''Strung Out in Heaven'' is the seventh studio album by American

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band

The Brian Jonestown Massacre The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American Rock music, rock band led and started by Anton Newcombe. It was formed in San Francisco in 1990. The group was the subject of the 2004 documentary film called ''Dig!'', and have gained media notorie ...

. It was released in June 1998 and was the band's first and only recording with the large independent label,

TVT Records TVT Records, originally Tee-Vee Toons, was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb in 1984. Initially created to release the '' Television's Greatest Hits'' series of classic TV theme tune compilations, the label would expand into ra ...

Background

After releasing a number of well-received recordings on the smaller psychedelia-focused Bomp! Records label, The Brian Jonestown Massacre were signed to a multi-record deal with TVT.

Recording and content

Matt Hollywood Matthew Hollywood (born June 11, 1973) is an American indie rock guitarist and singer. He was a founding member and leader of the Portland-based indie rock band The Out Crowd, as well as a founding member of the psychedelic rock band The Brian Jo ...

contributed more to this record due to

Anton Newcombe Anton Alfred Newcombe (born August 29, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder of the music group The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Newcombe was the subject of the 2004 documentary film '' Dig!'', alo ...

being incapable of writing as many songs as he was addicted to heroin at the time. The album is named after a lyric from the

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

song " Ashes to Ashes". "Wisdom" is a re-recording of the same song that originally appeared on the band's second album, '' Methodrone''. "Dawn" is also a re-recording, with the original version appearing on '' Take It from the Man!''. "Spun" is also a re-recording of the same song that appears on the band's album ''

Thank God for Mental Illness ''Thank God for Mental Illness'' is the fifth studio album by American psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre. After releasing ''Take It from the Man!'' and ''Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request'' in mid-1996, both of which displa ...

''.

Musical style

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Jason Ankeny writes, "Settling into a blissfully

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

drift, the album opts not for the

Stones In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

-inspired raunch of before but for

Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the sole consisten ...

-like guitars, muffled drums and pulsating

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

lines, all topped off by Anton Newcombe's half-stoned, half-shamanic vocals".

Release

The recording didn't sell as many records as TVT had hoped, and they later mutually dissolved their remaining contractual obligations. "Love" was released as a CD single, with a demo of "Wasting Away" as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

on TVT Records in 1998. "Love" and "Nothing to Lose" was also released as a double A-side single independently in 1997. The release featured "Let's Pretend It's Summer", "I've Been Waiting", "The Devil May Care (Mom & Dad Don't)" and an alternate version of "I've Been Waiting" as B-sides.

Critical reception

AllMusic praised the album, calling it "their least immediate, most restrained record to date ..''Strung Out in Heaven'' proves as engaging as their past efforts, with a focus and cohesiveness often lacking from their more visceral work", also calling it "the BJM's most mature outing yet".

Head Heritage Julian David Cope (born 21 October 1957) is an English musician and author. He was the singer and songwriter in Liverpool post-punk band the Teardrop Explodes and has followed a solo career since 1983 in addition to working on musical side pro ...

described it as "BJM's most easily accessible and truly genius album thus far."

Legacy

The song ''Going to Hell'' is featured in American Pie as well as the "

Faith, Hope & Trick "Faith, Hope & Trick" is the third episode of season three of the television show ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. This episode introduces the character Faith, another vampire slayer, who will become a key player in Sunnydale. While the rest of th ...

" episode of

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

.Paul Gregory Attinello, Janet K. Halfyard, Vanessa Knights ''Music, Sound and Silence in Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' 2010 Page 171-172 "The infamous independent band Brian Jonestown Massacre, a band known for its references to the psychedelic rhythm ... sound opening of their song "Going to Hell" evokes emotional reminiscences of the liberated 1960s, specifically the Rickenbacker sound associated with the Byrds and the Beatles."

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals, guitar, bass, drums *

– bass, guitar, vocals * Jeffrey Davies – guitar, organ * Dean Taylor – guitar *

Joel Gion Joel Gion (; born ) is an American musician, best known as the tambourine player for the psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre. He was a guest star on the U.S. television show ''Gilmore Girls'', where he played the tambourine in the ...

– percussion * Miranda Lee Richards – vocals, flute *Adam Hamilton – drums *Norm Block – drums *Johnny Haro – drums

References

{{Authority control 1998 albums The Brian Jonestown Massacre albums TVT Records albums