The band went on a semi-permanent hiatus in 1996 due to the band members' conflicting schedules and Staley's problems with substance abuse. Attempts were made in the late 1990s to revive the group without Staley, and material for a follow-up release to Above had been worked on; however, the band dissolved following the death of bassist John Baker Saunders in 1999 from a drug overdose. Staley also died of a drug overdose three years later. Martin and McCready have since made two short partial reunions, one in 2012 and one from 2014 to 2015. A special edition box set containing a remastered edition of Above and various unreleased material was released in March 2013.
During the production of 1994's Vitalogy, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready went into drug and alcohol rehab at the Hazelden Clinic in Minnesota, where he met bassist John Baker Saunders.[5] In 1994, when the two returned to Seattle, Washington, they formed a side band with drummer Barrett Martin. McCready played in such bands as Pearl Jam and Temple of the Dog, Martin with Skin Yard and the Screaming Trees and Saunders with blues talents such as Little Pat Rushing, Hubert Sumlin, Sammy Fender, and The Lamont Cranston Band.[6] Immediately the trio set up rehearsal time together and wrote the music for two songs that would later become Mad Season's "Wake Up" and "River of Deceit", both of which would later appear on the band's album Above. McCready then brought in friend and Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley to round out the line-up. McCready had hoped that being around sober musicians would push Staley to get himself sober.
Despite not having a single song completely prepared (only beginnings of songs, according to Martin) and not even having a name for the band, McCready scheduled an unannounced show at the Crocodile Cafe on October 12, 1994, which turned out to be a big success. The song "Artificial Red", which was also to appear on the album, actually came together during the show itself. Two more gigs were scheduled (November 6 & 20, 1994) at the same venue, with the band calling itself The Gacy Bunch, after both the notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy of Chicago and the 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch. On January 8, 1995, the band made an appearance on Pearl Jam's Self-Pollution satellite radio broadcast, a four-and-a-half-hour-long pirate broadcast out of Seattle which was available to any radio stations that wanted to carry it, performing "Lifeless Dead" and "I Don't Know Anything".
After gaining more popularity, the band recorded its only album and changed its name to Mad Season, which is an English term for the time of the year when psilocybin mushrooms are in full bloom, and a term which McCready related to "the seasons of drinking and drug abuse." The album, Above, which was recorded in Seattle, Washington at Bad Animals Studio (co-owned by Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart) and co-produced by the band and Pearl Jam sound engineer Brett Eliason, featured ten songs. It also included guest vocals and additional lyrics by Screaming Trees frontman and solo artist Mark Lanegan. McCready said, "We did all the Mad Season music in about seven days. It took Layne just a few more days to finish his vocals, which was intense since we only rehearsed twice and did four shows." The album was released on March 14, 1995 through Columbia Records to critical and commercial success. Over the course of 1995, Above scaled the Billboard 200, eventually peaking at No. 24 and spawning two singles: "River of Deceit" (#2 Mainstream Rock Tracks, No. 9 Modern Rock Tracks) and "I Don't Know Anything" (#20 Mainstream Rock Tracks). Above was certified gold on June 14, 1995.
McCready described the songs on the album as "some jazzy stuff, some blues, some arena rock." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said that the album "sounds like a cross between Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam, taking the ponderous seriousness of Alice and PJ's '90s update of winding '70s guitar rock." Staley's lyrics dealt with his personal troubles, with Martin saying, "Layne Staley felt as though he was on a spiritual mission through his music." During the lyric writing process, Staley was reading the book The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, which was a strong influence on the lyrics and the overall tone of the album. "I Don't Know Anything" is a heavier, blues-influenced track, while "Long Gone Day" takes considerable jazz influence, combining the use of samba-style bass, xylophone, and saxophone.
Staley is credited for writing all the lyrics on the original release within the liner notes of the 2013 deluxe issue. As was the case with much of his work with Alice in Chains, Staley's lyrics dealt with his struggle against addiction as well as other personal troubles. Lyrically, much of "River of Deceit" was inspired by Khalil Gibran's The Prophet. Vocalist Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees contributes guest vocals on "I'm Above" and "Long Gone Day"; he is also credited for co-writing the music to those tracks along with McCready and Martin. Lanegan also wrote the lyrics for the three bonus tracks on Disc 1 of the deluxe issue - "Locomotive", "Black Book of Fear", and "Slip Away". R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck is credited for co-writing the music to "Black Book of Fear" along with McCready, Martin, Saunders, and Lanegan.
Artificial Red
Mad Season Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smoke, poison consumed
In the house of ill repute
Is this the way I spend my days
In recovery of a fatal disease?
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
On a cloud of pink has turned to grey
And I'm alone again
Yeah
Someone to hold against my own
Alone, untouched is what I crave
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Artificial red
Smoke, poison consumed
In the house of ill repute
Is this the place I search for love
When my need is within me, a gift from above?
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
The lyrics of Mad Season's song "Artificial Red" paint a vivid picture of self-destructive behavior in the face of addiction and the search for validation in all the wrong places. The opening lines, "Smoke, poison consumed/In the house of ill repute," paint a bleak picture of the singer indulging in addictive vices in a dark and seedy place. The next lines, "Is this the way I spend my days/In recovery of a fatal disease?" suggest that the singer is aware of the destructive nature of their behavior but still can't seem to break free from it.
The chorus of the song features the repeated line "Artificial red," which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the artificiality of the singer's experiences in the house of ill repute. The singer is looking for something real, but they're finding it in all the wrong places. The line "On a cloud of pink has turned to grey/And I'm alone again" suggests that the singer has experienced a moment of euphoria but it has quickly faded away, leaving them feeling even more alone and disconnected.
The second verse continues with a similar theme, with the line "Is this the place I search for love/When my need is within me, a gift from above?" suggesting that the singer is looking for love and validation outside of themselves when they should be looking within. Overall, "Artificial Red" is a powerful meditation on addiction, self-destruction, and the search for meaning in a world that can be dark and unforgiving.
Line by Line Meaning
Artificial red
The color of the smoke and poison being consumed is artificial and not natural.
Smoke, poison consumed
The person is consuming harmful substances like smoke and poison.
In the house of ill repute
The person is doing this in a place that is known for being morally corrupt or disreputable.
Is this the way I spend my days
The person is questioning whether this destructive behavior is how they want to spend their time.
In recovery of a fatal disease?
The person is realizing that their addiction is like a fatal disease, and they are trying to recover from it.
On a cloud of pink has turned to grey
The person's happy state of mind has turned sad or depressing.
And I'm alone again
The person feels lonely and isolated, despite being surrounded by harmful substances and people.
Someone to hold against my own
The person desires physical intimacy and someone to hold and comfort them.
Alone, untouched is what I crave
Despite wanting physical intimacy, the person craves being alone and untouched as a way to escape their addiction and numb their feelings.
Is this the place I search for love
The person is questioning whether the place they are in, which is full of harmful substances and behaviors, is where they should be looking for love and acceptance.
When my need is within me, a gift from above?
The person is realizing that the love and acceptance they truly need comes from within themselves, and is a gift given to them by a higher power.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Barrett Martin, John Saunders, Layne Staley, Mike McCready
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@litawells4264
It's amazing how much you can care about someone you never met! RIP Layne you are missed by so many.........
@trentbredar9110
Amen
@sharonankelein9104
he was the greatest rip❤
@rightsaidfred803
Oh please
@erikduchesne1655
Truly, my love for Layne Staley as an artist is more than anything and man when I listen to him my heart aches knowing he’s no longer here
@matrixglitch4664
So true ! Like we lost a best friend. Layne forever. ❤the GREATEST
@cameronfagan5085
is this the way i spend my days? (yes, watching MadSeason on youtube all day)
@rcknsbrbs1damnit855
Right on
@orlevi89
Same here....can't stop
@aleahaleaha2593
Cameron Fagan me too.