Chocolate and Cheese

Chocolate and Cheese
Studio album by Ween
Released September 27, 1994[1]
Recorded 1994
Genre
Length 54:47
Label Elektra
Producer Andrew Weiss
Ween chronology
Pure Guava
(1992)		 Chocolate and Cheese
(1994)		 12 Golden Country Greats
(1996)
Singles from Chocolate and Cheese
  1. "I Can't Put My Finger on It"
    Released: 1994
  2. "Freedom of '76"
    Released: 1994
  3. "Voodoo Lady"
    Released: 1994

Chocolate and Cheese is the fourth studio album by Ween, originally released by Elektra Records in 1994. It was the first Ween album to be recorded in a professional studio, in contrast to the crude four-track home recordings of their first three albums. However, most of the instruments were still played by Dean and Gene Ween, including their drum machine.

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Sun-Times[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
Select4/5[5]

In July 2014, Guitar World placed Chocolate and Cheese at number 45 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.[6]

Track listing

All tracks by Ween except as noted

No.TitleLength
1."Take Me Away"3:01
2."Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)"2:53
3."Freedom of '76" (Ween/Ed Wilson)2:51
4."I Can't Put My Finger on It"2:48
5."A Tear for Eddie"4:50
6."Roses Are Free"4:35
7."Baby Bitch"3:04
8."Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony?"2:55
9."Drifter in the Dark"2:32
10."Voodoo Lady"3:48
11."Joppa Road"3:03
12."Candi"4:03
13."Buenas Tardes Amigo"7:07
14."The HIV Song"2:10
15."What Deaner Was Talkin' About"2:00
16."Don't Shit Where You Eat"3:20

Background

The album is dedicated to comedian John Candy, who died while Ween was putting the album together. "A Tear for Eddie" was dedicated to the funk/psychedelic guitar pioneer Eddie Hazel, who died December 23, 1992. In a 2011 interview, Gene Ween credited a Spanish lesson on Sesame Street with inspiring "Buenas Tardes Amigo"[7]

Album cover

Ween originally wanted the cover to have a "gay sailor theme" but the studio thought it was politically incorrect (possibly because of "The HIV Song", which is ironically cheery and upbeat). Instead, they opted for a woman's body on the cover. The band say that they never got to meet the cover model, Ashley Savage. Additionally, the cover pays homage to The Commodores' 1982 album All the Great Hits, which features a boxer with a championship belt around his waist that has the band's name on it, but on the album cover, it has WEEN decorated on the belt.

"I Can't Put My Finger on It" is an EP released by Elektra Records in 1994, and including the tracks "I Can't Put My Finger on It", "A Tear for Eddie", "Now I'm Freaking Out" and "Bakersfield".

"Voodoo Lady EP" was released by Flying Nun Records (as a 7") and White Records (as a CD) in 1994, and included the tracks "Buenas Tardes Amigo", "There's a Pig" (CD version only), and "Vallejo" (CD version only). The EP's title track can be heard in the films Road Trip and Dude, Where's My Car?, as well as the original version of "In The Bathroom," a skit from the sketch comedy show The State, while the album track "Buenas Tardes Amigo" was featured in the German films Lammbock and Herr Lehmann.

"Freedom of '76" is an EP released by Flying Nun Records in 1995, and included two versions of the title track plus "Now I'm Freaking Out" and "Pollo Asado". CKY guitarist (and dedicated Ween fan) Chad Ginsburg appeared in the "Freedom of '76" promo video as an extra shouting at Gene and Dean after they stole the Liberty Bell. According to Chad, he was screaming, "You stole my song!", referring to the similarities of his song (Rudy + Blitz "Loaf") and Ween's "Spinal Meningitis".

Original Vinyl Pressings : On top of the elektra records release ( Elektra 61639-2 US 1994), it was pressed distributed by Grand Royal records in the USA in 1994 with a 2 LP non-gatefold version (Chocolate And Cheese (2xLP) Grand Royal GR 010 US 1994) and also overseas in New Zealand with two editions, on Flying Nun records also in 1994, one with a bonus 7" single(Chocolate And Cheese (2xLP) Flying Nun Records FN314 UK 1994 Chocolate And Cheese (2xLP + 7") Flying Nun Records FNSP314)

Note that there is a catalogue number for the vinyl issue by Elektra records, but there is no confirmation it was pressed on vinyl at this time, possibly only in promo edition.

Cover versions
  • "Roses Are Free" is a regular, and popular live cover for fans of the band Phish, having been played onstage 48 times between 12-11-1997 and 9-4-2015. The 2000 Phish documentary, Bittersweet Motel, shows the band rehearsing the track backstage at the Rochester War Memorial in Rochester, NY and then transitions into their 1st onstage interpretation of the song on 12-11-1997. Phish's guitarist, Trey Anastasio, commented to the crowd after their 8-7-2015 cover, suggesting that Mickey and Aaron should play together again, which was followed by Ween's first comeback show at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, CO on 2-12-2016 where the song was played among 32 others.[8]
  • Ash recorded a version of "What Deaner Was Talkin' About", released as a B-side on their 1997 single "A Life Less Ordinary". This track also features on their limited edition live album, Live at the Wireless.
  • Amos Lee performed "Buenas Tardes Amigo" on an iTunes exclusive live album entitled "iTunes Live From SoHo".
  • Jon Auer (The Posies, Big Star) covered "Baby Bitch" on his solo EP "6 1/2."

Personnel

The band
Additional personnel
  • Mean Ween - Bass
  • Greg Frey - Engineer
  • Howie Weinberg - Mastering
  • Andrew Weiss - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
  • Kirk Miller - Live Sound
  • Danny Clinch - Photography
  • John Kuczala - Photography
  • Reiner Design Consultants - Design
  • Patricia Frey- drums
  • Scott Lowe - programming
  • Stephen Said - Spanish guitar

Chart performance

Album

Singles

References

  1. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "Chocolate and Cheese – Ween". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  2. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim (October 16, 1994). "Ween, 'Chocolate and Cheese' (Elektra)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 5, 2015. (Subscription required (help)).
  3. ↑ Ehrlich, Dimitri (October 14, 1994). "Chocolate and Cheese". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  4. ↑ Sarig, Roni (2004). "Ween". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 864–65. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. ↑ Rees, Paul (February 1995). "Ween: Chocolate and Cheese". Select (56): 86.
  6. ↑ "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994". GuitarWorld.com. July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Ween's Chocolate and Cheese". Google Books. 2011.
  8. ↑ http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/ween/2016/1st-bank-center-broomfield-co-13f30d85.html
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