Tuesday, June 12, 2007


Screaming Trees: Transfiguration [1987]
Screaming Trees: Cold Rain [1987]

Out of Washington, the Screaming Trees were:
Mark Lanegan - vocals
Gary Lee Conner - guitar
Van Conner - bass
Mark Pickerel - drums

Buy Even If and Especially When here.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Curious, Mike. Every note of Mark Lanegan's "Woe" ("weeping willows" on codeine, perhaps ?) is forevever engraved on my brain, but the earlier Screaming Trees kind of passed me by, even though so friends rated them fairly highly, so i'm listening to these two tracks with entirely fresh ears.

Of the two, "Cold Rain" kind of startled me with its vague Syd Barrett/Robyn Hitchcock vibe, albeit done in a much more straightforward rockier vein. Kind of recalled, too, an echo of "Luv and Peace" by the precocious Eater, a band i will continue to unabashedly defend as one of the best punk outfits ever.

By the way, yesterday's "Theme from Boat Weirdos" is excellent, i agree. I would never have gotten round to delving into that particular album of my own volition.

Mike said...

Nice call on "Cold Rain". I can definitely hear it. Another band I like, but think of as a little too derivative, I've always connected with Screaming Trees - Brian Jonestown Massacre. I especailly hear them in songs like "Cold Rain".

Eater as one of the best punk outfits ever? I am off to give them another listen today.

Anonymous said...

I hear you on the Brian Jonestown Massacre. To choose a name as epic as that is begging for uncharitable conclusions, brave and inspired as it is.

Obviously you're already familiar with Eater. You have to bear in mind just how young this band were: Dee Generate, the drummer, was only fourteen years old when they were signed to Dave Goodman's the Label. That's not to excuse or apologise. What they may have lacked in terms of painting from a limited palette they more than made up for in sheer teenage exuberance alone.

Their album spent as much time on my turntable in 1977 as the Clash's first, the Pistols, "Damned Damned Damned" or the Ramones.