25 YEARS AGO TODAY! Above is the only studio album by the American rock band Mad Season, released on March 14, 1995, through Columbia Records. The album has been certified gold by the RIAA in the United States. Layne Staley created the album artwork on the cover. MELODY MAKER called the album "a Country-Sabbath combination" and "a refreshing holiday from the pressures of corporate ultra-stardom." AllMusic staff writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three out of five stars, saying that "the album meanders without much direction, yet there are flashes of invention, particularly in Staley's work, with Mike McCready contributing a few tasty licks." Rolling Stone staff writer Barbara Davies gave Above two and a half out of five stars but was later changed to a more positive three out of five stars, saying that Mad Season "take artistic risks and set out to make something fresh on Above." ”IT’S THE FANS THAT MATTER! No one listened to music critics (not then, not now); ultimately, if you were (and still are) fans of Alice in Chains , Pearl Jam and Screaming Trees you bought it without having to listen first. Layne Staley’s vocals have never faltered in any project outside of Alice. This was an exciting time to hear something new that Layne was involved in; especially for the local “Seattleites” that followed the band during their club-era gigs prior to getting signed. Mad Season did not disappoint. They unfortunately never made another album; and we still think about that now”• -Cindy Cavins • NeHi Stripes Musiczine Seattle Mad Season - Layne Staley, Mike McCready, Barrett Martin & John Baker Saunders Group Photo by one of Seattle’s Greats Lance Mercer! (at Seattle, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9vQdp6JWxU/?igshid=rjdftx635sj0
