The Mollusk (album)

The Mollusk
The Mollusk
Studio album by Ween
Released	June 24, 1997
Recorded	1996–1997
Length	44:20
Label	Elektra Records
Ween chronology

The Mollusk is a studio album by Ween, released on June 24, 1997.

Description and Abridged History[edit | edit source]

The writing process for The Mollusk started at around the same time as 12 Golden Country Greats (in fact, the Mollusk song "Waving My Dick in the Wind" had almost been recorded for the latter, but the band decided to keep it for their next record).

The Mollusk marked a return to a more home-recorded sound, after the professional studio recordings of Chocolate and Cheese and 12 Golden Country Greats. The beginning of the writing and recording process began at a beach house on the Jersey Shore the band rented to "get away from the wives and girlfriends"^[1] before the 12 Golden Country Greats sessions.^[2] Longtime producer and bassist Andrew Weiss was upset with the decision, but let them use his equipment anyway.

The beach house sessions produced at least four songs that would make the final album ("Mutilated Lips", "Ocean Man", "The Golden Eel", and "She Wanted to Leave") and an early version of the title track, which anchored the direction of the album. After an incident where the beach house flooded, destroying most of the recording equipment (though not the tapes), the rest of the tracks were recorded at a rental house, Claude Coleman, Jr.'s house, and Gene Ween's apartment, among other places.^[1] The entire album was recorded to 16-track tape.

The Mollusk was Ween's first album with keyboardist Glenn McClelland (who Dean Ween had met in a bar^[1]), with bassist Dave Dreiwitz joining the band not long after, solidifying the band's longtime (and current) lineup. Weiss mixed the album, still upset about the band dropping him as a full-time member, which caused a rift in their relationship that lasted until the recording process for 2003's Quebec.^[1]

The album art and promotional material were created by Storm Thorgerson (best known for various Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd records, including Dark Side of the Moon), who amended his contract to state he would create the album art and all promotional material free of charge after listening to the album.^[1] Thorgerson's work took heavy influence from bizarre sea creatures, with the album art being a hand-drawn amalgamation of some of said creatures.

Both Ween brothers agree that this is their favorite album of theirs, Gener stating in 2012 "…because you know, I think all great records have a concept, and if . . . the concept is seen through and it really sounds like it on every song, . . . it's strong."^[3] and Deaner calling it their "masterpiece".^[1]

Track Listing[edit | edit source]

1	I'm Dancing in the Show Tonight
2	The Mollusk
3	Polka Dot Tail
4	I'll Be Your Jonny on the Spot
5	Mutilated Lips
6	The Blarney Stone
7	It's Gonna Be (Alright)
8	The Golden Eel
9	Cold Blows the Wind
10	Pink Eye (On My Leg)
11	Waving My Dick in the Wind
12	Buckingham Green
13	Ocean Man
14	She Wanted to Leave
-	I'm Dancing in the Show Tonight (Reprise) [hidden track]

Known Personnel[edit | edit source]

Sourced from the liner notes and Dean Ween's oral history unless otherwise stated.

Gene Ween
Dean Ween
Andrew Weiss - producer, mixing
Claude Coleman - drums on "Polka Dot Tail", bongos on "Mutilated Lips"
Mean Ween
Glenn McClelland
Charlie McClelland - vocals on "I'm Dancing in the Show Tonight"
Bill Fowler - guitar solo on "Polka Dot Tail"
George Altonen - bass and wood blocks on "Polka Dot Tail"
Matt Kohut
Stephan Said
Juan Garcia - assistant engineer
Dan Brewer - assistance
Jim Woolsey - assistance
Erik Eger - assistance
Jeff Rusnak - assistance
Mick Preston - assistance
Steve Nebesney - assistance
Jake Harmon - assistance
Christopher Huetz - assistance
Ralph Smith - assistance
Bill McNamara - assistance
Storm Thorgerson - cover art
Sam Brooks - cover art
Finley Cowan - cover art
Peter Curzon - graphics
Rupert Truman - photography

Quotes[edit | edit source]

Dean Ween when recounting Andrew Weiss' mixing process for the album:

We’ve got this finished record that we feel is our masterpiece, so what do we do? We go back to Andrew Weiss, who hates us not an inch less than he did when we left. He hears the record and he knows it’s our best record, and we did it without him. We asked him to mix it, and if our relationship was bad before that, it took four years to come to peace. He was mixing it with hate, but he did such a great job. He added so many great effects on that record, and when we got it back, filled with hate, we all knew it was the best record we had ever done. In time, our relationship repaired itself. Andrew Weiss took it from great and transformed it into our masterpiece.^[1]

Dean Ween on Storm Thorgerson:
If I ever open a Ween Museum, [Thorgerson's prototype artwork] will be prominently displayed. We toured in England, and after a gig in London, I think he was with his son or Harry Waters. He got so drunk and must have kissed me 50 times. He said, “You guys are the band. You’re the rightful heirs to Floyd and Zeppelin.” It was the highest praise, and it was real! His assistant said, “You’ve got to understand. He hasn’t seen a show in fucking years. He thinks everything is shit,” which is basically how I feel with age. The record really vindicated us; to get that reaction from the old-school meant so much.^[1]