Feeling a bit nostalgic tonight, I decided to go with Blind Melon's 1995 release Soup which was released two months before lead singer Shannon Hoon's untimely death. I acquired this album through a trade with a fellow collector who desired the Nick Drake US release I had posted about in 2009. Soup is one of my all time top ten albums, so acquiring this on vinyl, while coming at the price of surrendering the Drake album, was an easy trade at the time. Especially considering this copy was sealed at the time of the trade.
Blind Melon is most famous for 'No Rain' which at the time was the track that kicked that album into quadruple platinum status. Until that video was released, the album had been barely moving any units. Riding the high of their debut album they went to New Orleans to record their follow up. With the release of Soup, the band music and lyrics took a darker turn in its subject matter. Songs about suicide, a serial killer named Ed Gein (who also inspired a Slayer track, Dead Skin Mask) and a mother who drover her car off a cliff with her children still aboard are laced throughout the album along side of tracks that cover the upcoming birth of Shannon Hoon's daughter, a bar brawl and bad breath. And one even sounds to me like it's about his Grandmother (Vernie).
As you make your way through the album, you quickly get a sense of the bands influences and roots in the blues. And from the initial brass-laden intro that leads into Galaxie, you even get a taste of New Orleans. With a recipe containing these ingredients, this Soup was sure to be a success.
Some personal favorites off of the album include, Vernie, Walk, Car Seat (God's Presents) and Skinned. Throughout the album Hoon's lyrics really carry the flow of the song. You can see the band is really at it's prime both musically and lyrically. Brad Smith's bass, coupled with school buddy Roger Stevens (who learned to play guitar from Smith) R.E.M. influenced guitar style, the band, in my opinion, peaks with St. Andrews Fall. Hoon's ability to grab a hold of you and create imagery in your mind is a gift reserved for the upper echelon of vocalist in music. His opening line of Big stretch/ not much sleep/ I got a couple palm trees on each side of my cheek/And it's a bright blue Saturday/And the rummage sellin the rubbish to me, sets the tone of the song. About the midway point of the song is when the 20 story fall occurs and the music takes you down 20 stories with it, culminating with a the song rebuilding and leading to a section in which special guest Miles Tackett plays a beautiful cello under Hoon's vocals that leave you feeling like your dreaming.
Another song worth mention is Mouthful of Cavities which has Jena Kraus performing backing vocals has great dynamics from beginning to the end. The two talented vocalist really blend well as they play off of each other throughout.
All in all,this album really showcases the talented musicians in Blind Melon. Although the album was not a commercial success, the album has a formidable number of supported wich have only added to the legacy of what Blind Melon leaves behind. They have subsequently released an album with a new lead singer and they continue to work with him, but Shannon Hoon's shoes are quite large to fill. I personally hope that Record Store Day requests Blind Melon to dig into their vaults and release some vinyl next year.
Hope you enjoyed this and you enjoy Blind Melon. I've posted one of my favorite tracks below. Mouthful of Cavities.
No comments:
Post a Comment