Pure Guava

by Ween

Overview

By 1993's major label debut Pure Guava, Ween had distilled their one-of-a-kind mix of eclectic pop and crazed humor to its essence. GodWeenSatan: The Oneness and The Pod were fascinating, but occasionally frustrating albums; at 19 songs, Pure Guava is more polished and concise, but it's still sprawling and occasionally sick, featuring the fuzzed-out "Touch My Tooter" and the five-minute noise-burst "Mourning Glory," a tale of pumpkin-smoking gone horribly awry. Though "I Play It Off Legit" -- a muttered conversation set to atmospheric keyboards -- and the rhythmic, bass-heavy "The Goin' Gets Tough From The Getgo" could have appeared on The Pod, most of Pure Guava's songs have a poppy, accessible sheen. Fragmented, distorted tracks like "Big Jilm," "Flies On My Dick" and the live favorite "Poop Ship Destroyer" benefit from the album's cleaner production, giddily mixing catchiness and silliness. If The Pod was influenced by the band's Scotchguard habit, Pure Guava sounds like it was recorded while Dean and Gene were huffing helium; it's fast, shiny and crisp, particularly on the hyper rant "Pumpin' 4 the Man" and the alternative rock hit "Push Th' Little Daisies." Ween's prog-rock fascination surfaces on "The Stallion, Pt. 3" and on "Don't Get 2 Close To My Fantasy," which sports wonderfully inane lyrics like "Stare into the lion's eyes / And if you taste the candy / You'll get to the surprise." In the midst of all this weirdness, the sweet, seemingly genuine ballad "Sarah" feels like the album's strangest song. With Pure Guava, Ween moved away from the snippets of random craziness that defined their first two albums toward a more organized style. Considering Elektra released it, it's just as uncompromising as their previous work, but it hints at just how much further they would develop with their music. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	09/22/2009
Label:	Rounder Select / Rounder
UPC:	0011661909021

Tracks

1. Little Birdy
2. Tender Situation
3. The Stallion Pt.3
4. Big Jilm
5. Push Th' Little Daisies
6. The Goin' Gets Tough From the Getgo
7. Reggaejunkiejew
8. I Play It Off Legit
9. Pumpin' 4 the Man
10. Sarah
11. Springtheme
12. Flies On My Dick
13. I Saw Gener Cryin' In His Sleep
14. Touch My Tooter
15. Mourning Glory
16. Loving U Thru It All
17. Hey Fat Boy (Asshole)
18. Don't Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)
19. Poop Ship Destroyer

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ween   Primary Artist
Dean Ween   Vocals,Guitar
Guy Heller   Vocals
Larry Curtin   Vocals (Background),Soloist,Whistle (Human),Vocals (Background)
Scott Lowe   Vocals,Vocals,Soloist,Whistle (Human)
Mean Ween   Vocals
Gene Ween   Vocals

Technical Credits

Frank Riley   Booking
Dean Ween   Composer,Engineer
Ween   Composer,Producer
Howie Weinberg   Mastering
Patricia Frey Stephan   Digital Editing
Tom Nichols   Photography
Andrew Weiss   Mixing
Greg Frey   Management
Reiner Design Consultants   Design
Gene Ween   Engineer