Scooter Chronicles

Mad Season - “Above”

Tracks:

1. Wake Up
2. X-Ray Mind
3. River of Deceit
4. I’m Above
5. Artificial Red
6. Lifeless Dead
7. I Don’t Know Anything
8. Long Gone Day
9. November Hotel
10. All Alone

A supergroup of sorts, but I can’t remember how I came to know of this album. Though I am sure that when I found out that Layne Staley was involved, it was enough for me to buy it.

(From left): Martin Barrett (drums), Layne Staley (vocals), John Saunders Baker (bass), and Mike McCready (guitar).

(Note: It’s not easy finding a good picture of this band, and this is the best I could get.)

Three of the members were already playing with established bands on the famed Seattle grunge scene. So this was essentially a side project. McCready is from Pearl Jam, Barrett was with the Screaming Trees, and Staley was with Alice in Chains. Saunders had kicked around with different blues bands, and was from Seattle too, but met McCready in Minneapolis. The band was formed from jam sessions with McCready, Barrett, and Saunders. They wanted to do more blues based rock. Staley was brought in later.

I have read some reviews and they make the blanket statement that this album sounds like a mix between Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. Why do people do that? Can you tell that I disagree? At least to a point. First of all, it is easy to say that because of Staley’s voice. It is hard to hear any lead singer do another project and for it not to “sound” like the other band. It’s kind of unfair that this happens. But even with this, Staley sings differently. His venom is missing from songs, but it’s because the song calls for it. The songs are much more somber then Alice in Chains’ material. It is quite enjoyable to hear. (Not that I dislike Staley’s voice, though I can understand that it would grate on others).

To be fair to those reviewers, “I Don’t Know Anything” would not sound out of place on an Alice in Chains album at all. McCready even uses a crunge-like tone and playing style very similar to Jerry “Crungemaster” Cantrell, the guitarist for Alice in Chains. And the guitar tone at the end of “Wake Up” and throughout “River of Deceit”, and playing are very Pearl Jam like. But the rest of the album is not like anything I heard of Pearl Jam, and no way even close to anything Alice in Chains did. “Artificial Red” is so bluesy you could hear Stevie Ray Vaughn doing a great rendition of this, or even an early day Led Zeppelin when they did blues numbers. Then there is “Long Gone Day”. Acoustic guitar and acoustic bass throughout. Marimbas and vibes. Saxophones. Does that sound like Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains to you? Didn’t think so.

My two favorite tracks are probably “X-Ray Mind” and the instrumental “November Hotel”. Both highlight drummer Barrett’s skills. I would like to hear more of his work, especially outside of the Screaming Trees, since he got into jazz and world music. I think he may be underrated. One more note, Mark Lanegan duets with Staley on “Above” and “Long Gone Day”. He was the lead singer of the Screaming Trees.

There was going to be a follow-up to this album, but Staley’s drug addictions kept pushing the effort back. It was even talked about that they were going to have Lanegan take over vocals, but it all fell apart. Then in 1999 Saunders died of an overdose, and Staley followed suit in 2002. Ah, the wonderful world of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll.