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Swapped one quote out to make the themes section a bit more clear, and added information about how songs from the Caesar demos ended up on later albums by either the band or their solo works
 
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{{Infobox album | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
{{Infobox album
| Name = quebec
| name = Quebec
| Type = studio
| type = studio
| Artist = [[Ween]]
| artist = [[Ween]]
| Cover = Quebec (Front Cover).png
| cover = Quebec (Front Cover).png
| Released = August 5, 2003
| alt =
| Recorded = 2001-2003
| released = August 5, 2003
| Length = 55:07
| recorded = 2001–2003
| Genre = [[Experimental rock]]
| studio = Zion House of Flesh, <br>[[Hopewell, New Jersey]]
| Label = [[Sanctuary Records|Sanctuary]]
| genre =
* [[Experimental rock]]
| Producer = [[Andrew Weiss (guitarist)|Andrew Weiss]]
* [[psychedelic rock]]
| Last album = ''[[Live at Stubb's (Ween album)|Live at Stubb's]]''<br/>(2002)
| length = 55:07
| This album = '''''Quebec'''''<br/>(2003)
| label = [[Sanctuary Records|Sanctuary]]
| Next album = ''[[All Request Live]]''<br/>(2003)
| producer = [[Andrew Weiss (musician)|Andrew Weiss]]
| prev_title = [[Live at Stubb's (Ween album)|Live at Stubb's]]
| prev_year = 2002
| next_title = [[All Request Live]]
| next_year = 2003
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Quebec
| type = Studio
| single1 = Tried and True/Mountains and Buffalo
| single1date = 2003
| single2 = Transdermal Celebration
| single2date = 2003
}}
}}
}}
{{Album ratings
'''''Quebec''''' is the eighth studio album by the American rock band [[Ween]], released on August 5, 2003, on [[Sanctuary Records]]. It was the first album released after the band's contract with [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] expired, and marked its return to [[independent record label|independent labels]].
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>[{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r649854/review|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic review]</ref>
| rev2 = [[Pitchfork Media]]
| rev2score = 7.7/10<ref>[http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8605-quebec/ Pitchfork Media review]</ref>
| rev3 = [[Sputnikmusic]]
| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>[http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/8576/Ween-Quebec/ Sputnikmusic review]</ref>
}}<!-- Automatically generated by DASHBot -->


Recorded during a period of strife in the band members' personal lives, ''Quebec'' was described by Dean Ween as a "very negative" album that takes on a darker tone compared to the band's prior work. [[Josh Freese]] performed the drums on the album, stepping in for [[Claude Coleman Jr.]] as he was recovering from a near-fatal car crash in 2002. Freese also played with the band on tour during this time, including during a series of benefit concerts for Coleman at New York City's [[Bowery Ballroom]] on October 7 and 8, 2002.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gorce |first=Tammy La |date=September 24, 2006 |title=Rocking on Two Fronts After a Near-Fatal Crash (Published 2006) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/nyregion/rocking-on-two-fronts-after-a-nearfatal-crash.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621121533/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/nyregion/rocking-on-two-fronts-after-a-nearfatal-crash.html |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |access-date=December 18, 2020 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
'''''quebec''''' is the eighth album by [[Ween]], released on August 5, 2003 on [[Sanctuary Records]]. It was the first album released after the band's contract with [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] expired, and marked its return to [[independent record label|independent labels]].


The album cover is an edited version of the packaging for the game ''Thorns'' from the [[3M bookshelf game series|3M Paper Games]] series with the band superimposed on it.<ref>{{cite web|title=3M Paper Games Series: Thorns|url=http://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/3M_Paper_Games_Series|website=Boardgamegeek|access-date=26 March 2015}}</ref>
The song "It's Gonna Be a Long Night" is featured in the video game ''[[Tony Hawk's Underground 2]]'' and in the TV show ''[[The Shield (TV series)|The Shield]]''. The music video for "Transdermal Celebration" was animated by well known [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] animator [[Adam Phillips (animator)|Adam Phillips]].


== Background ==
Music critic Mark Prindle named ''quebec'' the best album of the [[2000s (decade)|2000s]] in an interview on [[Fox News Channel]]'s [[Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld]].<ref>{{YouTube|Sbgrc0BsGEg|Mark Prindle's 13th appearance on Fox News' "Red Eye"}}</ref> [[Mojo (magazine)|''Mojo'']] named it the No. 39 best album of 2003.<ref>{{cite web|last=Magazine |first=Mojo |url=http://www.ranker.com/list/mojo_s-best-albums-of-2003/mojo-magazine-lists |title=Mojo's Best Albums of 2003 list |publisher=Ranker.com |date=2011-04-20 |accessdate=2011-12-03}}</ref> [[College Music Journal|"CMJ"]] named it the No. 8 best album of 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitworth.edu/Alumni/Transitions/Authors/Personal/2008/CalebKnox2.htm |title=Transitions: Personal Essays |publisher=Whitworth.edu |date= |accessdate=2011-12-03}}</ref>
The album was the band's first since 1991's [[The Pod|''The Pod'']] to be released on an independent label, as Ween's contract with [[Elektra Records]] expired following 2000's [[White Pepper|''White Pepper'']]. The three-year gap between albums was the longest for the band up to this point.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=McMillan |first=Matt |title=Lazy Wasted Ween |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/lazy_wasted_ween |access-date=2024-08-25 |website=Exclaim! |language=en}}</ref>


The album was originally titled ''Caesar''. It was changed to ''Quebec'' because, according to Dean Ween, "Our vision is like this rainy, colder than [[Paris]], Parisian place. The vibe of our record is like romantic and rainy without being as classy as Paris. That was why we called it ''Quebec'', it's like this B-version of [[Leonard Cohen]]."<ref name=":0" />
On August 11, 2011, [[Dean Ween]] quietly released a two-disc, MP3-only collection of songs, ''The Caesar Demos'', named after the band's original working title for quebec—to friends on his Facebook page. In his comment, he stated the songs were all recorded between 2001 and 2003 while drummer [[Claude Coleman, Jr.]] was recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident, and that many of the tracks featured only himself and [[Gene Ween|Gene]]. In addition to a handful of recordings that eventually made the album, the demos feature several alternate takes as well as a number of songs that have remained unreleased.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ween.net/ |title=Ween . Net &#124; Ween News &#124; Ween Tour Dates &#124; Ween Music &#124; Ween Video &#124; Gene Ween &#124; Dean Ween |publisher=Ween.net |date= |accessdate=2011-12-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://henrykrinkle.blogspot.com/2011/08/ween-caesar-quebec-demos-unreleased.html |title=HENRY KRINKLE'S HOUSE OF SOUND: Ween: Caesar ("quebec" demos & unreleased tracks) |publisher=Henrykrinkle.blogspot.com |date=2011-08-15 |accessdate=2011-12-03}}</ref>


Dean Ween recorded the guitar solo on "Transdermal Celebration" illicitly using [[Carlos Santana]]'s guitar and amplifier at a storage space where it was to be shipped to New York. After being informed by a roadie, he took a [[hard disk recorder]] with him and successfully recorded it in ten minutes without getting caught.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Giles |first1=Jeff |title=About The Time Dean Ween Bogarted Carlos Santana's Guitar |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/dean-ween-santana-guitar/ |access-date=26 November 2023 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |publisher=Townsquare Media Inc.}}</ref>
The cover art on this album is a takeoff of the game Thorns from the 3M Paper Games Series.<ref>{{cite web|title=3M Paper Games Series: Thorns|url=http://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/3M_Paper_Games_Series|website=Boardgamegeek|accessdate=26 March 2015}}</ref>


==Themes==
The [[Devin Townsend Project]] released their album ''[[Transcendence (Devin Townsend Project album)|Transcendence]]'' on September 9, 2016, which contains a cover of "Transdermal Celebration."
The recording of ''Quebec'' saw the band deal with many struggles in their professional and personal lives. [[Gene Ween]] was going through a divorce from his first wife,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2003/08/through_the_ween_years_band_fans_stay_true.html|title=From the vault: Through the Ween years, band, fans stay true|website=[[NJ.com]]|author= Lisa Rose|date= August 3, 2003|access-date=June 14, 2024}}</ref> [[Dean Ween]] was dealing with drug issues and was "partying way too hard",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2232106/ween-quebec-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary/|title=Quebec Turns 20|website=[[Stereogum]]|author= Zach Schonfeld|date= August 4, 2023|access-date=June 14, 2024}}</ref> [[Claude Coleman]] was recovering from a life-threatening car crash that left him unable to perform on the record<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2005/11/02/a-body-broken-a-spirit-intact/|title=A body broken, a spirit intact|website=[[The Denver Post]]|author= Claude Coleman Jr.|date= November 2, 2005|access-date=June 14, 2024}}</ref> (with drumming instead being primarily handled by [[Josh Freese]]), and the band was moving from [[Elektra Records]] to a smaller, independent label.


As a result, many of the songs on the album deal with drug abuse, mental health issues, and failing relationships. Gene Ween has admitted to taking inspiration from his divorce, saying to [[Pop Matters]] “I wrote most of these songs right before the end. A lot of these songs are about that. Even if it’s not direct, you can feel the beginning of the end of the breakup in these songs.”. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072021/http://www.popmatters.com/feature/ween-030819/| title=Taste the Waste A Conversation With Gene Ween|website=[[Pop Matters]]|author=Matt Gonzales|access-date=September 2, 2024}}</ref> Reflecting on these themes in 2007, Dean said to [[The A.V. Club|''The A.V. Club'']], "With ''Quebec'', I like it as a record, but it's very negative. It's one of our darker records, I think. I don't listen to any of our records, but I have never listened to that one."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/dean-ween-of-ween-1798212786|title=Dean Ween of Ween|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|author= Steven Hyden|date= October 31, 2007|access-date=June 14, 2024}}</ref>
== Track listing ==


==Reception==
{{tracklist
{{Music ratings
|MC = 71/100<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/quebec/ween|title=Quebec by Ween|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref>
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r649854/review|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2003-09-19/178237/|title=Quebec (Sanctuary)|website=[[The Austin Chronicle]]|date=19 September 2003|access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref>
|rev3 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
|rev3score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' October 2003 issue, page 122</ref>
|rev4 = ''[[Mondo Sonoro]]''
|rev4score = 8/10<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mondosonoro.com/criticas/discos-musica/quebec/|title=Quebec|website=[[Mondo Sonoro]]|language=es|date=21 April 2004|access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Now (newspaper)|NOW]]''
| rev5score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nowtoronto.com/music/album-reviews/ween-2|website=[[Now (newspaper)|NOW]]|title=ween|access-date=5 December 2020|date=7 August 2003}}</ref>
|rev6 = ''[[:it:Claudio Fabretti|OndaRock]]''
|rev6score =7.5/10<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ondarock.it/rockedintorni/ween.htm|title=Ween|author=Stefano Ferreri|website=[[:it:Claudio Fabretti|OndaRock]]|language=it}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev7score = 7.7/10<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8605-quebec/|title=Ween: quebec|website=Pitchfork}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Ween |last=Sarig |first=Roni |title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]] |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/864 864–65] }}</ref>
| rev9 = [[Tiny Mix Tapes]]
| rev9score = {{rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/ween-quebec|title=Ween - quebec|website=[[Tiny Mix Tapes]]|author=Wolfman|access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' November 2003 issue, page 126</ref>
}}<!-- Automatically generated by DASHBot -->

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. Mark Prindle named ''Quebec'' the best album of the 2000s in an interview on [[Fox News Channel]]'s [[Red Eye (talk show)|''Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld'']].<ref>{{YouTube|Sbgrc0BsGEg|Mark Prindle's 13th appearance on Fox News' "Red Eye"}}</ref> [[Mojo (magazine)|''Mojo'']] named it the No. 39 best album of 2003. [[College Music Journal|"CMJ"]] named it the No. 8 best album of 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whitworth.edu/Alumni/Transitions/Authors/Personal/2008/CalebKnox2.htm |title=Transitions: Personal Essays |publisher=Whitworth.edu |access-date=2011-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928210448/http://www.whitworth.edu/Alumni/Transitions/Authors/Personal/2008/CalebKnox2.htm |archive-date=2011-09-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Track listing ==
All tracks written by Ween.
{{Track listing
|headline = ''Quebec''
| all_writing =
| all_writing =
| total_length = 55:07
| total_length = 55:07
Line 60: Line 98:
| length9 = 3:58
| length9 = 3:58
| title10 = Chocolate Town
| title10 = Chocolate Town
| length10 = 3:26
| length10 = 3:16
| title11 = I Don't Want It
| title11 = I Don't Want It
| length11 = 3:16
| length11 = 3:25
| title12 = The Fucked Jam
| title12 = The Fucked Jam
| length12 = 2:53
| length12 = 2:53
| note12 = instrumental
| title13 = Alcan Road
| title13 = Alcan Road
| length13 = 5:10
| length13 = 5:10
Line 74: Line 113:


{{Track listing
{{Track listing
| collapsed = yes
| headline = Japan bonus track
| headline = Japan Bonus track
| total_length = 58:18
| total_length = 58:18
| title16 = Ooh Vah La
| title16 = Ooh Vah La
| length16 = 2:59
| length16 = 2:59
}}

== Soundtrack appearances and covers==

The song "It's Gonna Be a Long Night" is featured in the video games ''[[Tony Hawk's Underground 2]]'' and ''[[ATV Offroad Fury 3]]'', as downloadable content in the ''[[Rock Band]] '' franchise, and in the TV show ''[[The Shield (TV series)|The Shield]]''.
The song "If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)" was featured in episode 7 of ''[[The Morning Show (American TV series)|The Morning Show]]''.<ref>{{Citation|title=S1E7 - The Morning Show (Open Waters) List of Songs {{!}} WhatSong|url=https://www.what-song.com/Tvshow/100490/The-Morning-Show/e/115993|language=en|access-date=2021-12-07}}</ref>

"Tried and True" and "Transdermal Celebration" appeared in the second season of ''[[Superman & Lois]]'' with the former being featured in the sixth episode of the same name.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theilluminerdi.com/2022/03/04/superman-lois-306-review/|title=Superman & Lois Season 3, Episode 6, “Tried And True” is easily the most remarkable episode of the season.|website=The Illuminerdi|date=March 4, 2022}}</ref>

Indie pop band [[Water from Your Eyes]] covered "If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)" in 2024 for mental health awareness.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2247297/watch-water-from-your-eyes-cover-ween-for-sounds-of-saving/news/|title=Watch Water From Your Eyes Cover Ween For Sounds Of Saving|website=[[Stereogum]]|date=January 10, 2024}}</ref>

Heavy metal musician [[Devin Townsend]] covered "Transdermal Celebration" for his album [[ Transcendence (Devin Townsend Project album)|Transcendence]] in 2016. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://metalinjection.net/reviews/devin-townsend-project-transcendence|title=Album Review: DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT Transcendence|website=Metal Injunction|date=September 9, 2016}}</ref>

== ''The Caesar Demos'' ==

On August 11, 2011, [[Dean Ween]] quietly released a two-disc, MP3-only collection of songs, ''The Caesar Demos'', named after the band's original working title for ''Quebec'', to friends on his Facebook page. In his comment, he stated the songs were all recorded between 2001 and 2003 while drummer [[Claude Coleman, Jr.]] was recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident, and that many of the tracks featured only himself and [[Gene Ween|Gene]]. In addition to a handful of recordings that eventually made the album, the demos feature several alternate takes as well as a number of songs that have remained unreleased.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ween . Net &#124; Ween News &#124; Ween Tour Dates &#124; Ween Music &#124; Ween Video &#124; Gene Ween &#124; Dean Ween |url=http://www.ween.net/ |access-date=2011-12-03 |website=Ween.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2011-08-15 |title=HENRY KRINKLE'S HOUSE OF SOUND: Ween: Caesar ("quebec" demos & unreleased tracks) |url=http://henrykrinkle.blogspot.com/2011/08/ween-caesar-quebec-demos-unreleased.html |access-date=2011-12-03 |website=Henrykrinkle.blogspot.com}}</ref>
<blockquote>well what can i say about this here, lemme see. the first thing that comes to mind is that all the while we were doing this we still had claude coleman on drums, he eventually got into a major car wreck and wasn't around when it finally came time to make the "real" record. instead the drum duties fell on me, josh freese, and sim cain for a couple of tunes. almost all of this was recorded at our beach house in holgate, nj onto 16 track tape. a tiny bit of it was recorded in the garage behind aaron's house in pt. pleasant, pa. some of it was recorded in the spare bedroom of my house in new hope. most of the tunes are just me and aaron, with the two of us playing everything, with me on drums. the songs with claude, dave, and glenn are pretty obvious. on just a few tunes we took what you hear here and cleaned them up and had andrew weiss mix them for the record after some overdubs. dave sings on "it's gonna be a long night", this was days before he had surgery to remove polyps in his throat and his voice was really rough so we figured he was the guy for the job. This isn't even all of the tunes that we ended up choosing from, just the ones i happened to burn to cd before we drove home from the beach every week. hope you dig it for what it is.<ref name="ween caeser">{{cite web |title=Ween Caesar Demos |url=http://www.ween.net/ween-caesar-demos.html |website=www.ween.net}}</ref></blockquote>

A few of the songs on the Caesar Demos would end up on later records by the band. "Someday" and "I Fell In Love Today" would later be featured on the B-sides compilation [[Shinola, Vol. 1]], while a slightly rewritten version of "Don't Let The Moon Catch You Crying" would end up on Dean Ween's second solo album ''rock2''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2018/03/the-dean-ween-group-give-a-track-by-track-breakdown-of-their-new-album-rock2-stream/|title=The Dean Ween Group give a Track by Track breakdown of their new album, rock2: Stream|website=Consequence of Sound|author= Drew Fortune|date= March 9, 2018|access-date=October 5, 2024}}</ref>

{{Track listing
| headline = Disc 1
| all_writing =
| total_length = 51:44
| title1 = Chocolate Town
| length1 = 2:49
| title2 = Pot Luck
| length2 = 2:27
| title3 = Ooh Vah Lah
| length3 = 2:49
| title4 = So Many People in the Neighborhood
| length4 = 2:26
| title5 = Linda (the Sexy Dancer)
| length5 = 2:52
| title6 = That Man (from the Flatland)
| length6 = 4:57
| title7 = Happy Colored Marbles
| length7 = 2:39
| title8 = Hey There Fancypants
| length8 = 2:08
| title9 = If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)
| length9 = 5:44
| title10 = It's Gonna Be a Long Night
| length10 = 2:46
| title11 = Oh My Little Country Cottage
| length11 = 1:36
| title12 = Among His Tribe
| length12 = 2:46
| title13 = Transdermal Celebration
| length13 = 3:23
| title14 = Captain
| length14 = 4:18
| title15 = Tried and True
| length15 = 4:24
| title16 = I Fell in Love Today
| length16 = 3:40
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Disc 2
| all_writing =
| total_length = 48:58
| title1 = I Don't Want It
| length1 = 3:57
| title2 = Ambrosia Parsley
| length2 = 4:36
| title3 = Zoloft
| length3 = 2:32
| title4 = Love Come Down (9-11-01)
| length4 = 5:42
| title5 = Alcan Road
| length5 = 3:35
| title6 = Don't Let the Moon Catch You Cryin{{'-}}
| length6 = 3:30
| title7 = You Can Go Shit in Your Hat (Matt)
| length7 = 2:20
| title8 = Someday
| length8 = 3:34
| title9 = She Caught My Fancy
| length9 = 3:01
| title10 = Eulogy for David Anderson
| length10 = 3:08
| title11 = Things You Already Know
| length11 = 3:52
| title12 = Hello Johnny
| length12 = 3:55
| title13 = I'm Wide Open
| length13 = 5:16
}}
}}


== Personnel ==
== Personnel ==
=== Ween ===
* [[Gene Ween]] – vocals (all tracks except track 1), bass (tracks 2, 9 and 10), keyboard (tracks 2, 5, 7 and 13), acoustic guitar (track 4), synthesizer (track 4), drum machine (track 5), electric guitar (tracks 7, 9, 10, 13 and 14), [[omnichord]] (track 2, 8 and 9)
* [[Dean Ween]] – vocals (track 1), electric guitar (all tracks), bass (tracks 1, 3–8 and 13–15), keyboard (track 2), [[electric sitar]] (tracks 3 and 6), [[vocoder]] (track 5)
* [[Andrew Weiss (musician)|Andrew Weiss]] – synthesizer (tracks 9 and 15), percussion (track 2), [[string instruments|strings]] (tracks 9 and 15), drums (track 6), keyboard (tracks 2, 3, 6 and 11), fretless bass (track 2)
* Glen McClelland – organ (tracks 1 and 15), piano (tracks 14 and 15), [[accordion]] (track 15), keyboard (tracks 3, 10 and 14)
* [[Dave Dreiwitz]] – bass, vocals (track 10)
* [[Sim Cain]] – drums (track 1)
* [[Josh Freese]] – drums (tracks 3, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14 and 15)


=== Production ===
* [[Dean Ween]] – bass, guitar, drums, electric guitar, keyboards, vocals, [[electric sitar]], [[vocoder]]
* [[Gene Ween]] – synthesizer, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, vocals, [[omnichord]], drum machine
* [[Andrew Weiss (guitarist)|Andrew Weiss]] – synthesizer, percussion, [[string instruments|strings]], arranger, drums, keyboards, producer, fretless bass, mixing, soloist
* Glen McClelland – organ, piano, [[accordion]], keyboards
* [[Dave Dreiwitz]] – bass
* Sim Cain – drums
* [[Josh Freese]] – drums
* Ween – arranger
* Ween – arranger
* Andrew Weiss – producer, arranger, mixing
* Christopher Shaw – mixing
* Christopher Shaw – mixing
* Ted Young – mixing assistant
* Ted Young – mixing assistant
Line 96: Line 224:


== Charts ==
== Charts ==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (2003)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|81|artist=Ween|rowheader=true|access-date=June 30, 2020}}
|}


=== Album ===
== References ==
{{Reflist}}


{{Ween}}
* 2003 ''Billboard'' 200 No. 81


{{Authority control}}
== Notes ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Ween}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:quebec (Album)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:quebec (Album)}}

[[Category:2003 albums]]
[[Category:2003 albums]]
[[Category:Ween albums]]
[[Category:Ween albums]]

Latest revision as of 23:40, 5 October 2024

Quebec
Studio album by
Ween
ReleasedAugust 5, 2003
Recorded2001–2003
StudioZion House of Flesh,
Hopewell, New Jersey
Genre
Length55:07
LabelSanctuary
ProducerAndrew Weiss
Ween chronology
Live at Stubb's
(2002) 		Quebec
(2003) 		All Request Live
(2003)
Singles from Quebec
  1. "Tried and True/Mountains and Buffalo"
    Released: 2003
  2. "Transdermal Celebration"
    Released: 2003

Quebec is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Ween, released on August 5, 2003, on Sanctuary Records. It was the first album released after the band's contract with Elektra expired, and marked its return to independent labels.

Recorded during a period of strife in the band members' personal lives, Quebec was described by Dean Ween as a "very negative" album that takes on a darker tone compared to the band's prior work. Josh Freese performed the drums on the album, stepping in for Claude Coleman Jr. as he was recovering from a near-fatal car crash in 2002. Freese also played with the band on tour during this time, including during a series of benefit concerts for Coleman at New York City's Bowery Ballroom on October 7 and 8, 2002.[1]

The album cover is an edited version of the packaging for the game Thorns from the 3M Paper Games series with the band superimposed on it.[2]

Background

[edit]

The album was the band's first since 1991's The Pod to be released on an independent label, as Ween's contract with Elektra Records expired following 2000's White Pepper. The three-year gap between albums was the longest for the band up to this point.[3]

The album was originally titled Caesar. It was changed to Quebec because, according to Dean Ween, "Our vision is like this rainy, colder than Paris, Parisian place. The vibe of our record is like romantic and rainy without being as classy as Paris. That was why we called it Quebec, it's like this B-version of Leonard Cohen."[3]

Dean Ween recorded the guitar solo on "Transdermal Celebration" illicitly using Carlos Santana's guitar and amplifier at a storage space where it was to be shipped to New York. After being informed by a roadie, he took a hard disk recorder with him and successfully recorded it in ten minutes without getting caught.[4]

Themes

[edit]

The recording of Quebec saw the band deal with many struggles in their professional and personal lives. Gene Ween was going through a divorce from his first wife,[5] Dean Ween was dealing with drug issues and was "partying way too hard",[6] Claude Coleman was recovering from a life-threatening car crash that left him unable to perform on the record[7] (with drumming instead being primarily handled by Josh Freese), and the band was moving from Elektra Records to a smaller, independent label.

As a result, many of the songs on the album deal with drug abuse, mental health issues, and failing relationships. Gene Ween has admitted to taking inspiration from his divorce, saying to Pop Matters “I wrote most of these songs right before the end. A lot of these songs are about that. Even if it’s not direct, you can feel the beginning of the end of the breakup in these songs.”. [8] Reflecting on these themes in 2007, Dean said to The A.V. Club, "With Quebec, I like it as a record, but it's very negative. It's one of our darker records, I think. I don't listen to any of our records, but I have never listened to that one."[9]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
The Austin Chronicle[12]
Mojo[13]
Mondo Sonoro8/10[14]
NOW[15]
OndaRock7.5/10[16]
Pitchfork7.7/10[17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[18]
Tiny Mix Tapes[19]
Uncut[20]

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. Mark Prindle named Quebec the best album of the 2000s in an interview on Fox News Channel's Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld.[21] Mojo named it the No. 39 best album of 2003. "CMJ" named it the No. 8 best album of 2003.[22]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks written by Ween.

Quebec
No.TitleLength
1."It's Gonna Be a Long Night"2:48
2."Zoloft"3:51
3."Transdermal Celebration"3:25
4."Among His Tribe"3:37
5."So Many People in the Neighborhood"3:28
6."Tried and True"4:01
7."Happy Colored Marbles"3:12
8."Hey There Fancypants"1:59
9."Captain"3:58
10."Chocolate Town"3:16
11."I Don't Want It"3:25
12."The Fucked Jam" (instrumental)2:53
13."Alcan Road"5:10
14."The Argus"4:51
15."If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)"4:44
Total length:55:07
Japan bonus track
No.TitleLength
16."Ooh Vah La"2:59
Total length:58:18

Soundtrack appearances and covers

[edit]

The song "It's Gonna Be a Long Night" is featured in the video games Tony Hawk's Underground 2 and ATV Offroad Fury 3, as downloadable content in the Rock Band franchise, and in the TV show The Shield. The song "If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)" was featured in episode 7 of The Morning Show.[23]

"Tried and True" and "Transdermal Celebration" appeared in the second season of Superman & Lois with the former being featured in the sixth episode of the same name.[24]

Indie pop band Water from Your Eyes covered "If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)" in 2024 for mental health awareness.[25]

Heavy metal musician Devin Townsend covered "Transdermal Celebration" for his album Transcendence in 2016. [26]

The Caesar Demos

[edit]

On August 11, 2011, Dean Ween quietly released a two-disc, MP3-only collection of songs, The Caesar Demos, named after the band's original working title for Quebec, to friends on his Facebook page. In his comment, he stated the songs were all recorded between 2001 and 2003 while drummer Claude Coleman, Jr. was recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident, and that many of the tracks featured only himself and Gene. In addition to a handful of recordings that eventually made the album, the demos feature several alternate takes as well as a number of songs that have remained unreleased.[27][28]

well what can i say about this here, lemme see. the first thing that comes to mind is that all the while we were doing this we still had claude coleman on drums, he eventually got into a major car wreck and wasn't around when it finally came time to make the "real" record. instead the drum duties fell on me, josh freese, and sim cain for a couple of tunes. almost all of this was recorded at our beach house in holgate, nj onto 16 track tape. a tiny bit of it was recorded in the garage behind aaron's house in pt. pleasant, pa. some of it was recorded in the spare bedroom of my house in new hope. most of the tunes are just me and aaron, with the two of us playing everything, with me on drums. the songs with claude, dave, and glenn are pretty obvious. on just a few tunes we took what you hear here and cleaned them up and had andrew weiss mix them for the record after some overdubs. dave sings on "it's gonna be a long night", this was days before he had surgery to remove polyps in his throat and his voice was really rough so we figured he was the guy for the job. This isn't even all of the tunes that we ended up choosing from, just the ones i happened to burn to cd before we drove home from the beach every week. hope you dig it for what it is.[29]

A few of the songs on the Caesar Demos would end up on later records by the band. "Someday" and "I Fell In Love Today" would later be featured on the B-sides compilation Shinola, Vol. 1, while a slightly rewritten version of "Don't Let The Moon Catch You Crying" would end up on Dean Ween's second solo album rock2.[30]

Disc 1
No.TitleLength
1."Chocolate Town"2:49
2."Pot Luck"2:27
3."Ooh Vah Lah"2:49
4."So Many People in the Neighborhood"2:26
5."Linda (the Sexy Dancer)"2:52
6."That Man (from the Flatland)"4:57
7."Happy Colored Marbles"2:39
8."Hey There Fancypants"2:08
9."If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)"5:44
10."It's Gonna Be a Long Night"2:46
11."Oh My Little Country Cottage"1:36
12."Among His Tribe"2:46
13."Transdermal Celebration"3:23
14."Captain"4:18
15."Tried and True"4:24
16."I Fell in Love Today"3:40
Total length:51:44
Disc 2
No.TitleLength
1."I Don't Want It"3:57
2."Ambrosia Parsley"4:36
3."Zoloft"2:32
4."Love Come Down (9-11-01)"5:42
5."Alcan Road"3:35
6."Don't Let the Moon Catch You Cryin'"3:30
7."You Can Go Shit in Your Hat (Matt)"2:20
8."Someday"3:34
9."She Caught My Fancy"3:01
10."Eulogy for David Anderson"3:08
11."Things You Already Know"3:52
12."Hello Johnny"3:55
13."I'm Wide Open"5:16
Total length:48:58

Personnel

[edit]

Ween

[edit]
  • Gene Ween – vocals (all tracks except track 1), bass (tracks 2, 9 and 10), keyboard (tracks 2, 5, 7 and 13), acoustic guitar (track 4), synthesizer (track 4), drum machine (track 5), electric guitar (tracks 7, 9, 10, 13 and 14), omnichord (track 2, 8 and 9)
  • Dean Ween – vocals (track 1), electric guitar (all tracks), bass (tracks 1, 3–8 and 13–15), keyboard (track 2), electric sitar (tracks 3 and 6), vocoder (track 5)
  • Andrew Weiss – synthesizer (tracks 9 and 15), percussion (track 2), strings (tracks 9 and 15), drums (track 6), keyboard (tracks 2, 3, 6 and 11), fretless bass (track 2)
  • Glen McClelland – organ (tracks 1 and 15), piano (tracks 14 and 15), accordion (track 15), keyboard (tracks 3, 10 and 14)
  • Dave Dreiwitz – bass, vocals (track 10)
  • Sim Cain – drums (track 1)
  • Josh Freese – drums (tracks 3, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14 and 15)

Production

[edit]
  • Ween – arranger
  • Andrew Weiss – producer, arranger, mixing
  • Christopher Shaw – mixing
  • Ted Young – mixing assistant
  • Howie Weinberg – mastering

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2003) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[31] 81

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Gorce, Tammy La (September 24, 2006). "Rocking on Two Fronts After a Near-Fatal Crash (Published 2006)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 21, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  2. ^ "3M Paper Games Series: Thorns". Boardgamegeek. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b McMillan, Matt. "Lazy Wasted Ween". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  4. ^ Giles, Jeff. "About The Time Dean Ween Bogarted Carlos Santana's Guitar". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media Inc. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  5. ^ Lisa Rose (August 3, 2003). "From the vault: Through the Ween years, band, fans stay true". NJ.com. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  6. ^ Zach Schonfeld (August 4, 2023). "Quebec Turns 20". Stereogum. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  7. ^ Claude Coleman Jr. (November 2, 2005). "A body broken, a spirit intact". The Denver Post. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  8. ^ Matt Gonzales. "Taste the Waste A Conversation With Gene Ween". Pop Matters. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  9. ^ Steven Hyden (October 31, 2007). "Dean Ween of Ween". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  10. ^ "Quebec by Ween". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  11. ^ AllMusic review
  12. ^ "Quebec (Sanctuary)". The Austin Chronicle. 19 September 2003. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  13. ^ Mojo October 2003 issue, page 122
  14. ^ "Quebec". Mondo Sonoro (in Spanish). 21 April 2004. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  15. ^ "ween". NOW. 7 August 2003. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  16. ^ Stefano Ferreri. "Ween". OndaRock (in Italian).
  17. ^ "Ween: quebec". Pitchfork.
  18. ^ Sarig, Roni (2004). "Ween". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 864–65. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  19. ^ Wolfman. "Ween - quebec". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  20. ^ Uncut November 2003 issue, page 126
  21. ^ Mark Prindle's 13th appearance on Fox News' "Red Eye" on YouTube
  22. ^ "Transitions: Personal Essays". Whitworth.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  23. ^ S1E7 - The Morning Show (Open Waters) List of Songs | WhatSong, retrieved 2021-12-07
  24. ^ "Superman & Lois Season 3, Episode 6, "Tried And True" is easily the most remarkable episode of the season". The Illuminerdi. March 4, 2022.
  25. ^ "Watch Water From Your Eyes Cover Ween For Sounds Of Saving". Stereogum. January 10, 2024.
  26. ^ "Album Review: DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT Transcendence". Metal Injunction. September 9, 2016.
  27. ^ "Ween . Net | Ween News | Ween Tour Dates | Ween Music | Ween Video | Gene Ween | Dean Ween". Ween.net. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  28. ^ "HENRY KRINKLE'S HOUSE OF SOUND: Ween: Caesar ("quebec" demos & unreleased tracks)". Henrykrinkle.blogspot.com. 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  29. ^ "Ween Caesar Demos". www.ween.net.
  30. ^ Drew Fortune (March 9, 2018). "The Dean Ween Group give a Track by Track breakdown of their new album, rock2: Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  31. ^ "Ween Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
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