Published on Mar 12, 1998
Imagine, for a few minutes, that three of the Seattle scene’s
biggest names had never formed their own bands. Gone from the scene
are Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees and Alice In Chains. (Okay, so it
looks like Alice In Chains is indeed history, but that’s beside the
point.) What would we be left with?
The answer came in the form of Mad Season, a loose collaborative
effort featuring Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, Screaming Trees
drummer Barrett Martin, Alice In Chains vocalist/resident junkie
Layne Staley and bassist John Baker Saunders. Thanks to loyal
reader and Pierce Posse member Joe Young – who showed great courage
by lending me his copy of the tape – I got to hear past the two
singles and saw that this partnership was good, indeed.
Despite the histories each player brought with him, Mad Season’s
album
Above doesn’t really sound like any of their respective
bands. From the opening cut “Wake Up,” you know that this is going
to have its own unique voice – and this, in retrospect, is a good
thing. The lounge-act feel of this song is a surprising wake-up
call to those expecting to hear “We Die Young” or “Alive” or
“Nearly Lost You”; this is a whole different group with a whole
different perspective. (The use of vibes on a few tracks is also an
interesting touch.)
But often the band does dip into the Alice In Chains vein
(oops…), as witnessed on single number two “I Don’t Know
Anything”. I was never fond of this one on the radio, and I can’t
say hearing it in the context of the whole album does it any more
justice. On the contrary, the lead-off single “River Of Deceit”
continues to shine in its almost-acoustic glory. It’s not that Mad
Season rejects the crunch that people might have expected; instead,
they challenge us to explore different options just as they
have.
Staley’s vocals have never sounded stronger and clearer, while
McCready sounds like he’s been energized creatively on
Above. The instruemntal work “November Hotel” is example
enough of his creative juices; it’s almost as if e’s expressing
ideas that never would have sounded right with Pearl Jam.
Saunders’s bass work is often repetitive, but it does grow on you,
while Martin makes a strong statement as a drummer on this one.
If anything disappoints on
Above, it is the rock aspect of this one. The quieter,
gentler numbers tend to be the stronger performances on this album
– even Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan adds his two cents on
two tracks. But the rock tracks often sound like Mad Season is
trying to replicate the magic of their other bands – and this just
isn’t possible.
And although
Above is a good album, I would still advise listeners to
approach it with caution. This is not an easy listen, nor is it an
album you can listen to just once and be done with it. It’s only on
repeated listenings that the strengths and weaknesses begin to poke
their heads through. This one might take a few tries to get through
once, but as I’ve often said about albums like this, it’s worth the
effort.
Above is an album that most likely will now be added to the
ever-growing Pierce Archives… and
yes, Joe, you’re going to get your tape back. As long as you
can forget about three other bands for an hour, you will find
Above captivating, if not occasionally confusing.