Music / The Mollusk

Am I standing straight? I can hardly wait til' I'm dancing in the show tonight!

"Hey little boy, what'cha got there?
'Kind sir, it's a mollusk I found.'
Did you find it in the sandy ground?
Does it emulate the ocean's sound?
'Yes I found it on the ground,
emulating the ocean's sound.'
Bring forth the mollusk, cast unto me,
let's be forever let forever be free..."

— Title Track

The Mollusk is the sixth studio album by Alternative Rock band Ween, released in 1997.

The album has a nautical theme with every track (with few exceptions), and each track is also inspired by something different sound-wise, including sea shanties, Prog Rock, psychedelia, and pop. Many have said that the band hit their mark with this album; it's cited as one of their best by both audiences and critics, and even both Gene and Dean themselves.

And yes, this is the album with the Signature Song "Ocean Man" from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. (Fun fact: SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg loved the album, to the point where it was a huge creative influence on him in developing the original show, which is why he included the song in the soundtrack.)

Tracklist

1. "I'm Dancing in The Show Tonight" (1:57)
2. "The Mollusk" (2:37)
3. "Polka Dot Tail" (3:20)
4. "I'll Be Your Jonny on the Spot" (2:01)
5. "Mutilated Lips" (3:49)
6. "The Blarney Stone" (3:14)
7. "It's Gonna Be (Alright)" (3:19)
8. "The Golden Eel" (4:04)
9. "Cold Blows the Wind" (4:28)
10. "Pink Eye (On My Leg)" (3:13)
11. "Waving My Dick in the Wind" (2:12)
12. "Buckingham Green" (3:19)
13. "Ocean Man" (2:07)
14. "She Wanted to Leave" (4:26)^note Has the Hidden Track "I'm Dancing In The Show Tonight (Reprise)""

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I'm waving my trope in the wind:

• Album Intro Track: "I'm Dancing In The Show Tonight" is somewhat of an opening musical number, setting all of the things you'd expect in this album.
• Animalistic Abomination: The Sea Monster in the cover art, which is a chimera of a bunch of sea-creatures.
• Bookends: The album starts with "I'm Dancing in The Show Tonight" and ends with a version that is more distorted.
• Break-Up Song: "It's Gonna Be Alright" and "She Wanted To Leave". Justified, because Aaron (Gene Ween) was going through a breakup during the album's recording sessions.
• Cover Version: "Cold Blows The Wind" is actually a cover of an English folk song called "The Unquiet Grave", while "I'm Dancing in the Show Tonight" is a slight reworking of "Are My Ears On Straight?" by Gayla Peevey.
• Design Student's Orgasm: The cover art was designed by Storm Thorgerson, the man who designed covers for Pink Floyd. And the best part? He not only did the cover, but he also did all of the promo and poster art with no extra charge, just because he loved the album that much.
• The Drunken Sailor: "The Blarney Stone" is sung by one.
• Everything Is an Instrument: The track "Pink Eye (On My Leg)" features a dog barking and a person moaning.
• Genre Roulette: Turned up maximum on this one. Even though it has fewer songs compared to C&C, all of the songs are more eccentric than the last and run the gamut from Industrial Rock ("I'll Be Your Jonny On The Spot"), Psychedelic Rock ("The Golden Eel"), Soft Rock ("It's Gonna Be Alright"), and... whatever the hell "Pink Eye (On My Leg)" is supposed to be.
• Hidden Track: The album contains one at the end of "She Wanted to Leave", a slowed down, instrumental version of album opener "I'm Dancing In the Show Tonight".
• Instrumental: "Pink Eye (On My Leg)".
• Intentionally Awkward Title: "Mutilated Lips", "Pink Eye (On My Leg)", and "Waving My Dick In The Wind".
• Lyrical Cold Open: "Buckingham Green".
• Miniscule Rocking: The first track "I'm Dancing In The Show Tonight", which is a minute and fifty-seven seconds long.
• Mundane Made Awesome: Despite the dramatic-sounding music and cryptic fantasy-based lyrics, the Buckingham Green they refer to is a Pennsylvania strip mall.
• Pirate Song: Both "The Blarney Stone" and "She Wanted to Leave", while having contrasting moods. One is a drunken sea shanty, the other is a tale about a sad sailor whose lover leaves him for three pirates.
• "Sesame Street" Cred: Let's face it, everyone knows the song "Ocean Man" because it was the ending credits theme to The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, right?
• Shout-Out: "Polka-Dot Tail" is inspired by the Nursery Rhyme "Down By The Bay".
• Word Salad Lyrics: Some of the songs are kinda confusing to even put a meaning to them, case in point: "Mutilated Lips" and "The Golden Eel". Most people think the two songs are about tripping on acid.

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Manager?!? This is the greatest day of my life!!