Uncle Anesthesia (studio album) by Screaming Trees

Often overlooked in favor of Sweet Oblivion or Dust. This albums is as good as those if not better. You get the amazing and "Bed of Roses" the slow and beautiful psycedelia of "Disappearing" and "Closer", some terrific guitar work. There are so many highlights on the album. Just listen top the change in tempo in the middle of "Time for Light" with its wonderful guitar melodies, the poppy "Lay your Head Down", the sotrm of sound that comes with "Beyond This Horizon" or other great songs such as "Caught Between" or "Alice Said". Arriving to a major label improved the sound of Screaming Trees at the exact time when they made a quantum leap in terms of songritting. Take the time to really listen to this album a couple of times.

From Repo 01/08/2018 23:39

THE BIG FOUR PLUS ONE

I don’t care what anyone else says. The Screaming Trees were one of “The Big Four” of grunge. Call it the Big Five if you have to. Knock out those pussies in Pearl jam if you have to. I really don’t care. But they belong. They were there from the start. Cranked out SEVEN consistently good grunge albums staring all the way back in 1986. The first to sign to SST - THE American indie label back then YEARS before anyone had even heard of Sub Pop. They looked like lumberjacks before anyone else did. They sounded like lumberjacks before anyone else did. And most importantly, they concocted their very own mutated strain of hard rock mixed with psychedelia that could only have been coined grunge in retrospect. I mean nothing else quite fits. Mudhoney, Soundgarden and The Screaming Trees were the three bands that literally defined what was possible for the grunge sound back in the late 80s. Back when Kurdt was nothing more than the biggest fanboy of King Buzzo (All hail his lordship!). And this - Uncle Anesthesia- is arguably The Screaming Trees best. I mean it’s really hard to decide. They were that consistent. But this one definitely rocks the hardest of any of their major label offerings. I have no idea why this album languishes at the bottom of the BEA charts. Why no one but the wise & all knowing Dihansse even mentioned it on any of their best of 1991 lists. But, I can assure you of this - It Belongs.

Grade: A+ ESSENTIAL. Easily one of the best grunge albums of 1991. It should be mentioned in same hallowed breath as Badmotorfinger, Nevermind, and Mudhoney’s Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (whose review will be forthcoming). For whatever reason, the marketing boys at Epic records really dropped the ball on this baby. Because it should have been huge. But who cares about marketing? Fuck those guys. Anyone looking for one of the best grunge albums of all time, simply needs to drop the needle on this massive platter of tripped out fuzz. It’s grunge rock _________.

A-side: I’ve always wondered if the production on this held the album back somewhat. Anyone more versed on the production side of things please comment. I'd love to get your opinion. Enquiring minds want to know. Because these songs are amazing! But I do think the production maybe a bit on the murky side. But perhaps that’s its charm. Think I ask - You Decide!