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Ween - La Cucaracha Audio CD

A fair review of the Ween "La Cucaracha" 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 Ween reviews here, or go back to the Ween tabs.

Ween Band: Ween
Title: La Cucaracha
Rating:
Release Date: 2007-10-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Fiesta 2: Blue Balloon 3: Friends 4: Object 5: Learnin' to Love 6: With My Own Bare Hands 7: The Fruit Man 8: Spirit Walker 9: Shamemaker 10: Sweetheart 11: Lullaby 12: Woman and Man 13: Your Party

spotty
It was apparent from the outset with "La Cucaracha" that this album was going to be a grower. I'm a huge Ween fan and love most everything they do. Unfortunately, it really hasn't grown on me the way I thought it would, and as a result, I now think it really isn't a very strong release.

The album starts fine with "Fiesta", a wacky Mexican-themed instrumental. But then comes the biggest flaw with the album in my eyes. Songs 2 and 3 on a record should definitely establish the tone. For me, "Blue Balloon" and "Friends" could be the flimsiest 2 and 3 songs ever on a record, and that is saying a lot. A lot of folks like "Blue Balloon" but I just don't get it. I find it to be a very boring song. "Friends" is a techno rave up unlike anything Ween has done before, and it is fine, but really not packing much punch. I don't think that it is any coincidence that the band only played each of these songs live a handful of times before dropping them out of the rotation all together. If a band that thrives on its live show doesn't think enough to include the 2nd and 3rd song of its new record in the set list, what does that say about the strength of these songs? The first 3 on this album just leave me puzzled.

"Object" is the 4th song and it has grown on me. . . I like the lyrics, but even it is a fairly terse song. "Learnin' to Love" is a nice Tom Petty styled tune that has become a staple in the live show and is decent, although I've grown sick of it on repeated listens. "With My Own Bare Hands" is the type of Ween tune that I usually love, muscular and vulgar, but even this one feels forced to me. . . the lyrics are so over the top and lose their shock value as a result. The next 3 songs, "The Fruit Man", "Spirit Walker" and "Shamemaker" are all decent, but nothing too killer. The first 2 also receive almost no live play.

The album definitely closes stronger than it begins. "Sweetheart" is a great little 70's styled tune sung by Deaner, and they hit the mark on this one. "Lullaby" is nice. The final 2 songs, "Woman and Man" and "Your Party" are the strongest on the record. "Woman and Man" is a 9 minute psychadelic blow out with a sinister riff. "Your Party" is a piece of excellent songwriting that holds up with any of Ween's best work. But it is there that this album pales. . . the songs just aren't very memorable as a whole. The lack of momemtum generated by the first few songs on this record make it a tough listen, and it never recovers. Ween has better records in them.


a symphony of brownness
An excellent album in entirity. the first thing i thought while listening to the first track was 'what the hell' but very soon started to laugh. Lullaby is sung by an angel. my own bare hands is great, its good to hear dean sing. very very good and very brown.


something new to dislike.
i'm sure fans begged for more white pepper. reveiwers, other people want kooky ween of the past. personally i would have asked ween for another mollusk album or something more along the lines of chocolate and cheese.

but once again ween has given their fans the finger in creating something new to hate, la cucaracha. a song called "friends"? can it get any worse? yepp, a song about a yuppy dinner party. the "cher-esque" spirit walker. wow, all these new tracks makes me want to puke, nothing like the pod version 2 which i really wanted from ween. or maybe another country album. what the hell was ween thinking, this stuff is downright atrocious.

a few hours later, in a meeting and singing spirit walker to the fat lady next to me. huh. ween has done it again. accept it. this album is awesome and just as brown as anything else.

i think it's got more subtlety than previous releases.


Wweeeenwoon


Other reviewers don't lie, this album just never takes off and its sad because Ween put a lot of hard work into it. Ween are a great band and all their albums up to this one are fantastic (I think The Pod is their greatest album and those who can't get into it are total morons/wimps). Their life/writing/playing style has been consistent for YEARS and they're still keeping at it, there will be more after this so there's no reason to give up. Take a listen back, Chocolate & Cheese in my opinion was their lousiest most boring lifeless album to me before I heard this. Why its hailed a classic by the same people that trash this is beyond me.

.


Ween fans rejoice!
Many Ween fans banned La Cucaracha, citing that the songs sound too similar, and/or it's not up to Ween standards, and the songwriting is weak. La Cucaracha is controvertial even for a Ween album, however, it's for different reasons than most. Though I can see where some people might reach that conclusion, you have to take this album in the context of where it's coming from. This is Weens "Let it Be". They have stripped down the extravagance and gone back to their roots, much like the Beatles did. Ween's last real record "Quebec" (which is one of my favorite albums EVER)was full of ambient experimental bliss, but it was the darkest album Ween has ever peoduced. On La Cucaracha, Ween lighten up (even the ironic song "Shame Maker" which is about addiction is in an up-tempo happy number, though if the lyrics are in stark contrast)and have fun with their experimentation. They also cover some previously unexplored (and some explored) genres for Ween such as New wave( it's better than it sounds, prog-rock, sub-reggae, knee slapping alt-country, and jazz among others. Ween makes music for themselves, not copping out to fans wishes, and you can either be critical of, or take it for what it is and enjoy the ride.


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