I’m always sad when I listen to Blind Melon. I think Shannon Hoon had a lot more music in him.
Another good one, but very sad:
I still think Hoon was the reincarnation of Janis Joplin. And Blind Melon was hugely underrated.
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NobodySpecial
And this, kids, is why heroin is bad.
Yutsano
Very understated. But it’s an all too common pattern that those among us who are the most creative also have the hardest time coping with every day reality. Doubly sad that both Shannon and Janis died from the same poison.
dylan
Very clearly so…
As well did Kurt, Janis and the guy named Brad(I think) from Sublime.
eric k
Yeah,
I had only heard of them because of that silly Bee Girl video that was on all the time, then I went to a Neil Young/Pearl Jam show, this was just before Pearl Jam’s 2nd album was released, Neil Young was touring with Booker T and the MGs as his backing band. Blind Melon was the first act and they blew us away, we had no idea they were so good. Really a shame the record company picked that song to release as a single so everyone’s first impression of them was a silly song. I bought their album right away.
Man those were the days, a show that featured 3 bands, lasted several hours (Pearl Jam had 2 encores and Neil Young had 3) and the whole thing was $28!
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: Well, ‘coz every day reality pretty much sucks.
argystokes
Here’s the same song being performed by Shannon’s daughter, Nico.
freelancer (itouch)
Bravo edk, you’ve retconned, and found a microcosm for Repub worldviews. Are you sure you haven’t stumbled upon the psychic real estate of the daily show writers’ homeground?
DB
OK, I didn’t complain when John Cole said he was adding a conservative voice here, but a Blind Melon tag is just going too fucking far.
Suffern ACE
Privately, if you asked me and promised not to tell, Soup is one of my favorite albums. Publicly, however, I will only make statements of my preferences after the endorsement deals have been signed.
TD
Blind Melon is a great group.
TheNickronomicon
I could never get into Blind Melon, aside from that fantastic single. Despite my obviously hippie-ish political stance I could never get very deeply into 90’s-hippie music. Now Judas Priest, on the other hand… :)
And speaking of great things from the 90’s, what did anybody think of Backspacer?
Cris
Oh dear.
Xero
Blind Melon saved my life. Sorta. The track “Tones of Home” gave me little extra will during an extremely bad time.
“What do you think they would say,
If I stood up, and walked away..”
Dan
I don’t know if Soup was sophmore slump or ealry effects of the drugs, but it really isn’t a good album. The debut is excellent though.
I remember hearing somewhere that they got signed right away, didn’t have to pay many dues. Maybe that first flush of success came too easily.
Would have been nice to see if they’d have bounced back on a third album.
wcsmith
I’ve been a Blind Melon fan since college (Nico was what sold me). It’s a shame that they are only know for No Rain, which is even better “unplugged”. This was a very talented band and I agree that they had a LOT of music left in ’em when Shannon died. Their debut was great and Soup was possibly better. Duke, Mouthful of Cavities, Toes Across the Floor, Walk, Vernie…just a great album that gets 1% of the recognition it deserves.
Hugin & Munin
Uh, Kurt died of a fatal lead overdose. That dope might have contributed to his mental state is a finer distinction than I like to make in a society so tempermentally unsuited to nuance.
E.D. Kain
With Blind Melon you either love ’em or you don’t. Soup, as an album, grows on you. Really the band grows on you – or at least that was my experience.
TomG
I was lucky enough to have a good friend who bought the pay-per-view of the whole Woodstock 94 weekend. I split the cost with him and we had a great time watching as much as we could stay awake for. I discovered many wonderful bands that way, including Blind Melon.
Xero
@Dan: They released an album in 2008 (For My Friends). Its not too bad. Its reminiscent of the Bee Girl release.
adolphus
I can somewhat buy the idea that the more creative people might be more inclined to have difficulties with daily reality and indulge in chemical diversions that take their lives. But might I offer another, complimentary not necessarily counter, thought? These shooting stars are adolescents or young adults, have every whim catered to, have, at least temporarily, all the money they need to indulge their vices, are fawned over by corporations and their peer groups, and have, as far as I can tell, no checks or boundaries on destructive behavior, in fact much of the most destructive behavior is encouraged in their lifestyle.
Most of these stars die drug and alcohol related deaths at the age most likely to go wild on this stuff. But most of us were limited by our budgets, or had friends who wouldn’t put up with our most dickish behavior while stoned, parents to help guide and rein in, and were much more likely to be arrested for our more illegal troubles and when most of us got arrested we stayed arrested.
We should be surprised more don’t succumb.
Jaim
Dying of an OD is a terrible tragedy, but Blind Melon was truly the worst of the already terrible jam-band noodling that was emerging in the 1990’s. Pure dreck.
Greenhouse Guy
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