Above

"Released in 1995, this one-off collaborative project included members of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and The Screaming Trees.

The band formed at a time when singer Layne Staley, guitarist Mike McCready and bassist John Baker Saunders were all battling substance abuse - McCready had met Saunders at a rehab clinic and later contacted Staley for his input. The final piece of the jigsaw was multi-instrumentalist Barrett Martin, who rounded out the line-up perfectly. Appropriately, the name Mad Season is a term used in England when psychedelic mushrooms are in full bloom.

Recorded in just ten days, 'Above' is a dark, brooding album that contains such great cuts as the opener, "Wake Up" plus the excellent "River of Deceit", along with "I'm Above" & "Long Gone Day" - the latter both feature vocals from the very talented Mark Lanegan (The Screaming Trees / Queens of the Stone Age).

The late Mr. Stayley's lyrics on 'Above' are fairly autobiographical; he also provided the cover art. The music itself, which was composed collectively by all four members of the band, is a melancholic mix of ballads, hard rock and blues, performed in a uniquely, eerie manner. Initially, this approach may come across as somewhat alienating to the casual listener, but repeated exposure reveals this intriguing recording to be one worth cherishing as its warped charms definitely grow on you.

'Above' isn't the most well known of albums to have come out of Seattle in the '90s, but in our humble opinion it remains one of the best!"
-GEOFF / MARTY (4th February 2006)

The band :-
Layne Staley - Vocals and Guitar
Mike McCready - Electric and Acoustic Guitars
John Baker Saunders - Electric Bass
Barrett Martin - Drums, Percussion, Marimba, Vibes, Cello, and Upright Bass

Special guests :-
Mark Lanegan - Vocals on "Long Gone Day" and "I'm Above"
Nalgas Sin Carne - Saxophone on "Long Gone Day" and "I Don't Want to be a soldier"