I got tipped off to this album through the classic conversation of, "Oh...you like that band? Then you should try this band. They are one of their influences."
Don't get me wrong, I'd HEARD of Ween, the alt rock group that started in 1984, but I just didn't know what I was missing since, well, that's the same year I started...being alive. Other than "Roses Are Free", which I knew because Phish covered that track, I was out of the loop.
So I picked up this album, "White Pepper" which was in a discount bin, hit up Ming Dynasty for some takeout (combination 7) , and let the album play.
...what came next was like a first kiss...or the first time I played Super Mario Bros....or the first time I ate a Cinnabon.
I was whisked away from the opening notes of, "Exactly Where I'm At" and I couldn't stop listening or moving. My feet and hands were in a constant state of motion.
"Flutes of Chi" painted this beautiful landscape in my mind...completely substance free might I add.
Get out your mental paintbrushes, push play, and give it a whirl, I don't lie:
Then came, "Bananas and Blow":
(note this is not the ACTUAL video for the song, haha, but rather a fan's representation.
IT IS however the actual studio version of the song, which is what counts!)
I can't help but hear every other band I've ever enjoyed on this album. From the frollicking riffs of Trey and Phish to the shredding guitars of Claypool and Primus...it was all over the map...influences a-plenty.
By the time the album ended, I was saying to myself, "Well, I've got a new favorite album, a new favorite band, and a whole lot of exploration to do."
I don't know what took me so long, but I'm glad to have reached the destination. Let this post serve as the message...and come join me on the journey that is Ween.
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