Review Summary: Above (Deluxe Edition): An ageless record that was indisputably way ahead of the grunge era.
Members:
Drums/percussion: Barrett Martin(from Screaming Trees)
Bass: John Baker Saunders (co-founder, also from The Walkabouts)
Lead guitar: Mike McCready (co-founder, also from Pearl Jam)
Singer/rhythm guitar: Layne Staley (from Alice In Chains)
Featuring vocalist and co-writer (tracks 4, 7, 12, 13, 14) Mark Lennegan (from Screaming Trees)
It only takes a quick glance at its members to recognize Mad Season as a super-group that, as most bands that qualify into that category, didn't last very long. This is expected when there's a group of people that have other commitments, but unfortunately for these guys there where major issues that prevented them from making music.
Back to '94, guitarrist Mike McCready met bassist John Baker Sanders while going through rehab where they decided to form a new band. Both McCready and Sanders brought Layne Staley in, who was also entering rehabilitation at the time, with the intention of keeping the band clean altogether, rounding the line up with drummer Barrett Martin. Originally called The Gacy Bunch the members ironically switched the name to Mad Season, which is a term referring to the period when Psilocybin mushrooms bloom. Their first and only studio album, Above, was released the following year including the charting singles "River of Deceit" and "I Don't Know Anything".
After enjoying commercial success the band eventually started working on the follow-up album but was compromised by Staley's worsening health condition in 1997, due to drug addiction. Having participated in their debut album, McCready recruited Mark Lanegan as the new permanent singer under the alias of Disinformation. After experiencing difficulties in reuniting, the project was put on hold. The band finally broke up after Saunders' death due to an overdose of heroin in 1999. Fast forward 18 years later, McCready and Lanegan decided to re-release Above as a tribute to Saunders and Staley (who's death is also attributed to heroin overdose in 2002). The release comes with 3 discs; one containing the original ten tracks all remastered, 3 new songs with Lanegan on vocals and a cover of John Lennon's "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier" with Staley on vocals, this song was previously released on Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon. The other CD consists of the 1995 live show at The Moore plus the official DVD release of that same concert.
Despite taking influences from their primary bands, Mad Season were not a grunge band. There are angsty, riff driven rockers such as "I'm Above" and "I Don't Know Anything", but they ventured more in blues rock and psychedelia similar to The Screaming Trees, Skin Yard and the experimental leanings of Pearl Jam. "November Hotel" in particular is an instrumental track that summarizes their influences. This song starts with a very quiet bluesy lick that transitions to rhythmic drumming and echoed soloing that eventually explode into noise rock territory.
As exciting and cathartic that sounds, it really isn't. Most songs surpass the 5 minute mark and all of them are pretty slow, even dynamic shifting songs like "Lifeless Dead" take their time to develop, there are no immediate hooks to be found. A song that accomplish this approach nicely, and a personal favorite, is "Artificial Red". This track is an intense blues jam that relies on progression and lets McCrady's guitar shine through, reminiscing a little bit of Jimmy Page and/or Jimi Hendrix. "Wake Up" sees the rhythm section interplay with the guitars, creating an everlasting tension and ultimately making it one of the most accessible moments on the album, only contended by the alternative rock oriented "River of Deceit".
Lyrically, Staley follows the usual dark thematic of Alice In Chains. These lyrics prove Staley was in a constant battle with his personal demons, cryptic drug references ("see Artificial Red"), and mostly expressing frustration and death contemplation. Layne's delivery is as credible as always, his performance on "I'm Above" in particular is commendable and resonates the Facelift days. Lanegan's new songs, even though adding up to the overall length, stand very good on their own and bring needed variation to the album. "Locomotive" is one of the best rockers on the album right next to "I Don't Know Anything", and "Slip Away" is a very melodic and brooding track that showcases how effective is his low register.
The live album sees the band at their most energetic. While the studio versions have a somber, implosive sound to it the band finds itself more comfortable and volatile live, showcasing their experimental nature. With this said, these versions are very loyal to the originals, most notable is the saxophone parts on "Lone Gone Day" and the vigorous jazzy percussion on "X-Ray Mind".
The album may trudge at times, hell, "I'm Alone" will put most listeners to sleep. On top of that, Lanegan bonus tracks could make it overbearing for any casual listener. But this edition is the ultimate Mad Season compilation, it serves as a remaster, a best-of and a live album. This band could have done greater things in other circumstances, but at least they left us with an ageless record that was indisputably way ahead of the grunge era.
