White Pepper

White Pepper is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Ween, and the last album they would release on Elektra Records. It was released on May 2, 2000.

This article is about an album. For the spice, see white pepper.

White Pepper
Studio album by
Ween
ReleasedMay 2, 2000
Recorded1999–2000
Genre
Length39:35
LabelElektra
Producer
  • Christopher Shaw
  • Ween
Ween chronology
Craters of the Sac
(1999)		 White Pepper
(2000)		 Live in Toronto Canada
(2001)
Singles from White Pepper
  1. "Even If You Don't"
    Released: 2000
  2. "Stay Forever"
    Released: 2000
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Chicago Sun-Times[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB[4]
The Guardian[5]
Melody Maker[6]
NME5/10[7]
Pitchfork8.0/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Uncut[11]

White Pepper is one of Ween's most polished albums. Songs such as "Even If You Don't" feature radio-friendly production. Ween's bizarre sense of humour is still intact (such as on the Steely Dan send-up "Pandy Fackler") and their hard rock roots still show as seen on "Stroker Ace" and "The Grobe", but for the most part, Ween play the album much more subdued than usual, using pop (especially Beatles-based pop) and AM radio staples for its inspiration. The title is said to be a tip of the hat to The Beatles, combining Sgt. Pepper's and The White Album into one name, and the cover to Edward Weston's Pepper No. 30.[8]

Promotion

The band helped promote the album by performing "Exactly Where I'm At" on the Late Show with David Letterman. The track "Even If You Don't" was made into a music video and directed by Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park fame. According to Dean Ween (Mickey Melchiondo), he and Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman) are good friends of Parker and Stone, and Freeman has even referred to them (Parker and Stone) as kindred spirits.[12]

"Stay Forever" was written for cellist Tanya Haden.[13]

Singles
  • "Even If You Don't" was released as a single on Mushroom Records with the B-side "Cornbread Red".
  • "Stay Forever" was released as a single on Mushroom Records with "The Grobe" and "Who Dat?". "Who Dat?" was also included in the Japanese version of the album.[14]
  • "Pandy Fackler" refers to one of the demo tapes used in the recording of The Pod.

Legacy

White Pepper was included on Creative Loafing's list of the 101 best albums of the 2000s,[15] while Glide magazine named it the 12th best album of the decade.[16] Magnet included it at #15 on their list of the 60 best albums released between 1993 and 2003,[17] and the album was included in the book 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die in 2008.[18] Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters named it one of his favorite albums of all time, stating: "I love the stew of what they do – they can be whimsical, they can be heavy – they’re just incredible musicians and songwriters. To me, White Pepper is an amazing snapshot and a great collection of songs. They’re kind of like Beck – they’ve always delivered – and also some of it is just so fucking juvenile."[19]

In 2020, Stereogum's Nate Rogers wrote a piece on the album for its 20th anniversary. He attributed the initial lukewarm reception of the album to its lack of profanity & increased accessibility, suggesting that it may have alienated much of the band's hardcore fans. "It’s much easier to appreciate White Pepper now that we know it did not lead to a final form in which Ween were just edge-less and overglossed" he wrote, "The band never gave in to the powers that be. They never stopped being artists who deferred to the playful will of their mighty Demon God Boognish while also writing frequently — if not perpetually — fantastic music."[20]

Track listing

All songs written by Ween. Published by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Ver Music/Browndog Music, BMI.

No.TitleLength
1."Exactly Where I'm At"4:31
2."Flutes of Chi"3:30
3."Even If You Don't"3:25
4."Bananas and Blow"3:34
5."Stroker Ace"2:08
6."Ice Castles"2:05
7."Back to Basom"3:46
8."The Grobe"3:32
9."Pandy Fackler"3:57
10."Stay Forever"3:32
11."Falling Out"2:28
12."She's Your Baby"3:00
Total length:39:35
Japan bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Who Dat?"2:21
Total length:41:56

Personnel
  • Chris Shaw – producer, engineer, mixer
  • Danny Madorsky – assistant engineer
  • Phil Painson – assistant engineer
  • Damian Shannon – assistant engineer
  • Kirk Miller – live sound engineer
  • Ween – producer
  • Howie Weinberg – mastering
  • Gregory Burke – art direction
  • Danny Clinch – photography

Charts
Chart (2000) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[21] 121
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22] 2

References
  1. "Reviews for White Pepper by Ween". Metacritic. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "White Pepper – Ween". AllMusic. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  3. DeRogatis, Jim (July 2, 2000). "Ween, 'White Pepper'". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  4. Walters, Barry (June 2, 2000). "White Pepper". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  5. Cox, Tom (May 12, 2000). "Childish prodigies". The Guardian. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  6. "Ween: White Pepper". Melody Maker: 52. May 9, 2000.
  7. Ward, Christian (June 8, 2000). "Ween – White Pepper". NME. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  8. LeMay, Matt (April 30, 2000). "Ween: White Pepper". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  9. McLeod, Kembrew (May 11, 2000). "Ween: White Pepper". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  10. Sarig, Roni (2004). "Ween". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 864–65. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  11. "Ween: White Pepper". Uncut (39): 86. August 2000.
  12. "Watch Ween's 'Even If You Don't' Music Video Directed By The Creators Of South Park". Live For Live Music. Retrieved 2016-4-16
  13. Aaron Freeman 9/15/2012 Lincoln Hall; Chicago, IL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7VbwPex5RY
  14. Archived May 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  19. "The Quietus | Features | Baker's Dozen | Feel Like Dancin'? Jake Shears' Favourite Albums". The Quietus. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  21. "Ween Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  22. "Ween Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
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