The Double Doghouse

hello folks! this week for the weekly review, we’re checking out Ween’s 1996 record, 12 Golden Country Greats. this is their 5th studio record, and while i’ve listened to a bit of Ween (mostly The Mollusk and Chocolate & Cheese), i’ve only heard one or two tracks from this record. let’s check it out!

I’m Holding You is a laid back and mellow track, that makes some… interesting comparisons around a fairly sweet chorus. Japanese Cowboy focuses on things that “don’t feel right” – i like this one well enough but i keep expecting it to build to something a bit more. Piss Up a Rope was the track i’d heard here before – a comically, over-the-top, vulgar song about a feud between a husband and wife, this one’s got some choice one-liners. not gonna lie, the solo here isn’t really my style, but i’ll let it slide. very funny song. I Don’t Wanna Leave You On the Farm is a fairly straightforward track – really dig the fiddle work here. nice track! Pretty Girl’s another one with some fantastic instrumentation, and the lyrics here are just so full of adjectives. overflowing with adjectives. Powder Blue’s extremely nice – apparently there’s a fun bit here where, in the band call out, they end it by saying “and here’s Muhammad Ali” before playing an audio clip from him. they weren’t given the go-ahead to use the clip, but it was late enough in the process that the song was mixed as though it was going to be included, and was actually pressed on the vinyl, but it is just abruptly cut off in all future versions of the track. extremely funny to just go “here’s the band” *they play* “here’s Muhammad Ali” *silence*. funnier than the original joke. Mr Richard Smoker is an extremely weird track – i can’t help but have a bit of fun with this one. Help Me Scrape the Mucus Off My Brain is apparently a reference to a Merle Haggard song, though i’m unfamiliar with it. You Were the Fool was surprisingly good – i warmed up to this one quite a bit over my time with the record. i feel like this one woulda been a great closer, haha. Fluffy’s a track about a good ol’ dog. i don’t… particularly like the vocal delivery here, but i think it’s still a p good song.

faves – Piss Up a Rope, You Were the Fool
dislikes –

its records like this that make me wonder if i go too quickly through some of these records. i really had a good time with these songs – the instrumentation is phenomenal, and theres some really fun moments here lyrically, from the funny to the touching, but ultimately i feel just on the positive side of alright, and i wonder if even a few more listens mightve jumped me over the edge here. that being said, this is some genuinely excellent country, and Ween are doing some very funny things here. def check this one out if either of those would appeal to you.

12 Golden Country Greats – 7/10

for the next Weekly Album Review, i’ll be checking out Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast. i’ll be back next Friday, September 15th with that review and to pick another weekly record, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then one pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)