Dean and Gene Ween, two men with a four-track, a guitar and a dream have come a long way since their early days. Despite their attempts to craft the most bizarre songs filled with toilet humor and Beatles melodies, I predict that even the mainstream public will eventually discover this band. If you don’t have a sense of humor and think music always has to mean something important, stop reading this review, because you will never get Ween. If a band that writes songs such as "Poopship Destroyer" and "Bananas and Blow" sounds like your cup of tea, then you absolutely have to hip yourself to these guys.

White Pepper, their new album, is not the first Ween record you should purchase. If you discover Ween in the improper order, you will be lost and will not understand their genius. You must first pick up a copy of 1994’s Chocolate and Cheese. From "Mr. Will You Please Help My Pony?" to "Voodoo Lady," this album will throw your brain for a loop as you try to get a handle on these guys, yet the songs all have this bizarre pop quality that makes them very easy to listen to. The next step in the essential Ween acclimation period is the absolutely incredible 12 Golden County Greats (which has 10 songs, go figure). Ween went into the studio with legendary vocal group the Jordanaires and studio musicians who have performed on many classic county songs with artists such as Willie Nelson, Lefty Frizzell, Patsy Cline and Elvis Presley. The album sounds so good that it is demo quality. If you want to wow someone sonically and make them laugh so hard they may wet their pants at the same time, pop in the Ween country album and listen to the stunning mix and stellar recording of these two goofballs from south New Jersey, backed by the one of the tightest ensembles you’ll ever hear.

Back to the new album: White Pepper is Ween’s White Album. Literally. The cover is white, and the CD is white, too. You are not going to find "Revolution 9" here, yet I can’t help drawing comparisons between the songwriting on this album and the Beatles’ early experimental work. "The Flutes of Chi," "Falling Out" and "Pandy Fackler" all sound a bit like compositions by these guys named Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. This doesn’t automatically mean that all Beatles fans will like White Pepper, but they will if they’re Beatles fans who also like Frank Zappa.

The album starts with some warped pop songs, such as "Exactly Where I’m At" with its tripped-out drums that are recorded through a flanger to make them sound like they are underwater. The second song, "Flutes of Chi," one of the best on the album, goes straight-up art rock with its mythological lyrics. The absolute jam on the album is the calypso, island vibe song "Bananas and Blow," with steel drums and lyrics about a guy stuck on an island and his mom, who keeps bringing him the only two thing he needs, bananas and some nose candy. Genius.

Ween’s first recordings were done on a Tascam four-track cassette recorder with pathetic mikes and a drum machine. They have since moved into the word of hi-fi, laying down the tracks for this album at Bearsville Studios, a big-dollar recording facility in upstate New York. However, there is still a certain rawness and charm to White Pepper that will surely disqualify it from any "Best Sounding CDs of 2000" lists. The sound of this disc is still adequate and doesn’t detract from the Ween experience. White Pepper isn’t the funniest Ween record. It’s also not the best-sounding Ween record, and it’s not the best Ween record but it is still a must-have for those who have properly conditioned their musical tastes to the Ween sound.