Blind Melon

Performer: Blind Melon
Engineer: Rick Parashar
Producer: Rick Parashar
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Blind Melon: Shannon Hoon (vocals); Thomas Rogers Stevens, Christopher Thorn (guitar); Brad Smith (bass); Glen Graham (drums). Additional personnel: Sabbi Kahn (sarangi). Recorded at London Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington in February 1992. Given the preponderance of synthesizers and samples on contemporary radio outlets, fans of guitar bands must be feeling a little let down, when along comes a Blind Melon. BLIND MELON puts a contemporary slant on metal, blues and assorted psychedelia without sounding lost in the past. Nevertheless, their deep roots in classic FM sounds help define their appeal, not unlike that of a Pearl Jam. Vocalist Hoon howls at the moon in the best tradition of Robert Plant, Ozzy Osbourne and Axl Rose, while the Glen Graham-Brad Smith rhythm team moves convincingly from rock thrash ("Paper Scratcher") to funk ("Seed To A Tree") and even some country and eastern sounds ("Holyman," "Sleepyhouse"). But the heart and soul of BLIND MELON are the loose spacey exchanges between guitarists Christopher Thorn and Roger Stevens, who sound at times like the Grateful Dead paraphrasing Led Zeppelin ("Soak The Sun," "No Rain"). Blind Melon was nominated for a 1994 Grammy Award as "Best New Artist."

Rolling Stone (12/23/93, p.156) - "...Influences from the '70s abound, from Shannon Hoon's sunny Steve Miller-style vocals to tempo shifts of Jethro Tull-ish trickiness and whole pastures for jamming, jamming and jamming. Aural tie-dye, Blind Melon offer (expert) pickin' and wide-eyed grinnin'..." Entertainment Weekly (11/6/92, p.67) - "...Like Zeppelin at its most abstract, Blind Melon's guitar riffs morph from metal to blues to psychedelia. This is great stuff for guitar fans who like their music cliche-free..." - Rating: B+ Q (6/93, p.94) - 3 Stars - Good - "...Blind Melon exhibit a baffling diversity of influences...hangs together remarkably well, with an absorbing, unforced intimacy as the key to successfully weaving such faded threads into a colourful, contemporary garment. Ones to watch..."

Benefiting from the early-1990s grunge Zeitgeist without directly participating in it, Blind Melon explored the edges of classic guitar rock, with added touches of homespun folk and white funk. Their biggest hit was the gentle rocker "No Rain," whose sunny melody and uplifting video (featuring the "Bee Girl") belied its downcast lyrics. The song boosted the album to lofty chart heights, and the band enjoyed rock-star status for a brief time, until lead singer Shannon Hoon's drug-related death in 1995. Blind Melon reunited in 2006 with new singer Travis Warren.

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