Sweet Oblivion

Last updated

Sweet Oblivion
Screaming Trees Sweet Oblivion.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 8, 1992
RecordedMarch 1992
Genre
Length46:13
Label Epic
Producer Don Fleming
Screaming Trees chronology
Anthology: SST Years 1985–1989
(1991)
Sweet Oblivion
(1992)
Winter Songs Tour Tracks
(1992)
Singles from Sweet Oblivion
  1. "Nearly Lost You"
    Released: December 12, 1992
  2. "Dollar Bill"
    Released: March 7, 1993

Sweet Oblivion is the sixth studio album by Screaming Trees, released on September 8, 1992. It quickly became the band's best-selling record, and was the closest they ever came to achieving mainstream success. Sweet Oblivion sold in excess of 300,000 copies on the strength of the band's biggest hit, "Nearly Lost You". [8] The song benefited from an appearance on Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack , a Top Ten, platinum-selling hit album which featured many other popular Seattle-based music acts from the period.

Contents

Around the time of the recording of the album, the band’s original drummer Mark Pickerel left to pursue other musical interests, and was replaced with Barrett Martin.

Nearly four years passed in between Sweet Oblivion and the band's follow-up album, Dust , a move that hurt much of the band's commercial momentum. [9]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [11]
Kerrang! 4/5 [12]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
NME 8/10 [14]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Select 5/5 [16]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 9/10 [17]
The Village Voice B+ [18]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Shadow of the Season"L. Conner, Lanegan4:32
2."Nearly Lost You"L. Conner, V. Conner, Lanegan4:06
3."Dollar Bill"V. Conner, Lanegan4:35
4."More or Less"L. Conner, V. Conner, Lanegan3:13
5."Butterfly"L. Conner, V. Conner, Lanegan3:21
6."For Celebrations Past"L. Conner, V. Conner, Lanegan, Martin4:10
7."The Secret Kind"L. Conner, V. Conner, Lanegan, Martin3:09
8."Winter Song"L. Conner, Lanegan3:43
9."Troubled Times"L. Conner, V. Conner, Lanegan, Martin5:21
10."No One Knows"L. Conner, Lanegan5:13
11."Julie Paradise"V. Conner, Lanegan5:05

Personnel

Screaming Trees

Technical

Visual

Charts

Chart performance for Sweet Oblivion
Chart (1993)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [19] 77
US Billboard 200 [20] 141
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [21] 4

Related Research Articles

Alternative rock is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial rock or pop music. The term's original meaning was broader, referring to musicians influenced by the musical style or independent, DIY ethos of late-1970s punk rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screaming Trees</span> American rock band

Screaming Trees were an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bassist Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel was replaced by Barrett Martin in 1991. Screaming Trees became known as one of the pioneers of grunge along with Melvins, Mudhoney, U-Men, Skin Yard, Soundgarden, Green River, and Malfunkshun, among others. Although widely associated with grunge, the band's sound incorporated hard rock and psychedelic elements.

<i>Badmotorfinger</i> 1991 studio album by Soundgarden

Badmotorfinger is the third studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on October 8, 1991, through A&M Records. Soundgarden began the recording sessions for the album with new bassist Ben Shepherd in the spring of 1991. The album maintained the band's heavy metal sound, while featuring an increased focus on songwriting compared to the band's previous releases. AllMusic considered the album's music to be "surprisingly cerebral and arty"; alternative tunings and odd time signatures were present on several of the album's songs, and lyrics were intended to be ambiguous and evocative.

<i>Foo Fighters</i> (album) 1995 debut album by Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters is the debut studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on July 4, 1995, through Roswell and Capitol Records. Dave Grohl wrote and recorded the entire album himself, with the assistance of producer Barrett Jones at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, Washington, in 1994. He said that he recorded the album just for fun, describing it as a cathartic experience to recover from the suicide of Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mad Season (band)</span> American rock supergroup

Mad Season was an American rock supergroup formed in 1994 as a side project of members of other bands in the Seattle grunge scene. The band's principal members included guitarist Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, lead singer Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, drummer Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees, and bassist John Baker Saunders. Mad Season released only one album, Above, in March 1995. Its first single, "River of Deceit", was a radio success, and Above was certified a gold record by the RIAA in June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Lanegan</span> American singer (1964–2022)

Mark William Lanegan was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age and The Gutter Twins. He released 12 solo studio albums, as well as three collaboration albums with Isobel Campbell and two with Duke Garwood. He was known for his baritone voice, which was described as being "as scratchy as a three-day beard yet as supple and pliable as moccasin leather" and has been compared to Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Nick Cave.

<i>Above</i> (Mad Season album) 1995 studio album by Mad Season

Above is the only studio album by the American rock band Mad Season, released on March 14, 1995, through Columbia Records. Above peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album has been certified gold by the RIAA in the United States. Layne Staley created the artwork on the album cover and inside the inlay.

<i>Uncle Anesthesia</i> 1991 studio album by Screaming Trees

Uncle Anesthesia is the fifth studio album by the American band Screaming Trees. It was released in 1991 via Epic Records. It includes three of the four tracks from the band's previous Epic release, Something About Today.

Post-grunge is an offshoot of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush, Candlebox, Collective Soul, Live, and Silverchair, that emulated the original sound of grunge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrett Martin</span> American musician

Barrett Martin is an American record producer, percussionist, writer, and ethnomusicologist from Washington. As a producer he has won one Latin Grammy and has been nominated in two other categories. As an ethnomusicologist he has produced two albums for the Shipibo Shamans in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, and one album for the Neets'ai Gwich'in in the Alaskan Arctic. He is perhaps best known for his work with the alternative rock bands Screaming Trees and Mad Season. He was also a member of Skin Yard, Tuatara, and Walking Papers, and has performed as a session musician for many artists in a wide variety of genres.

<i>Dust</i> (Screaming Trees album) 1996 studio album by Screaming Trees

Dust is the seventh studio album by Screaming Trees, released on June 25, 1996.

<i>Change Has Come</i> 1989 EP by Screaming Trees

Change Has Come is the second EP by the Screaming Trees. It was the only recording the band released through Sub Pop. After its 1990 release, the Screaming Trees moved on to a major label, Epic Records, for their next three albums - Uncle Anesthesia, Sweet Oblivion, and Dust, as well as the Something About Today EP. The album's cover art was photographed by Charles Peterson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Pickerel</span> American musician

Mark Pickerel is an American musician best known as the original drummer for the alternative rock band Screaming Trees. He is also an active session musician and has released several solo albums as a singer/guitarist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Lee Conner</span> American guitarist

Gary Lee Conner is an American rock musician, best known as the guitarist for Screaming Trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Conner</span> American rock musician (1967–2023)

Van Conner was an American rock musician, best known as the bassist for Screaming Trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nearly Lost You</span> 1992 single by Screaming Trees

"Nearly Lost You" is a song by the American alternative rock group Screaming Trees. It was the first single released in support of their sixth album, Sweet Oblivion. Perhaps their best-known song, it was a moderate success on modern rock radio, partly because of its appearance on the soundtrack to the 1992 Cameron Crowe film Singles.

<i>Ocean of Confusion: Songs of Screaming Trees 1990–1996</i> 2005 greatest hits album by Screaming Trees

Ocean of Confusion is the third 'best of' album by the Screaming Trees. The album chronicles their career from the time they signed to Epic Records until their final album, Dust. The band's years on SST Records are represented on a separate, earlier-released compilation, Anthology: SST Years 1985-1989. The tracks on Ocean of Confusion were personally chosen by the band's lead vocalist, Mark Lanegan, and all other aspects of the compilation were overseen by Lanegan, as well.

The discography of Screaming Trees, an Ellensburg, Washington-based rock band, consists of eight studio albums, three compilation albums, five extended plays (EP), and six singles, though this does not include any solo material recorded by the individual members of Screaming Trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dollar Bill (song)</span> 1992 single by Screaming Trees

"Dollar Bill" is a song by the American alternative rock group Screaming Trees. It is the second single released in support of their sixth album, Sweet Oblivion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All I Know (Screaming Trees song)</span> 1996 single by Screaming Trees

"All I Know" is a song by the American alternative rock group Screaming Trees. It is the first single released in support of their seventh album, Dust. The opening echoes "Flying" while the guitar solo lifts from "Do You Feel Like We Do".

References

  1. "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone . April 1, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  2. "The 30 Best Grunge Albums of All Time". Loudwire . May 24, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  3. Leivers, Dannii (June 15, 2020). "10 obscure but absolutely essential grunge albums". Louder Sound . Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  4. "Top 30 Grunge Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. October 11, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  5. Robinson, Joe (January 8, 2013). "10 Best Grunge Albums". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "The 20 Greatest Grunge Albums of All Time". Spin . Vol. 20, no. 4. SPIN Media LLC. April 2004. p. 62. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Randall, Mac (2004). "Screaming Trees". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p.  721. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  8. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Screaming Trees Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic . Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  9. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Dust - Screaming Trees | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  10. Huey, Steve. "Sweet Oblivion – Screaming Trees". AllMusic . Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  11. Farber, Jim (October 9, 1992). "Sweet Oblivion". Entertainment Weekly : 58. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  12. Watts, Chris (October 31, 1992). "Screaming Trees 'Sweet Oblivion'". Kerrang!. Vol. 416. London, UK: EMAP.
  13. McOmber, James Martin (November 8, 1992). "Screaming Trees: 'Sweet Oblivion' (Epic)". Los Angeles Times .
  14. "Screaming Trees: Sweet Oblivion". NME : 37. October 3, 1992.
  15. "Screaming Trees: Sweet Oblivion". Q (73): 90. October 1992.
  16. Perry, Andrew (November 1992). "Screaming Trees: Sweet Oblivion". Select (29): 84–85.
  17. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  18. Christgau, Robert (March 9, 1993). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  19. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 245.
  20. "Screaming Trees Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  21. "Screaming Trees Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2021.