Additional personnel: Mean Ween, Guy Heller, Larry Curtin, Scott Lowe.

Personnel: Scott Lowe (vocals, whistling); Dean Ween (vocals, guitar); Gene Ween, Mean Ween (vocals); Larry Curtin (whistling, background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Andrew Weiss.

Recording information: The Pod.

Photographer: Tom Nichols.

By 1993's major label debut Pure Guava, Ween had distilled their unique mix of eclectic pop and crazed humor to its essence. GodWeenSatan: The Oneness and The Pod were fascinating, but occasionally frustrating albums; at 19 songs, Pure Guava is more polished and concise, but it's still sprawling and occasionally sick, featuring the fuzzed-out "Touch My Tooter" and the five-minute noise-burst "Mourning Glory," a tale of pumpkin-smoking gone horribly awry. Though "I Play It Off Legit" -- a muttered conversation set to atmospheric keyboards -- and the rhythmic, bass-heavy "The Goin' Gets Tough From The Getgo" could have appeared on The Pod, most of Pure Guava's songs have a poppy, accessible sheen. Fragmented, distorted tracks like "Big Jilm," "Flies On My Dick" and the live favorite "Poop Ship Destroyer" benefit from the album's cleaner production, giddily mixing catchiness and silliness. If The Pod was influenced by the band's Scotchguard habit, Pure Guava sounds like it was recorded while Dean and Gene were huffing helium; it's fast, shiny and crisp, particularly on the hyper rant "Pumpin' 4 the Man" and the minor alternative rock hit "Push Th' Little Daisies." Ween's prog-rock fascination surfaces on "The Stallion, Pt. 3" and on "Don't Get 2 Close To My Fantasy," which sports wonderfully inane lyrics like "Stare into the lion's eyes / And if you taste the candy / You'll get to the surprise." In the midst of this weirdness, the sweet, seemingly genuine ballad "Sarah" feels like the album's strangest song. With Pure Guava, Ween moved away from the snippets of random craziness that defined their first two albums toward a more organized style. Considering Elektra released it, it's just as uncompromising as their previous work, but it hints at just how much further they could go with their music. ~ Heather Phares

In 1992, quirky and seemingly non-commercial bands were being signed to major labels by the boatload, thanks to the newfound success of alternative rock. One of the most blatantly bizarre acts to be taken under a corporate wing was Ween, a duo of Pennsylvania pranksters with a penchant for eclectic--and often wholly inappropriate--pop/rock tunes.

For the group's Elektra debut, PURE GUAVA, Dean and Gene Ween remained unapologetically weird from the get-go, as the drowsy, druggy "Little Birdy" ushers in the thoroughly skewed proceedings. While songs such as "Reggaejunkiejew," "Touch My Tooter," and "Poop Ship Destroyer" stick to sophomoric themes and a lo-fi sound, the prog-rock-like "The Stallion Pt. 3" and the (relatively) straightforward ballad "Sarah" hint at even greater things to come. PURE GUAVA's shining moments arrive in the typically oddball forms of the distorted ditty "Big Jilm," the relentless pop tune "Push th' Little Daisies" (Ween's first minor hit), and "Don't Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)," a giddily over-the-top, mock-stadium-rock number, replete with garish multi-tracked vocals. While the ridiculousness of this album is undeniable, so is the ever-evolving talent of Dean and Gene, who here began an impressive streak of adventurous and absurd outings that would lead to their '97 peak, THE MOLLUSK.