Grunge supergroup Mad Season’s ‘Above’ returns to vinyl for 30th anniversary edition

Mad Season was the short-lived mid-’90s Seattle grunge supergroup of Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley, Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, and bassist John Baker Saunders. They only made one album together, 1995’s Above, which also featured contributions from Barrett’s Screaming Trees bandmate Mark Lanegan. They only played a very small amount of shows before breaking up in 1996, followed by partial reunions in the 2010s that were even more brief. A modest hit at the time, Above and Mad Season have only grown in reputation in the 30 years since with its lineup of talent and songs like “River of Deceit,” “I Don’t Know Anything” and “Long Gone Day.”

We’re now excited to be bringing you a 30th anniversary edition of Above, featuring the original album mastered for vinyl with lacquers cut by Levi Seitz (Pearl Jam). It also includes the five bonus tracks that were on the 2013 deluxe reissue, including three songs with Mark Lanegan and a cover of John Lennon’s “I Don’t Want To Be a Soldier” with Layne singing.

The packaging has been restored to the ’95 artwork with original cover, inside gatefold, back photo, and center labels. There’s also a new 20-page 12×12 booklet featuring new liner notes from McCready and Martin, additional photos, and song lyrics.

The Above 30th Anniversary Edition is available to pre-order in the BV shop in three different color vinyl variants: opaque white vinyl (1000 made), black-and-white swirled vinyl (750 made), and half-and-half black-and-white vinyl (250 made – now sold out). Check out the packaging and tracklist below.

“Playing with Baker, Barrett, Layne, and Mark was a privilege I will always cherish,” McCready says of this new reissue. “As Above is re-released, I hope you enjoy it. I remain grateful for the opportunity to share that time, that music, and those memories with all of you.”

Check out more from Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and other ’90s Seattle in the BrooklynVegan shop.

Above 30th Anniversary Edition:
Wake Up
X-Ray Mind
River of Deceit
I’m Above
Artificial Red
Lifeless Dead
I Don’t Know Anything
Long Gone Day
November Hotel
All Alone
Interlude
Locomotive
Black Book of Fear
Slip Away
I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier