Ween (partially found demo songs/tapes from experimental rock band; 1985-2007)
A collection of tapes from Ween.
Status: Partially Found
Ween is an American experimental rock band formed in New Hope, Pennsylvania, in 1985, infamously known for making "Loop de Loop" and "Ocean Man". They have gained a large cult following and critical praise for their genre-hopping music, "brown" sound (drawing on psychedelic music), and crude sense of humor, among other aspects. They released 9 studio albums and 2 compilations before disbanding in 2012 and eventually reforming in 2016.
Since their formation, they have recorded numerous demo tapes and songs alongside their official releases. While most of their extensive demo-and-outtake discography is widely available and shared on platforms such as YouTube and, formerly, Browntracker (a site dedicated to sharing live shows and demos from the band), there are some songs and even entire tapes that have yet to resurface. Some songs were known to be played on Weenradio, and others were shared on the file-sharing site WeenFTP.[1] Unfortunately, certain Weenradio broadcasts aren't known to have been recorded and WeenFTP has long since been rendered inoperative. Further complicating matters is the lack of information for a majority of the tapes.
Known Tapes[2]
| Tape Name | Recorded | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs. Slack | 1983 | Partially Found | |
| Chris Hoecke | 1984 | Partially Found | |
| Mike Banks | 1985 | Partially Found | |
| We Broke Up | 1985 | Lost | |
| Kim Tulio | 1985 | Partially Found | |
| Ween/Smersh | 1986 | Partially Found | |
| Ween WAD | 1988 | Partially Found | |
| Scraping The Palm For Guava | 1989 | Found | |
| Focus | 1989 | Partially Found | |
| The Stallion | 1990 | Found | |
| The Timmy Wasserman Tape | 1990 | Found | |
| Live Weed Whore | 1990 | Lost | |
| Pork Roll Egg And Cheese Tape | 1990 | Partially Found | |
| Bilboa | 1990 | Partially Found | |
| The Eindhoven EP | 1990 | Partially Found | |
| Springstuff | 1991 | Partially Found | |
| Caprice Classic | 1991 | Found | |
| Eravis | 1991 | Found | |
| Vallejo | 1992 | Found | |
| The Freedom Tape | 1992 | Partially Found | |
| Chocolate And Cheese | 1992 | Lost | |
| Creme De Menthe | 1993 | Partially Found | |
| Music For Drunk Irish Homos | 1996 | Lost | |
| Long Beach Island | 1999 | Found |
Notable Lost/Unsurfaced Songs
| Name | Tape/Sessions | Status |
|---|---|---|
| White Haai | Ween WAD | Lost |
| Love Excerpt | Ween WAD | Lost |
| Ho Ho The Clown | Focus | Lost |
| Opus 51 (Fugue Trilogy In A) (Studio Re-Recording) | God Ween Satan Studio Sessions | Partially Found |
| I Got It | Pure Guava Sessions | Lost |
| Gotta Burn On My Leg | Vallejo | Found |
| Streetfight | The Freedom Tape | Lost |
| Joppa Road (Demo) | Chocolate And Cheese Sessions | Lost |
| Voodoo Lady (Demo) | Chocolate And Cheese Sessions | Lost |
| Wet Peat | Creme De Menthe | Lost |
| The Concert Is Over | Creme De Menthe | Lost |
| If You Love Me | Chocolate & Cheese Sessions | Lost |
| Mariko-San | Chocolate And Cheese Sessions | Lost |
| Boston Chicken | 12 Golden Country Greats Sessions | Lost[3] |
| Kevin The Honky | Music For Drunk Irish Homos | Found |
| Goodbye Little Baby Green | Music For Drunk Irish Homos | Lost |
| Louise | White Pepper Sessions | Found |
| Dickie Betts (1999 Demo) | White Pepper Sessions | Lost |
| The Chancy Boys | La Cucaracha Sessions | Found |
| Bison Burger | La Cucaracha Sessions | Lost |
| Your Party (Demo) | La Cucaracha Sessions | Partially Found |
Unfinished 10th Album
In a 2010 interview with The National Post, guitarist Dean Ween shared that Ween were due in the studio for a 10th studio album.[4] It is unknown what became of the sessions, or if any work was done on it, as Ween would announce their breakup 2 years later.
Status
The Freedom tape is partially accounted for, but missing several songs including 4-Track versions of Don't Shit Where You Eat, and Fluffy and an unreleased demo titled Streetfight.[5] The Eindhoven EP consists of four songs recorded during a studio session at Tango Studios in Holland, Netherlands on Christmas Morning 1990. The songs recorded are Cover It With Gas (And Set It On Fire), Albino Sunburn Girl, Push Th' Little Daises, as well as an uncirculated studio recording of I Wuz Nuthin'.
The Caprice Classic 1991 tape can be found scattered across many corners of the internet, its tracklist being revealed in the Ween Archived Facebook Group.
The Mrs. Slack, Chris Hoecke, Kim Tulio, Mike Banks, and John Ward tapes were compiled for Prime 5, a 1988 compilation that resurfaced in 2017.
An eBay listing for Ween WAD was found in 2021, now in the possession of a private tape collector.
All of Bilboa can be found online except for track 9, which is a rough mix of Right 2 The Ways And The Rules Of The World, making this tape partially lost.
The song I Got It was also allegedly circulating around 1994-95[6], though the legitimacy of this claim is unknown.
An uncirculated Your Party demo also exists, mentioned in an interview by Mickey as "sounding like The Red Hot Chili Peppers or something"
The tracks If You Love Me, The Concert Is Over, and Bison Burger have all been played live yet never surfaced in any studio/demo form. The song Dickie Betts was played live a couple times in in 1998-2000, later resurfacing in a rerecorded form on The Deaner Album, its original demo never being released.
References
- ↑ Post regarding the status of a Weenradio broadcast containing certain songs listed in the article. Retrieved 22 Apr '21
- ↑ A comprehensive list of known rare Ween releases, including lost ones. Retrieved 22 Apr '21
- ↑ Photo shared by 12 Golden Country Greats producer Ben Vaughn, showing an early tracklisting for the album that includes the lost "Boston Chicken". Retrieved 22 Apr '21
- ↑ An archived copy of the interview. Retrieved 4 Aug, '21
- ↑ Reddit thread about the Freedom tape's tracklist. Retrieved 22 Apr '21
- ↑ Ween forum post about remembering downloading I Got It. Retrieved 4 Aug '21