Soup (Blind Melon album)

Soup
Studio album by Blind Melon
Released August 15, 1995 (1995-08-15)
Recorded November 1994 - January 1995
Studio
  • Kingsway Studios, New Orleans
  • Ultrasonic Studios, New Orleans
Genre
Length 45:03
Label Capitol
Producer Andy Wallace
Blind Melon chronology
Blind Melon
(1992)Blind Melon1992		 Soup
(1995)		 Nico
(1996)Nico1996

Soup is the second studio album by American rock band Blind Melon, released on August 15, 1995, eight weeks before vocalist Shannon Hoon's fatal drug overdose, making it his final album with the band. In addition to containing the hidden track "Hello/Goodbye", there is an additional hidden track hidden in the pregap of the CD. To hear this track, listeners must stick the CD in their player, and as soon as track one begins, rewind the track to go into the negative pregap of a CD contained before index 01 in the CD's table of contents. In addition to being in the pregap, the vocals are also backmasked, while the instruments are normal. This track acts as an overture, containing elements of the songs "New Life" and "Lemonade".

Composition

Thematically, the album is much darker than the band's debut. "2 X 4" is about Hoon's experience at a drug detox. "Skinned" is about serial killer Ed Gein. "Car Seat (God's Presents)" is about Susan Smith, who killed her children by driving her car into a lake in Union, South Carolina. "St. Andrew's Fall" is about suicide. When asked about "Mouthful of Cavities," Rogers Stevens said, "It's probably about the convoluted nooks and crannies of Shannon's brain." It featured harmonies between Shannon Hoon and Jena Kraus. "New Life" is about the birth of Hoon's daughter Nico Blue. "Wilt" is about halitosis. "Galaxie" is about Hoon's experience with his car, a 1964 Ford Galaxie. "Lemonade" is a humorous song about a bar fight.

Album cover

The producer of the album, Andy Wallace, is seen on the cover, sipping soup.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Rock Hard (de)7.5/10[3]

In issue #557 of Kerrang! (dated August 5, 1995), Paul Rees gave the album a "4 K review" (which means "Klassik"), saying, "Soup - bold, barmy, and borderline great." [4]

In the August 21, 1995 issue of People Magazine, Andrew Abrahams gave the album a somewhat positive review, saying, "If Blind Melon's eclectic approach sounds a bit maddening, it can be. But at least they've accomplished an important task: establishing a musical life beyond the Bee Girl." [5]

In issue #716 of Rolling Stone (dated September 7, 1995), Ted Drozdowski gave a scathing review of the album, ending his write-up with the statement, "With such slight fare to offer – and no kid in a bee suit – Soup puts Blind Melon in hot water."[6]

Also in 1995, Soup was ranked number 13 in Kerrang! magazine's "Albums Of The Year" list, above releases by the likes of Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Green Day, Ozzy Osbourne, and AC/DC.[7]

Legacy

In 2005, Soup was ranked number 357 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[8]

In the 2009 book, A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon, drummer Glen Graham is quoted as saying, "I talked to a guy from Spain yesterday [from Popular 1 Magazine], and he was saying, "Soup is the top album of the ‘90s according to our readers.' It was like, 'What?'"[9]

The album took the #5 spot on a "Top 10 Most Overlooked and Underrated Albums of the 90s" on the V+C website[10] and was placed #43 on the "50 Best Alternative Albums of the ’90s" list on the MetroWeekly site.[11]

In 2014, Soup topped Alternative Nation's "Top 10 Underrated 90’s Alternative Rock Albums" list.[12]

On January 17, 2017, Soup was reissued on limited edition vinyl via Analog Sparks (cut from the original stereo tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl).[13]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
0."Hidden Track (sometimes referred to as Hello, Goodbye)"2:10
1."Galaxie"2:40
2."2 X 4"4:00
3."Vernie"3:14
4."Skinned"1:57
5."Toes Across the Floor"3:04
6."Walk"2:47
7."Dumptruck"3:40
8."Car Seat (God's Presents)"2:42
9."Wilt"2:29
10."The Duke"3:36
11."St. Andrew's Fall"4:11
12."New Life"3:34
13."Mouthful of Cavities"3:33
14."Lemonade"3:36
Total length:45:03

Personnel

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
1995 Billboard 200 28
2009 (reissue) Billboard 200 200

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1995 Galaxie Mainstream Rock Tracks 25
Modern Rock Tracks 8

References

  1. ↑ https://earofnewt.com/2014/05/31/blind-melon-makes-soup-in-new-orleans-but-the-big-easy-is-evil-on-a-lot-of-levels/
  2. ↑ Prato, Greg. "Allmusic review". Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Kress, Henno. "Rock Hard review". issue 99. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  4. ↑ http://www.blindmelonarticles.com/pdf/Kerrang_Aug5_1995_01.pdf
  5. ↑ http://www.blindmelonarticles.com/credits/00_publications/people/1995/1995-08-21_peoplemagazine.pdf
  6. ↑ http://blindmelons.proboards.com/thread/4888
  7. ↑ http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/kerrang.html#1995
  8. ↑ [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 67. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
  9. ↑ http://amzn.com/0615252397
  10. ↑ http://www.vinylandcocktails.com/blog/2013/6/23/top-10-most-overlooked-and-underrated-albums-of-the-90s
  11. ↑ http://www.metroweekly.com/2014/04/50-best-alternative-albums-of-the-90s/
  12. ↑ http://www.alternativenation.net/top-10-underrated-90s-alternative-rock-albums/
  13. ↑ https://www.srcvinyl.com/blind-melon-soup-lp.html?acc=c81e728d9d4c2f636f067f89cc14862c
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