Credit score: Steven J. Messina
March 22, 2023, marks one yr for the reason that passing of one in all rock’s all-time nice vocalists, Mark Lanegan – who whereas in all probability greatest recognized for his contributions to the Screaming Timber and Queens of the Stone Age, issued numerous excellent recordings as both a solo artist or as a collaborator or visitor with others.
To pay tribute to the singer, I assembled the e-book Lanegan, for which I carried out over 20 interviews with musicians and/or admirers that labored alongside Mark in some capability through the years. Beneath are unique excerpts from the e-book, which concentrate on the creation of 10 of Mark’s greatest albums, spanning 1990-2014.
The Winding Sheet (Mark Lanegan, 1990)
MIKE JOHNSON [Mark Lanegan guitarist, ex-Dinosaur Jr. bassist, solo artist]: He had been engaged on stuff with Kurt [Cobain] – he was going to do this Lead Stomach report that I am certain you heard about [a project reportedly called the Jury, featuring Mark, Kurt, Krist Novoselic on bass, and Mark Pickerel on drums]. I believe he modified his thoughts or he wished to do one thing else – he had this concept of doing an precise solo report [The Winding Sheet], and that is once I acquired a telephone name.
And he and I talked to one another semi-regularly and wrote letters to one another, despatched tapes. He was like, “Hey man, would you be taken with making this report with me? I’ve acquired a solo album.” I used to be like, “The place do I enroll?!” He despatched me a tape of those demos that he had, that have been all fairly easy three-chord songs – with actually cool melodies and phrases.
So, I drove up from Eugene to Seattle. First, we four-tracked the songs – the entire a part of writing intros and any center break kind stuff. Then, we went into the studio like, a month later – with Jack and Pickerel. We will need to have practiced with Pickerel, however I do not keep in mind. However anyway, it was actually fast. It was like, three days – simply within the studio, laid down the stuff. First, I believe we did the tracks that Pickerel performed on, band tracks, the fundamentals, the acoustics with Mark doing information vocals. So, it was actually quick and easy.
The story I’d at all times inform is, “The primary album was three days…and the second album was three years.” The Winding Sheet was all very new to me – it was the primary skilled album I had something to do with. I might solely recorded singles and tapes with my band. And song-wise, I keep in mind placing essentially the most effort into “Mockingbirds” and “Ugly Sunday.” I keep in mind Steve Fisk telling me in regards to the piano half I wished to play on “Mockingbirds” – “Dude…that is going to sound like Bob Seger.” And I am like, “No, it isn’t!” Which it did not. I do not assume I used to be there when he did the vocals. I believe he and Jack did the vocals.
Candy Oblivion (Screaming Timber, 1992)
GARY LEE CONNER [Screaming Trees guitarist]: The factor about Candy Oblivion, the issue with the collaboration is we would have all these songs, however a whole lot of them have been solely half-finished lyrically. As a result of normally once I did a music, I might end the lyrics, after which Mark would simply take them and alter them up. However as a substitute, he was singing stuff however with out lyrics – dumb strains or joke strains.
So, once we have been within the studio, half or at the least a 3rd of the songs did not have all of the lyrics – or generally, even titles. We would simply have “Van’s Tune” and stuff like that. Mark would by no means inform me, “These are the lyrics I’ve.” He’d simply sing them after which we would discover out what they have been. After about two weeks, we have been able to do the vocals, and so they kicked us out of the studio.
However a few days or three days earlier than, Lanegan had gone lacking in New York on a drunken odyssey of God is aware of what occurred. He was gone for 3 days, and when he got here again, he was so fuckin’ massively hung over. And if he does not sing all of the stuff and have all of the lyrics, the album’s delayed. We have been slightly apprehensive, to say the least.
I went to remain at my girlfriend’s – now spouse – as a result of she lived in Upstate New York, and Van and Barrett in all probability stayed in a lodge. Three days later, Lanegan got here again and gave us a tape, and we’re simply floored. We have been like, “Oh my God. That is superb.”
Whiskey for the Holy Ghost (Mark Lanegan, 1994)
JACK ENDINO [producer/mixer]: Mark began Whiskey for the Holy Ghost with Terry Date – if I keep in mind proper – and acquired some songs recorded, acquired partway into it, did not end something. After which somebody could have labored on it in there – I believe Ed Brooks. Sooner or later, he introduced the two-inch tapes to me, we did extra work on it, and we tried to complete the report. I believe I labored on it a number of instances.
However I discovered myself working with him at Bear Creek Studio at one level and I solely tracked just a few songs on that report, myself – most of them have been overdubs I used to be engaged on. Which, largely would have been vocals. There could have been some visitor musicians, too.
However we tracked “The River Rise” at Reciprocal and we tracked just a few different songs. After which, the remainder of it was redoing the vocals on these different songs and including overdubs to those different songs that he had already recorded with Terry Date or Ed Brooks. And there have been many songs on fairly just a few reels. There was much more materials that we labored on than what ended up on the album.
And the issue that I had was that Mark was having a “sophomore jinx.” Which meant that he was his personal worst critic of every thing he was doing – which meant that no vocal observe would fulfill him, no efficiency of himself would fulfill him. He was very self-critical. By comparability, The Winding Sheet took I believe only a matter of days to report and blend. I maintain pondering six or seven days – it might have been much less, it might have been extra.
However it went very painlessly and really fast. It was type of magic, really. I even ended up enjoying bass on about half the report. However Whiskey took a few years, and as I mentioned, I believe 4 totally different producers. Lastly, John Agnello is the one who ended up bringing it over the end line and mixing it.
Discipline Songs (Mark Lanegan, 2001)
JOHN AGNELLO [producer/mixer]: Discipline Songs was the one which I began with them, and having Ben Shepherd from Soundgarden play bass, Mike Johnson play guitar, and Dan Peters from Mudhoney performed drums. It was a lot enjoyable. However once more, controversial – Ben Shepherd acquired actually mad at one level, as a result of he could not get an element proper, and he threw his bass and he was spitting. I needed to type of calm him down.
I believe he referred to me as both “coach” or “sergeant.” Like, “Hey coach, what do you need to do now?” He was super-nice – the truth is, in the course of all this shit, he mainly acquired me a lodge, as a result of he felt dangerous that I used to be staying on the studio and he felt that I wanted to get out of there. So he simply booked me a lodge for 2 days. It was so good of him to pay for it.
Songs for the Deaf (Queens of the Stone Age, 2002)
NICK OLIVERI [ex-Queens of the Stone Age singer/bassist]: Josh is basically good, however he was extremely good again then when he produced the report. He put the proper individuals in place to be on it and to be within the band, and to share the entrance highlight with one other frontman was a key to that band’s success. With the ability to put your ego down and share the stage with these guys, Dave and Mark. It is actually a cause why this report is particular – as a result of there are totally different frontmen on it. And Dave on the drums is “a frontman.” He hadn’t performed drums on a report shortly, so Josh was a wise man to place these individuals in place that basically made the band particular.
There was a lot occurring at the moment, as a result of we had been writing the stuff, and displaying Dave songs that have been already able to go, after which him penning this superb drum half for it after which we would go and report it. I keep in mind a whole lot of it was engaged on the music stuff, after which the vocals got here after that. On “Tune for the Useless,” Mark sings it so uncooked, so tough, and so good. It actually is a superb efficiency on that one – he is actually laying into it.
The deep voice factor just isn’t at all times simple to sing at excessive quantity – so far as I do know. However he was a extremely highly effective singer, with that low growl. And he had some highs in his voice, too – which he did not use as a lot as he did working with a few of the earlier recordings. There’s some stuff on Whiskey for the Holy Ghost the place he is singing some greater pitch stuff. So, he had nice vary.
Bubblegum (Mark Lanegan Band, 2004)
ALDO STRUYF [Mark Lanegan bassist]: Bubblegum was the primary time I labored with him. I went to the studio in Joshua Tree, Rancho de la Luna. I used to be on the aircraft on Christmas Eve [Aldo is from Belgium], so there was no person on the aircraft – aside from ten individuals. So, it began actually bizarre for me. I arrived and his supervisor drove me to Joshua Tree, and so they have been ready for me there – with a bottle of tequila and a few weed!
A few songs have been already recorded – or at the least elements of it – however I used to be there with Mark, Chris Goss, Josh Homme, Dave Catching, and likewise a lady that performed bass on some songs and sang slightly bit [Molly McGuire]. After which increasingly individuals came visiting, and I seen I did not produce that a lot stuff – as a result of I used to be a bit intimidated by everyone that was there.
After which that second day within the night, he mentioned, “OK. Everyone can go dwelling now and keep dwelling for 3 days – as a result of now, we’ll report with Aldo.” He despatched everyone dwelling, after which we labored for a few days on 9 or ten songs. That was stunning that he despatched Josh Homme dwelling – to work with me. I labored on a music that PJ Harvey had sung on, and different individuals I admired – Dean Ween from Ween. And I am an enormous Ween fan – I’ve a Ween tattoo on my again.
The songs have been so good – and there have been some lovely songs that did not get on the album, as a result of he mentioned, “An excessive amount of ‘Nirvana’ songs. Let’s drop it.” However it wasn’t a Nirvana music and it was nice. There was a whole lot of lovely stuff being recorded by lovely individuals and nice musicians.
Hawk (Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, 2010)
JEFF FIELDER [Mark Lanegan guitarist]: As soon as we began working [on Hawk, the third album credited to Mark and Isobel Campbell], it was actually one thing. It was simply the three of us. And I used to be curious to see the way it was going to prove. However I want I had tapes of these authentic issues, as a result of all my elements acquired edited to suit a “complete band combine.”
However all of the acoustic guitar on that report is me – and there is a few electrical issues. However largely, all the acoustic rhythm stuff, we did simply then and there. And the band was placed on later in Scotland. And we did a bunch of tunes – we did that and two extra over the course of the week. I believe we ended up with about seven tracks by the tip of the week. After which she did the remainder of it along with her guys again in Scotland. After which that was executed, and we did not discuss a lot – me and Mark. We simply did the factor after which he break up. After which stepping into 2010, I simply mainly wrote it off as, “That was a cool expertise.”
Blues Funeral (Mark Lanegan Band, 2012)
ALAIN JOHANNES [producer, Eleven singer/guitarist]: Blues Funeral was the identical type of thought [as Bubblegum] – “The Gravedigger’s Tune” is simply me and him enjoying all of the devices. And we invited Jack Irons, who was in Eleven with me and was the primary Chili Peppers drummer. So, Jack performed, Goss got here down, Duke Garwood would ship stuff from abroad, Dave Catching got here in, Dulli…it grew to become this revolving door of associates. That was the template – that, Phantom Radio, and Gargoyle, we did on the home [11AD]. After which I moved out, and we did Any person’s Knocking and Straight Songs of Sorrow at his place. I mainly took a mini model of my studio and set it up in his storage.
Darkish Mark Does Christmas (Mark Lanegan, 2012 and 2020)
ALAIN JOHANNES: The unique model of Darkish Mark Does Christmas, he simply made vinyl that he offered on tour. The primary model got here out in 2012 – we did six songs – after which he added to it in 2020. So, in 2012, I’d say it was after Blues Funeral that we did it – as a result of I believe he took it out on the street for that Christmas of 2012. He simply made restricted vinyl.
It is super-raw – it is simply his voice and an instrument or two. After which the 2020 model, he requested me to remix it and remaster it, and he added three songs to it. I acquired caught and I could not get dwelling – I went to Chile after I acquired Covid to play Lollapalooza, and so they locked us down and my flights acquired cancelled. I used to be there for six months.
Phantom Radio (Mark Lanegan Band, 2014)
ALDO STRUYF: For [2014’s] Phantom Radio album, I did not do this a lot. In a means, Mark was actually OK with working with Alain. I keep in mind for that album I used to be feeling a bit down. Someday, we talked on the telephone, and I advised Mark that, and he mentioned, “Wait man, I will e-book you a flight.” It wasn’t the intention I believe – to play on the album. As a result of I used to be additionally residing in Belgium and a flight to the States is dear.
And he mentioned, “Come over and we’ll report a brand new album. Set your thoughts to one thing else and have a very good time.” And once more, I performed on just a few songs. Mark was altering the vibe of the album slightly bit – he was listening extra to new wave music, like Pleasure Division and all these bands. For me, it was the primary develop into going extra digital, extra danceable music. He actually wished extra digital stuff to be on the album – and naturally, that was enjoyable to do. However Alain did many of the stuff.
Greg Prato is a longtime AllMusic contributor. Lanegan is his thirty ninth e-book general, and is out there as paperback, hardcover, and Kindle variations (and shortly, an audio model).
