Blind Melon's Nico: Brilliant, Depressing Swan Song
Nov 03 '03 (Updated Nov 04 '03)
Pros
Incredible songs--a glimpse into what made the band so special.
Cons
Hoon is gone.
The Bottom Line
A must-own for fans of all levels. Blind Melon lives on.
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| Full Review |
It was during the first semester of my freshman year of college that I heard the news that Shannon Hoon had died. It seemed to me at the time that the band, Blind Melon, was on the rise and that his death signaled the end of what could have been a very successful not to mention critically acclaimed career.
Alas. I was right. But before Blind Melon petered out, they managed to give fans a final taste of what was and what could have been. Dedicated to Hoon’s daughter of the same name, Nico is a beautiful album at the same time it is painfully depressing. To listen to Nico is to begin to understand the state of mind Hoon was in when he overdosed and died. He was confused and hurt and not at all certain of the future. Heck, he’d even written about his inner turmoil on the band’s stellar debut--Changes haunts me and in death seems all the more poignant.
The lasting memory of Blind Melon is of course two-fold. First, everybody remembers the band for embracing differences on the song No Rain. Second, Hoon’s death overshadows most everything. It in fact leaves a lot of questions—but for me the main one is a question of what the band should have been and would have been had it not been for their leader’s major drug problems. Once again, this leads to some amount of loss. Hoon was a very talented fellow with an incredibly varied rock voice and an insatiable urge to put his hurt into words. This bleak, truthful emotion is what made Blind Melon’s songs something more than rock. They are indeed classics leaving little room for criticism.
Nico (Capitol, 1996) is probably the most difficult album from Blind Melon. It’s not because of the music really, but rather the emotional baggage that goes along with the disc. It is difficult to escape that stigma, but possible—and as such it is also definitely possible to love every moment of every one of the thirteen songs. Hoon of course wasn’t the only member, but he was at the crux of Blind Melon. Completing the lineup were Brad Smith on bass, Roger Stevens on guitar, Glenn Graham on drums, and Christopher Thorn on guitar. Nico goes to show that the band’s unreleased material is just as strong as that which made the cut for their two albums (1992’s Blind Melon and 1995’s Soup).
The disc starts out with The Pusher, a cover of the Steppenwolf track by the same name. It’s a strong, lovely song that is perfectly executed. Also interesting is the second song--Hell, a previously unreleased demo. It is fast and fun, and absolute wonderful. But those two otherwise sparkling songs are drowned out by the irrepressible luminosity of Soup. This song is the epitome of perfection with the heart-felt honesty and emotion that Hoon was best known for. It is an excellent song, and one that somehow escaped previous release.
Of course, everybody knows song No Rain. But Blind Melon slows the pace down and injects a melancholy almost wholly lacking from the popular original. This “ripped away” version is plodding and strange (especially in light of the popular original) but is nonetheless a classic. This album is indeed a classic—as long as listeners get over the fact that it is a posthumous release of rarities.
Soul One proves beyond a doubt that Blind Melon was headed for greatness. It’s a delicate, melodic, acoustic song that coincidentally also a part of the band’s first demo. They already seemed comfortable in their emotion and rawness and unabashed American trad-rock. Hoon sounds at ease and at home—something that is increasingly lacking as the band’s career progressed. As beautiful as the melody is, the song itself is troubling because it deals with loss and pain and hard “goodbyes.”
Blind Melon continues to impress as Nico progresses. John Sinclair is a fascinating and gritty remake of the John Lennon song by the same name. But I think the real power and appeal of Nico comes when Hoon is stripped down to just his voice and an acoustic guitar. His unique voice works well in a basic setting. Therefore, songs All That I Need and Life Ain’t So Shitty really are special pieces. The songs continue to be impressive even as the album nears an end.
Glitch is clearly influenced by tribal beats and Middle Eastern instruments. It’s a beautiful, completely unexpected gem complete with conga, flute, and cello. Swallowed and Pull are both also incredible offerings with the latter being the more powerful. I’ve always been most impressed by Blind Melon when they were holding back and not just freaking out. And of course “freaking out” is certainly something that Hoon was renowned for. Pull’s words also hit home:
Well I live more than what you'll ever know
But I'll give you more than what I'll ever show
The final two tracks, St. Andrew’s Hall and Letters From A Porcupine, wrap Nico up on a high note. The former is of course named after the venue of the same name in Detroit. The band apparently witnessed a woman commit suicide in the city—and decided to write a song about it. It’s a rich, melodic songs. Letters From A Porcupine on the other hand is actually an answering machine recording from Hoon left on Thorn’s answering machine. He liked it, he saved it to DAT—and then added it to this album as a wonderful end to a wonderful disc. It’s of course rough and difficult and cuts off abruptly at the beep, but it gives listeners a peek into the spontaneous genius that was Shannon Hoon.
Nico is a very special album. It hurts to hear the band at their earliest, best, most emotional, and most inspired all at the same time. But it also makes a lasting, positive impression. Blind Melon shouldn’t be forgotten or filed under the same label as a host of other early and mid 1990’s bands. They were unique unto themselves and their songs are appealing on a variety of levels. In reality Blind Melon was the return of roots rock for a new generation. It really is a damn shame that Hoon had to go and die.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. The Pusher
02. Hell
03. Soup
04. No Rain [Ripped Away Version]
05. Soul One
06. John Sinclair
07. All That I Need
08. Glitch
09. Life Ain’t So Shitty
10. Swallowed
11. Pull
12. St. Andrew’s Hall
13. Letters from a Porcupine
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Related Reviews
Blind Melon [1992]
http://www.epinions.com/content_48664055428
Soup [1995]
http://www.epinions.com/content_80170815108
Recommended:
Yes
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