Ween - Paintin' the Town Brown: Ween Live '90-'98 Audio CD
A fair review of the Ween "Paintin' the Town Brown: Ween Live '90-'98" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all
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Band: Ween
Title: Paintin' the Town Brown: Ween Live '90-'98
Rating: 
Release Date: 1999-06-22
Media: Audio CD
Tracks: 1: Mushroom Festival in Hell 2: Japanese Cowboy 3: Mountain Dew 4: Bumblebee 5: Voodoo Lady 6: Ode to Rene 7: Mister Richard Smoker 8: Doctor Rock 9: I Can't Put My Finger on It 10: Cover It with Gas and Set It on Fire 11: Awesome Sound 12: Tender Situation 13: Mister Would You Please Help My Pony? 14: I Saw Gener Cryin' in His Sleep 15: Marble Tulip Juicy Tree 16: She Fucks Me 17: Poop Ship Destroyer 18: Vallejo 19: Puffycloud
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great album, but disappointing from Ween Some are just better than others. There's no such thing as a bad Ween album. I was really looking forward to the double-disc live set from Ween, but was disappointed. I've seen them in concert so I know first hand how amazing they are, and this CD just doesn't seem to capture the magic. I'd also much rather have more songs in place of a 20+ minute version of Poopship Destroyer. That song is way too long and annoying on here. This is probably near last on my ranking of all the Ween albums.
this is our best gig ever...
Ween is one of my favorites. Then what happens, there is a mix up and then you hear "I knew you'd f* it up". I really like disc one. i am not a big fan of the long "phish-like" jam sessions, therefore the four star rating. As others have written a 3 or 4 disc set would have been way cool since there is a lot of material they can choose from as the ween internet radio proves. favorites:
1. bumblebee what a great guitar and its a stich how quiet the audience is.
2. doctor rock- this is a given.
3. awesome sound- great guitar again.
4. mountain dew- pretty funny how they play with the sound on this one.
5. richard smoker is great recording is real clean.
6. mister would you please help my pony?- always a crowd pleaser.
It was this record when i first got it in early 2000 that i realized what a great guitar player dean is. If you like this record the live at stubbs is really good too, plus its 3 cds. .
Brown is good
However, true fans will not want to miss out on owning the prayer-call intro to ICPMFOI. Every Ween enthusiast should own this, but it is definitely not their best cd (nor their best live cd - buy Stubb's first). I saw that preformed live once and it was beautiful! So that song in itself makes it worth buying this cd. .
For fans...
I remember when I bought this CD. . it was during my post-college, pre-employment phase. I woke up at about 3:00pm, swallowed a handful of asprin to stave off a bad hangover, went to pick up the CD, came home, popped it in and sat on my couch with a bowl of fruity pebbles. . . the full Ween experience! Anyway, I was pretty disappointed. I mean, I had sprung for the CD instead of another fifth of Early Times whiskey!! The first disc is listenable, with some great moments from their awesome '96 tour (best Ween tour ever??), but also some really badly recorded early stuff. There is a great version of "Mountain Dew" though, that will make this disc worthwhile for hardcore Ween fans. The vastly varying sound quality is what ruins my enjoyment of the first disc overall. . . if it was all lo-fi (a la "The Pod") I could have dealt with it, but going from crisp, pro-engineered multitrack recordings to amature DAT stuff is just annoying. The second disc has the best version of "Poopship Destroyer" and a hell of a lot of noodling that doesn't sound so good when one is sober. . . . hmm. . . A few years down the road, and I'm a respectable member of society. I still love Ween, but this is definitely the disc I reach for the least. This is aimed squarely at serious fans, and newcomers or general listeners should definitely start elsewhere. . . Not bad, but certainly in the "For Fans" category.
If you don't know WEEN, you ain't brown...
But for us Ween officianados, and especially for those who have been fortunate to be blessed with a 4-hour live show or two, this album is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Lets face it -- if this album is your first exposure to Dean & Gene Ween's music, your response will probably range from mild annoyance to outright cringing. Early super-sloppy inclusions such as "Mushroom Festival in Hell" and "Mountain Dew" demonstrates the band's remarkable ability to really rock without really worrying about how they sound (you'll see what I mean). But before you dismiss them as just another over-indulging garage band, check out the hard-as-rock licks by Deaner in "Awesome Sound" or Gener's soaring vocals in "Can't Put My Finger On It" or Claude Coleman's other-worldly drum solo in "Vallejo". Ween rules. God bless the Boognish.
You can see a complete list of all Ween discography, or go back to the Ween tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.