Soup (Blind Melon album)
| Soup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Blind Melon | ||||
| Released | August 15, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | November 1994 - January 1995 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:03 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Andy Wallace | |||
| Blind Melon chronology | ||||
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Soup is the second album by the American alternative rock band Blind Melon, released eight weeks before vocalist Shannon Hoon's fatal drug overdose, making it his final album with the band.
Thematically, the album is much darker than the band's multi-platinum debut. "2 X 4" is about Hoon's experience at a drug detox, the country-tinged "Skinned" is about serial killer Ed Gein, "Car Seat (God's Presents)" is about Susan Smith who killed her children by driving her car into a lake in Union, SC, and "St. Andrew's Fall" is about suicide by jumping from a 20-story building. When asked about "Mouthful of Cavities" the band's guitarist, Rogers Stevens, was quoted as saying, "It's probably about the convoluted nooks and crannies of Shannon's brain." It featured haunting harmonies between Shannon Hoon and female vocalist Jena Kraus. Alternatively, "New Life" is about the birth of Hoon's daughter Nico Blue, "Wilt" is about having bad breath, although in Captain Beefheart-esque lyrics, "Galaxie" is about Hoon's experience with his car, a 1964 Ford Galaxie, and "Lemonade" is a tongue-in-cheek song about a bar brawl.
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rock Hard (de) | 7.5/10[2] |
In issue #716 of Rolling Stone (dated September 7, 1995), Ted Drozdowski gave a scathing review of the album, ending his write-up with the statement, "With such slight fare to offer – and no kid in a bee suit – Soup puts Blind Melon in hot water."[3]
Also in 1995, Soup was ranked number 13 in Kerrang! magazine's "Albums Of The Year" list, above releases by the likes of Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Green Day, Ozzy Osbourne, and AC/DC.[4]
Legacy
In 2005, Soup was ranked number 357 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[5]
In the 2009 book, A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon, drummer Glen Graham is quoted as saying, "I talked to a guy from Spain yesterday [from Popular 1 Magazine], and he was saying, "Soup is the top album of the ‘90s according to our readers.' It was like, 'What?'" [6]
In 2014, Soup came in at #1 on a "Top 10 Underrated 90’s Alternative Rock Albums" list at the Alternative Nation website. [7] Around the same time, the album took the #5 spot on a "Top 10 Most Overlooked and Underrated Albums of the 90s" on the V+C website [8] and was placed #43 on the "50 Best Alternative Albums of the ’90s" list on the MetroWeekly site. [9]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Galaxie" | 2:40 |
| 2. | "2x4" | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Vernie" | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Skinned" | 1:57 |
| 5. | "Toes Across the Floor" | 3:04 |
| 6. | "Walk" | 2:47 |
| 7. | "Dumptruck" | 3:40 |
| 8. | "Car Seat (God's Presents)" | 2:42 |
| 9. | "Wilt" | 2:29 |
| 10. | "The Duke" | 3:36 |
| 11. | "St. Andrew's Fall" | 4:11 |
| 12. | "New Life" | 3:34 |
| 13. | "Mouthful of Cavities" | 3:33 |
| 14. | "Lemonade" | 3:36 |
Total length: |
45:03 | |
Personnel
- Shannon Hoon - Vocals, guitar, harmonica, kazoo
- Brad Smith - Bass Guitar, double bass, flute
- Christopher Thorn - Guitar, mandolin
- Rogers Stevens - Guitar, piano, hammond organ
- Glenn Graham - drums, percussion
- Jena Kraus - Backing Vocals on "Mouthful of Cavities"
- Miles Tackett - Cello on "Car Seat", "St. Andrew's Fall"
- Steve Sisco - Mixing Assistant
- Andy Wallace - Producer, Engineer
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Billboard 200 | 28 |
| 2009 (reissue) | Billboard 200 | 200 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Galaxie | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 25 |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 8 |
References
- ↑ Prato, Greg. "Allmusic review". Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ↑ Kress, Henno. "Rock Hard review". issue 99. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ↑ http://blindmelons.proboards.com/thread/4888
- ↑ http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/kerrang.html#1995
- ↑ [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 67. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
- ↑ http://amzn.com/0615252397
- ↑ http://www.alternativenation.net/10-underrated-90s-alt-rock-albums/
- ↑ http://www.vinylandcocktails.com/blog/2013/6/23/top-10-most-overlooked-and-underrated-albums-of-the-90s
- ↑ http://www.metroweekly.com/2014/04/50-best-alternative-albums-of-the-90s/
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