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.
Lifeless Dead & I Don't Know Anything
Mad Season Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know anything
I don't know anything
I don't know who I am
I don't know anything
I don't know anything
I don't know anything
Why we have to live in so much hate everyday? Oh yeah
Why the fighting and the coming down, am I sane?
I don't know, yeah
I don't know anything
I don't know anything
I don't know anything
I don't know who to be
I don't know anything
I don't know anything
I don't know anything
I don't know who I am
Why we have to live in so much hate everyday? Oh yeah
Why the fighting and the coming down, am I sane?
I don't know
When the teacher put the ruler down on my hand
I laugh!
Cross my heart and hide reliever in trails of blood,
I love?!?
I don't know anything
I don't know anything
I don't know anything
I don't know who I am
I don't know anything
I don't know anything
I don't know anything
I don't know who to be
Why we have to live in so much hate everyday? Oh yeah
Why the fighting and the coming down, am I sane?
I don't know
When the teacher put the ruler down on my hand
I laugh!
Cross my heart and hide reliever in trails of blood,
I love?!?
The opening line of this song, "I don't know anything, I don't know who I am," sets the tone for the theme of confusion and frustration that runs throughout the song. The repetition of the line emphasizes the singer's lack of understanding about themselves and their place in the world. The lyrics also touch on the idea of societal issues, such as hate and violence, and the struggle of trying to make sense of it all. The line "When the teacher put the ruler down on my hand, I laugh!" suggests that the singer might have experienced some sort of physical punishment in the past, but they are now able to find humor in the situation, perhaps as a way of coping with the pain.
The chorus of the song, "Why we have to live in so much hate everyday? Oh yeah, why the fighting and the coming down, am I sane? I don't know," encapsulates the confusion and helplessness felt by the singer in the face of the world's problems. The repetition of the phrase "I don't know" further emphasizes the theme of uncertainty.
Overall, "Lifeless Dead & I Don't Know Anything" is a powerful and introspective song that speaks to the struggles of dealing with societal issues and finding one's place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know anything
I have no knowledge or information about anything
I don't know who I am
I have no understanding or realization of my own identity
Why we have to live in so much hate everyday? Oh yeah
Why is it that we are forced to exist in a world filled with intense animosity, on a daily basis? Indeed
Why the fighting and the coming down, am I sane?
What is the reason behind all this violence and collapse? Am I in a stable mental state?
When the teacher put the ruler down on my hand
At the moment when the teacher made contact with my hand using a ruler
I laugh!
I react with spontaneous amusement
Cross my heart and hide reliever in trails of blood,
I swear on my sincerity, and conceal something that alleviates pain within pathways of blood
I love?!?
I profess affection or devotion, but with uncertainty or disbelief
I don't know who to be
I possess no comprehension or direction regarding my own personal identity or role
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MCCREADY, MIKE / STALEY, LAYNE / SAUNDERS, JOHN / MARTIN, BARRETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Svirre4ull
Lifeless dead, that unclean bed
Till or when her hunger's fed
How he'd wished that they would wed
"I promise on our love" she said
Promises were never kept
Alone on dirty floor he slept
Yeah, Lifeless Dead
And although he'd not accept
She was gone and so he wept
Then a demon came to him
"You must know I'm gonna win"
Yeah, Lifeless Dead
He said, she said
She led him dead
He said we bled
She said not fed
Lifeless Dead, Lifeless Dead (x7)
@dgranite50
Born & raised in SeaTown, I was fortunate to see everyone from
Mother Love Bone, Nirvana, PearlJam, Soundgarden, MudHoney,
SuperSuckers, Melvins, Screaming Trees, Candlebox, Temple of the Dog,
Alice in Chains in the late 80's thru mid 90's and this show, Mad
Seasons, standing just left of center balcony level. watching many
different band members from different bands descend down into their own
abiss and prisons, weakening physically, emotionally, and vocally, but
this was a very special night and show whereas a mutual appreciation
between band and audience grew as the night progressed, and you could
see a light on in Layne that i hadnt seen in some earlier AIC shows. It
was truly a magically time to be alive, and to witness one of Rock's
all time greats taken too soon from us.Enjoy and if you are suffering
and dealing with addiction or mental health, talk to someone, be
proactive and know there is hope and a better way to live!
@jamesclark8478
Mad Season is such a wonderful little piece of music history.
@definitelynosebreather
It's sad they only had so few songs :/ on a positive note, though, I'm glad they existed.
@jekku4688
apparently they came up with 18 new tracks in the hopper....but at that point Layne was beyond being able to help write lyrics, let alone sing. More amazing music lost to DRUGS. It's infuriating.
@Victor_Miktor_Nvdmk_Sharpak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lALvreKkW5w&ab_channel=DT
@pamshearer8624
So very true.... He seemed so much more relaxed in this band wish they could have made many more records back then.
@manwithtwoeyes6911
goddamn. This camera quality is 20 years ahead of its time.
@thomaspatrickparker6648
This was probably recorded on film still since digital wasn't really a thing yet. Film can look just as good as modern digital but you have to take time in restoring it, which most people won't do.
@metallicamadsam
@Thomas Patrick Parker the sound is also crisp. a absolute gem recording.
@revilhunter
Is there more footage of Layne in HD? i don't think i know about any other than this concert
@sejaaguia8020
@William Oliveira The Unplugged?