Ten years and one week ago, Mark Sandman collapsed dead of a heart attack on stage in Italy while performing a live show. That was the end of Morphine and its "three instruments," "low rock" sound. Morphine was a cool player in the '90s alternative scene - and they actually were alternative. Nobody really sounded like them, ever. Their songs were in a fairly traditional rock format, but they had a low end jazz sound due to the fact that their live show was only "three instruments" - the drum kit, Sandman's 2-string slide bass guitar and the baritone saxophone. I would argue that Sandman's deep, silky, casually cool vocals provided a fourth instrument that was absolutely essential to their sound.
For me personally, they are part of the life soundtrack. Their music graced the juke box at the Caribou Bar throughout the '90s and they were a staple to be played at afterbar parties for the almost-hipster crowd of the near east side of Madison. Aptly titled for a band called Morphine, their 1993 record, "Cure For Pain," is easily on my top 20 list for all time favorite albums.
Sandman is also one of my favorite lyricists of all time. Lots of songs about traditional rock subjects such as love gone bad, personal pain, struggling with drugs and feelings of despair. However, his poetic voice was uniquely honest and genuine, you never get the feeling that he's bullshitting you.
A few lines from "I'm Free Now" that I've always loved to listen to while drinking by myself:
I'm free now to direct a movie
Sing a song or write a book about yours truly
How I'm so interesting, I'm so great
But I'm really just a fuck-up and it's such a waste
...
There's something going on that makes my guts ache
I got guilt, I got fear, I got regret
I'm just a panic-stricken waste
I'm such a jerk
Sandman's outlook on life was said to have been influenced by a series of tragedies. In his 20's he was stabbed in the chest and nearly killed while driving a cab in Boston. He also lost both of his brothers early in life. After Mark's death, his mother wrote an autobiographical book called "Four Minus Three: A Mother's Story." I guess the creative process based upon tragedy runs in the family. To an outside observer, he was the kind of guy that never really looked or sounded very happy, but just seemed really fucking cool. Sandman died of a heart attack at age 46.
The clip below is a live performance of the track "Cure For Pain." Classic Sandman, classic Morphine.
I propose a toast to my self control
You see it crawling, helpless on the floor
Someday, there'll be a cure for pain
That's the day I throw my drugs away
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2 comments:
I am really starting to look forward to these posts every week. Keep up the good work TK. I wasnt crazy about this song, it was alright, but I really enjoy hearing about these bands that most people dont know about. I know I have never heard of Morphine, but will probably check out a few more songs now.
If you do, check out Thursday, Buena, Honey White, and Sheila. Thursday was probably their biggest college radio "hit." Personally, I think Buena and Sheila are just really cool songs, but not everybody "gets" the low-key, laid back, kind of cool that these dudes bring.
Buena seems pretty clearly to be about heroin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M34iZH4-qkI
There's a sample of Sheila here.
http://www.last.fm/music/Morphine/_/Sheila
Thursday is an awesome song about a relationship with another man's wife and then being afraid that he's found out. Catherine loves that tune, mainly because he identifies the name of the motel they went to as "The Wagon Wheel." At that point, you realize it just simply has to be a true story. Here's a video for it.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=16853137
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