The Greatest Non Hits

Blind Melon: Self-Titled

Chris & Tim Season 3 Episode 13

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Picture this: the '90s are in full swing, and a band emerges with a sound that's as eclectic as it is unforgettable—Blind Melon. Our latest episode takes you on a musical voyage, retracing the group's steps from their self-titled debut to the haunting legacy left by Shannon Hoon. Get ready to revisit the album tracks that defined an era, explore the band's unlikely connection to Cheech and Chong, and understand how a little help from Guns N' Roses launched them into the stratosphere. We're dusting off our old cassettes and diving deep into the structural genius behind the songs that still resonate with us today.

Ever wondered what Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons would listen to? Join us as we humorously speculate and dissect the emotional powerhouse that is "Tones of Home," drawing parallels to cinematic classics and our own search for authenticity. The conversation is as dynamic as the album itself, meandering through '90s slang and the nostalgia of a simpler time. We also offer up our top three underappreciated Blind Melon tracks, inviting you to rediscover the depth of their catalog beyond the radio hits.

As we wind down, a more introspective discussion emerges. Our shared musical reflections and the therapeutic role of art in our lives lead to a candid acknowledgment of struggles faced by so many artists. We touch upon the impact of addiction, the pressures of touring, and the transformation of music into a more radio-friendly sound. The episode culminates with a passionate debate over our favorite Blind Melon tracks, culminating in a shared tie between 'Paper Scratcher' and 'Holy Man.' Tune in for the harmonica riffs, stay for the trip down memory lane.

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Speaker 1:

Uh, johnny Want to find him his harmonica. Yeah, that's it. Put it in his hand there. Okay, blind baby, can you hear me? Yeah, all right, let's try it with a harmonica this time. Okay, honey. Yeah, all right, we're going to take it from four and really burn, all right? Yeah, all right, here we go.

Speaker 3:

One, two, three, four all right, thank you for listening to greatest non-hits. I'm your host, chris, and playing uh no rain is my co-host temp from blind melons, uh, self-titled debut album. That's going to be the subject matter of today's podcast and we're happy you are joining us today, so continue to download us wherever you get your podcasts. Blind Melon is an interesting band because they only came out with two albums. The first one, the one that we're going to listen to today, had a couple of huge hits no Rain was by far the biggest. They had another one that was really good and the Tones of Home.

Speaker 3:

This is going to be the second track and we're going to listen to all of the songs, as we always do every week in our downloads, and at the end we're going to rank the top three non-hits. So super excited to have you with us, super excited to dig deep into this one, because there are a lot of interesting facts. Interestingly, they got their name Blind Melon from Blind Melon Chitlin, who is a character from one of Cheech and Chong's first albums. So that clip that we played at the beginning is sort of a nod to the naming of the band itself. The personnel from the band is on vocals. Shannon Hoon also played acoustic guitar and tambourine, tragically overdosed in 1995 in New Orleans after, I think, after a gig or right before a gig there.

Speaker 3:

I'm not sure with my facts on that, but nevertheless it was just a couple of years after this album was recorded. There's also Brad Smith who's the bass guitarist. There's also Roger Stevens who's the bass guitarist. There's also Roger Stevens who's the lead guitar player, christopher Thorne on rhythm guitar and Glenn Graham on percussions. My impression from this album I've known about this album since the time it came out. I liked it at the time. I kind of lost interest over time. Haven't really listened to it in a long, long while. So upon listening to it after a long time off, it strikes me as what great musicians they are. I really believe that they were, at least you know, so was.

Speaker 1:

JC. At least kind of tolerable's uh, let's put it that way rock and roll.

Speaker 3:

So anyway, um, yeah, so these guys met. I think in 1990 shannon hoon left lafayette, indiana, when he turned 18, moved out there to be a star. I think Brad Smith and Rogers Stevens, I think they were buds and you know, lead guitarist and bass player, I think together from Mississippi. They moved out there, you know, right after high school. They graduated in 88. And I think what they did early on was they were in a circle of other musicians played in a number of bands. Uh, that didn't, you know, pan out, but in that rotation going through, you know, going through different combinations of lineups, uh, christopher Thorne, I think, is who stuck with them throughout that period. I think. Think they later met Shannon Hoon at a party of some sort and from there they bonded.

Speaker 3:

The song Change on this album is the first written song. I think it was written by Shannon Hoon, he performed it. I think that they really took to his talents and all that. Glenn Graham, I think, is also from Mississippi. I think he was destined to go somewhere else and I think Brad Smith and Roger Stevens reached out and said come out here. So he changes his plans, moves out to LA, and this is around 1990. This is when they formed.

Speaker 3:

So this is really a well-rounded synopsis of that time period. Later on through, I think Shannon Hoon's sister sister who's the older sister, older half sister was friends with the guys in guns and roses who were also from indiana made their way out to la and it was around this time, at 89 90, that they ran into shannon hoon out there. You know, through that connection, and I think he played on Don't Cry. This was around the time they were recording Use your Illusion, they were networking, so to speak, and I think that's how they ended up with a good record contract with Capitol Records. But I think Guns N'.

Speaker 3:

Roses helped him out, did him a solid and got them on the rotation. So from there they recorded. I think they had an EP that had four or five songs on it that led to the recording contract which led to this album. So a number of great songs on this album. Again, the musicianship is above average, I would say, and that was what stuck out to me the most. I mean not only the musicianship, but a lot of their songs follow a pattern, a good pattern of where their songs change tempo several times. But those tempo changes, those transitions occur seamlessly and I would say I mean even on a lot of the deep tracks. You see this pattern and so you know. I guess one of the negatives I felt about it was that a lot of the songs sound the same, so like, for example, sound the same, so like, for example, holy man, I think kind of follows uh tones of home.

Speaker 1:

I hear that I don't know.

Speaker 3:

Maybe I, tim is not, and he agrees, Uh, but uh, beyond that, I think it's a great album and I I'm glad that we picked it. I got to listen to it, especially over the last few days, and so, like I said, we'll go through all the albums. We'll go through all the songs. I mean, there's a lot of tragedy with Shannon Hoon, so a lot of the songs are a little bit depressing, but they're really well written, I think. But it's not going to be all sadness. We've got a ton of hilarious clips. So we not going to be all sadness, we've got a ton of hilarious clips. So we're going to play all those. Tim and I are going to engage in some witty banter and we're going to have a good time. So I think now is probably a good time to go over the non-hits, or the hits, I should say so it's going to be no Rain and Tones of Home. I think it's what we agreed on.

Speaker 3:

And then, after that, everything else is uh, up for grabs. So, uh, produced by rick parashar, it was mastered by george marino, uh, john plum, assistant engineer, tommy steel, art direction. Album cover bumblebee girl uh, I think it's uh, the drummer's sister, a picture that they had during the recordings that they saw and took to it and thought this would be a great uh album cover. So it's like a picture of uh, you know, the drummer's sister in a bumblebee costume from a, from a play. So we'll uh, we'll dig into that a little bit later. In the meantime, we've got Tim. He's all settled in. How you doing bud?

Speaker 5:

Oh, I'm doing well, Doing well. You know I like Blind Melon, but I prefer Visually Impaired Pears. That's another good band from the 90s there, oh yeah.

Speaker 6:

Screw you Melon.

Speaker 3:

Okay, okay. Well, there's also Stiff Kittens, I think Stiff.

Speaker 5:

Kittens goes down as the best other side band ever.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it was like Shannon Hoon's first band First band Stiff Kittens Stiff with a Y. S-t-y-f-f. Doesn't get any blacker than that. Doesn't get any blacker.

Speaker 5:

None more black, none moreer than that Doesn't get any blacker. None more black. None more black than that.

Speaker 2:

Beauty. It's got these high-volume accusage jets oscillating and pulsating soothing your every aching muscle.

Speaker 5:

This is going to soothe our muscles.

Speaker 6:

This is a rock muscle here.

Speaker 5:

You're big into these guys. Oh my gosh, this is sort of that southern rock jam vibe that really hit me when I heard it, you know.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, are they a Southern band? I mean, they're all kind of, they're all from the South.

Speaker 5:

Shannon is from.

Speaker 3:

Indiana, but he, he, he he's a self-titled redneck, I guess, is what it is.

Speaker 5:

Yes Is he, he does he does call himself a redneck? I guess yes, Is he? He does call himself a redneck, doesn't he Something like that? I don't know.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 5:

I mean he's trying to make his way and he has these open mic nights. He's obviously a popular guy. We were saying that he did a lot of sports.

Speaker 3:

Right, he was like a high school. He was a.

Speaker 5:

Jack, yeah, paul Voltaire, maybe he's always you know chasing chasing the high of organized sports in high school, which is the pinnacle of our existence at times. Yeah, I just wonder like structure, but also, like you wanted to like you wanted to, like you could, you could stick it to the man and yeah.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, well, all those guys are you talking about, randy? Yeah, Don't think I haven't been watching.

Speaker 5:

Yes, I know Dazing and fused. Oh gosh, you know what do you say? I mean yeah, oh man, what are you thinking?

Speaker 3:

Any last words before we get into the album.

Speaker 5:

I have. This is a fierce album, you know. It's shout out to the fierce Shout-out to Coco, fierce Shout-out to the Melonheads out there. Definitely, shannon Hoon is a soul on fire. He might have needed to soak a little bit, he might have needed to just relax, and not you know.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, cave into the pressures of the coach or whoever, and watch out with that other crowd you're running with.

Speaker 2:

Don't think I haven't noticed.

Speaker 5:

He definitely had. You know a bad boy vibe and you know beating up cops and running around naked and being crazy yeah he took LSD at Woodstock and came out in his.

Speaker 3:

Girlfriend's dress yeah white dress or whatever, I don't know. Yeah, it's just weird. He came out naked got.

Speaker 5:

Domino's pizza peed on fan.

Speaker 3:

Hey, what's that?

Speaker 5:

all about. He relieved himself.

Speaker 3:

That feels better, better yeah, but nevertheless, good band. You know, yes, I'm a melon head after this, you know, shout out to shout out to all the melon fans, to the cassava melon fans cassava melon yeah, shout out to. Well, let's do a foghorn leghorn. Is it foghorn?

Speaker 5:

yeah, before we get into the album. Yeah, let's listen to foghorn leghorn. Let's do it, it's a palate cleanser right into the album.

Speaker 3:

Let's listen to Foghorn.

Speaker 2:

Let's do it.

Speaker 3:

It's a palate cleanser right before the album Okay.

Speaker 2:

You must take this fine cassava melon over to him. Show him what you got, but don't let him have it. You gotta tease him a little, all right, all right.

Speaker 3:

So, with that being said, this is the first album, so cassette.

Speaker 5:

Shout out to the tubbers out there.

Speaker 3:

Sounds like Tramp under a fence. Does that work?

Speaker 5:

It does.

Speaker 3:

Roger Stevens. He's a big fan of that.

Speaker 7:

You can tell he take a sip.

Speaker 3:

This is like people in the 90s used to say take a soak. The word soak was like a it was a verb. Yeah, in the 90s used to say take a soak. The word soak was a verb.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, it's tolerable Kind of soak. Take a soak.

Speaker 5:

Giving me these bones.

Speaker 6:

It's, I don't giving me these balance. It's.

Speaker 4:

I'm very good, so good a year take us. It's got this high-volume accoustic jets, oscillating and pulsating, soothing your every muscle.

Speaker 5:

Oh, how's this? Solo for you.

Speaker 3:

It's tolerable.

Speaker 5:

That high note is a little Intolerable, A little bit intolerable. They're going there, though I admire that Ear drums are like screw you melon.

Speaker 3:

I like that. What Simpsons character would you say would be a fan of this?

Speaker 5:

Oh, probably Krusty.

Speaker 4:

You didn't miss much. Honeydew is the money, honeydew is the money.

Speaker 5:

Krusty is definitely a Blind Melon fan.

Speaker 3:

It's terrible.

Speaker 5:

No, don't have to Get out of the tub. No, don't have to Get out of the tub.

Speaker 4:

No, you need to take a soak Ha ha. It's got these high-volume accousage jets.

Speaker 6:

It's got these high-volume accousage jets. It's oscillating and pulsating.

Speaker 5:

The guitar play in this is oscillating and pulsating, wouldn't you say?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, especially this little solo thing he's doing at the end.

Speaker 5:

He's doing a little noodley this is so noodley Suiting your every aching muscle.

Speaker 1:

Oh man, very good soak, the soak of the year All right, so this one's called Tones of Home.

Speaker 5:

We got some tones, Joey.

Speaker 3:

I think so, like Tone Love.

Speaker 5:

Wow, that hit pretty well actually yeah it did. There's a lot of drum juxtapositions in this drum juxtapositions in this.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, the drums are all over the place Funky, calm and deep.

Speaker 5:

Good music reverb there, voice reverb yeah.

Speaker 4:

Did Telo die? Yeah, I'll look that up.

Speaker 1:

Let's go home. That's your home. Are you too good for your home? Answer me.

Speaker 3:

Shout out to Toby.

Speaker 1:

Why are you going to the airport, flying somewhere?

Speaker 6:

How'd you guess?

Speaker 4:

Well, I saw your luggage.

Speaker 5:

I still like it. You know you can have a lot of money but it doesn't give you juice.

Speaker 1:

You're liking the juice? Eh, that's true.

Speaker 5:

Canopy of greed holding me down.

Speaker 4:

I'm flying. I'm flying Just saying let it out, give it some air man. See, I'm so high to you but I'm not made to wait. Just saying let it out, give it some air man, play with it. Let's go home. Alright, let's go.

Speaker 5:

Oh, it's creepy now.

Speaker 1:

Just when you can't get any preview, you're not getting the juice, eh yeah.

Speaker 4:

Tim. Okay, All right, let's go.

Speaker 5:

This is a little Janis Joplin-esque here. Like Steven Tyler, almost Sure.

Speaker 3:

I'm prairie dogging it.

Speaker 5:

Best dad ever.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, best dad ever.

Speaker 5:

Yeah, friends, friends.

Speaker 4:

This is so much fun. This is not fun, okay, no, no, you hang up.

Speaker 1:

It's what they can't see Okay, no, no, you hang up you. You, you, you. You don't like the way you're living Town to home, town to home. So I'll bring the goodbyes and I'm flying, and I'm flying. Are you going to the airport?

Speaker 3:

Oh, that was beautiful. Just one little palate cleanser before we go to the next song, funky Comedita. Well, done All right, that was was fun we got.

Speaker 5:

I wonder here yeah, I do, yeah, I wonder you know what we need. What's that? A little rain.

Speaker 4:

In the broadening skies Under the. Every night I lie, scratch and claw and grip the rails. Every day you find me in hell.

Speaker 5:

Oh.

Speaker 4:

God, you know I tried, I know how hard I try. Well, isn't that special.

Speaker 3:

You know I try. Well. We're sponsored by Makoko, so we've got that coming up soon. Laura Linney is going to kick us off. Shout out to our sponsor.

Speaker 6:

Why don't you? Let me fix you some of this new Makoko drink? All natural cocoa beans from the upper slopes of Mount Nicaragua. No artificial sweeteners.

Speaker 5:

No, artificial nothing. Okay, that's right, not in this band.

Speaker 3:

They are. They're the Makoko band, that's right band.

Speaker 5:

Except Mississippi instead of rock. We were commenting how this song was totally like the Truman Show. He doesn't like fame.

Speaker 4:

He feels trapped or something. Yeah, exactly, they go around again, they go around again, they come back, they go around again. Who?

Speaker 6:

the hell are you talking about?

Speaker 4:

Who are you talking to? They go around the corner, they come back, they go around again. They just go round and round Round and round.

Speaker 6:

You know I invited Rita and Marlon for a barbecue on Sunday. I won't be here. Sunday.

Speaker 4:

I'm going to make my potato salad, ah.

Speaker 3:

I see one of those time signature changes. I wonder oh, you leave me wondering. I see one of those time signature changes. This is great. Yeah, it's a cool, it's a really cool transition, oh Little.

Speaker 4:

Good going, there we go. Another sharp rocker. Stop watching me. I said they watch me watch me, watch me.

Speaker 2:

I'm a shopper. I got here, but it's fire, fire.

Speaker 5:

They really are. It's sad they're cut short.

Speaker 4:

Without Shannon.

Speaker 5:

Yeah, for me this song gets off to a slow start. It does Again this groove doing all this cool stuff. It's very complex, oh yeah, songwriting.

Speaker 3:

Just for the intro. I was just like I'm going to hate this song. And then they do this.

Speaker 5:

Yeah, I thought I wasn't going to like it at first I thought I wasn't gonna like it at first.

Speaker 6:

Why don't you let me pitch you some of this limo Cocoa cake.

Speaker 4:

I hereby proclaim this planet, drumania of the Burbank Galaxy, this is sustained.

Speaker 3:

This is great. This could be baby making music. I wonder I wonder how many people have done it to that song. What do you think, roger, you guys, I wonder. All right, you too, huh.

Speaker 5:

All right, that was good All right Next song.

Speaker 1:

Scratcher, butt scratcher, butt scratcher, butt scratcher.

Speaker 3:

Nice Paper scratcher.

Speaker 5:

Yeah, butt scratcher, butt, scratcher Butt scratcher, nice Paper scratcher, yeah, butt scratcher. Shout out to the itchy butted people.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, Dig in there. Nobody's you know, unless you're in the car.

Speaker 5:

That could be a safety scare there. Pull over, maybe the shout to the computers? Scroungy, I scratch a hole in my life, yikes.

Speaker 4:

What is that? What's?

Speaker 3:

that You're going to scratch more than a hole in your life in a couple of years. That was important.

Speaker 4:

Do you mind? I'm sorry.

Speaker 7:

Also, you have like really big eyes, and that freaks me out sometimes.

Speaker 5:

Thank you, oh, working for the weekend, what's up? Shannon loves the sun as well. It's a big, like the big, fiery Sleep beneath the trees.

Speaker 4:

Well, isn't that special? Mine is the mind that I have come to know. Anyway, do you mind my eyes can't see.

Speaker 5:

You can see the world that cannot grow. Maybe he's a plant guy too. Also, you have like really big eyes.

Speaker 1:

Die die Thank.

Speaker 4:

God, my soul will be released.

Speaker 5:

Whoa.

Speaker 4:

Well, isn't that special.

Speaker 5:

Satan Be gone.

Speaker 4:

Good drumming too. I think it's so insane.

Speaker 2:

Keshava Mellon, I don't know.

Speaker 7:

Honestly, I don't know what I mean Scratcher, what Honestly? Also, you have like really big eyes.

Speaker 1:

Honestly.

Speaker 4:

My.

Speaker 1:

Scratcher Scratcher.

Speaker 2:

Wow.

Speaker 5:

That was honestly great.

Speaker 3:

Honestly All right, nice, all right, the sterile dad. There's a backstory to this song. He's. This is his. I think this is like a letter that he sent to his ex.

Speaker 4:

Like after she dumped him Right.

Speaker 5:

She was too good for him or something Didn't like his touring lifestyle Right.

Speaker 7:

Got a heavy lead file yeah.

Speaker 4:

Now I know I'm always right. There's a thought that never even crossed my mind Don't touch me, I've got a big deal, so smack that hand and leave it.

Speaker 6:

But if you don't change your face, I'm gonna change it for you.

Speaker 4:

My newfound faith will Save that change.

Speaker 6:

But if you don't change your face, I'm going to change it for you.

Speaker 3:

I'm talking a lot about faith in God. I love it.

Speaker 5:

It's very spiritual.

Speaker 4:

Well isn't that special. Very spiritual.

Speaker 6:

Well, isn't that special.

Speaker 5:

We got a little Hindi special, little Wait what. Sleep with her dad.

Speaker 4:

I think it's just a little dig in as that's going.

Speaker 5:

Brad is crushing it on this. Yes, all right, hamilton.

Speaker 3:

That's right, brad. Brad's great. You know how cute I was. Shout out to all the Brads out there. You're, brad, you're listening. God bless you.

Speaker 5:

Oh, man, you can't talk to Brad. Man, you can't talk to Brad.

Speaker 3:

Brad's walking the dog right now. He's playing all those notes. Yeah, plenty of high bass notes in the room.

Speaker 5:

His eyes are rolling back in his head. He has really big eyes.

Speaker 3:

Oh wow Jeez, we need a break.

Speaker 5:

Don't we Wait, wait wait no man. You can't talk to Brad.

Speaker 3:

No, it's all you, man.

Speaker 5:

Oh my gosh, what's more to? I mean, there's a lot of O's in that one.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, show your O-face.

Speaker 7:

Oh, hello.

Speaker 2:

Oh, oh, oh. You know what I'm talking about. Oh, all right.

Speaker 3:

Now this has changed. This is the very first song, right?

Speaker 5:

Yes, that they made. First song that he made Get the harmonica out.

Speaker 3:

And they loved it, yeah. But they were like but if you don't change your face, I'm going to change it for you, that kind of thing. That was the exact I can see Guns N' Roses.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 5:

Exactly. Oh, now we're an Italian restaurant here.

Speaker 4:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Shout out to James Taylor, because the song is almost Fire and Rain, but not Just enough not to be a different song. Fair, or at least that part of it.

Speaker 4:

What do you say when you feel like pain worth living? You got to stand up and take a look around. You look up way to the sky.

Speaker 3:

And when your deepest thoughts are broken. Great hi-hats there, yeah.

Speaker 5:

Good drumming here.

Speaker 4:

All of the same. He's not on.

Speaker 5:

It's on his tombstone, I think, I believe. Oh yeah, that's right, yep on his tombstone.

Speaker 3:

I think I believe. Oh yeah, that's right On his tombstone. This is the very first song, so it's like I'm going to write my words on a face. Is that the one?

Speaker 5:

Yeah, that is the line, yep, yeah.

Speaker 3:

Wow.

Speaker 5:

You know what else was a big painter?

Speaker 3:

Play, have fun. Shout out to Bob Ross. Shout out to the painters out there. Do you do any painting?

Speaker 5:

Uh Sometimes.

Speaker 4:

You're a collager?

Speaker 5:

Yeah, that's more your thing. I paint glue. Paint glue over paper.

Speaker 3:

Paper scratcher. I know.

Speaker 5:

You're the paper scratcher. Any song with paper in it. I like Paper references. Yeah, just, life Just keeps happening. That's you're the paper. Any song with paper and I like paper references yeah, just life just keeps happening it's like more life life is like hey, guess what?

Speaker 7:

are you crying? What's that? Are you crying? What's that? Are you crying? Am I crying?

Speaker 5:

No, I'm not crying.

Speaker 2:

And you're like what, oh, oh.

Speaker 3:

Okay, pallet cleanser, all right.

Speaker 4:

And we're on the next one.

Speaker 5:

No rain one, so have a look at the weather uh louise we have a couple of o's to start us out here shannon o's oh Anna knows, oh Great lyric. Yeah, shout out to the tea drinker or something. Yeah, they drink a lot of hibiscus Helps the voice.

Speaker 3:

Hey, robin was telling me that she thinks my larynx has been sounding bad. Oh sure, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4:

Shout out to the construction workers who work the night shift. I don't understand why I sleep all day.

Speaker 5:

Shout out to the construction workers who work the night shift. Sometimes Highway workers Stay safe.

Speaker 4:

I read a book to stay awake and it rips my life away, but it's a great escape.

Speaker 3:

You don't read books anymore.

Speaker 4:

Escape and it's like bam, More life One day. The land is so dry, the withered plants crunch to pieces underfoot. It just never stops giving me more love.

Speaker 5:

Very excellent solo here. I tried to. Did I cover it well? Did I get the solo?

Speaker 4:

okay, it's not as tight as All I can say is that my life is pretty plain. That's live. That's true.

Speaker 1:

I'm insane hey, you want another scoop up?

Speaker 4:

what life? Life, god insane, ugh God Insane.

Speaker 5:

Yeah.

Speaker 4:

Rogers no, oh, oh.

Speaker 5:

Oh, I thought he was saying cheating strategy. Yeah, no, cheeks dry today, cheeks dry today, cheeks dry today.

Speaker 7:

Hey, because he doesn't want to front. Am I quiet?

Speaker 4:

I'm not quiet, let me say something. Let me say something. What?

Speaker 5:

I'll have it made, if only it would stop raining. It's the weather, louise. What?

Speaker 2:

am I talking about? Oh, oh.

Speaker 3:

Oh, all right, little pilot clowns here again. Desserties is the name of this one.

Speaker 5:

Ah, I have some rice pudding in the fridge. Oh yeah, it's good. I need more cinnamon.

Speaker 4:

In my life.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, the overnight, the overnight night of the overnight room. Death starts off slow. All of a sudden goes into.

Speaker 2:

And watch out with that other crowd you're running with With. Don't think I haven't noticed.

Speaker 4:

It's not as yet old as it sounds. As though it sounded.

Speaker 7:

Yesterday when.

Speaker 4:

I heard a leaf Of my life.

Speaker 5:

Hit the ground and, as the bottle Canned, Blew from my finger.

Speaker 3:

It's like they're all kind of soloing.

Speaker 5:

Yeah, they are, with a verse going on in it.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, it's like that. He had us crowded, made us go home With a witch in our hand.

Speaker 1:

There's a lot of verse going on here.

Speaker 7:

Yeah, looks like it Scratcher. Also, you have like really big eyes, sorry.

Speaker 3:

That's okay, I was going to do it, it feels it feels good.

Speaker 5:

Yeah, once they release the angst a little bit on their songs it starts to be more radio-friendly. They sand the edge off off. This is I Don't Know what I've Gotten Into. It had like his drug counselor with him on tour and stuff. At the end of days he had a second tour. They brought him on Even though the counselor said that he wasn't ready for the tour. Obviously he wasn't.

Speaker 3:

No, at least he did his diligence, yeah yeah, that's some heavy shit, man.

Speaker 1:

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, you didn't miss much Money. Do is the money, though? Call the fire department.

Speaker 3:

This one's out of control. There's a lot going on here.

Speaker 5:

There's a lot going on oh.

Speaker 7:

Oh, break out the mandolin now. Ah, that feels, that feels better.

Speaker 5:

Okay, you got it Sand blue in my eyes. It's like that Star Wars.

Speaker 2:

I hate sand, yeah, something like that Sand it's gritty and coarse.

Speaker 5:

New Star Wars Wow, that was. That was a lot course. New Star.

Speaker 3:

Wars. Wow, that was that was a lot.

Speaker 5:

I can't tell if you liked that one or not.

Speaker 3:

I did, but I didn't it was too much gotcha yeah, this is a good song. Sleepy House this is the nickname they had for their recording house in Durham, north Carolina, where they recorded this. They got a lot of good work done here, had a positive experience, something like that.

Speaker 5:

Free-living lads down the street Always. Oh, that's cute. I think so. That's very nice.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, here at the Yellow House, I think they're going to play with some free-living lads. They're talking about themselves, obviously.

Speaker 5:

Yeah, they don't need any more people.

Speaker 3:

There is nothing more to be added to it.

Speaker 4:

There is nothing more to be added to it.

Speaker 5:

Yeah, it kind of has a An Osho yeah it has sort of.

Speaker 4:

Does it have a sitar? Ah, wipe Eye bugs.

Speaker 5:

Wipe Eyebugs away. There's fungus gnats.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, maybe it's those squiggly things. If you look close enough, you can see Rock and roll.

Speaker 5:

Unity. I love that.

Speaker 3:

It's like a snake charmer. Yeah, there's a sitar.

Speaker 4:

Is there a sitar on this?

Speaker 3:

It's a lambourine.

Speaker 4:

What is a lambourine?

Speaker 3:

I don't know what is it? That's it. No, shayla who plays that. I just wanted to Like a tambourine. Yeah, it little hill.

Speaker 5:

Yeah, I do it all. Wow, that's cool. Wah, wah pedal. Come on, daniel.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it is, it's even in the background. We should get a tambourine for the show.

Speaker 2:

We should get a tambourine Kassaba Melon, kshaba Melon, kshaba Melon, kshaba Melon, kshaba Melon, kshaba Melon.

Speaker 4:

Kshaba Melon, kshaba Melon, kshaba Melon, kshaba Melon, kshaba Melon, kshaba Melon, kshaba, melon, kshaba Melon.

Speaker 1:

Hippies, hippies, hippies that's some heavy shit, man it is some heavy shit hippies, it is some heavy shit.

Speaker 5:

Hippies, bunch of hippies. What frequency was that? Damn, I'm just realigned right there.

Speaker 3:

Nah, I dug it, I dug it.

Speaker 5:

Shout out to the accidents out there. Child of one's Is this a banjo?

Speaker 3:

Shout out to the banjo players out there of its demonite Born to roam beneath the sun.

Speaker 4:

What do you think of me? I'm better left alone.

Speaker 3:

Holy man, I don't know, boom. All right, let's turn it up.

Speaker 5:

Yeah, prank this.

Speaker 3:

Oh, taking a face.

Speaker 4:

We're all playing together really well, I can't swear, so it's sounding tons of fun. How much more black could this be? The answer is nine, nine.

Speaker 3:

Nine. Let me ask you like in your opinion, why would Tones of Hope be better than this song?

Speaker 5:

I don't think it is. I like I prefer this one. I do too. I think it's because the message isn't maybe palatable as much for the record execs, because it's cutting down the church. It's a little too risque. That's a reason why it's a little too risque. That's a reason why it's a better song.

Speaker 3:

Right, I think it's just for the exposing hypocrisy and whatever.

Speaker 4:

That's what it's doing, it's still a good song, independent, like the music. Yeah, it's music yeah.

Speaker 3:

I'm seeing those bongos right here in the back.

Speaker 5:

Bongos are nice Keepers. He holds that, oh, brad.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that's a good cheer. You said it changed A lot of holy men, so we're spacing.

Speaker 4:

No no.

Speaker 3:

You're in good company.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, see. So I'm going to say three. So what's JC? So what's JC? Wow, you're in good company.

Speaker 4:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Shout out to JC Wow, you're in good company. Yeah, shout out to JC and John Clark.

Speaker 4:

Well, isn't that special.

Speaker 3:

The groom Last week's bachelor party, getting married in France On his way. Shout out to Kirk, his brother, taking the flight over as we speak.

Speaker 5:

How you going to the airport Did he say deep throat philosophy in this song. Oh, oh, I think he did.

Speaker 2:

Cassava melon.

Speaker 3:

You take this here cassava melon and you Make a cassava melon tree.

Speaker 4:

Oh, as I shit. Cassava melon, isn't it? Make a cassava melon tree. That's some heavy shit. Man Dancing in the shadows on my wall. Dancing the shadows on my wall. What were your thoughts as they were flying through your mind?

Speaker 3:

Compared to when you.

Speaker 4:

Shat off. From the barge you're now behind. If I could speak, do you think it'd say you, oh Shadow. I do believe you'd be no better off if you just told the truth. Never had a problem till I stood face to face with me, and I wish there was a way for me to go inside so I could see.

Speaker 6:

You don't change your face. I'm gonna change it for you. Don't be from me.

Speaker 5:

I'm gonna change it for you.

Speaker 7:

I'm trying to grow here so you have like really big eyes.

Speaker 3:

Take it from the top, take it from the top.

Speaker 5:

Take it from the top Again.

Speaker 3:

Seed to a tree.

Speaker 5:

Seed to a tree Leaf. Make like a tree and leaf. Bad Jokes Club.

Speaker 3:

I'm the captain. I'm the purser. Tim is Captain Steven.

Speaker 4:

I'm a afraid anymore.

Speaker 3:

Fine line between Meta and Steve or Donnie.

Speaker 5:

There's the love and hate, and hate.

Speaker 4:

Just life, just keeps happening. Life is like hey. That's Nancy here, why?

Speaker 6:

If you don't change your face.

Speaker 7:

I'm I'm going to change it for you.

Speaker 6:

But if you don't change your face, I'm going to change it for you.

Speaker 4:

Okay, last time why?

Speaker 3:

All right Now. What song are we on here? This is Drive.

Speaker 5:

I think this one sucks. I don't know, I'm telling you, I don't know. I don't know what I'm telling you.

Speaker 3:

Maybe I did like that. I don't know what I'm saying again, Drive it down home. This is kind of I like this song. It just doesn't suck. This is good. It kind of reminds me of the I like this song. This doesn't suck. This is good. It kind of reminds me of the last song from Ten. Parashar is the same producer. He produced Ten. I can hear that a little bit.

Speaker 5:

Definitely this is a craftier endeavor here. His feet are dead now.

Speaker 4:

And his face, his face, yeah, and while he's peeking out Through his every eye, it's a pain. Till that Lennon song comes along.

Speaker 3:

Lennon sign comes along, landing sign comes along. Oh, oh oh.

Speaker 4:

Oh oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh oh.

Speaker 5:

Oh, I'll drive, I can drive, you can drive stick shift.

Speaker 4:

Yes, oh, wait just a minute.

Speaker 5:

Because we need to escape.

Speaker 4:

Okay, jimmy's getting it. I feel, Five lifetimes. One, two, three, four, five Rolling doobies said the same thing two weeks ago. You've seen that sweaty jet-rack feeling come over him and I've seen that boy now.

Speaker 5:

Whoa, this is like anthem material now.

Speaker 4:

Yeah.

Speaker 5:

Is that Brad doing that? That's definitely Brad on background. Can't talk to Brad.

Speaker 4:

Nobody can hey William, oh gosh, oh gosh.

Speaker 3:

Unbelievable. The guitar kind of sounds like it, kind of sounds like Pearl Jam a little bit, it does.

Speaker 4:

This just sounds like Jimi Hendrix. Okay, yeah, they're talking about Jimi.

Speaker 5:

Hendrix. Oh wow, the purple A's yeah.

Speaker 4:

Jimi, what would you say? This is just guitar-y.

Speaker 3:

Can you believe I said the song sucked compared to what it is Fire.

Speaker 1:

Call the fire department.

Speaker 3:

Wow, and that was totally about JB Hendrix. That was kind of cool. This is why I like this show. It's for when you discover these things. That's kind of cool.

Speaker 5:

Well, yeah, what does Song Facts have to say?

Speaker 3:

Well, while we're looking that up, I mean, let's just hear a word from our sponsor.

Speaker 6:

Why don't you? Let me fix you some of this new mo' cocoa drink? All natural cocoa beans from the upper slopes of Mount Nicaragua, no artificial sweeteners.

Speaker 5:

This song describes a real incident that took place At a used clothing store on Melrose Avenue when a blind melon guitarist, christopher Thorne, used to work. His co-worker, william, was going through withdrawal trying to kick heroin. That day, lead singer Shannon Hinn came by the store and saw the whole thing. It was the first time either of them had seen Someone kicking heroin.

Speaker 3:

Is that the last time I'm going to look at you? Oh, wow, yeah.

Speaker 5:

Thorn, and who each had their own bouts. Uh, uh yeah I said the phone ring, it'll be him to drive, a reference to how william didn't drive. He would call friends to drive him to downtown los angeles to score heroin yikes, wow deep.

Speaker 3:

But that was some jimmy stuff right there. That that guitar riff was. It was from hey joe that guitar riff was from hey Joe.

Speaker 5:

Oh, it was hey Joe.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 5:

Well, yeah, hey Joe and Purple Haze kind of have a similar little. That's why I heard hey Joe in there, we'll ruminate on that. Okay, is this the last.

Speaker 3:

This is flown by, by.

Speaker 5:

We do have. One Time has flown by, one more. I said all these people.

Speaker 4:

They won't leave me alone and we need a little time to ourselves and half these reasons why I'm sketching all the time the years older it's like I'm now. He has a good voice too. It's very unique.

Speaker 5:

It's a mix between Eddie Vedder and Rose Axl Rose.

Speaker 3:

I was a female. I was hearing old Tracy.

Speaker 5:

Chan. Oh, totally Wow, I'm a tree Fire's both taking away. I was hearing old Tracy Chan. Oh, totally Wow. Okay, sun Sun warms his body again Natalie Merchant Bjork.

Speaker 3:

I'm totally serious. I'm hearing a little bit of all that.

Speaker 2:

Natalie Merchant Wow.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, I don't know. Oh, the merchant, wow, yeah, I don't know, oh, but Eddie better too. Yeah, to let you know that I am real, and all the worries you build up inside your soul, the ones that make your world stand still Mean, you can feel that it's time to go.

Speaker 5:

Time to go.

Speaker 3:

Mean you can feel that it's time to go. It's a good bass part.

Speaker 1:

The shot's bright.

Speaker 4:

Wow, whatever that is. I've never seen this high pitch music. Shouts of prayer, wow, whatever I've never seen this hype. I've never seen this hype T2G. It acts so close on the song, but again it's.

Speaker 3:

It's too much all at once Right. There's too much music made on top of it, Like one instrument on top of the other. They're all doing great here. I think they're all on top of it.

Speaker 5:

And it just falls flat for you because it's like this song has amazing potential.

Speaker 3:

It just so shit. Too many high pitches going at it once. Yeah, great musicians.

Speaker 5:

Aimless. A little noodling, that's just trying to flesh it out.

Speaker 3:

Flesh out the song here you know, if this guy had lived and they'd gotten shit together, they were an incredible band. Oh my gosh, yeah Amazing. He probably couldn't even handle it, though he probably was thinking to himself.

Speaker 5:

I don't like getting myself into it.

Speaker 3:

You wonder if that I mean. It sounds like a character.

Speaker 1:

He didn't want to be famous.

Speaker 5:

He said it, he said it multiple times in interviews. Oh, he's chasing sort of a different, a different high, whether it was pole vaulting as a teenager up to you know, skipping class and drinking and doing hard drugs. You know it's like.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, it's too bad. I would have liked to have heard more of their stuff. Eh, what are you going to do? That went from crazy to, all of a sudden, this thing that trails off. Maybe it's kind of a happed way to end.

Speaker 1:

Rock and roll.

Speaker 5:

I like the outro. I do too. It's got a 60s vibe to it 60s, 70s.

Speaker 1:

That's some heavy shit.

Speaker 3:

Okay, alright, that was good. It feels better. So what are we talking here?

Speaker 1:

Let's get our number.

Speaker 3:

Our top three lined up. What's your number three bud?

Speaker 5:

Let me scratch some paper here. So Tones of Home and no Rain are the hits. Yeah, we can't do those.

Speaker 3:

Well.

Speaker 5:

I'm going to go. Oh man, I really did Like I like time. Like you said, it was a little too much all at once. Drive also really good song.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you feel pretty challenged me on it, you know.

Speaker 5:

I just I'm gonna go with my originals, because I was about to change.

Speaker 7:

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 5:

But I'm gonna go. Ah, this is so hard. Is Paper Scratcher's not in there?

Speaker 3:

No Paper Scratcher's one of the non-hits. Non-hits yeah.

Speaker 5:

All right, I'm going to go. I Wonder number three that was a good song. It had such a good construction about it. Started slow, really rounded it out. Sure had a message.

Speaker 3:

Nice yeah what about you. I'm going to go with Holy man as my number three because, like we talked about, it's a better version of Tones of Home and it has a more coherent message. Even if it may not be commercial, I thought it was really well thought out. Much more I thought it was better than Tones of Home for those reasons, and why not put it in the top three?

Speaker 5:

Okay.

Speaker 3:

So that's my number three.

Speaker 5:

Nice I'm going again. This is so difficult. This is so difficult. I love change a lot, but I've just heard it so many times. It's probably a personal hit for me even though it didn't receive all that acclaim. I'm going to go. Number two Sleepy House yeah, good choice, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3:

That's my number two. Sleepy House yeah, Good choice. That's my number two as well. I thought it was. It tells a story of the house that they were in. It seems it had a feel-good thing to it with the bonding, the camaraderie, et cetera.

Speaker 5:

Melding cultures a little bit Eddie Vedder-esque, a little bit Sure.

Speaker 7:

What's your?

Speaker 3:

number one.

Speaker 5:

I feel like can I do a tie yeah?

Speaker 3:

do a tie for number one.

Speaker 5:

Tie and paper scratcher and holy man tie. Sure, they both deserve to be. I can't make a decision, so they're both. Can I do a tie for number one? Can I do a tie and Paper Scratcher and Holy.

Speaker 7:

Man tie Sure.

Speaker 5:

Good, good choices. They both deserve to be. I can't make a decision, so they're both going to be a tie.

Speaker 3:

Okay.

Speaker 5:

They're both amazing, excellent songs. Probably Holy man is yeah, a little bit more. I almost need four on this one, so I don't know yeah.

Speaker 3:

I do too, but I'm going to go four on this one. So I don't know. Yeah, I do too, but I'm gonna go. It needs to be there and it is the number one song. Uh, not, it's the greatest non-hit of this album. Is change, oh nice, because yeah, and the thing is I, I want, I want to have, I wonder, in my top three, because it's I, I could probably change my mind with that and sleepyy House or something else. I mean, all these could probably change. And Paper Scratcher, too, was a great song. Yeah, I wonder Paper Scratcher? I regret already not having it on there, but they're all so close. Those are all really good songs.

Speaker 5:

That's life, yeah, shop a melon. You can't choose them all, that's life. Yeah, shop of melon, you can't choose them all, that's life. No, I mean for this being their first album, the amount of great songs they have that didn't reach acclaim are just phenomenal.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and it's unfortunate, because these songs could be songs that we can listen to and remember. And the thing is that no Rain is such a great song too, songs that we can listen to and remember. The thing is that no Rain is such a great song too, but because we've heard it so much, it's ruined it. It's one of those types of deals Almost yeah. If it is a cut above all the rest of them, then how?

Speaker 5:

I don't think that it is. It is it's just more palatable for the masses, I think.

Speaker 3:

Okay.

Speaker 5:

For the heavy rockers. This is a bullet point to be explored For sure, in depth, for sure.

Speaker 3:

It's a you gotta go. If this was in your rotation back in the day, you gotta bring it back.

Speaker 5:

And anti-establishmentarians. You know Exactly.

Speaker 3:

A lot of good bands in the early 90s from the South, from the corners, from Southeast to the Northwest and LA, and here and there, cool Good stuff, man, I like the album. We'll try to keep it going for next week, but any last words.

Speaker 5:

Rock steady.

Speaker 3:

Keep it going for next week, but uh, any last words rock, steady, keep it going. All right. All right, you melon heads, you, you cassava heads out there. Thanks for listening, take care, take care.

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