elektra records Archives -

1989 Elektra/FFF

I don’t think I’ve ever heard an album whose existence is so totally in a vacuum like this disc. Doomed from the time of its release in 1989, it went virtually unnoticed by everyone except music nuts like me who were constantly in search of the perfect jam.

Why was it doomed? Because no one could really write about them. The band got little (if any) press and even the pictures on the inside of the album and CD sleeves are unfocused so as to prevent recognition…all because two of the three members were from the 80’s pop band Berlin (yes, “Take My Breath Away” Berlin) and that connection would have destroyed their street cred. I remember when the album was released I was working at Paradise Records in Baton Rouge and the record company (Elektra) was very secretive about the band’s origin. Not a very smart strategy, given that hard rock was so visually driven at that time.

The result is a rockin’ and beautifully flawed album that represents perfectly the transitional time of its release…when hair bands were on the way out and grunge was about to take over. This album is neither, and musically could have come from just about any era. As timeless as your favorite pair of jeans (frays and holes included) and just as street-sure.

Two videos were released, fortunately, for two of the stronger tracks (Doctor Vine and Alpert Tango)…so if you check them out here and like them, you’ll probably like the rest of the album. The Big F is an album that succeeds as much because of its flaws as because of its triumphs. Vocals go from confident, brooding, melodically growling to an occasional high-pitched wail that was definitely a sign of the times. Fortunately the latter doesn’t happen too often and we’re treated to a very tight three piece with chops, hooks and power.

Alpert Tango is probably my favorite tune, whatwith its relentless and tight percussive attack and growling vocals that sound like a nice guy trying to sound tough and succeed because of it. In many ways, the band’s origin makes sense as pop songwriters who want to get down and dirty and just rock. Hard to describe this album’s timelessness, other than “it rocks.”

Definitely more hard rock than metal, it’s guitar, bass, drums and vocals. No frills.

And, quite frankly, it sounds even better today than it did (gulp) 20 years ago.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Buy or Download The Big F…You’ll Be Better For It

Ween 1997 Elektra Recordings

Rumour has it that Dean and Gene Ween put together this, their magnum opus of twisted humour set to infectious eclectic melodies, on the northern east coast close to the shore (hence the obvious nautical themes).

Whatever the origin, the fact remains that there is no one making music quite like Ween. From their inception, these goofballs from New Hope, PA have existed in their own world with an open invitation to all of us to visit anytime and stay as long as we’d like.

The Mollusk runs the gamut from Brit-pop to showtunes to beer-swilling sea-salt rantings (see The Blarney Stone – “If I don’t get some fresh bread soon, gonna punch in yer face an’ bark at the moon.”). Man, just where did this stuff come from?

Opener “Dancing In The Show Tonight” sets their trademark tape-speed vocal experimentation to a Broadway showtune styling that will have you both tapping your foot and laughing hysterically at the same time. It’s like the Chipmunks meet the Rockettes in a twisted way.

Title track “The Mollusk” follows immediately after and really sets the tone for the rest of the CD with its aquatic/atmospheric instrumentation and sense of fun that showcases two musical minds (that would be Dean and Gene Ween) focused more on having fun than anything else and being so talented that they can’t help but stumble upon melodic hook after melodic hook.

No matter what their musical mood in a given song, these guys just deliver track after track loaded with personality, experimentation and good humour. Highlights include “I’ll Be Your Jonny On The Spot,” the aforementioned “Blarney Stone,” “Mutilated Lips,” and “Polka Dot Tail” (including the sidesplitting rhyme “Have you ever made a flan, and squished it in your hand?”)

Testimony to their penchant for memorable melodies with incredible mass appeal, however, is the crown jewel of this CD “Ocean Man,” which was a deserved and fitting inclusion on the soundtrack to The Spongebob Squarepants Movie. Man, my kids love this song as much as I do…although there are other songs on The Mollusk that I prefer to keep away from their tender young ears. “Ocean man, the crust of a tan man imbibed by the sand, soaking up the thirst of the land.” – There’s just nothing like a good pop/rock song with a healthy injection of vocabularic intelligence.

Is “vocabularic” even a word? In the world of Ween, it doesn’t even matter.

Fill up your scuba tanks and dive in.

Rating: 5 out of 5

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE MOLLUSK AND OTHER WEEN MUSIC THROUGH AMAZON.COM

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The Big F – The Big F

Ween – The Mollusk