ll get to that eventually, buckle up. I actually grew up a few towns over from them in PA, they’re from New Hope, PA. Met them and hung out and drank with them a few times at bars there. No joke, Deaner used to run a small one boat fishing charter, which he did between tours for sh*ts and giggles. I was supposed to take my kids fishing with him once and unfortunately it poured that day so it got cancelled. Keep following the rabbit hole.

[@christophermeyer3115]

You should look up the story behind What Deaner Is Talking about. Not sure if you get to it in the vid. But it's about Gene having his first panic attack of his own, after years of being around Deaner experiencing them. "oh so thats what deaner was talking about"

[@RezaSwag]

pure guava before the pod imo - ive recently done whole discog. If you want to strap in for full brown go the pod. if you want to ease into it, pure guava then the pod.

[@DedHedRy]

Since you discovered phish, they do a cover of “roses are free” several times over the years. Should check it out

[@jtenaz]

The best 90's band. White Pepper next.

[@maxwellbrand]

Pure Guava is the only Ween I ever really need.

[@djC653]

40:23 so you mentioned Elliot Smith and a post in chat explains the song Baby Bitch the funny thing is Elliot Smith covered the song BirthdayBoy which the chat poster mentions in his explanation. I'm assuming someone in chat will bring this up

[@leethomaston4314]

This should be interesting

[@jeffbrown-hill7739]

While you are on a "somewhat bizarre albums of the mid-'90s" kick, you should react to "Wowee Zowee" by Pavement.

[@MakeTheAdjustment1979]

Pure guava is the best one because it makes you feel like you are in trouble 🤣🤣

[@eddiedingle767]

Waiting to see how you react to: GodWeenSatan:The Oneness The Pod Pure Guava “Spider-Man and Jesus, spinal meningitis got me down”

[@missmabelbasset4077]

Were you surprised when he touched the dwarf inside?

[@Llewella-ir5tp]

Pure Guava --> The Stallion (part 3)

[@randstand6148]

Would love to see some NOFX or Teenage bottlerocket reactions

[@closedmouth]

deaner is singing on "pony" edit: omg, almost everything this chat said about the band is wrong, please disregard all of it

[@jeffbrown-hill7739]

Any examples?

[@closedmouth]

@@jeffbrown-hill7739 i'd have to go back through it, but "andrew weiss is mean ween" and "chris williams is kramer" back-to-back just about gave me an aneurysm"

[@Kittiekonfuzed]

? if its dean singing it than why does gene sing it live

[@MichelSebastian8]

Because dean voice sucks hahahaha 😊​@@Kittiekonfuzed

[@closedmouth]

@@Kittiekonfuzed i dunno mate, gene's the lead singer. Would it blow your mind if i told you pandy fackler is also dean?

[@RezaSwag]

SHIIIIIT I MISSED IT I MISSED THE STREAM IM SOOOOO MAD

[@aaronfreeman2728]

All the people saying White Pepper are correct...the God Ween Satan, then the Pod...then, if you want, La Cucaracha (but Shinola is better).

[@scherbertdan]

It's like Turkish Disco😂😂🤷‍♂️ Ween🤎

[@rozbot86]

I think you should go back to GodWeenSatan first and then to The Pod and continue in order.

[@jayredz7807]

Sorry, as a Phish guy, I can't help myself lol 4/3/98 Roses are Free is a must Edit: with the succeeding jam!

[@Throwawayjim119]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZyrm6Glmt1lnbcsi=ybPcRrub8D16oFcl video link :)

[@jayredz7807]

@@Throwawayjim119 what is your secret? Do I need Col Forbin and famous Mockingbird's assistance?! Anytime I attempt to add a link, it's blocked

[@SpeeDoh]

That whole show and run is a must!

[@ricodogface7139]

GO LISTEN TO PRINCE! it's worth it I promise.

[@finnandjake22]

Keep going backward with ween, but dont sleep on 12 country greats.

[@KidSans77]

PLEASE brace yourself for the brown trilogy, I DID NOT like it on first listen but they grow on you. (Also Candi x2 speed kinda goes hard and I don’t know why)

[@rozbot86]

Voodoo Lady is not brown. Candi is brown.

[@scherbertdan]

Major Tear for Eddie dis😡

[@childrenoftheabzu]

He probably doesnt know who Hazel is.

[@jeffbrown-hill7739]

Chocolate and Cheese is great, indeed. I would react to Pure Guava next! Trey from Phish was heavily influenced by that one.

[@ameadors11]

They’re similar because they both play Roses Are Free. And Phish plays it better. And that’s probably why Ween guys don’t like Phish. They’re jealous. Phish plays Ween songs better than Ween!

[@childrenoftheabzu]

Ween was in NO WAY inspired by phish and ween and phish are contemporaries. Deaner would throw a fit if he heard you say that hahaha. Jerry and the boys on the other hand, very much inspired them. As far as the fans go, the phish crowd stays away for the most part. There is a lil overlap. As someone who saw Phish A LOT up until 99 and Ween A LOT, which I continue to do multiple times a year I can tell you its a very different experience in regard to the crowd at shows. I had the same problem seeing the dead as i did phish. The crowd was very pretentious and a lot of privileged trustafarians which was worse with phish. Point being, a way different crowd and ween is the only band i still see a lot and travel for.

[@davissae]

Quebec and The Mollusk are far superior albums. I even prefer Pepper.

[@danO___0]

Disagree, this has way many more bangers than pepper.

[@christophermeyer3115]

@@davissae when people state their opinion as a fact it makes it really hard to take them seriously

[@davissae]

@ it’s obviously an opinion

[@christophermeyer3115]

​@@davissae sure mang

[@Kittiekonfuzed]

Chocolate & Cheese is a perfect album

[@meramsey]

The Pod should be next!

[@maine420grow]

I like Phish's version better (roses r free)

[@CesarHernandez-nh1wz]

White Pepper needs to be next. 12 Golden Country Greats is solid too. God Ween Satan blows.