Soup review in Rolling Stone...

[yelram]

Okay, so I wasnt always the biggest Blind Melon fan, not because I didnt like them, but because I was never properly exposed (beyond No Rain) until several months ago, since then I have sort of made it my mission to figure out why the music scene didnt like "SOUP" and I cant figure it out beyond this..


Ever notice that Shannon Hoon sings like Jon Anderson of Yes at his most mewling? In a few years, Hoon's band, Blind Melon, will be about as relevant as Anderson's, too. But there's a difference between Blind Melon and the empty riffs and cosmic slop of Yes. On Soup, the follow-up to the band's eponymous multiplatinum debut, Blind Melon don't have any riffs.

Well, there is a drunken brass band at the CD's beginning and end, and the guitars occasionally give up dabs of moldy '60s decoration like phase shifting. But in service of what? The blissful vibe of hippie positivity that colored "No Rain" is replaced here by disarray. At best, the sketchy songs float by in a surreal swirl of chords ("Galaxie"). At worst, they fall into a mellow, folk-rocking rut ("St. Andrew's Fall"). Whether Blind Melon are worshiping the Dead on the semiacoustic stroll "Walk" or employing strings, banjo and Hoon's voice in pursuit of a Middle Eastern melody on "Car Seat (God's Presents)," nothing they do coheres.

The main trouble with Soup lies with the lyrics. On "2×4," Hoon sings that he's talking to himself more. Maybe that's why his stream-of-consciousness writing on Soup is incomprehensible. Provocative images like Hoon looking Jesus Christ in the eye in "St. Andrew's Fall" are thrown about but never developed. Without the weight of narrative or some emotional resonance, there's no glue to keep random phrases and hyperbole like "I'm not at home in the galaxy" from becoming disconnected space flotsam. Better-crafted vocal melodies would help, yet Hoon's phrasing – especially his habit of pushing high notes to an out-of-his-range yowl – hardly varies from song to song.

With such slight fare to offer – and no kid in a bee suit – Soup puts Blind Melon in hot water. (RS 716)

TED DROZDOWSKI

This slimebag wouldnt know real music if it slapped him upside the head. Heres the myspace for his band, I made it a point to send him a nice message ;-). Critics deserve a little criticism now and again....

www.myspace.com/scissormen

And his music pretty much sucks, I mean I wouldnt normally be that critical, but come on, anyone denigrating Shannon had better be a musical genius, or STFU...

[allthatineeded]

Actually, his review was pretty much on the mark, at least for anyone who gives Soup a casual listen. Most reviews are written for the masses and not all music is made for the masses. I think he brings up some valid points, the CD does lack a bit of cohesiveness and the lyrics aren't always coherent and can be a bit random at times. Even the title of the CD, "Soup" sums up how much of a mixture the songs are, the band has even said the same thing. The first time I listened to it I had some of the same feelings/thoughts, but since I was a dedicated fan I also recognized the moments of genious. Fact is Soup was not as accessible as their debut disc, just as all the songs on their debut weren't as accessible as "No Rain". Rolling Stone is a pop magazine that like to pretend they are still relevant, they write for the masses and for that he was right about Soup.

All that being said, Soup is now recoginized by most as a watershed moment for the band. It's just a shame that Shannon died and we only got to see part of the journey and not the destination.

[yelram]

As someone who has just heard soup for the first time in the last few months, I respectfully disagree on just about every level. The lyrical content is brilliant, its not told in two dimensional lyrics, its not some simple story, that has one specific meaning. The textures used within it from song to song vary in a way that it sounds like a Stravinsky composition. I find walk just as accessible as No Rain. And Shannons phrasing, and melodic intuition is entirely brilliant. When I listen to this cheezeballs music, it sounds like he couldnt figure out how to put a melody together that hasnt been rehashed in countless blues songs a million times over.

[ladyjane]

I think the varied nature of "Soup" is one
of the reasons I like(LOVE)it so much. The fact
that it's such a wide variety of sounds and songs
is just testament to the emotional rollercoaster
of the human beings behind it. In other words,
it carries so much real feeling;
indecision, sadness, regret, rebellion,hope,
desperation, and even a bit of laughter to boot.
It's highly unexpected! Brilliantly unpredictable!
I'm not sure I would call it uncohesive, for although
it contains all these separate characteristics, I feel
they come together (the songs) as a whole; the
whole pot o' soup.
It's not repetitive, and that keeps it from sounding
just like everything else.
(So that's what I would have written in my review)
I have pretty much "turned" my diehard "nickelback"
"kid rock" lovin' boyfriend. After a few listens to the
Melon, he can't help but admit that they do kick butt.
(oh yeah, Rogers if you happen upon this, he also
said that you can really bend some strings)
Before me,he was a "No Rain" Melon virgin!
Now when we go out, he asks me to bring my
Melon cds along!

[melonhead1784]

I guess it is just personal taste, but for me Soup is one of my all time favorite albums. Had they thrown out Car Seat and added the song "Soup", personally this album would have been flawless! As for the brass band at the beginning and end, I absolutely loved it and thought it was a great touch to the overall album!

[~LoveJoy~]

let me start off by saying soup is brilliant. i can see how people with very shallow musical knowledge and lack of emotional grasp of what music as art is about could be a little overwhelmed by the whole thing. i did pick a few favorites right off, a few of the more direct songs...and the more i listened to the entire album I was drawn in by the detail of all the other songs. soup was much different from blind melon to me as in, i could see puttin blind melon on, sittin out on the "sundeck" just chillin out. blind melon really flowed and was comfortable for me. soup was an album that if you were not willing to take the time to appreciate it, then you were lost. the album is really in your face and all over the place. it perfectly reflects the perception of the time frame i have from reading greg pratos amazing book. that album is so full of emotion. the only complaint i have was clarified a little in the book. my complaint was that the songs were a little too short. i think rogers said they were going for more quality than quantity, he didnt say it like that, but i think that was the gist of it. i still say, the more melon the better though. there are no two songs that sound similar on that album. it is a very emotionally heavy album..as far as the lyrics, well, i dont get some of them but you know these songs are not about me, they are art and expression through shannon's and the band's eyes.... i think it is alot harder to relate to some of these lyrics, but shannon was pouring his soul out. anyone who cant appreciate that just doesnt know good music.

[GRUMPIN]

SOUP IS brilliant. I can see the casual listener "not getting it", but I believe it has stood the test of time. It's actually one of my favorite records of all time.

[Deleted]

The fact that the writer cites the lyrics to Galaxie as "I'm not at home in this galaxy" prove that he is not really listening to the album is supposed to be reviewing, mishearing lyrics to any song can change the intended meaning and that is especially true for a Blind Melon song.