Ween released 12 Golden Country Greats in the summer of 1996 to a public primed for a prank. The thing is, Ween did take 12 Golden Country Greats seriously, something that this triple-disc deluxe edition, released in commemoration of the album's 30th anniversary, makes clear. Not that a ton of 12 Golden Country Greats wound up on the raucous side of the fence. The enthusiasm of the Nashville cats almost makes it easy to turn a blind eye to the juvenile homophobia of “Mister Richard Smoker,” especially since the rest of 12 Golden Country Greats pushes humor into the background. That punchline is thwarted on this reissue, which, like all subsequent pressings of 12 Golden Country Greats since ’96, stops cold after Freeman's introduction.