{"product_id":"mad-season-above","title":"Mad Season – Above (Vinyl LP)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA haunting collision of grunge, blues and raw vulnerability - a record born from Seattle's darkest days.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReleased in 1995, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbove\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is the sole studio album from Mad Season, a remarkable collaboration between musicians from the Seattle grunge scene. The lineup brought together Alice in Chains vocalist Layne Staley, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin and bassist John Baker Saunders, creating something that sounded distinctly different from their respective bands. The album also features the vocals of Mark Lanegan on Long Gone Day.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhere Alice in Chains often channelled darkness through crushing riffs and harmonies, Mad Season leaned into bluesy guitar work, spacious arrangements and a more introspective atmosphere. Staley's unmistakable voice is at the centre of it all, delivering lyrics that feel painfully personal against McCready's expressive playing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRiver of Deceit\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e became the album's defining track, its restrained melody and stark lyrics capturing the struggle between self-awareness and self-destruction. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWake Up\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e unfolds slowly into a powerful meditation on addiction and the difficulty of breaking free, while \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI'm Above\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e delivers a heavier, more confrontational edge.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe album's title reflects its search for perspective beyond the struggles that surrounded its creation. Yet \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbove\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e never feels like a neat redemption story. It's honest, uneasy and often devastating - a snapshot of musicians confronting their own demons through music.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMad Season's story was tragically short. Saunders died in 1999, and Staley died in 2002, lending the album an added weight in retrospect. But \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbove\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e stands on its own merits: a beautifully atmospheric record that reveals a more vulnerable side of the Seattle scene.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEssential for fans of grunge, alternative rock, blues-inflected guitar music and the deeper, more introspective side of 1990s Seattle.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nightshade Books \u0026 Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55460097425737,"sku":"MDSSN_BV-LP","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1032\/4721\/6969\/files\/Mad-SeasonAbove_pic_1.jpg?v=1790616259","url":"https:\/\/nightshade.ie\/en-gb\/products\/mad-season-above","provider":"Nightshade Books \u0026 Vinyl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}