Track Listing

1. Beyond This Horizon
2. Bed Of Roses
3. Uncle Anethesia
4. Story Of Her Fate
5. Caught Between
6. Lay Your Head Down
7. Before We Arise
8. Something About Today
9. Alice Said
10. Time For Light
11. Disappearing
12. Ocean Of Confusion
13. Closer

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12307 in Music
• Released on: 1997-02-10
• Number of discs: 1

CD Description
Screaming Trees' 1991 major-label debut came as something of a surprise to fans of their self-released early records and the more mature late '80s albums on SST. Those records, while unfairly lumped in with the early grunge scene of the band's Seattle compatriots like Mudhoney and Soundgarden, had more in common with the 13th Floor Elevators and the Seeds than Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
That's what makes UNCLE ANETHESIA such a shock; the album, produced by Soundgarden producer Terry Date and singer Chris Cornell, is a sluggishly loud thud-rocker, with low, grinding songs a world away from the quirky pop influences and neo-psychedelia of earlier albums like OTHER WORLDS and INVISIBLE LANTERN. For all ofthat, the album is still a powerful ride, with Mark Lanegan's vocals--he was unquestionably the best singer on the scene--among the best of his career.

Customer Reviews

love it
As with most screaming trees albums, this took a while to reveal itself. Largely due to the beautiful but slightly plodding first half. 'Beyond this Horizon' is an awesome opener with a great amp feedback thunderstorm at the end. The next few songs are good but the album kcks into gear with 'Before we arise' and then my three favourite songs on the album play all in a row; 'something about today', 'Alice said' and 'Time for light'. The music is almost an aggressive yet subtle rock. Mark Lanegans vocals increasingly maturing and sounding crisp and haunting. I have no idea why people keep talking about the mixing (!?). Personally all I can presume is that they are referring to the very reverberant echoey sound at times, appart from that this is my 3rd favourite Trees album and I would definately recommend it as a great, diverse rock album from a legendary if over-looked 'grunge-era' band.

Very good album- not sure about the mixing though.
Uncle Anesthesia is a very good album from the great Screaming Trees- though having heard it after listening to Dust & Sweet Oblivion and Lanegan's 1990 solo debut it sounded a little flat- whether this is down to the digital transference to CD or the production by The Trees, Terry Date & Soundgarden's Chris Cornell is open to question. Screaming Trees were great live each time I saw them, so I'd say that here the sound isn't as wonderfully translated as later records by Don Fleming, Andy Wallace & George Drakoulias.

Having said that there are plenty of great songs here- my favourite songs being the title track (great backing vocals by Cornell)- which reminds me of The Small Faces Song of the Baker towards the end (they would cover this on 1992's Nearly Lost You single). Other classics include Lay Your Head Down (a stoned Smithereens?), the Morricone-flavoured Disappearing , the pulsing Alice Said and Bed of Roses. Songs like Story of Her Fate and Something about Today are as classic an example of the grunge sound as you could find. The cover is very metal, though does remind me of a dream/hallucination that passed through me once.

Uncle Anesthesia is a very good album, despite my criticisms- though is nowhere near the last two Screaming Trees albums or Lanegan's solo releases The Winding Sheet & Whiskey for the Holy Ghost.

Abosolutely excellent, the band just gel together
Screaming Trees have been around for a long time now, and in my opinion Uncle Anethesia is one of the best out of all the excellent cds they have brought out. The band play together with astonishing ease. This should be your next purchase without a doubt.