The Winding Sheet
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Winding Sheet'' is the debut studio
album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
artist
Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age ...
. It was released in 1990 on
Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...
. The album was Lanegan's first solo work, and is notable in its departure from the characteristic sound of
Screaming Trees Screaming Trees were an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bassist Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel was replaced by Barrett Martin in 1991. Screami ...
, the band he fronted from 1985 until 2000.


Background

While the work done in the Screaming Trees was much more energetic and fit into the burgeoning grunge genre of the late 80s/early 90s, ''The Winding Sheet'' has a much more stripped down sound, defining Lanegan's solo work largely for the rest of the decade. As Lanegan recounts in his 2017 book ''I Am the Wolf: Lyric and Writings'', "Prior to this I had sometimes written words with the other members of my first band, or, more often, had tried to change their lyrics to fit me in a more personal way. This was a tedious, frustrating routine that was never enjoyable, and so ''The Winding Sheet'' became my first attempt at going it alone." Notable music photographer Charles Peterson shot the cover image of Lanegan. During the selection of the album's cover art, Lanegan specifically demanded that a different photo of himself be used on the cover, stating that the label's preferred shot seemed "pretentious". When the album shipped without the cover art being changed per the agreement between him and Sub Pop co-owner
Bruce Pavitt Bruce S. Pavitt (born March 7, 1959) is the co-founder of independent record label Sub Pop. He attended Evergreen State College where he hosted a show on Evergreen's KAOS radio station before founding Sub Pop. Career After briefly attending B ...
, Lanegan stormed into Pavitt's office at Sub Pop, berating him and threatening him with legal action and various acts of violence, and threatened to have the albums pulled from store shelves.


Recording

The album was produced by Mike Johnson, who also co-wrote many of the songs, and
Jack Endino Jack Endino (born Michael M. Giacondino; 1964) is an American producer and musician based in Seattle, Washington. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands including Mudhoney, ...
. In ''I Am the Wolf: Lyrics and Writings'', Lanegan recalls Endino "constantly assuring me that what we were doing was not terrible" and notes that the songs were "born of sadness and uncertainty with my circumstances at the time: relationships, money problems, alcohol, depression, addiction, and so on." On "Down in the Dark", Lanegan's friend
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...
sings, while on a cover version of Leadbelly's " Where Did You Sleep Last Night", Cobain contributes guitar and
Krist Novoselic Krist Anthony Novoselic (; ; born May 16, 1965) is an American musician, politician and activist. Novoselic co-founded and played bass on every album for the rock music, rock band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Novoselic and Kurt Cobain formed the ban ...
plays bass.
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
would later also cover " Where Did You Sleep Last Night" on their ''Unplugged'' album.
Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
' frontman and former
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
drummer
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...
has called ''The Winding Sheet'' "one of the best albums of all time" and has said that it was a huge influence on Nirvana's 1993
MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...
concert.


Critical reception

''
The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...
'' opined that "the album elevates Lanegan to the status of one of the Northwest's most intriguing and promising rock artists." ''
Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'' called it "marvelous" and "moody and ominous".


Track listing


Personnel

* Mark Lanegan - lead vocals, acoustic guitar (6, 9, 13) *
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...
- electric guitar (11), backing vocals (5) *
Krist Novoselic Krist Anthony Novoselic (; ; born May 16, 1965) is an American musician, politician and activist. Novoselic co-founded and played bass on every album for the rock music, rock band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Novoselic and Kurt Cobain formed the ban ...
- bass (11) *
Jack Endino Jack Endino (born Michael M. Giacondino; 1964) is an American producer and musician based in Seattle, Washington. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands including Mudhoney, ...
- bass (1, 3 - 5, 10), second electric guitar (5) *
Mike Johnson James Michael Johnson (born January 30, 1972) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2023. A member ...
- acoustic guitar (1 - 4, 7 - 8, 10), electric guitar (1, 3 - 5, 8, 10) *
Mark Pickerel Mark Pickerel (born March 12, 1968) is an American musician best known as the original drummer for the alternative rock band Screaming Trees. He is also an active session musician and has released several solo albums as a singer/guitarist. Biog ...
- drums (1, 3 - 5, 11) *
Steve Fisk Steve Fisk is an American, Washington-based audio engineer, record producer and musician. As a musician, he has been in bands such as the instrumental alternative/indie rock band Pell Mell and the electronic band Pigeonhed. He has long been a ...
- organ (8, 12), piano (1, 4) * Justin Williams - violin (3, 7)


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Winding Sheet 1990 debut albums Mark Lanegan albums Sub Pop albums Albums produced by Jack Endino