Above It All Again

Mad Season Above
Legacy Recordings/Columbia Records

When many think of the seminal works of the grunge-era they think of Alice in Chain’s Dirt, Pearl Jam’s Ten, Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger, and certainly Nirvana’s Nevermind. Lesser known, but equally important, is the lone album by Mad Season, Above. A collection of dark, smoky, alt. rock with tinges of grunge and a heaping helping of slow-paced blues. The band was comprised of Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees), Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Layne Staley (Alice in Chains), and “bluesman” John Baker Saunders. Saxophonist Skerik and Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lannegan also appear on this gold-certified album.

The deluxe edition of Above is meant to honor the memory and contributions of the sadly departed Layne Staley and John Baker Saunders. It includes the entire original album with four new tracks added to the mix. The bonus tracks come from the recording sessions for the second album that was never completed due to Staley’s failing health. Mark Lanegan returned to write lyrics and provide vocals on what were determined to be the strongest songs from the leftover material. It also includes a live audio CD and DVD of the band’s April 29^th, 1995 show at The Moore Theatre in Seattle, Washington.

If any album defines the nineties, it’s this one. Everything about Above is perfect, from its thoughtful lyrics and reserved, intimate vocal work, to its blues, as filtered through Seattle fuzzboxes, riffing. Staley’s voice sounds desperate and frail and his lyrics yearn for something else, it’s like hearing someone search for themselves out loud in an extremely intimate way. The way the gentle guitars and reserved rhythms move “River of Deceit” along is beautiful and when Staley sings “My pain is self-chosen/At least, so The Prophet says/I could either burn or cut off my pride and buy some time/A head full of lies is the weight, tied to my waist…” you know that it’s intensely personal. Retrospect makes it seem even moreso. The moody swing, world-influenced, “Long Gone Day” is another highlight, falling somewhere between Jarboe and the Melvins without sounding particularly like either. “Wake Up,” “X-Ray Mind,” “Artificial Red,” and the others are all equally amazing, but you get the idea.

The instrumental “Interlude” serves as the bridge to the “new” tracks. “Slip Away” and “Black Book of Fear” have a Pink Floyd flare to them but mostly they sound like a natural progression from the material on Above. “I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier” is remixed here and serves as a crystal clear reminder of the greatness we lost when Layne Staley succumbed to addiction.

The live material here is excellent as well. The band sounded great live, it’s much more loose than I would have expected and they are able to take such intimate works and give them to the audience wholeheartedly without sucking any of the energy out of the room. I would have thought songs like “River of Deceit” and “All Alone” and “Long Gone Day” would be potential downers live but the band makes a spiritual connection with the audience, converging perfectly at that moment in time that makes it feel exciting and refreshing instead. When Staley’s voice and McCready’s guitar come together to open the show with “Wake Up,” you know this was something very, very connected and it sends chills down your spine.  Like a new beginning. Watching it is a hundred times better then listening to it, but both are powerful. I will admit though that Staley looks like he had begun a turn for the worst already by this time, spending most of the show not making eye contact and looking super thin physically. 

This is THE definitive moment in the Seattle music scene in my opinion and I am completely stoked to see it re-released. The live album and the newly completed bonus tracks make it that much better. If you enjoy any of the bands from this legendary scene from Mudhoney to Screaming Trees to the bigger names then  this is a must have for you. If you already own this, there is more than enough reason to warrant a second purchase.

 

My What Sweet Honey It Is

Now in their fourth decade, Sweet Honey in the Rock are the pinnacle of strong female groups. Empowering, inspiring, and largely a cappella, these ladies know how to bring it, and on this recording they pay tribute to several cornerstone artists over two full-length albums. Recorded over two shows in 2011 at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall, the ladies smooth voices blend beautifully over the songs of artists like Odetta, Billie Holiday, Miriam Makeba, and Nina Simone, among others.

While their voices alone command your attention, there are plenty of moments here where you find yourself sort of lost in the mesmerizing voices and rhythms. “See Line Woman” on disc one is probably the best example of this. The rhythms drive the song but it’s the powerful, bluesy vocals that bring it all to life. You are transplanted back to a time long ago earl on and  you can hear the desperation in each line. It’s so incredibly powerful. The groovy Jazz of “That Midnight Special” is a highlight as well, as is the tribally gorgeous “Sabumoya.

“The Freedom Suite,” a collection of Odetta’s favorite freedom tunes, (“Oh Freedom,” “Come and Go With Me To That Land,” “I’m On My Way to Freedom Land,” and “Glory, Glory Hallelujah”) is a highlight for certain as well. It’s such a moving suite, these women sing it like they know it in their soul. These are desperate songs sung with so much conviction that they become anthems of hope. “Let There Be Peace” gets your feet moving a bit near the end of the set with a brilliant base line that you can’t help but be woo’d by.

While I’m not the most educated when it comes to Sweet Honey in the Rock’s catalog. It’s easy to recognize the perfection of this performance. Everything is spot on, from timing to pitch to, delivery. It’s all so rhythmic and moving. This album is more than a tribute, it’s an invitation (and an inspiration) for us to be better than who we are. 

You Can't Have Something From the Eighties Without a Reference to an "Animal House"

U.D.O. - Animal House Anniversary Edition (AFM Records)

After vocalist Udo Dirkschneider left Accept in 1986, I’m sure many thought it was the last we’d hear from him. In late 1987 though, he re-emerged with his own solo band, which featured (on the recording) ex-members of Warlock and Sinner as well as some relative unknowns. Animal House was better than fans could have hoped for, offering both a grittier sound and even bigger, more bombastic anthems.  AFM Records has recently reissued U.D.O.’s classic back catalog and Animal House kicks it all off with a set that includes the full album , three bonus live tracks, and the videos for “They Want War” and “Go Back To Hell.”

The album kicks off with the hard-hitting,  much more aggressive than you’d expect, title track. Udo’s gritty, old-man style, cranky vocal was at its peak here and the rippin’ guitar leads just take everything over the edge. “Go Back to Hell” and “Black Widow” are completely unstoppable forces that blend the arena rock sound of the day with a much more metal focus than many of their contemporaries had. “Warrior” is a dynamic, guitar-on-eleven tune that gives equal nods to the screaming-bloody-murder soul of King Diamond and the epic nature of classic Iron Maiden. It’s the synth laden “They Want War” though that beats them all. Boasting a classic eighties mid-tempo groove and a more reflective (at least for Udo) vocal, the band really do a superb job of getting the point across that they are far from a mindless hard rock band. The album also features a song together with Accept, “Lay Down the Law,” and while it’s cool given the time frame, it’s weak in comparison to the other material here.

If you own this already then it’s the live tracks that make this worth your while. And they certainly do. “Animal House,” “They Want War,” and “In The Darkness” are featured here and they come off even heavier as live offerings. They have a thickness to them that you don’t get from the album due to the production style of the time. The live version of “They Want War” is the highlight of this reissue without a debt. It will send chills down your spine! Given the band was opening for artists like Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, and Lita Ford at the time, it’s no surprise that they sound like a well-oiled machine here. The touring band was also slightly different so there is a change in sound that comes naturally from that as well. The videos are…well…they are products of the time.

This album is one of the few from the late eighties that is just non-stop great. It’s albums like this, Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction, Alice Cooper’s Raise Your Fist and Yell, and Warlock’s Triumph and Agony, that spawned the phrase, “All killer, no filler.” Animal House still holds up and the live songs make it worth purchasing all over again.

Udo Dirkschneider's World Loses Face

U.D.O. - Faceless World Anniversary Edition (AFM Records)

By 1990, Udo Dirkschneider and company (which had altered slightly from time to time) had proven themselves a force to be reckoned with. Animal House and Mean Machine had re-established the Udo, the man, as a powerhouse vocalist with an even heavier edge than his former bandmates. 1990 brought Faceless World, which was produced by now ex-Accept drummer Stefan Kaufmann. The album was a huge success for the band but brought out a much more commercial sound that relied more on spotless production and smoother tones than heard on Animal House or Mean Machine. This anniversary edition also features two live recordings  and a video for “Heart of Gold.”

The album kicks off with its most popular moment, “Heart of Gold.” A big, anthemic rocker with a lot more commercial swagger than Udo had offered since his days in Accept. “Blitz of Lightning,” the bluesier “Living on a Frontline,” the ballad “Unspoken Words,” and “Stranger” reinforce this aspect of the album well, but, at the time (and now), I find myself missing the crunch. “System of Life,” “Future Land,” and “Born to Run” offer more of what many today would call Udo’s true sound boasting a heavier edge and grittier vocal work. The title track is laden with big keyboards and an odd dynamic that make it one of the album’s more interesting tracks. The odd mix of stepping outside the box musically with the most commercial production on the album is as intriguing today as it was in 1990, which is arguably why it remains one of my all-time favorite U.D.O. tracks.

The live tracks (“Living on a Frontline” and “Heart of Gold”) here aren’t quite as impressive as Mean Machine or Animal Houses, but they do still boast a thicker sound, albeit with a much more commercial swagger that treads many of the same paths Accept did. The band still sounds tight, it’s just a much smoother sounding kind of tight, even Udo’s trademark vocals seem dialed back a notch. Also included is the video for “Heart of Gold.”

Overall, Faceless World still feels a little like a sellout and, in retrospect, the seeds for the Accept reunion with Udo were likely being planted. You can kind of hear that here if you’re paying attention. All in all though, this is still a solid album, it’s just not as ferocious as it’s predecessors. Unless you are a die-hard fan and really want this for the bonus material, I’d stick with Animal House or Mean Machine (preferably both!).