Paintin' The Town Brown: Ween Live '90-'98
Ween is often dismissed as a novelty band, but those who stoop to such judgments should check out this shaggy document of Gene and Dean bringing it to the people.Paintin' the Town Browncaptures the brothers Ween in their early days playing to DAT accompaniment through their full band stints. The strongest cuts on this release come from their 1996 country tour; backed by a crackerjack band of Nashville studio legends, Ween saddles traditional honky-tonk with politically incorrect lyrics and the whole package seems to make a lot of sense. Longtime fans will be thrilled at the inclusion of obscure Ween cuts like "Mountain Dew," "Vallejo," and "Ode to Rene."  Casual fans will have a hard time with disc two, a spotlight on Ween's overindulgentBoredoms-like jams. Still, it's hard not to admire a band that tackles French cabaret music, Middle Eastern drones, funk, punk, and demented children's music.--Jason Josephes