Customer Reviews

Shinola 1

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This may be an outtakes compilation, but it's definitely a must-hear for Ween fans even if they're ones who aren't quite fanatical enough to have picked up all the live Chocodog releases. Despite the product description, none of the tracks have been previously released officially (a few have been bootlegged, but in different versions), and almost all of them are quality enough to have made the albums. Actually there's no information in the liner notes about when each track was recorded, although occasionally just by the "feel" of a song you can make a guess (the Pink Floyd-inspired "Did You See Me" was most likely left-over from The Mollusk or Quebec, and the unabashed soft rock of "Someday" smacks of White Pepper, while the tinny drum machines on "Big Fat F***" and "Tastes Good On The Bun" indicate they were probably from earlier on). Anyway, while it's obvious that these tracks span all over the band's career, this compilation flows almost about as well as the average Ween album, due to a combination of savy track listing and how eclectic the band generally is anyway. There are all kinds of should-have-been classics here, my favorites being the dead-on Thin Lizzy homage "Gabrielle", the raunchy sex-funk of "Monique The Freak" (which will appeal to anyone who loved "LMLYP"), and the previously mentioned soft-rock closer "Someday" (come on, how can you beat a slickly produced Wings-style prom theme ballad that happens to inexplicably include the verse "sunday... monday... tuesday... is pizza day... pizza day"?). If you haven't gotten this already, grab it before it's out of print. Again, don't let the outtakes thing dissuade you, on the whole this release is at least as strong as their last few albums.

I should preface this review by stating that I am a HUGE Ween fan so you can take this review for what its worth.

Since I discovered the Brothers Boognish I became an immediate disciple and began to try and track down every song or snippet of noise that they put to tape. 40 or 50 bootlegs later I gave up trying to document their entire live catalogue but I figured I'd still be able to find all of their B-Sides and rarities on my own and I have several compilation CDs of rough quality tracks to show for my efforts.

When I heard Ween was to release an official compilation of rarities I was as giddy a school girl, as any new release from the Brothers is a welcome event. However, I was a bit pissed off that `lesser fans' would, in the time it took them to purchase a copy of `Shinola', be able to hear songs that took me months to track down. I was also a bit reluctant to purchase a collection of songs I already had in one form or another.

Well, all of my worries were for naught. First, this disc includes tracks even I hadn't already heard, such as the hilarious Jewish jazz funk rant `Israel' and the delicious slow burner "I Fell in Love Today". And the songs that I already had have been re-mastered and sound as crisp as any of Ween's newer releases and put my old mp3s to shame. As such it can stand up against any of their albums, evening outshining 1 or 2 of them. The closest point of reference in my mind would be `Chocolate & Cheese', an album which heralded a cleaner production in their sound with more fully realized songs but which lacked none of the weirdness which made their earlier material so endearing. Like C&C, `Shinola' is all over the map style wise, but there's never any doubt to whose record this is. `Brown' is what we've come to expect from Ween and with Shinola we get a big steaming pile of Poop.

I'll rock out to any Ween all day long, but if the point of these reviews is to help uninformed listeners decide whether to purchase an album or not, then here's the deal: This is a fun album, and if you like Ween you'll dig this, but there's a reason some of these cuts weren't included on albums. There's no doubt some of these tunes should have been previously released. But it's a little absurd for all these people to give this album the coveted "5" stars. If this a 5 star album, what is the Mollusk or Chocolate and Cheese, 'cause this album ain't either of those.
Reviewing music is silly anyway, 'cause one man's trash is another man's all-time favorite album, but I don't think potential listeners should be viewing this as a 5 star album.

Yeah, so Tastes Good on th' Bun has the lyrics:

tastesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss good on the bun.

over and over again.

but what a great little tune. And then "Big Fat F*ck" (the asterisk isn't in the song title but Amazon won't accept this review without it, even though Amazon shows the title in the track listings without the asterisk, how lame is that?) which is a different great little tune that sounds like walking through mud and the refrain "feelin' like a big fat f*ck."

And then you have the polar opposites like "How High Can You Fly" which out Pink Floyds Pink Floyd. And everything else inbetween. If you like Ween, you'll like this. If you don't like Ween, chances are you probably won't like this.

I realize that last paragraph isn't saying much.

They jump genres, deconstruct music, and represent it. Solidly. As usual.

While this is a cut up, disoriented, and down right schizophrenic release from the Weener Bros., it is in it's own right, masterfully prepared. Having no idea where in the gosh darn these songs came from (other than what is "hearsay" from "Mr. Know-it-all" previous reviewers, there are no liner notes whatsoever in the disc), it is safe to say that Ween is clear and present here, 100%. It's what you would expect from them, most songs spanning from possibly C 'n' C, W.P., and Quebec. The production is top-notch even though the 1st 2 trax are completely reminiscent of The Pod (which makes me really think these were recorded much later). Overall, it's descent if you are a big fan, definitely has a compilation feel, like all the songs were previously released and put on one Greatest Hits album. After hearing this only a handful of times so far, it leaves a wacky impression in my brain, total schizo-like. It's like you've heard these songs before but haven't. And if you did, you're crazy in the head because you haven't. Ween should've named it "The Never-Greater-Greatest Never-Released Hits Album" instead of dumb Shinola Vol. 1

Ween returns to the scene with "Shinola, Vol. 1", a collection of outtakes from past Ween albums. That doesn't sound too appealing at first, but it's actually more of a rewarding listen than "Quebec" (2003) and "White Pepper" (2000). Just because they are outtakes doesn't mean they're any less enjoyable or impressive. These tunes were simply left off of albums because they didn't fit into the repertoire, concept, or the overall feel of it's studio counterpart. In fact, these songs hardly feel like a mix tape of unreleased material. The variety of song choices, engineering, mastering and track order makes it feel like a classic Ween record from start to finish.

Brown would be the descriptive term when labeling the first cut, "Tastes Good on th' Bun". That and "Big Fat Fu*k" sound like classic freak-out songs from "God Ween Satan" or "The Pod". Then you get the opposite end of the spectrum with gorgeous songs like "I Fell in Love Today", the hypnotic "Did You See Me?", the avante garde "Israel", or the sultry "Someday". Those songs are more progressive and chilled out. Then you get your hard rockers like "Monique the Freak" with a gnarly guitar solo from Dean, or the Thin Lizzy inflicted "Gabrielle" (which is my current favorite). "Boys Club" is a fun little pop tune with insanely catchy elements. "How High Can You Fly" and "Transitions" sound the closest to "White Pepper" or "Quebec", so there is really something here for everyone.

"Shinola, Vol. 1" is another fine addition to Ween's already classic discography. If you are into the band at all, I have no doubt you will enjoy it. For new listeners, I would probably recommend "Chocolate and Cheese" or "The Mollusk" first, but this one is right up there. The bottom line is...don't sleep on this fine record; it's pure gold.

if you only have one ween album or think you could only handle having one ................ this is it !!!!! genius!!!!!!

Okay, I just learned this CD is full of outtakes, and that explains a LOT. I just recently got into Ween, and it took me like an avalanche of pure joy. I gave up hoping bands still existed that were diverse, fun, funny, and brilliant all at once. That's so 70s. I got White Pepper and was floored. I quickly purchased and devoured Chocolate and Cheese, The Mollusk, and Pure Guava. Still craving more, I obtained Quebec and La Cucaracha. Incredible! Then along came Shinola, and I was like "what?" Obviously, even Dean and Gene have standards, and it's painfully obvious why these songs were not part of earlier releases. There are a few absolute gems, and everyone will find their favorite; for me it's "Gabrielle" where the Weeners ape one of my all-time favorites Thin Lizzy in a most convincing way. However, on the bulk of cuts, the ideas are either not that fun, not that developed, or not that brilliant. Still, even mediocre Ween is better than a lot of music out there today. So, I guess this one's for the true fan only, probably not a good choice for those just getting into this remarkable duo of zany stoner 4-track magicians.

I have heard many of these songs over the years on bootleg CD's (some, like the CD Craters of the Sac were actually released in bootleg format by Ween theirselves), and I must say that it is quite interesting to hear these songs redone. Monique and How High can you Fly were especially wonderful to hear again. Maybe on the next Shinola we can hear "Devil's D*ck," and "The Stallion Pt. 4&5" redone. Until then, Shinola Vol. 1 makes this ween fan very happy.

Yeah, so Tastes Good on th' Bun has the lyrics:

tastesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss good on the bun.

over and over again.

but what a great little tune. And then "Big Fat F*ck" (the asterisk isn't in the song title but Amazon won't accept this review without it, even though Amazon shows the title in the track listings without the asterisk, how lame is that?) which is a different great little tune that sounds like walking through mud and the refrain "feelin' like a big fat f*ck."

And then you have the polar opposites like "How High Can You Fly" which out Pink Floyds Pink Floyd. And everything else inbetween. If you like Ween, you'll like this. If you don't like Ween, chances are you probably won't like this.

I realize that last paragraph isn't saying much.

They jump genres, deconstruct music, and represent it. Solidly. As usual.