Whiskey for the Holy Ghost
| Whiskey for the Holy Ghost | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Mark Lanegan | ||||
| Released | January 18, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | Ironwood, Riciprocal, & Steve Lawson Studios, Seattle, WA, & Messina Music, NYC, during 1993 | |||
| Genre | Blues rock, folk rock, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 49:22 | |||
| Label | Sub Pop | |||
| Producer | Mike Johnson & Mark Lanegan | |||
| Mark Lanegan chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone |  [2] |
| Q | 8/01, p.150 |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[3] |
| NME | 2/5/94, p.39 |
Whiskey for the Holy Ghost is the second solo album by former Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan. The album builds upon the roots music foundation that Lanegan had established with his debut The Winding Sheet. Released during the grunge explosion of the early 1990s, Whiskey for The Holy Ghost showcases Lanegan's growing maturity as a songwriter and vocalist.
The recording was reportedly a frustrating affair for Lanegan; at one point the singer had to be physically prevented from throwing the master tapes into a river by producer Jack Endino. Despite the album's slow gestation and Lanegan's notorious substance abuse problems, the songs on Whiskey for The Holy Ghost sound remarkably cohesive. Lyrically, Lanegan continues to delve into the darker side of the human experience on songs like "Borracho" and the Biblical "Pendulum" ("Jesus Christ been here and gone, what a painful price to pay").
"House A Home" was released as a single with an accompanying video. "The River Rise" was used in the 1996 grunge documentary Hype!, where it accompanied a montage filmed at the vigil following Kurt Cobain's death.
Dan Peters of Mudhoney plays drums on "Borracho" and "House A Home."
Track listing
All songs written by Mark Lanegan.
- "The River Rise" – 4:29
- "Borracho" – 5:40
- "House a Home" – 3:07
- "Kingdoms of Rain" – 3:24
- "Carnival" – 3:40
- "Riding the Nightingale" – 6:17
- "El Sol" – 3:42
- "Dead on You" – 3:11
- "Shooting Gallery" – 3:32
- "Sunrise" – 2:55
- "Pendulum" – 2:12
- "Judas Touch" – 1:37
- "Beggar's Blues" – 5:36
Personnel
- John Agnello – engineer, mixing
- Krisha Augerot – background vocals
- Sally Barry – background vocals
- Ed Brooks – engineer
- Frank Cody – organ, piano
- Terry Date – engineer
- Tad Doyle – drums
- Jack Endino – engineer
- Kurt Fedora – bass
- Mike Johnson – organ, guitar (acoustic), bass, harmonica, piano, guitar (electric), background vocals, producer, slide guitar
- Dave Kreuger – violin
- Mark Lanegan – vocals, guitar, producer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- J Mascis – drums
- Dan Peters – drums
- Mark Pickerel – drums
- Mike Stinette – saxophone
- Phil Sparks – bowed bass, bass (upright)
- Ted Trewhella – piano
- Justin Williams – organ