Though Ween's 1996 album "12 Golden Country Greats" was their first record to feature a full-fledged band on each track, these songs were recorded with various Nashville session musicians and was viewed by the band as more of a spin-off album in the vein of "The Beach Boys' Christmas Album" than a true follow-up to "Chocolate and Cheese". "The Mollusk" was the debut album for keyboardist Glenn McClelland, and with bassist Dave Dreiwitz joining shortly before the album’s release, the band finally evolved into the final five-man incarnation that continues to this day.