Blind Melon

Description

The 90s are littered with rock albums that will undoubtedly be talked about for years to come. And theres one group whose lone two studio albums can easily stand among their peers, the woefully underratedBlind Melon. Perhaps due in part to a career cut so tragically short that they never properly received their deserved accolades, 1992sBlind Melonand 1995sSoup(as well as a posthumous outtakes collection, 1996sNico) sound as invigorating today as they did when they first appeared.
Shortly after the dawn of 1992,Blind Melonfound themselves recording their debut in a spot that was in the midst of a musical uprising – Seattle, Washington. Setting up shop at London Bridge Studios,Rick Parasharwas hired to produce; the same gentleman whose name would soon be a fixture on the U.S. album charts (producing Pearl Jams Ten, Temple of the Dogs self-titled release, and Alice in Chains Sap). Smith: I look back on those times and Im like, Theres a real sense of musical purity and performance to that record. I think thats whats missing from todays records Blind Melon really captured that.
Listening back today,Blind Melonis definitely one of the more pure sounding rock records of the early 90s modeled more after Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers, rather than the usual suspects that all the grunge and industrial bands were studying at the time. While most of the tunes were finalized after the band had worked on them together, two standouts were penned entirely by lone members prior to their formation Shannon Hoons acoustic ‘song of hope,’ “Change,” and a quirky tune that Brad Smith had penned about the constantly depressed state of a former girlfriend, “No Rain.”
Crisscrossing the states via van, it was during the spring of 93 that the band hooked up with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video director, Samuel Bayer, to shoot a clip for the upbeat ditty that always received a raucous reception at their shows, “No Rain.” By combining shots of the band playing in a breezy field and of their album cover coming to life (the infamous bee girl), the feel-good video catapulted the band to the top of the charts and the rest is music history.
Blind MelonBlind MelonTrack Listing:
1. Soak The Sin2. Tones Of Home3. I Wonder4. Paper Scratcher5. Dear Ol Dad6. Change7. No Rain8. Deserted9. Sleepyhouse10. Holyman11. Seed To A Tree12. Drive13. Time