.jpg)
The early 1990s had their fair share of experimental bands touching on many different genres outside of pure rock music. One such that I latched onto was the combination of alternative and jazz. And there is no better example of this than the nearly perfect second release from the Boston-based band Morphine.
The 1993 release Cure for Pain is todays feature for I Own That CD!
Finding the perfect formula of jazz-informed cool and bluesy punk, the trio (Mark Sandman on bass, Jerome Deupree on drums and Dana Colley on saxophone) created a release that could be described as nocturnal with Sandman’s voice reminding me of Leonard Cohen. Sandman was an indie-rock icon who was a staple on the Cambridge/Boston music scene in the 1980s. He was a member of Treat Her Right before going on to form the trio Morphine.
From high tempo tracks like “Buena” and “A Head With Wings” to the seedy, dark tunes like the title track and “I’m Free Now” the whole release tells a complete story in 13 chapters. The topics were as dark as the music, infidelity, dreary love, lost love. The atmosphere set by the band through the genius production by Paul Q. Kolderie (who also produced Uncle Tupelo and Pixies) was delicious and there was a great swagger to the band, especially live.
Grunge was taking off at the same time, so Morphine got pushed aside outside of college radio who clamped on to the release and didn’t let go. It was smart songs for the well-read, lyrically literal. Like a good pulp novel full of characters you feel for and want to like. It was a Jim Thompson novel set to music.
My favorite is the gorgeous “In Spite of Me” with the lyrics:
Last night I told a stranger all about you
They smiled patiently with disbelief
I always knew you would succeed no matter what you tried
And I know you did it all in spite of me
Tragically, Sandman collapsed on stage in Italy on July 3, 1999, performing with Morphine. His death, at the age of 46, was the result of a heart attack.
Comments