Layne went into the control room at the studio, kicked everyone out of the room. He sat down with Mark Lanegan and wrote the lyrics with Mark... Layne writing a line, then Mark writing the next line... they did that back and forth until they finished the song. The song was based on the events of the summer of 1989, just before careers were about to take off. According to Kelly Curtis’s assistant (Curtis used to co-manage Alice In Chains with Susan Silver... another story unto itself), “It was just an epic kind of summer, where there was a lot of parties and we’d go to the beach all the time, just a fun time. A lot of socializing, and just really good times, a really hot, fun summer.” This would become the subject of the Mad Season song LONG GONE DAY. “It’s interesting that [Layne] felt the same way … Curtis's assistant rented a house where Screaming Trees practiced in the basement. Her band practiced in the basement. Alice in Chains was happening. All those bands were happening.” According to the ABOVE album liner notes, the song was “inspired by those who shared this memory.” The notes mention by names of people who were there, including Demri, Layne and Demri’s close friend Fabiola Gonzalez, members of the band Sweet Water, and Curtis's assistant. Absent from the list was someone Demri had an on-and-off relationship with during this period. The band is Layne Staley singing, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam on guitar, Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees on drums and John Baker Saunders (who was from Minneapolis but McCready met him in rehab there and dragged him back to Seattle with him after their rehab stint.) Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees sings of a few of the songs on the Above album. I'M ABOVE and LONG GONE DAY. He is also credited for co-writing the music to those tracks along with McCready and Martin. Lanegan also wrote the lyrics for the three bonus tracks on the deluxe issue - LOCOMOTIVE, BLACK BOOK OF FEAR, and SLIP AWAY. R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck is credited for co-writing the music to BLACK BOOK OF FEAR along with McCready, Martin, Saunders, and Lanegan. Layne Staley's vocal range can run rings around any other grunge singer in my opinion. Layne could sing the phone book and never hit a wrong note. Even at the end of his life, with no teeth and a lisp, his voice, wit and humor were all still there. Layne's voice and vocal range was so powerful he did NOT need auto tune or pro-tools until he lost his teeth and had a lisp around 1998, and even then he still killed the vocals. Barrett Martin said that when he stood to the side of the stage, he could hear the sound of Layne’s vocal resonance come out of Layne's body LOUDER than it did coming out of the speakers, Layne's voice was that powerful. The shows they did live at the Moore in 1995... Layne killed the vocals on every song he sang. Even ALL ALONE was just an instrumental to begin with and then Layne went in and added the bare minimum of vocals and made it haunting. And ALSO on the Live at the Moore they covered John Lennon's I DON'T WANT TO BE A SOLDIER... Layne's vocals are AWESOME on that, and the song's good up until they put a distortion pedal on the saxophone. But up until then Lennon may have wrote the song, but Layne perfected it. Layne drew the Above album cover art and wrote the lyrics to the songs he sang on the Above album so they're about his addiction and recovery/12 step, WAKE UP is basically telling himself to wake up from the 10 year love affair with drugs, Slow suicide's no way to go (of course that is what happened, after the KISS shows in 1996 to 2002 it was a six-year-long slow suicide. My Top 5 Mad Season songs: Wake Up (Live at the Moore, 1995), Artificial Red (Live at the Moore, 1995), River of Deceit (Live at the Moore, 1995), a toss up between I Don't Know Anything (Live at the Moore, 1995) OR X-Ray Mind (Live at the Moore, 1995), I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier (Live at the Moore, 1995... John Lennon wrote it, Layne PERFECTED the vocals, the song is good until they decided to put a distortion pedal on the saxophone, then it's just noise). Aside from I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier... Layne wrote all the original songs he sang on Mad Season and he drew the cover art for Mad Season's Above album. Back in 1994, near the end of the classic Seattle period, four musicians came together from a wide cross-section of Seattle’s heaviest bands. They included Pearl Jam’s lead guitarist Mike McCready, Alice In Chains lead vocalist Layne Staley, the not-from-Seattle-but-he-fit-right-in bassist John “Baker” Saunders, and Barrett Martin came from the bands Skin Yard and Screaming Trees. Mike and Baker had met in rehab in Minneapolis, and they immediately hit it off with their love of the Delta Blues and the bright clarity that comes from a newly sober mind. They played a series of secret shows at Seattle’s now-legendary Crocodile Café. The intent was to tighten-up the songs and try out the new material on a live audience, and during these shows, they realized a singular vision that would manifest in the studio a few weeks later. Mike McCready wanted to do demos, and Layne said screw that, we're doing a whole album right out of the gate. Layne had tried rehab 13 times, but he could never completely give it up. He tried quitting cold turkey on two of the last attempts at rehab, but that didn't work either. After he returned home from the second attempt at detoxing cold turkey, McCready started calling and then just showing up at Layne's condo with Baker in tow. They all got together and dragged Layne out of his condo, got him excited about doing ABOVE album, thinking if he was creative he wouldn't want the drugs, and for the length of time it took to do that, Layne was excited about the project, but it didn't curb his drug habit. The saxophone is done by a Seattle Jazz musician known as Skerik. The Above album was released internationally on March 14, 1995, on Columbia Records and it immediately struck a resonant chord with the public that sent the album into gold status within a few weeks. It peaked at #24 on the Billboard Top 200, and the album’s first single, RIVER OF DECEIT, was a bona fide radio hit in the United States, reaching the #2 spot on the American modern rock charts. All of this happened, I might add, without the band playing a proper, advertised show or any touring. They did the 4 shows at the Crocodile and the main show that got turned into a VHS/DVD Mad Season Live at the Moore. Mad Season essentially played a grungier version of the Blues. This unusual chemistry made us sound totally unique for our time, in an era of post-Grunge, formula rock that was beginning to dominate popular music then, as it still does to this day. Above was the only complete album of Layne Staley’s introspective, mystical lyrics, and in the almost 30 years since its release. Layne was an extremely intelligent, humorous, and gracious human being, and he cared about things like politeness and kindness to strangers, qualities that seem to be forgotten in today’s narcissistic, nihilistic culture. He laughed easily and talked openly with his fans, and his guest list at shows was always reserved for the young, marginalized people who couldn’t afford to buy a ticket. Those were Layne’s people, the ones without a voice, and through the power of poetic language, Layne gave them a voice. Barrett Martin's best personal memory of Layne "came when we were making the Above album and he was in the studio lounge reading Kahlil Gibran’s iconic book, The Prophet, a book I highly recommend everyone read at some point in your lives. I told him I had read it as a teenager, and I liked the part about the arrows you fire into the world to keep the darkness at bay. Layne said that as musicians we were like burning arrows, arcing across the sky. We started talking about what it meant to be an artist with a spiritual message and I can tell you that Layne deeply felt that he had a spiritual message to convey in his music, even if his lyrics were dark. And that is because darkness must exist first in order for light to emerge in contrast to it; the two are inseparable parts of the same continuum. "This theme is evident in all of Layne’s songs, both with Mad Season and Alice In Chains, and that is because he existed in a realm between darkness and light, a place where he could see both. So please remember this: Layne was very young when he wrote and sang those lyrics, he was only in his mid-twenties (Layne was ONLY 27 when he was with Mad Season in mid to late 1994 through April 1995, before he returned to AIC to record Tripod), yet he said a huge amount with that incredible voice." Several years after Layne’s passing Barrett Martin got a call from an old friend in Massachusetts who had a couple of young children. While on a family drive through the countryside, he was playing the Above album when the last song on the album, ALL ALONE, came on. One of the little ones in the back seat asked if there were angels singing on the song, a question that he relayed to Barrett over the phone. “Yeah, he was a certain kind of angel,” Barrett said, “a dark one perhaps, but an angel all the same.” Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine said Layne sang like an angry angel. After Layne died and Baker died, McCready wanted to restart Mad Season with Chris Cornell singing and Chris had learn how Layne sang the songs before he could put his variation on it. Layne's story is more tragic and haunting because you can actually watch and hear him deteriorate over the 12-year span: from the mild use of drugs in 1990 all the way through 1996 when he was deep into a heroin addiction to dropping to 90 pounds by 1998 to 86 pounds when he died in 2002. Layne kept his humor and wit even to the end of his life.
Thank you so much for this. This is the most thorough and accurate recounting if this band I've ever read. I'm a maniacal, borderline obsessive music nerd who came of age when all this was happening. Still arguably my favorite band ever. Layne was a gift from above
The ramblings of a madman. And btw, this Layne never lost his voice is not true. One of the main reasons Alice broke up is layne couldn’t sing anymore because of his drug habit. They did use auto tune and pro tools actually cause he was so awful. There’s a story of Jerry in the control room listening to Layne singing and when he was done, he just said one word “awful” and left the room. Shortly after he went to work on his solo album without Layne messing up his music.
Mark Lanegan is an assassin. A professional voice hitman for hire. Tons of great projects sol and as a duo with Greg Dulli in Gutter Twins, Isobel Campbell, Soulsavers, U.N.K.L.E., QUOTSA. Prolific and at the top of his game.
@@td315 for queens check out Songs for the Dead, In the Fade, his best solo album by far is Bubblegum with songs like 100 days and Methamphetamine Blues, other songs like Sad Disco, his biggest hit was “Nearly Lost You” with Screaming Trees which I personally hate TBH
As much as I love AIC with Layne and Jerry singing together perfectly, I sure wish we had more Mad Season. I fkn love Mark Lanegan and Layne together. Check out early and live Queens of the Stone Age for more Mark
I'm gonna get it on Apple Music and revisit it soon. I was into other stuff at the time (Faith No More, Tool, Korn, etc) so I didn't really follow Screaming Trees at all. I really appreciate Sweet Oblivion though!
It’s honestly annoying to me how much mark is associated with screaming trees. Even in marks own opinion, that band was mediocre at best. Lanegans truly great musical projects are his solo records, the work he did with Greg Dulli and other collaborations with different artists such as mad season. Listen to bubblegum if you want a great Mark Lanegan record.
In an interview Mark said that when writing the lyrics for this song, Layne would write a line then pass the piece of paper over, and then he would write a line and so on.
I didn’t know Layne was such a Michael Jackson fan sporting the one glove but it was around 1995 and MJ was really popular world wide. Layne was in a funk band so maybe it makes sense.
Mark and Layne are great, but their combined vocals in the mix are what makes this song.. along with the magic of the sax solo. The sax is what keeps bringing me back.
You made such a great observation here- grunge focuses more on feel than enunciation, while simultaneously having beautifully poetic lyrics. They had this aspect to their music that could go toe to toe with any other genre, and just casually glossed over it. You only know the poetry if you go looking for it. That's just.... the epitome of cool
Fantastic album. If anyone who reads this ever gets the chance, there is an concert video here on YT celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album release that was performed with live musicians and different vocalists in 2015. They played the song All Alone, with the musicians playing live...and then suddenly through the speakers came Layne's vocalisations from the recording of the song...the audience cheered, and if you don't get goosebumps, check your pulse. Thanx for this! ~Be Blessed
Type this: Mad Season with Chris Cornell.If you want just "All Alone "listening (the song what mentioned in the comment above )idk that only this song is up on yt,but easy to find if not.Do What I said first and you can find it.This song the last.I hope it'll help.
I've got several of Mark Lanegan's albums. He's one of my absolute favorites. He's got a book out there too that's an absolute must-read if you're a fan!
Gotten to see Mark Lanegan live several times over the years and he has always been great. A few of the shows were in Aberdeen and I still can't believe he has been willing to travel there, normally Glasgow is the nearest to me.
Yeeeeees! Incredible band! Mark Lanegan is one of my favourite singers ever! You should check out his live "one take session" rendition of One Way Street. He's a good bit older, but he's still a paragon of coolness.
Mark Lanegan did a lot of great things solo, with queens of the Stone Age, the Soulsavers, to much to name really. If people want that kind of voice they call him. Love that voice 😀
It was easy to miss, much great music came out of the 90s, they only put out the one album; Above, this song in my opinion stand out from the rest, which isn't to say those are in any way bad, this is just above.
I've seen Screaming Trees and AiC back in 1993 same bill, and yet chose to skip Mad Season when it was released. So weird. Checking out Lanegan solo now. So far, I like it!. Thanks Beth.
RIP Mark. Mad Season is an underappreciated collab, and this song in particular is a masterpiece of bluesy, gravelly, grungy genius. Layne and Mark play off one another's voices so brilliantly.
Hadn’t listened to or thought about Mad Season in awhile til I saw this video pop up. Definitely gonna give their album another listen today. It was always one of my dad’s favorites.
Barrett Martin is a drummer that nobody ever talks about, even though he should be! He's a beast! Also Mike McCready from Pearl Jam on Lead Guitar. Mad Season Live @ The Moore is a must see performance if anyone who is reading this, hasn't already.
Side note……… mark and Layne wrote this song together. Layne would write a line, then mark would write a line. After the album came out, much yo mark’s surprise, Layne and the rest of mad season gave mark a full writing credit. ( mark is only on this one song) Layne knew mark was very much a working artist and could really use the royalties. They were great friends
I found this album on a cassette in a thrift store, you can imagine my enthusiasm when I hit play to find Layne belting out to these super groovy songs. Love the video !
Mark Lanegan, at long last! I love his gorgeous voice so much! 💜 Anyone who enjoys this song should listen to the marvellous Screaming Trees album Sweet Oblivion 🖤
Oh damn I see Mad Season & I couldn't click fast enough. I caught Mark Lanegan doing a show with just him & a guitarist. Nearly moved me to tears. Black sun morning is such a great song.
This is " that song" for me, reminds me of 25-30 yrs ago with a tight group of friends, and how drugs tore much of it away. But the good memories will never leave, can either make me bawl outta self pity or for good times remembered
📖 Get your signed copy of my album Fable here: www.bethroars.com/shop ☀ Pre-save my first single "Power Of The Wolf" on Spotify (it really helps me out!): distrokid.com/hyperfollow/bethroars/power-of-the-wolf 🥁 Become a Patreon Supporter: www.patreon.com/bethroars
This collaboration CD was definitely one of the best collab records ever. I bought it when it came out then lost it and bought it again. Now it's downloaded on apple Music love Screaming Trees and Alice in Chains
I think Mark Lanegan tends more toward the lower registers when he is working with other singers. In the early days of the screaming trees he was often higher in pitch. I like The Gutter Twins project he did with Greg Dulli from the Afgan Whigs, and some of the Soul Savers stuff is interesting too. I'm not sure labelling him a grunge singer does him justice.
Lanegan once said that the main reason he sang higher in the Trees was that the Conners wrote the melodies for their own range, which was significantly higher. You can kind of hear through the 90s as he finds his own voice.
I once heard someone describe Lanegan's vocals as whiskey soaked, and it is shown perfectly here. Not the best singer or biggest talent by any means, but his naturally low register, bluesy twang, and gruff/gravelly voice just feels so unique. Can't truly figure out why he's so nice to listen to buy that's my novice attempt haha. Lanegan forever, Layne forever. Grunge forever.
❤isn’t it strange how far away we all are now?!! I remember that day when we were all together ..😂and then lost our way 😢…so true for a lot of us!!! We started out as the bestest of friends and now we’re all in this world as strangers 😢LIFE!❤but we all know now that it doesn’t last forever ♾️ 😅❤
You looked very good in this video Beth. Very relaxed and expressive. You could really tell you were just enjoying the music and sharing your feelings....excellent
Beth , I love that you love Layne, just wish he were still here for you to do more reactions on , he deserved so much better than the hand he dealt himself, seemed like a genuinely great hearted person and absolutely wailed like no other, LLL❤👑⌛😪
Hi, Beth! It's awesome you got a Lanegan wig just for the video! 😅😂😅 Kidding, of course. Admittedly I never would have seen your awesome videos if this one didn't exist. And with all due respect, as much as a mancrush as I have always had on Dark Mark, you're one of the most beautiful human beings I've ever seen and heard - both inner beauty and outer - especially on RUclips. Hearing someone with your expertise compliment Mark so much makes my eyes well up with tears. I'd love to see you do a video with some of his solo work such as Wild Flowers, Lexington Slow Down or Strange Religion. Even his work with Isobel Campbell (Circus is Leaving Town especially) would be great to hear you talk about!
I know a major hospital OR that played Mad Season during many a case. Kept everyone chill even during difficult procedures. RIP Layne... too soon, too soon.
Hearing Layne is one of my favorites things to do
You nailed it with that statement. I concur
Same ❤️🧡💛💙💚
Me too
Agree!!! There is just no one like him.
same
Mark and Layne, simply two of the best
Now together, again. R.I.P. Mark
Layne Staley has the most emotionally expressive tone that I've ever heard. Listening to him sing is like getting to scratch a really bad itch 🔥
One does not simply listen to Layne you feel him.
I'd say the most expressive tone belongs to Cornell, but that would be a close call.
@@wmeo5349 no it doesnt
@@Joaozinho-jj9uv thanks for an argument
Layne went into the control room at the studio, kicked everyone out of the room. He sat down with Mark Lanegan and wrote the lyrics with Mark... Layne writing a line, then Mark writing the next line... they did that back and forth until they finished the song.
The song was based on the events of the summer of 1989, just before careers were about to take off. According to Kelly Curtis’s assistant (Curtis used to co-manage Alice In Chains with Susan Silver... another story unto itself), “It was just an epic kind of summer, where there was a lot of parties and we’d go to the beach all the time, just a fun time. A lot of socializing, and just really good times, a really hot, fun summer.” This would become the subject of the Mad Season song LONG GONE DAY. “It’s interesting that [Layne] felt the same way … Curtis's assistant rented a house where Screaming Trees practiced in the basement. Her band practiced in the basement. Alice in Chains was happening. All those bands were happening.” According to the ABOVE album liner notes, the song was “inspired by those who shared this memory.” The notes mention by names of people who were there, including Demri, Layne and Demri’s close friend Fabiola Gonzalez, members of the band Sweet Water, and Curtis's assistant. Absent from the list was someone Demri had an on-and-off relationship with during this period.
The band is Layne Staley singing, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam on guitar, Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees on drums and John Baker Saunders (who was from Minneapolis but McCready met him in rehab there and dragged him back to Seattle with him after their rehab stint.)
Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees sings of a few of the songs on the Above album. I'M ABOVE and LONG GONE DAY. He is also credited for co-writing the music to those tracks along with McCready and Martin. Lanegan also wrote the lyrics for the three bonus tracks on the deluxe issue - LOCOMOTIVE, BLACK BOOK OF FEAR, and SLIP AWAY. R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck is credited for co-writing the music to BLACK BOOK OF FEAR along with McCready, Martin, Saunders, and Lanegan.
Layne Staley's vocal range can run rings around any other grunge singer in my opinion. Layne could sing the phone book and never hit a wrong note. Even at the end of his life, with no teeth and a lisp, his voice, wit and humor were all still there. Layne's voice and vocal range was so powerful he did NOT need auto tune or pro-tools until he lost his teeth and had a lisp around 1998, and even then he still killed the vocals.
Barrett Martin said that when he stood to the side of the stage, he could hear the sound of Layne’s vocal resonance come out of Layne's body LOUDER than it did coming out of the speakers, Layne's voice was that powerful.
The shows they did live at the Moore in 1995... Layne killed the vocals on every song he sang. Even ALL ALONE was just an instrumental to begin with and then Layne went in and added the bare minimum of vocals and made it haunting. And ALSO on the Live at the Moore they covered John Lennon's I DON'T WANT TO BE A SOLDIER... Layne's vocals are AWESOME on that, and the song's good up until they put a distortion pedal on the saxophone. But up until then Lennon may have wrote the song, but Layne perfected it.
Layne drew the Above album cover art and wrote the lyrics to the songs he sang on the Above album so they're about his addiction and recovery/12 step, WAKE UP is basically telling himself to wake up from the 10 year love affair with drugs, Slow suicide's no way to go (of course that is what happened, after the KISS shows in 1996 to 2002 it was a six-year-long slow suicide.
My Top 5 Mad Season songs: Wake Up (Live at the Moore, 1995), Artificial Red (Live at the Moore, 1995), River of Deceit (Live at the Moore, 1995), a toss up between I Don't Know Anything (Live at the Moore, 1995) OR X-Ray Mind (Live at the Moore, 1995), I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier (Live at the Moore, 1995... John Lennon wrote it, Layne PERFECTED the vocals, the song is good until they decided to put a distortion pedal on the saxophone, then it's just noise). Aside from I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier... Layne wrote all the original songs he sang on Mad Season and he drew the cover art for Mad Season's Above album.
Back in 1994, near the end of the classic Seattle period, four musicians came together from a wide cross-section of Seattle’s heaviest bands. They included Pearl Jam’s lead guitarist Mike McCready, Alice In Chains lead vocalist Layne Staley, the not-from-Seattle-but-he-fit-right-in bassist John “Baker” Saunders, and Barrett Martin came from the bands Skin Yard and Screaming Trees. Mike and Baker had met in rehab in Minneapolis, and they immediately hit it off with their love of the Delta Blues and the bright clarity that comes from a newly sober mind.
They played a series of secret shows at Seattle’s now-legendary Crocodile Café. The intent was to tighten-up the songs and try out the new material on a live audience, and during these shows, they realized a singular vision that would manifest in the studio a few weeks later. Mike McCready wanted to do demos, and Layne said screw that, we're doing a whole album right out of the gate.
Layne had tried rehab 13 times, but he could never completely give it up. He tried quitting cold turkey on two of the last attempts at rehab, but that didn't work either. After he returned home from the second attempt at detoxing cold turkey, McCready started calling and then just showing up at Layne's condo with Baker in tow. They all got together and dragged Layne out of his condo, got him excited about doing ABOVE album, thinking if he was creative he wouldn't want the drugs, and for the length of time it took to do that, Layne was excited about the project, but it didn't curb his drug habit.
The saxophone is done by a Seattle Jazz musician known as Skerik.
The Above album was released internationally on March 14, 1995, on Columbia Records and it immediately struck a resonant chord with the public that sent the album into gold status within a few weeks. It peaked at #24 on the Billboard Top 200, and the album’s first single, RIVER OF DECEIT, was a bona fide radio hit in the United States, reaching the #2 spot on the American modern rock charts. All of this happened, I might add, without the band playing a proper, advertised show or any touring. They did the 4 shows at the Crocodile and the main show that got turned into a VHS/DVD Mad Season Live at the Moore.
Mad Season essentially played a grungier version of the Blues. This unusual chemistry made us sound totally unique for our time, in an era of post-Grunge, formula rock that was beginning to dominate popular music then, as it still does to this day. Above was the only complete album of Layne Staley’s introspective, mystical lyrics, and in the almost 30 years since its release.
Layne was an extremely intelligent, humorous, and gracious human being, and he cared about things like politeness and kindness to strangers, qualities that seem to be forgotten in today’s narcissistic, nihilistic culture. He laughed easily and talked openly with his fans, and his guest list at shows was always reserved for the young, marginalized people who couldn’t afford to buy a ticket. Those were Layne’s people, the ones without a voice, and through the power of poetic language, Layne gave them a voice.
Barrett Martin's best personal memory of Layne "came when we were making the Above album and he was in the studio lounge reading Kahlil Gibran’s iconic book, The Prophet, a book I highly recommend everyone read at some point in your lives. I told him I had read it as a teenager, and I liked the part about the arrows you fire into the world to keep the darkness at bay. Layne said that as musicians we were like burning arrows, arcing across the sky. We started talking about what it meant to be an artist with a spiritual message and I can tell you that Layne deeply felt that he had a spiritual message to convey in his music, even if his lyrics were dark. And that is because darkness must exist first in order for light to emerge in contrast to it; the two are inseparable parts of the same continuum.
"This theme is evident in all of Layne’s songs, both with Mad Season and Alice In Chains, and that is because he existed in a realm between darkness and light, a place where he could see both. So please remember this: Layne was very young when he wrote and sang those lyrics, he was only in his mid-twenties (Layne was ONLY 27 when he was with Mad Season in mid to late 1994 through April 1995, before he returned to AIC to record Tripod), yet he said a huge amount with that incredible voice."
Several years after Layne’s passing Barrett Martin got a call from an old friend in Massachusetts who had a couple of young children. While on a family drive through the countryside, he was playing the Above album when the last song on the album, ALL ALONE, came on. One of the little ones in the back seat asked if there were angels singing on the song, a question that he relayed to Barrett over the phone. “Yeah, he was a certain kind of angel,” Barrett said, “a dark one perhaps, but an angel all the same.”
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine said Layne sang like an angry angel.
After Layne died and Baker died, McCready wanted to restart Mad Season with Chris Cornell singing and Chris had learn how Layne sang the songs before he could put his variation on it.
Layne's story is more tragic and haunting because you can actually watch and hear him deteriorate over the 12-year span: from the mild use of drugs in 1990 all the way through 1996 when he was deep into a heroin addiction to dropping to 90 pounds by 1998 to 86 pounds when he died in 2002. Layne kept his humor and wit even to the end of his life.
Thank you so much. I knew a lot of the things you wrote about, but managed to find some completely new information, pure gold!
Your great at copy n paste
@@RS-ge4dz I'm great at typing it all once and then saving it for the copy/paste later to save myself from carpal tunnel syndrome, smartass
Thank you so much for this. This is the most thorough and accurate recounting if this band I've ever read. I'm a maniacal, borderline obsessive music nerd who came of age when all this was happening. Still arguably my favorite band ever. Layne was a gift from above
The ramblings of a madman. And btw, this Layne never lost his voice is not true. One of the main reasons Alice broke up is layne couldn’t sing anymore because of his drug habit. They did use auto tune and pro tools actually cause he was so awful. There’s a story of Jerry in the control room listening to Layne singing and when he was done, he just said one word “awful” and left the room. Shortly after he went to work on his solo album without Layne messing up his music.
Mark Lanegan is an assassin. A professional voice hitman for hire. Tons of great projects sol and as a duo with Greg Dulli in Gutter Twins, Isobel Campbell, Soulsavers, U.N.K.L.E., QUOTSA. Prolific and at the top of his game.
Living legend for sure.
What are some of your favorite songs of his? Not popular per se, but your favorites.
And Twilight Singers with Greg Dulli...
@@Feliperost Not anymore :(
@@td315 for queens check out Songs for the Dead, In the Fade, his best solo album by far is
Bubblegum with songs like 100 days and Methamphetamine Blues, other songs like Sad Disco, his biggest hit was “Nearly Lost You” with Screaming Trees which I personally hate TBH
As much as I love AIC with Layne and Jerry singing together perfectly, I sure wish we had more Mad Season. I fkn love Mark Lanegan and Layne together. Check out early and live Queens of the Stone Age for more Mark
The Screaming Trees album Dust is an underrated masterpiece, IMO. Every song is great.
Yep. And made while they were falling apart.
I'm gonna get it on Apple Music and revisit it soon. I was into other stuff at the time (Faith No More, Tool, Korn, etc) so I didn't really follow Screaming Trees at all. I really appreciate Sweet Oblivion though!
Brilliant record, I can’t stop listening to Dying Days lately.
Dust is my favorite Trees album
It’s honestly annoying to me how much mark is associated with screaming trees. Even in marks own opinion, that band was mediocre at best. Lanegans truly great musical projects are his solo records, the work he did with Greg Dulli and other collaborations with different artists such as mad season. Listen to bubblegum if you want a great Mark Lanegan record.
One of the most underrated collaborations of the 90's
get a thesaurus. tired of hearing overrated, underrated and iconic
Right, a mad season vinyl record costs 200€ and its underrated. wtf.
@@f.schulef4403 Woah really? I have Above on vinyl and it didn't cost me anywhere near that when I bought it around 10-15 years ago
@@madhatter8508 cool, I give you 40€ for it :)
@@f.schulef4403 I'll sell it to you for 400€
In an interview Mark said that when writing the lyrics for this song, Layne would write a line then pass the piece of paper over, and then he would write a line and so on.
He explains a little more in his autobiography, it was an amazing read.
I didn’t know Layne was such a Michael Jackson fan sporting the one glove but it was around 1995 and MJ was really popular world wide. Layne was in a funk band so maybe it makes sense.
@@td315 he wore fingerless gloves a lot in later shows. It was to cover evidence of his drug use.
Mark and Layne are great, but their combined vocals in the mix are what makes this song.. along with the magic of the sax solo. The sax is what keeps bringing me back.
Finally some Mark Lanegan...and Layne again 💜 Amazing supergroup
What a band! What a song! What a couple of singers!
You made such a great observation here- grunge focuses more on feel than enunciation, while simultaneously having beautifully poetic lyrics. They had this aspect to their music that could go toe to toe with any other genre, and just casually glossed over it. You only know the poetry if you go looking for it. That's just.... the epitome of cool
Hard to belive both these guys are gone now. RIP legends.
Fantastic album. If anyone who reads this ever gets the chance, there is an concert video here on YT celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album release that was performed with live musicians and different vocalists in 2015. They played the song All Alone, with the musicians playing live...and then suddenly through the speakers came Layne's vocalisations from the recording of the song...the audience cheered, and if you don't get goosebumps, check your pulse. Thanx for this! ~Be Blessed
Do you have a link? All I can find is Matchbox 20
Type this: Mad Season with Chris Cornell.If you want just "All Alone "listening (the song what mentioned in the comment above )idk that only this song is up on yt,but easy to find if not.Do What I said first and you can find it.This song the last.I hope it'll help.
So glad you react to this song, because Lane Staley and Lanegan are my 2 favourite singers!!
Same here. The Album "Above" from Mad Season is a Masterpiece
I've got several of Mark Lanegan's albums. He's one of my absolute favorites. He's got a book out there too that's an absolute must-read if you're a fan!
Same here! Loved his book, dark, sad, raw, intense but captivating.
His stuff is awesome!
I read it. The Layne parts were super sad
Are you talking about Sing Backwards and Weep? I never, ever listen to books, but Mark Lanegan was reading it... Now that was an experience.
It always bugs me when people say Eddie Vedder is the last of the grunge/alternative singers alive, I'm like... MARK IS STILL THERE MAN
The Screaming Trees! Glad she pointed that out. Loved them back in the day
Mark Lanegan was amazing he never got the love he so greatly deserved rest easy
You should check Mark Lanegan solo albums, so good!!!
Gotten to see Mark Lanegan live several times over the years and he has always been great. A few of the shows were in Aberdeen and I still can't believe he has been willing to travel there, normally Glasgow is the nearest to me.
I absolutely love Layne Staley.
Yeeeeees! Incredible band! Mark Lanegan is one of my favourite singers ever! You should check out his live "one take session" rendition of One Way Street. He's a good bit older, but he's still a paragon of coolness.
I've suggested that, too. Such a great performance.
I think his voice has only gotten even better!
This live version with Mark and Layne singing together, absolutely flattens me every time.
Mark Lanegan did a lot of great things solo, with queens of the Stone Age, the Soulsavers, to much to name really. If people want that kind of voice they call him. Love that voice 😀
Ilthese were the best days we had such great music this is one of my favorite albums of my 55 yrs❤
Embarrassed to admit, my first time with these guys. Wonderful! Must hear more. Thanks, Beth.
It was easy to miss, much great music came out of the 90s, they only put out the one album; Above, this song in my opinion stand out from the rest, which isn't to say those are in any way bad, this is just above.
I've seen Screaming Trees and AiC back in 1993 same bill, and yet chose to skip Mad Season when it was released. So weird. Checking out Lanegan solo now. So far, I like it!. Thanks Beth.
Beth's uploads makes everyone smile.
RIP Mark. Mad Season is an underappreciated collab, and this song in particular is a masterpiece of bluesy, gravelly, grungy genius. Layne and Mark play off one another's voices so brilliantly.
Lanegan&Layne: a soft pillow hit by a knife. Love both 🤘💜
Layne staley was such a tragic loss to music he's always gonna be my favorite
Hadn’t listened to or thought about Mad Season in awhile til I saw this video pop up. Definitely gonna give their album another listen today. It was always one of my dad’s favorites.
More Alice In Chains- Bleed the Freak live at The Moore please 🤘🏽
Yes, my fav from The Moore!
Masterpiece of a song, Cantrell is a genius and Layne was pretty much at his peak at that time.
that was always my fav from LP1...though It Ain't Like That is pretty close, specially live, what a genius super simple riff.
Hell Yes! Love how they shot it in black and white...and really dark. Set the mood for the haunting song🤘
Everyone always requests love hate love, but dude bleed the freak is even better
I can’t listen to this song without crying
Barrett Martin is a drummer that nobody ever talks about, even though he should be! He's a beast! Also Mike McCready from Pearl Jam on Lead Guitar.
Mad Season Live @ The Moore is a must see performance if anyone who is reading this, hasn't already.
Mark Lanegan is one of the best American singers out there today!✌
Godspeed Mark…..Layne has been missing you. Give him a big hug from all of us down here on Earth.
Side note……… mark and Layne wrote this song together. Layne would write a line, then mark would write a line. After the album came out, much yo mark’s surprise, Layne and the rest of mad season gave mark a full writing credit. ( mark is only on this one song) Layne knew mark was very much a working artist and could really use the royalties. They were great friends
RIP Mark and Layne. Together again
thanks for taking Mark Lanegan....He's a legend. Check out the first album with Isobel campbell... it's my favourite.
Glad to see Mad Season get some love. The juxtaposition in Staley and Lanegan's voice just work.
Mad season, one of the best albums in any record collection.
I found this album on a cassette in a thrift store, you can imagine my enthusiasm when I hit play to find Layne belting out to these super groovy songs. Love the video !
Love Mad Season & AiC ❤️
Every day. 💜
Mark Lanegan, at long last! I love his gorgeous voice so much! 💜 Anyone who enjoys this song should listen to the marvellous Screaming Trees album Sweet Oblivion 🖤
Mad Season....Just the Title, Speaks Volumes. Incredible album.
At last! Mad Season. For some strange reason I really enjoy watching other people listen to my favorite tracks. This was a good one :)
Oh damn I see Mad Season & I couldn't click fast enough. I caught Mark Lanegan doing a show with just him & a guitarist. Nearly moved me to tears.
Black sun morning is such a great song.
I absolutely love the Come as You Are riff on the sax in the end
Rip to the greatest duo, 😔
Oohhh my goodness that song is amazing!!! Their voices and the 🎷 oohhh my goodness loved it so bluesy I love Layne Staley ❤️🤘😇
7:09 Hear the sax player's little tribute to Kurt Cobain?
Yes!! I think I was the only one who noticed!! He played the intro of Come as you are!!
This is " that song" for me, reminds me of 25-30 yrs ago with a tight group of friends, and how drugs tore much of it away. But the good memories will never leave, can either make me bawl outta self pity or for good times remembered
This live show is amazing. Thanks Beth, more Layne is always appreciated!
Laynes vocal progression is one of my favourites EVER...as tears flow.
This is such a great song. I honestly thought it was a masterpiece when I first heard it.
It was so awesome to experience this in real time i miss the 90’s😢
I love the whole album by mad season, such a great superband
One of my favourite performances of any song for a damn long time.
For the first time ever, I'm that person who says "I've never clicked on a video so fast in my life".
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My favorite song on one of my all-time favorite albums.
This collaboration CD was definitely one of the best collab records ever. I bought it when it came out then lost it and bought it again. Now it's downloaded on apple Music love Screaming Trees and Alice in Chains
Layne could harmonize with anyone and sound fantastic, but I love the both of them together ❤️
Love your analysis. So nice and positive.
wow im so glad you ended up doing this song.
Layne and Mark are singing together again. Rest In Peace Layne, Mark, And Baker -2/22/2022
RIP to 2 legends
Great video! Wish you would react to more of Lanegan's stuff and maybe Mark Sandman from Morphine :)
Yes this very much reminds me of Morphine. I'd love to see a reaction to Morphine.
YESSSS!!! Mad season!!!
I think Mark Lanegan tends more toward the lower registers when he is working with other singers. In the early days of the screaming trees he was often higher in pitch. I like The Gutter Twins project he did with Greg Dulli from the Afgan Whigs, and some of the Soul Savers stuff is interesting too. I'm not sure labelling him a grunge singer does him justice.
Lanegan once said that the main reason he sang higher in the Trees was that the Conners wrote the melodies for their own range, which was significantly higher. You can kind of hear through the 90s as he finds his own voice.
This is just a cool song, especially the live recording. I love it. The Bass, the Sax, the Bongos... So cool.
R.I.P. Layne & Mark
Love Lanegan
Yes Beth!!! I've been asking for this one for a long time😀 thanks Beth
He has great story telling, exactly!!!! :)
A bit too much theoretically hahahha :)
RIP Mark and Layne
I wooop up the chair when i red that
Bout time someone does this band and song! Wake up live at this same show is one of the best
I love Mark Lanegan and Layne Staley!!!! I haver never seen it before and I will supportât the Patreon to be the winner too
RIP to both of these gentlemen
She is amazing
Lanegan got you hair... we need more Mark
Perfect assessment.
Lifeless Dead another great Layne showcase from Mad Season
I feel blessed that these guys decided to do a side project and created such a great album.
I once heard someone describe Lanegan's vocals as whiskey soaked, and it is shown perfectly here. Not the best singer or biggest talent by any means, but his naturally low register, bluesy twang, and gruff/gravelly voice just feels so unique. Can't truly figure out why he's so nice to listen to buy that's my novice attempt haha.
Lanegan forever, Layne forever. Grunge forever.
This is one of my favorite songs of all time. Great analysis!
Rest easy Mark, Baker and Layne.
Legends
Bass player just casually whips out an upright bass. Sick
R.I.P. Mark and Layne.
❤isn’t it strange how far away we all are now?!! I remember that day when we were all together ..😂and then lost our way 😢…so true for a lot of us!!! We started out as the bestest of friends and now we’re all in this world as strangers 😢LIFE!❤but we all know now that it doesn’t last forever ♾️ 😅❤
Rest in peace Mark & Layne!!!
You looked very good in this video Beth. Very relaxed and expressive. You could really tell you were just enjoying the music and sharing your feelings....excellent
The river rise is good I love Mark’s voice
Beth , I love that you love Layne, just wish he were still here for you to do more reactions on , he deserved so much better than the hand he dealt himself, seemed like a genuinely great hearted person and absolutely wailed like no other, LLL❤👑⌛😪
Hi, Beth! It's awesome you got a Lanegan wig just for the video! 😅😂😅 Kidding, of course. Admittedly I never would have seen your awesome videos if this one didn't exist. And with all due respect, as much as a mancrush as I have always had on Dark Mark, you're one of the most beautiful human beings I've ever seen and heard - both inner beauty and outer - especially on RUclips. Hearing someone with your expertise compliment Mark so much makes my eyes well up with tears.
I'd love to see you do a video with some of his solo work such as Wild Flowers, Lexington Slow Down or Strange Religion. Even his work with Isobel Campbell (Circus is Leaving Town especially) would be great to hear you talk about!
You are awesome Beth
more mark lanegan please
I know a major hospital OR that played Mad Season during many a case. Kept everyone chill even during difficult procedures.
RIP Layne... too soon, too soon.
RIP legends ❤️