Stand Out Albums has been a showcase for my favorite albums across the vast performers that I love. Covering a little bit of everything from classic rock to country hits, much like Key Movies of My Life, it has been the albums that shaped me. This year, I am taking a slightly different approach by discussing the discographies of my favorite musicians, album by album, in release order.
Now that we’ve finished with Nine Inch Nails, lets take a moment to remember a band that, while they didn’t last long, their legacy can still be heard. The band is Blind Melon and this is their first self titled album.
Why This Album?
Much like everyone else, I was introduced to this band via the music video for the now classic song No Rain. Quickly that song and it’s ‘Bumblebee Girl’ became an icon that everyone knew and everyone loved. While this song is in and of itself tremendous, it soon became overplayed and, much to the bands detriment, it practically became THE song the band was known for. However this album, and this band, went on to produce several albums until the untimely death of lead singer Shannon Hoon*. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, lets talk about that first album.
Released in 1992, this album quickly became a must own for any alternative music fan. Clearly inspired by the classic rock all of us grew up on, Blind Melon channeled the rock of the 70’s with a definitively 90’s vibe. Every song had a scratchy almost unpolished feel making the album feel more like a fun jam session than a studio produced album and it’s likely that very esthetic that pulled me in. From the opening track ‘Soak the Sin’ to the final chords of ‘Time’ every song on this album builds on the last providing a soundscape that is sadly ingnored by most people who only know their biggest hit ‘No Rain’. I remember buying this album not long after the music video for No Rain hit MTV, unaware that this would quickly become one of my favorite albums and one that would stick with me for the rest of my life.
Favorite Tracks
It’s easy to say ‘No Rain’ but, honestly even if it is a tremendous track, including that one would do this album a disservice. So, these are the three I choose.
Change: Change is about, well, Change. I actually wrote about this song for my Those Certain Songs series and it remains a top pick for me no matter what.
Tones of Home: The second track on this album and one that now rings even truer than I knew it would.
Drive: The opening to this song alone makes it so memorable. Just listen. I think you’ll dig.
Ok, Where do I get it?
This one is getting harder to get these days but you can pick up a copy on Discogs for a little of nothing, or give it a spin on Spotify. Either way, you should give it a listen. It’s pretty great.
*Blind Melon continues to this day but we are only covering the Hoon era of their music. To find out more about Blind Melon check them out here.
Late to the Game 11/23/2021
Thanks for reading, If you would like to read more reviews I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and also check out some retro tv goodness with the ongoing series Retro TV Reviews here. You can also find a few of my other Music Reviews Here.
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