Screaming Trees Album: “Nearly Lost You”

Okay, this is obviously a perfect example of the cheap, quick budget sampler released by major labels to squeeze every last filthy dollar out of artists they don't think they'll be getting anything out of (see Nirvana, Alice In Chains, etc. for more examples of this). Granted, the Trees are an awesome band; one of the best rock bands to come out in a long time; they easily match up with their Northwestern contemporaries and friends (if not surpassing them, which is entirely possible). But the problem isn't with the quality of the music. On this CD, which is not even fourty minutes long, meaning that they could have included A LOT more songs on here. And trust me, there are a lot of songs that should be included on any Trees compilation that have not made it on here. Where's "Julie Paradise"? Where's "Dollar Bill"? Where's "Sworn and Broken"? And all of these songs are in versions that have already been released. Not one unreleased song, not one alternate or live version. When I got this, I was really hoping that it was more than it seemed, that maybe there would be some excellent live version of one of my favorite Trees' songs, or maybe an alternate version. Nope. The record label is really pushing it now, figuring that now that the Trees have earned their reputation and are getting some of the respect they deserve (they were kind of ignored while their buddies like Nirvana and AIC were being shoved down everyone's throat with a battering ram), maybe they can milk their catelog for a little more moola.

If you own any of the Trees' three major labels, stay away from this. Get the actual albums; they have a lot of great music that somehow didn't make it on to this. And if you're new, you might want to buy this, but I'd still have to say that buying "Sweet Oblivion" or "Dust" is still your better option. You'll still get the songs taken from that album, plus a lot of other great music that fits better together as a wonderful, cohesive album, instead of this quickly and shoddily assembled excuse for a Screaming Trees album.

This EP has four tracks with the obvious "Nearly Lost You" being the first track taken from the Sweet Oblivion CD and the other three tracks having been previously unreleased... although I believe they are all available in some for or another on other compilations now. The other three tracks are "E.S.K." "Song of a Baker" and "Winter Song (Acoustic Version)".

If you are a fan of Screaming Trees and especially of Mark Lanegan's voice, then I highly suggest this CD.