Blind Melon

After briefly attempting to continue, Blind Melon soon broke up and the various members went on to other projects. This culminated in 'The Weird Revolution' (a reworking of an aborted album recorded for Capital called 'After the Astronaut') their most electronic album to date. With some unreleased vocals in the vaults, the remaining members released Nico in 1996 (see 1996 in music) with the profits going to a program that helps musicians with drug and alcohol addiction. As the 'nineties went on, the band became increasingly influenced by electronica, with Gibby namechecking Massive Attack, Tricky, and The Chemical Brothers as influences. Hoon was found dead of an overdose on October 21, 1995. In the early 'nineties Gibby Haynes and Jeff Pinkus released a side project (The Jackofficers) which produced a highly psychedelic take on House music. Against the advice of Hoon's drug counselor, Blind Melon went on tour. At the same time a huge legal battle with Capital records began which ended up with the band being kicked off the label and signing to Hollywood Records (a subsidiary of Disney).

In 1995, Blind Melon also contributed the song "Out on the Tiles" to the Encomium tribute album to Led Zeppelin. Those records are now in print on their own Latino Buggerveil record label. While Hoon checked into rehab, the album, Soup, was released in 1995 (see 1995 in music), but sold poorly. In 1996 the band brought a legal action to recover rights from Touch and Go to their back catalogue, a case they eventually won in 1999. Hoon would later admit that he had no memory of the recording session. The story of the creation of this album is told in Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad (Little, Brown) amidst other tales from the American underground in the 1980s. Hoon and the rest of the band began recording their sophomore album in New Orleans with producer Andy Wallace. However, probably their best album is the critically lauded Locust Abortion Technician (Touch & Go - US/ Blast First - UK).

After opening for Neil Young and Lenny Kravitz, Blind Melon's own tour was cut short due to Hoon's escalating drug abuse. The band's most famous song is "Pepper" from the album Electriclarryland in 1996, which recounted the somewhat sordid stories of several high school students in Texas. Subsequently, Blind Melon went platinum four times. They also contributed songs to the soundtracks of Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet and Mission Impossible around about this time. Their debut album, Blind Melon, produced by Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam) sold poorly until the single and music video for "No Rain" hit the airwaves and became a smash success, along with the popular video which featured the equally popular Bee Girl. Soon afterwards they signed to Capitol Records and this one time underground band eventually became a mainstream commodity with songs on modern rock radio and Beavis and Butt-head. Hoon and old friend Axl Rose re-met, and Hoon sang back-up on several Guns n' Roses tracks, including "Don't Cry". In 1991 they were part of the first Lollapalooza tour.

Blind Melon signed to Capitol Records in 1991 (see 1991 in music) and recorded an unreleased demo. They recorded two more albums and numerous EPs for Touch and Go before leaving to record an album (Pioughd) for Rough Trade Records. Also 'Blind Melon Chitlin' was the name of a fictional bluesman appearing in a routine on the self titled Cheech and Chong LP. bands such as Throbbing Gristle and Einsturzende Neubauten) as well as American eccentrics like Frank Zappa and The Residents. The name Blind Melon describes some hippies from Mississippi, as used (or coined) by Brad Smith's father. Their second album Rembrandt Pussyhorse showed the increased influence of the European avant-garde (e.g. Blind Melon was an American rock and roll band from the 1990s, composed of Shannon Hoon, Brad Smith, Glen Graham, Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn. It also showed the influence of heavy metal (especially Black Sabbath), again, many years before this sound became fashionable: in marrying punk and heavy metal it might be seen as one of the first precursors of grunge.

Glen Graham - drums. Along with The Teardrop Explodes in the UK this album might be said to have begun the psychedelic revival (psychedelia having been extremely unfashionable in the five years since punk). Brad Smith - bass. They recorded their debut EP on Alternative Tentacles, before moving to Touch & Go to release their debut album Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac. Rogers Stevens - guitar. Mark Kramer (of Bongwater and Shimmy Disc) also briefly played bass. Christopher Thorn - guitar. While their line-up changed frequently through the years, they had a core membership of Jeff Pinkus on bass, with King Coffey and Teresa Taylor on drums in addition to Haynes (vocals) and Leary (guitar).

Shannon Hoon - vocals. Incorporating elements of hardcore, psychedelia, and performance art, their live shows also made heavy use of strobe lights, background films and naked dancers. The band was founded by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1982; the pair met while students at Trinity University. The Butthole Surfers is an American indie and punk band. Humpty Dumpty LSD (2002).

Weird Revolution (2001). After the Astronaut (unreleased) (1998). Electric Larryland (1996). Independent Worm Saloon (1993).

Pioughd (1990). Double Live (1989). Widowermaker EP (1989). Hairway to Steven (1988).

Locust Abortion Technician (1987). Rembrandt Pussyhorse (1986). Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis EP (1985). Another Man's Sac (1984).

Powerless.. Psychic.. Live PCPPEP (1984). Butthole Surfers EP (1983) (alternate title: "A Brown Reason To Live").

Download sample of "Pepper" from Electriclarryland.