Blind Melon — Blind Melon (20th Anniversary Edition) (2013) |
Blind Melon — Blind Melon (20th Anniversary Edition)
Origin: Los Angeles, California, United States
Album release: September 22, 1992
Recorded: February - June 1992 at London Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington
Record Label: Capitol
Duration: 76:46
Tracks:
01. Soak The Sin 4:01
02. Tones Of Home 4:27
03. I Wonder 5:33
04. Paper Scratcher 3:14
05. Dear Ol’ Dad 3:02
06. Change 3:42
07. No Rain 3:37
08. Deserted 4:21
09. Sleepyhouse 4:30
10. Holyman 4:48
11. Seed To A Tree 3:30
12. Drive 4:41
13. Time 6:04
14. Dear Ol’ Dad (Sippin’ Time Sessions) 3:04
15. Soul One (Sippin’ Time Sessions) 3:41
16. Tones Of Home (Sippin’ Time Sessions) 4:51
17. Seed To A Tree (Sippin’ Time Sessions) 3:27
18. Mother (Sippin’ Time Sessions) 6:14
Personnel:
• Blind Melon - Producer, Art Direction, Mixing
• Shannon Hoon - Vocals, Acoustic guitar
• Brad Smith - Bass guitar, Flute, backing vocals
• Rogers Stevens - Lead Guitar
• Christopher Thorn - Rhythm Guitar, Mandolin
• Glenn Graham - Percussion, Drums
• Ustad Sabri Khan - Sarangi on "Sleepyhouse"
• George Marino - Mastering
• Rick Parashar - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
• Jon Plum - Assistant Engineer
• Tommy Steele - Art Direction
• Heather Devlin - Photography
Notes:
• Rogers Stevens' guitar playing is predominantly heard in the right channel, while Chris Thorn's is in the left.
• The lyrics to "Tones of Home" are collaborative.
Producer: Rick Parashar, Blind Melon
Chart position:
U.S. Billboard 200 #3
Current members:
• Rogers Stevens – lead guitar, piano, keyboards (1990–1999, 2006–present)
• Brad Smith – bass, flute, backing vocals (1990–1999, 2006–present)
• Christopher Thorn – rhythm guitar, steel guitar, mandolin, harmonica (1990–1999, 2006–present)
• Glen Graham – drums, percussion (1990–1999, 2006–present)
• Travis Warren – vocals, acoustic guitar (2006–2008, 2010–present)
Former members:
• Shannon Hoon – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica (1990–1995)
Discography:
• Blind Melon (1992)
• Soup (1995)
• Nico (1996)
• For My Friends (2008)
◊ Blind Melon's self-titled 1992 debut album, Blind Melon, featuring the now-iconic 'bee girl' on its cover, has been remastered for the first time and expanded with the band's previously unreleased 'Sippin' Time Sessions' EP for release on CD by Capitol/UMe. Creation of the new edition has been overseen by band members Brad Smith and Christopher Thorn.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/blindmelonband
Production:
• Nicknamed the 'Sleepyhouse', some recording sessions for the album took place at their Durham, North Carolina residence. Thorn stated, "We rehearsed in the house and recorded in the house. We became a much better band in the house, and that's where we really developed our sound." However, Blind Melon recorded the bulk of the album with producer Rick Parashar (who had produced Pearl Jam's Ten) at London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington. The recording sessions for Blind Melon were completed in the spring of 1992.
• Blind Melon's production is marked by the use of outdated amplifiers and other antiquated studio technology. Modern studio effects were not used in its production as the band wanted to create a pure and "intimate" sounding record. Hoon stated, "We all kind of liked the production that was on a lot of early Stones records, (where) whatever it is you're playing is what it's going to sound like."
Composition:
• The album's music style has been described as alternative, southern rock with a '70s retro-rock feel. Hoon's vocals on the record are high-pitched, and "scratchy" sounding. A couple of the songs on Blind Melon criticize religion. "Holyman" slams people who maintain that only their religious views are right, and "Dear Ol' Dad" is about Hoon's ex-girlfriend who left him because of religion. The song "Sleepyhouse" is a recollection of a time the band spent at their Durham, North Carolina residence, and with friends at a Yellow House in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Artwork:
• Blind Melon's cover art is based on a 1975 photograph of Georgia Graham, Glen Graham's younger sister, in a bee costume. The cover art further inspired the concept of the 'Bee Girl' character in the band's video for "No Rain". Samuel Bayer, the video's director, selected Heather DeLoach for the 'Bee Girl' role because she looked similar to Graham's sister in the photograph and on the subsequent album cover.
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Review by Greg Prato (Editor rating: ****)
• Managing to be equally mellow and introspective as well as rough and rocking, Blind Melon's 1992 self-titled debut remains one of the purest sounding rock albums of its era, completely devoid of '90s production tricks. While Blind Melon were never the toast of the critics, their self-titled 1992 debut has held up incredibly well over time, resembling a true rock classic. For reasons unknown, the late Shannon Hoon was, unfairly, usually the brunt of reviewers' criticisms, yet his angelic voice and talent for penning lyrics that examined the ups and downs of everyday life were an integral part of Blind Melon's sound, as well as the band's supreme jamming interplay. The most renowned song remains the uplifting hit "No Rain," but the whole album is superb -- the homesick rocker "Tones of Home," the desperate "I Wonder," the epic album closer "Time," and the gentle acoustic strum of "Change," which included lyrics that turned out to be sadly prophetic for Hoon. Other highlights are a song inspired by the homeless ("Paper Scratcher"), "Sleepyhouse," which describes the feeling of isolation the band felt recording the debut in a secluded residence, and the retro (yet refreshing) sounds of "Soak the Sin" and "Dear Ol' Dad." Although the album started out slow sales-wise, constant touring and the success of "No Rain" one year after the debut's initial release proved to be Blind Melon's breakthrough success, eventually almost topping the charts and going multi-platinum.
CREDITS:
• Blind Melon Art Direction, Composer, Mixing, Primary Artist, Producer
• Heather Devlin Photography
• Glenn Graham Composer, Drums, Percussion
• Shannon Hoon Composer, Vocals
• George Marino Mastering
• Rick Parashar Engineer, Mixing, Producer
• Jon Plum Assistant Engineer
• Brad Smith Bass, Composer, Vocals (Background)
• Tommy Steele Art Direction
• Rogers Stevens Composer, Guitar
• Christopher Thorn Composer, Guitar
Blind Melon — Blind Melon (20th Anniversary Edition) (2013) |
Blind Melon — Blind Melon (20th Anniversary Edition)
Origin: Los Angeles, California, United States
Album release: September 22, 1992
Recorded: February - June 1992 at London Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington
Record Label: Capitol
Duration: 76:46
Tracks:
01. Soak The Sin 4:01
02. Tones Of Home 4:27
03. I Wonder 5:33
04. Paper Scratcher 3:14
05. Dear Ol’ Dad 3:02
06. Change 3:42
07. No Rain 3:37
08. Deserted 4:21
09. Sleepyhouse 4:30
10. Holyman 4:48
11. Seed To A Tree 3:30
12. Drive 4:41
13. Time 6:04
14. Dear Ol’ Dad (Sippin’ Time Sessions) 3:04
15. Soul One (Sippin’ Time Sessions) 3:41
16. Tones Of Home (Sippin’ Time Sessions) 4:51
17. Seed To A Tree (Sippin’ Time Sessions) 3:27
18. Mother (Sippin’ Time Sessions) 6:14
Personnel:
• Blind Melon - Producer, Art Direction, Mixing
• Shannon Hoon - Vocals, Acoustic guitar
• Brad Smith - Bass guitar, Flute, backing vocals
• Rogers Stevens - Lead Guitar
• Christopher Thorn - Rhythm Guitar, Mandolin
• Glenn Graham - Percussion, Drums
• Ustad Sabri Khan - Sarangi on "Sleepyhouse"
• George Marino - Mastering
• Rick Parashar - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
• Jon Plum - Assistant Engineer
• Tommy Steele - Art Direction
• Heather Devlin - Photography
Notes:
• Rogers Stevens' guitar playing is predominantly heard in the right channel, while Chris Thorn's is in the left.
• The lyrics to "Tones of Home" are collaborative.
Producer: Rick Parashar, Blind Melon
Chart position:
U.S. Billboard 200 #3
Current members:
• Rogers Stevens – lead guitar, piano, keyboards (1990–1999, 2006–present)
• Brad Smith – bass, flute, backing vocals (1990–1999, 2006–present)
• Christopher Thorn – rhythm guitar, steel guitar, mandolin, harmonica (1990–1999, 2006–present)
• Glen Graham – drums, percussion (1990–1999, 2006–present)
• Travis Warren – vocals, acoustic guitar (2006–2008, 2010–present)
Former members:
• Shannon Hoon – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica (1990–1995)
Discography:
• Blind Melon (1992)
• Soup (1995)
• Nico (1996)
• For My Friends (2008)
◊ Blind Melon's self-titled 1992 debut album, Blind Melon, featuring the now-iconic 'bee girl' on its cover, has been remastered for the first time and expanded with the band's previously unreleased 'Sippin' Time Sessions' EP for release on CD by Capitol/UMe. Creation of the new edition has been overseen by band members Brad Smith and Christopher Thorn.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/blindmelonband
Production:
• Nicknamed the 'Sleepyhouse', some recording sessions for the album took place at their Durham, North Carolina residence. Thorn stated, "We rehearsed in the house and recorded in the house. We became a much better band in the house, and that's where we really developed our sound." However, Blind Melon recorded the bulk of the album with producer Rick Parashar (who had produced Pearl Jam's Ten) at London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington. The recording sessions for Blind Melon were completed in the spring of 1992.
• Blind Melon's production is marked by the use of outdated amplifiers and other antiquated studio technology. Modern studio effects were not used in its production as the band wanted to create a pure and "intimate" sounding record. Hoon stated, "We all kind of liked the production that was on a lot of early Stones records, (where) whatever it is you're playing is what it's going to sound like."
Composition:
• The album's music style has been described as alternative, southern rock with a '70s retro-rock feel. Hoon's vocals on the record are high-pitched, and "scratchy" sounding. A couple of the songs on Blind Melon criticize religion. "Holyman" slams people who maintain that only their religious views are right, and "Dear Ol' Dad" is about Hoon's ex-girlfriend who left him because of religion. The song "Sleepyhouse" is a recollection of a time the band spent at their Durham, North Carolina residence, and with friends at a Yellow House in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Artwork:
• Blind Melon's cover art is based on a 1975 photograph of Georgia Graham, Glen Graham's younger sister, in a bee costume. The cover art further inspired the concept of the 'Bee Girl' character in the band's video for "No Rain". Samuel Bayer, the video's director, selected Heather DeLoach for the 'Bee Girl' role because she looked similar to Graham's sister in the photograph and on the subsequent album cover.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Review by Greg Prato (Editor rating: ****)
• Managing to be equally mellow and introspective as well as rough and rocking, Blind Melon's 1992 self-titled debut remains one of the purest sounding rock albums of its era, completely devoid of '90s production tricks. While Blind Melon were never the toast of the critics, their self-titled 1992 debut has held up incredibly well over time, resembling a true rock classic. For reasons unknown, the late Shannon Hoon was, unfairly, usually the brunt of reviewers' criticisms, yet his angelic voice and talent for penning lyrics that examined the ups and downs of everyday life were an integral part of Blind Melon's sound, as well as the band's supreme jamming interplay. The most renowned song remains the uplifting hit "No Rain," but the whole album is superb -- the homesick rocker "Tones of Home," the desperate "I Wonder," the epic album closer "Time," and the gentle acoustic strum of "Change," which included lyrics that turned out to be sadly prophetic for Hoon. Other highlights are a song inspired by the homeless ("Paper Scratcher"), "Sleepyhouse," which describes the feeling of isolation the band felt recording the debut in a secluded residence, and the retro (yet refreshing) sounds of "Soak the Sin" and "Dear Ol' Dad." Although the album started out slow sales-wise, constant touring and the success of "No Rain" one year after the debut's initial release proved to be Blind Melon's breakthrough success, eventually almost topping the charts and going multi-platinum.
CREDITS:
• Blind Melon Art Direction, Composer, Mixing, Primary Artist, Producer
• Heather Devlin Photography
• Glenn Graham Composer, Drums, Percussion
• Shannon Hoon Composer, Vocals
• George Marino Mastering
• Rick Parashar Engineer, Mixing, Producer
• Jon Plum Assistant Engineer
• Brad Smith Bass, Composer, Vocals (Background)
• Tommy Steele Art Direction
• Rogers Stevens Composer, Guitar
• Christopher Thorn Composer, Guitar