Uncle Anesthesia [Vinyl LP]

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 of that, 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.