10 Rock Stars That Went Country (And Nailed It)

In the grand scope of Ween's catalog, there's literally nothing that is off the table. While the first few albums have some of the most unlistenable experimental music you will ever hear, almost every song since feels like a completely different experiment, from the immortal Ocean Man to the squeaky voice of Push Th' Little Daisies. So naturally after you find yourself in the weirdest circles imaginable, the next logical step is to make a love letter to the Old West.

Because why the hell not at this point? Ween were already hard to nail down in the late '90s, and 12 Golden Country Greats is just further evidence of their unpredictability, down to the fact that there are actually only 10 songs on the record. Whereas the last album had zany guitar breaks and Gene and Dean manipulating their voices however they could, this is a straight up country affair with just the slightest traces of bluegrass mixed in as well, especially when you get to the steel guitar and honkytonk piano breaks.

Even though the instrumental sections seem like they're ripped straight out of the South, the lyrical style hasn't really changed all that much. While they do flirt with some more homespun country living lyrics on I Don't Want to Leave You on the Farm, you also have a song like Piss Up a Rope, which might have one of the funniest lyrics to ever be put down in a country song. Given how well executed this was, Ween are more than just your standard eclectic rock band. At this rate, they could probably make an album that's nothing but avant garde jazz and they could probably still hold their own.