April 20, 2012 Playlist

"Jerusalem" by Sleep (1999)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Sleep  "Jerusalem"  1999 (USA)
This week's Classic Album consists of a single 52 minute long song, probably the greatest epic in the history of heavy metal.  Originally clocking in at over an hour in length and titled "Dopesmoker", as Julian Cope has noted this monstrosity comes across like a religious work from a desert cult founded on the sacred texts of Black Sabbath's first four albums.  Quasi-Rastafarian pseudo-biblical lyrics exalting the sacred herb chanted over doom riffs that last until the end of time are not the sort of thing record labels are looking to release, so although this piece was recorded around 1996, it was not released until a few years later after the band had already broken up (in 2003 another even longer mix was released under the original Dopesmoker title).  Impossible to ignore, Sleep's Jerusalem/Dopesmoker has only continued to rise in stature over the years.
Sleep has reunited to perform recently, though have not released any new albums this decade -- here's "Jerusalem" live in 2010 (or the first 15 minutes anyway).  One gets the impression that if Sleep showed up for a gig and just played their most famous song that most of their fans would be happy, but they did release a couple of albums before this one, the second of which (Holy Mountain) includes a classic Sabbath soundalike called "Dragonaut".  After disbanding in the late 1990's, the rhythm section of Al Cisneros (bass & vocals) and Chris Haikus (drums) continued on as a duo called Om with a mystical doom vibe similar to Sleep (but without any guitar!) -- here is Om live performing "Flight Of The Eagle".  Meanwhile Sleep's guitarist Matt Pike formed a more conventional heavy metal group called High On Fire.  I couldn't feature Sleep without also mentioning the band that started it all (heavy metal in general and "doom riffs" in particular) -- Birmingham UK's immortal Black Sabbath.
(N) = New Release
Artist Song Album Year (label) Country
Steppenwolf The Pusher (by Hoyt Axton - live) Early Steppenwolf
rec. 1967, rel. 1969USA/Canada
(Germany)
 
  
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO
Psycho Buddha
New Geocentric World
2001Japan
White HillsYou Dream You SeeFrying On This Rock (N)2012 (Thrill Jockey)USA
 
  
Black BananasKiller Weed
Rad Times Xpress IV (N)2012 (Drag City)
USA
Mother Of FireHex (part 1)
Feral Children (N)2012 (Sword Finger)
USA
Cribshitter4:19 / Hippie Girl
Methlehem (N)2012 (Medicated G)
USA
Black DiceRodriguez
Mr. Impossible (N)2012 (Ribbon)
USA
The Beatles
What's The New Mary Jane? Anthology 3
rec. 1968, rel. 1996
UK
 
  
Sleep
Jerusalem (parts 1-4)
Jerusalem
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1999
USA
Sleep
Jerusalem (parts 5-6)
Jerusalem
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1999
USA
Black Sabbath
Sweet Leaf Master Of Reality
1971
UK
 
 
Starcastle
Shine On Brightly Citadel
1977
USA
Camel
Rhayader
   /
Rhayader Goes To Town
The Snow Goose
1975
UK
Mashmakhan
Nature's Love Song   Mashmakhan
1970
Canada
The Marshall Tucker Band
Everyday (I Have The Blues) (by Memphis Slim - live) Where We All Belong
1974
USA
                 
Back to playlists         Back to main