A Long Look Back

Veteran rocker Mark Lanegan has been all over music for the past thirty years. Whether he was collaborating with the likes of Kurt Cobain, performing as a steady member of California rock band Queens of the Stone Age, or just doing his own thing, Lanegan is always making music. Lanegan is now set to release his first five solo albums that he released under the Sub Pop label as a vinyl box set titled One Way Street. Sub Pop is the label famous for breaking the “Seattle Sound” through into the mainstream with artists like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mark Lanegan.

Though this collection spans many years, albums and influences, one constant is Lanegan’s incredibly distinct voice. No matter what, Lanegan barrels his scratchy baritone powerfully through to the end of the song. Lanegan’s voice is like a diesel truck engine in it’s forceful and low grit, and that’s a compliment.

Coursing through this album is Lanegan’s devotion and appreciation of American folk and blues music. Take his rendition of classic folk song “In The Pines” (Lanegan titles it “Where Did You Sleep Last Night.”) Lanegan takes a song that has been around for over a hundred years dating back to at least 1870, and morphs it into this beautiful lamentation. The deep guitar builds as Lanegan growls towards the finish, howling sweet brutal sadness into the microphone. These albums include many examples of prominent folk and blues music that has been expertly adapted into a grunge rock sound.

This box set offers a unique look back at an artist and a label that brought a whole new sound to prominence in mainstream America, and changed the course of rock music forever. Any collector should have this great piece of music history added to his or her collection.