Mad Season - Above
by 
acostill on August 14th, 2007
So last week I wrote an FYI post about Alice in Chains and another B5 blogger, Jennifer who writes some great stuff at Hippie Sounds, reminded me of Mad Season’s Above.
Mad Season was a Seattle supergroup consisting of AIC frontman Layne Staley, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin and bassist John Baker Sanunders from the Walkabouts. McCready put the band together in 1994; but it wasn’t until October 1994 that the band became complete with the addition of friend Layne Staley and called themselves the Gacy Bunch and eventually Mad Season.
The band released only one album, Above on March 15, 1995. It’s a gem of an album, I mean anything with Mike McCready has to be at least half decent. It features the modest hit “River of Deceit”, which received some air play. There was also the lesser known single, “Lifeless Dead”. But Above featured some killer tracks, that were slightly familiar, but still unique for the members of the band.
The opening track “Wake Up” is a 7 minute plus song of beauty, with a hint of a pain that only Layne Staley could deliver. The voodoo style “Long Gone Day” featured additional vocals from former Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan. You’ve probably heard “Long Gone Day” when Godsmack covered it and renamed it “Voodoo” on their 1998 self -titled release.
“Arttificial Red” is another stand out track, which features a great exchange between Staley and McCready, when Layne sorrowfully sings “woo hoo” and is mimicked by McCready on guitar. “I Don’t Know Anything” is probably the heaviest track on the album and could easily be an Alice in Chains song. There is also the instrumental jam “November Hotel” and the album closer, “All Alone” which has a peaceful, and yet sense of hopelessness that Layne delivers perfectly.
Above sounds a bit rough at times, the album was recorded in only 10 days, but the band sounds like they’ve been playing for years. Martin, Saunders, McCready and Staley compliment each other all too well. It’s a shame that Saunders and Staley passed on, because a follow up would have such a good thing.
“Lifeless Dead”
“Long Gone Day” (live from the Moore Theatre)
| 3.0 |
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Album Reviews
2 opinions for Mad Season - Above
Aug 20, 2007 at 5:40 am
Well, thanks for the shout out. And the very cool post on a mostly forgotten 90s band. AND for finding Long Gone Day on video — I never even would have thought to look. I love his purring in this song. Very nice.
Sadly, I would have been by sooner to say thanks for the shout out but my blog must be broken because no pings are showing up on my dashboard. Your’s is the second blog I’ve visited tonight that has mentioned me yet not shown up on my blog. Guess I have a date with tech support :(
Oh, and if you’re a reader, and you read this, and you don’t have Above. Stop whatever it is you may be doing and go get it!
Aug 20, 2007 at 9:06 am
No problem for the shout out, because Above is still stuck in my head. We’re also having cool and rainy weather, which is perfect for Above. I also forget to add how awesome the harmonies between Mark and Layne are in “Long Day Gone”, they compliment each very well. There are also a bunch of live performances from the Moore Theatre on YouTube if you have time to check them out.
Good luck with tech support, at least you can enjoy some Mad Season while you’re waiting.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: