Dust

Screaming Trees

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 25, 1996)
• Original Release Date: June 25, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002A33
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,344 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Music Reviews
The Trees' third and best major-label album wasn't an easy one to make: the band felt compelled to scrap the first recording with producer Don Fleming and re-record the songs with George Drakoulias of Black Crowes and Tom Petty fame. But the creative malaise and personal chaos that reportedly plagued the follow-up to 1992's gold-selling Sweet Oblivion are nowhere in evidence in the finished grooves. Dust is a complex, layered effort that transcends the grunge tag so often hung on the band by emphasizing deep roots in psychedelia and folk-rock that have been obscured in the past by the fuzz and fury. As always, Mark Lanegan's smooth-as-bourbon vocals and Gary Lee Conner's thunderstorm guitars are two of the most distinctive instruments Seattle has produced. But what makes this album special is the ensemble playing and the dynamics: The band seems to have listened to Lanegan's call in "Make My Mind" to "Take a minute just to breathe." Sitars, tabla, harmonium, and Mellotron adorn moving midtempo rockers such as "All I Know" and "Dying Days," adding to a world-weary but overall optimistic vibe. Dust could be considered the combination of MTV Unplugged in New York and From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah that Nirvana was never able to realize--it's a mature, melodic album that doesn't sacrifice the energy of youthful rock & roll abandon. --Jim Derogatis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Criminally overlooked masterpiece..., May 3, 2004

By	Takis Tz. (Germany) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I know of two criminally overlooked albums in the 90s-and then again a busload which were "simply" overlooked.
Those two are the eponymous album by Mad Season and "Dust" by the Screaming Trees.
The thing about the 'Trees is that for years it was anticipated they'd deliver a brilliant album and for years it wasn't happening. A true riddle really, since all the necessary elements were there: an incredible singer, and a truly great band to back him up. Yet, if you listen to their earlier albums the mystery gets solved. Internal band strifes, bad producing, or simply the chemistry not really coming together were the factors responsible for those rather "so and so" early efforts.

Once all the components were just right, the result, in "Dust", was exactly what many people were hoping for:
absolutely stunning.

The thing is that by then, noone was expecting anything much from the Trees and thus this masterpiece went largely unnoticed, when in fact, well, in fact it was one of the very best albums of the whole decade!

But it gets more interesting actually. "Dust", despite what many people think (in their desire to categorise everything) was not just "another grunge album". It probably had as little to do with grunge as Soundgarden did. What it was, was a gorgeous bluesy but unmistakably rock album with a capital "R".
But that alone isn't what makes it so great.
What makes it stand out is that it's one of those albums where the intensity of the music and the singing is so capturing that it's irresistible. "Dust" isnt one of those albums to listen to a few times and put it away for good. It's without a doubt an LP that you will come back to many times for years to come because it leaves a mark on
the listener like few albums do.

Mark Lanegan gives here the performance of his life. The moody and often very melancholic songs are
delivered by Lanegan in such a way, you feel you have a good friend over telling you his sorrows... The band go one better, and dress the whole thing up with some seriously heartwarming rock melodies, of the grandiose kind, songs that qualify easily as rock classics.

Basically, it's futile to try and describe how good "Dust" is. Or maybe there's not enough superlatives i could think of.
If you're looking for truly timeless music, this album will serve you more than well.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Album, June 23, 2002

By	"rowsbette" (Glasgow United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

I've liked "grunge music" for quite a while, and when I eventually heard of the Screaming Trees, I downloaded the song Nearly Lost You. I liked it, but didn't think of it as anything special. After reading so much praise for Dust however, I decided to take a chance when I saw it second hand in a local record shop. I was blown away on the first listen.

Psychedelia and folk are genres I've never been drawn to, but the Screaming Trees have created such a unique, touching, folk/metal/psychedelia/grunge/genres-I-can't-quite-pinpoint hybrid it's impossible to resist.
Mark Lanegan shines: a husky, gorgeous voice that perfectly compliments the music, with moving and beautiful lyrics that match the quality of those of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.
From the first frantic burst of Halo of Ashes to the final fading melancholy of Gospel Plow, every song is a winner.

I wouldn't class this as a grunge album, but I think it will appeal to open-minded fans of the genre. Criminally ignored and among my top five favourites, I consider Dust to be the most versatile (and perhaps one of the best) rock albums ever.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the nineties best, if not the, June 15, 2000

By	undefined (San Fran) - See all my reviews

I saw some reviews for this cd on amazon.com, they were mostly in praise, so I just decided to buy it used from Wherehouse. How could anyone not shower this with praise. This cd has some of the best songs I have ever heard. PERIOD. "Dying Days" and "Witness" are just incredible. Of course these guys were one of Seattle's originals. And were considered grunge with the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. Although none of those bands sound remotely similar....they seem to have been jumbled into an undefinable genre. The Screaming Trees do not share any similarities with these bands either. The best way to describe them would be "phsychadelic folk rock". It sounds kind of strange. But it makes sense when you hear them. The guitar's sing, the drums pound, and lanegan's voice is infectiously melodic and smooth. All of the elements flow together to create some of the most artistic and pleasing tunes ever made. Of course this album didn't sell that much. Why? I don't know. It is definitely intended for mature audiences. Those who can appreciate old sixties and seventies music like Buffalo Sprinfield and others. There are not any bad songs here, there aren't even any mediocre tunes. Everything is above par, and very good. If you don't have this cd...then your cd collection is worthless. GO BUY IT RIGHT NOW.