Read Time:1 Minute, 57 Second
Every once in a
while, I’ll hear an old song on the radio, and it’ll remind me of an old album that I
once played over and over and over—and then I’ll resurrect that album and once again play
it over and over and over. Recently, that song was Blind Melon’s “No Rain”—and that
album was the band’s self-titled debut.
I remember when I bought the
CD—I’d heard “No Rain” a million times on the radio, and I still liked it. But part of
me just assumed that “No Rain” would be the only good song on the album. So I bought it
at a used CD store just to be safe—but I later realized that it would have been worth
every penny of the full price.
Blind Melon is, in my opinion, one
of the most underrated albums of the 90s. At a time when everyone (like me) was
listening to heavier albums like Pearl Jam’s Ten and Nirvana’s Nevermind
(both of which came out a year earlier, in 1991), Blind Melon was Alternative
Light. It’s the kind of stuff they probably played in grocery stores and elevators in
Seattle. Blind Melon’s music still has the occasional grunge edge to it—enough to keep
the kids in their flannel shirts and combat boots (once again…me) happy—but it’s also
got a little something different. It mixes in a groovy hippie feel—and sometimes even a
touch of bluegrassy mandolin—to make the music danceable (as opposed to mosh-able). And
while the lyrics carry the same old Gen-X disillusionment and angst (“Why am I even
here?” … ”Nobody here really understands me.”), they still manage to have a positive
spin—and they’re still just as powerful now as they were when the album first came out.
(As an added bonus, unlike many of the songs at the time, Blind Melon’s lyrics are
usually clear enough that you can actually understand them and sing along in your best
impersonation of Shannon Hoon’s high, raspy voice.)
Blind Melon has
aged tremendously well—it was great in 1992, and it’s just as great today. If you don’t
already have a copy of this album in your collection, you should.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
Happy
0
0 %
Sad
0
0 %
Excited
0
0 %
Sleepy
0
0 %
Angry
0
0 %
Surprise
0
0 %
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
0
0
