Screaming Trees Albums Ranked
Screaming Trees were an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period. Although widely associated with grunge, the band’s sound incorporated hard rock and psychedelic elements. The band released seven studio albums, five EPs, and three compilations. Screaming Trees is known as one of the pioneers of grunge along with the Melvins, Mudhoney, U-Men, Skin Yard, Soundgarden, Green River, and Malfunkshun. Screaming Trees rose to fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with bands such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden and was one of the most successful underground music acts of the 1990s. The band achieved one top-ten single on the Modern Rock Tracks charts. Screaming Trees were plagued by extended inactivity due to their problems with making a follow up to Dust. This led to their official breakup in 2000. Here are all Screaming Trees albums ranked.
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8. Even If and Especially When (1987)
” This was the tour for “Even if and Especially When.” It was the Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, NC and the place was abuzz in anticipation of Mike Watt’s firehose. Well, let me just say that from the first note of “Straight out to any place,” the crowd was IN SHOCK! The Screaming Trees EXPLODED on stage and easily were the hit of the evening, receiving the longest and loudest ovation I can remember, and this for an opening band! They did not quit until firehose came out and emptied over four cans of “silly string” over the entire band… They even played on for a few minutes more! Quite simply, if you were lucky to see the Screaming Trees in the mid to late 80s, you saw one of the best live bands of that decade.”
7. Last Words: The Final Recordings (2011)
“I love the Screaming Trees and have been listening since Grunge’s Heyday in the early ’90s. My God!!! What a collection of moving, groovin’ jams that any Trees enthusiast would and should revel in. This album from beginning to end brings me back to 1991 and the thrills Mark Lanegan and the brothers first elicited when I experienced those lyrics, voice and screaming guitars.”
6. Invisible Lantern (1988)
“This is a classic as far as I’m concerned. It’s a great psychedelic work, but the guitars are peircingly loud like nothing else I’ve heard, not like metal-sounding guitars, though. Less distortion, or whatever. It is constant electric howling. At first listen it took some getting used to. These guys remind me of the Doors. It’s the vibe. “Transparent whales always make me feel like I’ve never been in the right dimension.””
5. Clairvoyance (1986)
” It foresees the musical tendecies of the following decade in a very clear way. Even though it was released in 1986, the album sounds as a blueprint of everything coming from Seattle in the early to mid 90’s. Therefore, it should be classified as an essential classic together with other releases from the same era that aimed at the same style (simple, straight guitar-oriented music).”
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4. Buzz Factory (1989)
“”Buzz Factory” was the Screaming Trees’ final recording for SST, but not their last stand as independent recording artists. They would follow up by spending a little quality time with Sub Pop prior to the release of their major label debut, “Uncle Anesthesia,” two years later. Produced by the Trees and Jack Endino, “Buzz Factory” lives up to its title with buzz aplenty thanks to Gary Lee Conner’s muscular guitar playing. The album is a solid send-off, which should come as little surprise–history will remember the Trees as one of the Northwest’s most consistent bands. “
3. Uncle Anesthesia (1991)
“Screaming Trees are a classic mix of grunge, psychedelia, pop/alternative rock, one of the most underrated bands from the late 80s and 90s. While their last album with SST, Buzz Factory, featured a consistent quality of excellent songs throughout the album, the band’s run with Epic beginning with Uncle Anesthesia surpasses the SST efforts with grand, powerful songs and consistently excellent music throughout the albums. Highlights of Uncle Anesthesia: Bed of Roses, Uncle Anesthesia, Caught Between, Before We Arise, Alice Said, Time for Light, Disappearing, Ocean of Confusion, and I especially love the closer, Closer, with its Jim Morrison-like “Bring me Closer to the Fire, Bring Me Closer to the Flame….” Surely Screaming Trees’ music brings the avid music listener closer to the flame.”
2. Dust (1996)
“This album leans more towards classic rock and psychedelic rock and sounds much more polished then the traditional heavy and raw grunge sound. What I mean is it the last truly great album from that original set of Seattle bands, one exception may be Pearl Jam’s No Code or Yield which came out a couple of years later, and both featured a more experimental sound which was likely largely due to the presence of Jack Irons in the band, and in my opinion, the best creative period for Pearl Jam.”
1. Sweet Oblivion (1992)
“Not sure how much range he has, but there are all kinds of great melodies on these songs that go very well with his singing. And that’s coming from someone who tries to ignore the vocals and listen to what the band is doing! The Conner brothers and the drummer are all excellent as well. Not a bad song on this album. Highly recommended!”
