GOD WEEN SATAN

Ween: Gene Ween, Dean Ween. Additional personnel: David Williams, Eddie Dingle (vocals). Ween: Gene Ween, Dean Ween. Additional personnel: David Williams, Eddie Dingle (vocals). Engineers include: Greg Frey, Theo Van Rock, Andrew. Dean and Gene Ween were barely out of their teens when they recorded GodWeenSatan: The Oneness, and it shows: it's juvenile in the best sense of the word, mixing their sprawling sense of humor with punk, heavy metal, and a surprising amount of pop literacy. At a whopping 23 tracks long, the album features a lot of noodling and lots of whacked-out pop, including "Nan," a dweeby tale of unrequited love, and the jazzy "Never Squeal," which shows off Ween's musical prowess and versatility. GodWeenSatan: The Oneness also introduces many of the song styles the band included on their later releases, such as the prog-rock-inspired ballad "Squelch the Little Weasel," the Prince homage "L.M.L.Y.P.," the playful, helium-laced pop of "Don't Laugh" and the funky, soulful "Nicole." "El Camino"'s pseudo-flamenco, "Birthday Boy"'s surprising vulnerability, and the rambling, silly stoner-folk of "Puffycloud" also set the tone for Ween's future work. Though they'd released plenty of cassettes on their own by the time of GodWeenSatan: The Oneness' release, Ween still sounds like they're trying ideas on for size. Song snippets like "Cold & Wet," "Fat Lenny," and "I Gots a Weasel" are fun but less successful than some of the band's more developed songs or their more crazed outbursts, such as "You Fucked Up," "Wayne's Pet Youngin'," and "Papa Zit." Stomping rockers like "Old Queen Cole," the sparse weirdness of "I'm in the Mood to Move" and the gospel parody "Up on the Hill" -- which introduces Ween's inspiration, the Boognish -- make GodWeenSatan almost as eclectic and inspired as the albums that followed it. However, the fun Dean and Gene Ween had creating GodWeenSatan: The Oneness is palpable, making it more than just a promising debut. ~ Heather Phares