Mad Season - Above

180-gram gatefold double LP

Head-clearing heavy blues on their lone album!

Includes three previously unreleased tracks!

One of the more unique projects from the waning days of the grunge era, Mad Season consisted of vocalist Layne Staley (Alice In Chains), guitarist Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), drummer/percussionist Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees) and bassist John Baker Saunders (The Walkabouts, Lamont Cranston Band).

In 1994, the four Seattle-based musicians decided to embark on a side-project that took them into new and different musical territory. They made one seminal album in the history of Seattle rock. That album, Above was released in 1995 and immediately struck a resonate chord with the public that sent the album into gold status within a few weeks. It is the only complete album of Layne Staley's introspective and mystical lyrics, which were highlighted by additional vocals from Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan and Seattle-based saxophonist/percussionist Skerik.

Mad Season was essentially Seattle's version of an extremely heavy blues band, anchored by the deep swinging rhythm section of Barrett's drums and Baker's bass lines, with Layne's haunting melodies and Mike's stadium-size guitar riffs soaring over the top. This unusual chemistry made the band absolutely unique in an era of post-grunge. In the almost 20 years since the original release of Above, new generations of music listeners have discovered the dark and lasting beauty of Mad Season.

In 1996, work began on a second Mad Season album with Mike, Barrett and Baker writing and recording the basic tracks for 15 new songs. Unfortunately, because of declining health, Layne wasn't able to make any of the recording sessions and the album was shelved. Fate subsequently took each musician in a different direction: Mike back to Pearl Jam and Barrett back to Screaming Trees. Tragically, both Baker (1999) and Layne (2002) passed away.

This collection features songs from the unfinished second album with newly recorded vocals including "Locomotive" — (Mark Lanegan takes the place of Staley on vocals)!

"The short-lived mid-'90s grunge outfit Mad Season was as much therapy session as jam session: Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready met bassist John Baker Saunders in rehab, and recruited Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley in the hope that teaming with sober musicians might end Staley's heroin addiction. They played desultory, head-clearing heavy blues on their lone album... It's hard hearing Staley growl lines like, 'My pain is self-chosen/At least I believe it to be.' In a few years, both he and Saunders would be dead." — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone

 

Side 1

Wake Up

X-Ray Mind

River of Deceit

Side 2

I’m Above

Artificial Red

Lifeless Dead

I Don’t Know Anything

Side 3

Long Gone Day

November Hotel

All Alone

Interlude *previously unreleased

Locomotive *previously unreleased

Side 4

Black Book of Fear *previously unreleased

Slip Away *previously unreleased

I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier (remix)

Customer Reviews (5.00 Stars) 2 person(s) rated this product.

Super Record posted on 11/22/2016 5 Stars Reviewer: Pete The record is quite and the recording is outstanding, very sad the most of the band members are gone but there music leaves on. Excellent record.

A MUST HAVE!!! posted on 04/14/2015 5 Stars Reviewer: Stan Any Alice in Chains fan must have this record! What a Supergroup! It's so sad that half the band is gone now. But, the magic they produced is amazing. Such a waste of talent because of the toll drugs took on this kind of creativity. Or, did the drugs cause this creativity? A question to ponder! This record is not grunge. It's bluesy rock! It certainly ranks up there with Stones and Zeppelin to me! The record is super quiet and well recorded with exquisite balance of bass, mid and treble. Plays well on any system I'm sure. I'd give it 10 stars if I could!!!

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