3LP - Ween - 12 Golden Country Greats

3LP

To make 12 Golden Country Greats, Dean Ween (Mickey Melchiondo) and Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman) traded the Tascam four-track cassette recorders of their early years for the professional polish of Bradley’s Barn near Nashville. Produced by Ben Vaughn, the duo recruited The Shit Creek Boys—a group of elite session musicians including The Jordanaires, who had previously backed Elvis Presley. Sticking to Nashville tradition, Melchiondo and Freeman provided only vocals, allowing veteran players like pianist Hargus “Pig” Robbins and fiddler Buddy Spicher to handle the instrumentation across songs like “Piss Up A Rope,” “I’m Holding You,” and “Pretty Girl.”

The Deluxe Edition’s bonus material includes two tracks cut from the original album: “I’ve Got No Darkside” and the Jerry Garcia tribute “So Long, Jerry.” Their inclusion completes the “12” tracks suggested by the album’s title, appearing here as both four-track demos and fully produced Nashville session outtakes. The collection is further expanded by additional rarities, including the first official release of “Boston Chicken,” their cover of the Rolling Stones “Fool to Cry,” “Good Timing Rhyming Song,” and more across this 36-song collection.

LP One: Original Album Remastered

Side One

1.    “I’m Holding You”

2.    “Japanese Cowboy”

3.    “Piss Up A Rope”

4.    “I Don’t Wanna Leave You On The Farm”

5.    “Pretty Girl”

 

Side Two

1.    “Powder Blue”

2.    “Mister Richard Smoker”

3.    “Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain”

4.    “You Were The Fool”

5.    “Fluffy”

 

LP Two: 12 Golden Demos

Side One

1.    “I Don’t Wanna Leave You On The Farm” – Demo *

2.    “Piss Up A Rope” – Demo *

3.    “Mister Richard Smoker” – Demo *

4.    “Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain” – Demo *

5.    “Pretty Girl” – Demo *

6.    “Fluffy” – Demo *

7.    “You Were The Fool” – Demo *

 

Side Two

1.    “Powder Blue” – Demo *

2.    “I’ve Got No Darkside” – Demo *

3.    “Maybelle” – Demo *

4.    “I’m Holding You” – Demo *

5.    “So Long Jerry” – Demo *

 

LP Three: 14 Golden Outtakes and Demos

Side One

1.    “I’ve Got No Darkside” *

2.    “Boston Chicken” *

3.    “Bad Day In Brownsville” *

4.    “Good Timing Rhyming Song” *

5.    “Sweet Texas Fire”

6.    “Twinkle” *

7.    “If You Can’t Look Me In The Eye” *

8.    “I’m Gonna Fix Your Ass” *

 

Side Two

1.    “Fool To Cry” *

2.    “Spaghetti” *

3.    “I’ll Miss You”

4.    “Maybelle” – Waste Version *

5.    “Scum Of This Town” *

6.    “So Long Jerry”

 

* Previously Unreleased