Since its debut 30 years ago, Ween’s Chocolate and Cheese has become an alternative rock classic and a highwater mark for Gene and Dean Ween’s polished songwriting and irreverent humor.
To celebrate the anniversary, Rhino releases Chocolate And Cheese (Deluxe Edition) today, August 2nd. This 3-LP set features a newly remastered version of the original album, plus 15 previously unreleased demos and outtakes. Available at Rhino.com and Ween.com. Order HERE. The music will be available from digital and streaming platforms on the same day.
Anticipation for Chocolate and Cheese was fueled by the success of “Push Th’ Little Daisies” from Ween’s previous album, 1992’s Pure Guava. When it arrived in September 1994, Chocolate and Cheese marked a new chapter for Dean and Gene (Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman) as they transitioned from four-track home recordings to a professional studio. Despite the equipment upgrade, the band remained gloriously weird on songs like “I Can’t Put My Finger On It,” “Voodoo Lady,” and the tribute to Parliament-Funkadelic guitarist Eddie Hazel, “A Tear For Eddie.”
Melchiondo sifted through hundreds of hours of tapes before he and Freeman chose their favorites to assemble the bonus tracks. Melchiondo jokes, “…keeping with Ween tradition, Aaron and I probably picked all the wrong songs, mixed them, and now here they are.” All of the bonus tracks are previously unreleased, including non-album gems like “Warm Socks,” “Smooth Mover,” and “Dirty Money,” as well as demos for the album tracks “Candi,” “Take Me Away,” “Voodoo Lady,” and “Roses Are Free.”
Renowned audio engineer Bernie Grundman–best known for his esteemed work on classic albums such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Steely Dan’s Aja–remastered the album for the Deluxe Edition using the original flat master tapes to optimize audio fidelity. Grundman also mastered the set’s 15 bonus tracks, sourced from cassettes and DAT tapes from the band’s extensive archive.
In the Deluxe Edition’s liner notes, Melchiondo says listening to the collection takes him back to the album’s creation. “When I hear it, I feel like I’m listening to an autobiography of our lives in the early to mid-’90s…If it sounds like we had fun making it, we did. That’s kind of what Ween is all about, though.”
Catch Ween this month at select dates across the Pacific Northwest and on September 27 for their sold-out show at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, playing the entire Chocolate and Cheese album for the 30th anniversary. For more information, visit ween.com/tour.
Tour Dates
Aug 2 KettleHouse Amphitheater Bonner, MT
Aug 3 KettleHouse Amphitheater Bonner, MT
Aug 4 Pavilion at Riverfront Spokane, WA
Aug 6 Paramount Theater Seattle, WA
Aug 8 Pioneer Courthouse Square Portland, OR
Aug 9 Pioneer Courthouse Square Portland, OR
Aug 10 The Cuthbert Amphitheater Eugene, OR
Sept 27 Celebrating 30 Years of Chocolate and Cheese Philadelphia, PA (sold-out)
Chocolate And Cheese (Deluxe Edition)
3-LP Track Listing
Original Album Remastered
LP One: Side One
“Take Me Away”
“Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)”
“Freedom Of ’76”
“I Can’t Put My Finger On It”
Side Two
“A Tear For Eddie”
“Roses Are Free”
“Baby Bitch”
“Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony?”
LP Two: Side One
“Drifter In the Dark”
“Voodoo Lady”
“Joppa Road”
“Candi”
Side Two
“Buenas Tardes Amigo”
“The HIV Song”
“What Deaner Was Talkin’ About”
“Don’t Shit Where You Eat”
Bonus Tracks
LP Three: Side One
“Crappy Anniversary Jimmy” *
“Warm Socks” *
“Stop, Look, Listen (And Learn)” *
“Dirty Money” *
“I Got It” *
“Belgian Stew” *
“Voodoo Lady” – Demo *
Side Two
“Junkie Boy” *
“Smooth Mover” *
“Church Fire” *
“Take Me Away” – Demo *
“Sasha”
“Roses Are Free” – Demo *
“Candi” – Demo *
“I Really Miss You (And I’m All Alone)” *
* previously unreleased
