MARK SANDMAN
''SANDBOX: THE MUSIC OF MARK SANDMAN, 1952-1999, DISC ONE''
NOVEMBER 16 2004
110:39
DISC ONE
1. Double Stripper Double Sax/1:05
2. I Can Do That/1:53
3. Tomorrow/3:28
4. Patience/3:27
5. Cocoon/4:11
6. Imaginary Song/2:53
7. Goddess/3:57
8. Jealous Dream/2:56
9. Justine/4:27
10. The Phone/2:24
11. Devils Boots/4:50
12. Born Again/3:10
13. Wig/3:27
14. 51%/2:32
15. Good Time Last Night/1:35
DISC TWO
1. Riley The Dog/3:24
2. Some Other Dog/3:28
3. Snow/3:48
4. Doreen/4:39
5. Get Along/3:13
6. Monas Sister/3:23
7. Hombre/4:11
8. Hotel Room/3:52
9. Lets Not Talk/2:42
10. Bathtub/3:21
11. I Wanna Go Home/5:08
12. Deep Six/2:48
13. Livin With U/3:49
14. They Bent Me/5:45
15. Middle East/5:44
16. Early Man/5:08
All Tracks By Sandman
Chris Ballew /Bass
Rick Barry /Drums
Billy Beard /Drums
Mickey Bones /Drums
David Champagne /Guitar (Electric)
Jim Clements /Drums
Dana Colley /Horn, Producer
Billy Conway /Drums, Producer
Rich Cortez /Bass
Larry Dersch /Drums
Jerry Deupree /Drums
Tom Dube /Producer
Toni Elka /Vocals (Background)
Colin Fisher /Horn
Russ Gershon /Horn
Tom Halter /Horn
Jay Hilt /Drums
Bob Holmes /Producer
Jim Janota /Drums
Charlie Kohlhase /Horn
Paul Q. Kolderie /Producer
Rick McLaughlin /Bass
John Medeski /Keyboards
Mike Moss /Horn
Brian Papciak
Riley /Vocals (Background)
Michael Rivard /Bass
Jimmy Ryan /Mandolin
Mark Sandman /2-String Bass, Banjo, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Organ, Piano, String Bass, Synthesizer, Tritar, Vocals
Laurie Sargent /Vocals (Background)
Jane Scarpantoni /Strings
Jeff Sias
Sean Slade /Producer
Frank Swart /Bass
Ron Ward /Drums
Connie White /Vocals (Background)
Ken Winokur /Drums
Harvey Wright /Drums
Joel Yennior /Horn
Dominique Zar /Drums
REVIEW
by Rovi
A singer, songwriter, poet, artist, inventor, and player of numerous instruments, as well as an all-around mysterious, charismatic rock & roll figure, Mark Sandman was the stuff cult legends are built on, a status hastened by his premature death in 1999. Best known as the leader of "low rock" band Morphine, Sandman forged an idiosyncratic sound out of swamp-blues rumble, smoky jazz noir, and beat-inspired lyrics. SANDBOX, a two-CD set that also includes a DVD and photo-packed booklet, offers a definitive look at Sandman's achievements, including his recordings with Morphine and early bands Treat Her Right and the Hipnosonics.
The best moments on SANDBOX map the terrain of Sandman's shadowy interior, from the bluesy isolation anthem "Cocoon" through the dreamy "Imaginary Song" to the minor-key soul-jazz of "Justine." While Disc One focuses on the familiar sax/bass/drums sound of Morphine, Disc Two collects some of Sandman's experimental outings (the percussion/voice duet "Riley the Dog"), early roots-rock tunes ("Doreen"), and genre curveballs (the call-and-response funk-rap jam "Deep Six"). All told, the set works marvelously as an introduction to and an overview of Sandman's unique achievements, and comes highly recommended for Morphine fans and lovers of offbeat rock.
BIOGRAPHY
by Greg Prato
Multi-instrumentalist/singer Mark Sandman was best known as the frontman for self-described "low-rockers" Morphine. An intensely private person, not much is known about Sandman's early days, just that he was born in 1952 (growing up in Newton, MA), and after graduating from UMass Boston, did some traveling before working on a fishing boat in Washington. By the mid-'80s, Sandman had moved back to the Boston area where he formed and played guitar/sang in the blues roots rock quartet Treat Her Right (along with guitarist/singer David Champagne, drummer Billy Conway, and harmonica player Jim Fitting). The group enjoyed minor success with the college rock crowd, issuing a total of three albums: 1986's self-titled debut, 1989's Tied to the Tracks, and 1991's What's Good for You, before splitting up.
During the latter years of Treat Her Right, Sandman could be seen playing in any of several side projects, including Supergroup (with future Presidents of the United States member Chris Ballew), Treat Her Orange (a collaboration with Blood Oranges frontman/mandolin player Jimmy Ryan), and the horn-driven funk outfit Hypnosonics. But of all the Sandman-related bands at the time, it was Morphine that caused the biggest stir. Comprised of drummer Jerome Dupree, tenor/baritone saxophonist Dana Colley, and Sandman on vocals and a homemade, detuned two-string bass that he built himself, the trio specialized in stripped-down jazz-lounge rock complete with Kerouac-like lyrics, which would have provided the perfect soundtrack to a dimly lit, late night bar.
In the midst of their debut album's recording sessions, Dupree was replaced with former Treat Her Right skinsman Billy Conway, resulting in 1992's Good on the Accurate/Distortion label. The band's regional buzz grew worldwide with incessant touring and such further releases as 1993's Cure for Pain and 1995's Yes, both issued for Rykodisc Records (who in turn reissued their debut). Morphine's buzz had grown too loud for the major labels to ignore any longer, as Dreamworks signed the trio and issued the slightly disappointing Like Swimming in 1997. The album failed to catapult Sandman and the group to the big time, but their large and devoted cult following remained intact. With Morphine working long and hard on what would be their fourth studio album overall (Sandman in particular wanted the album to take the group to the next level musically, he was weary of the group repeating the same formula over and over), the trio toured Europe in the summer of 1999. Sadly, on July 3 at a festival performance in Rome, Sandman collapsed on stage, dying shortly thereafter from an apparent heart attack.
The studio album that Morphine had just completed, The Night, was issued posthumously a year later, as was a live album chronicling a 1994 show, which Sandman was overseeing at the time of his death. After Sandman's death, the remaining members of Morphine toured as the Morphine Orchestra (which was supplemented by added players), while the Mark Sandman Music Education Fund was founded, which benefits music education in the Cambridge public school system. In addition to his recording output with Morphine, Sandman guested on other artist's recordings over the years, including a pair of albums by the Either/Orchestra (Across the Omniverse and Half Life of Desire), Duke Levine's Lava, and Wooden Leg's self-titled debut.
''SANDBOX: THE MUSIC OF MARK SANDMAN, 1952-1999, DISC ONE''
NOVEMBER 16 2004
110:39
DISC ONE
1. Double Stripper Double Sax/1:05
2. I Can Do That/1:53
3. Tomorrow/3:28
4. Patience/3:27
5. Cocoon/4:11
6. Imaginary Song/2:53
7. Goddess/3:57
8. Jealous Dream/2:56
9. Justine/4:27
10. The Phone/2:24
11. Devils Boots/4:50
12. Born Again/3:10
13. Wig/3:27
14. 51%/2:32
15. Good Time Last Night/1:35
DISC TWO
1. Riley The Dog/3:24
2. Some Other Dog/3:28
3. Snow/3:48
4. Doreen/4:39
5. Get Along/3:13
6. Monas Sister/3:23
7. Hombre/4:11
8. Hotel Room/3:52
9. Lets Not Talk/2:42
10. Bathtub/3:21
11. I Wanna Go Home/5:08
12. Deep Six/2:48
13. Livin With U/3:49
14. They Bent Me/5:45
15. Middle East/5:44
16. Early Man/5:08
All Tracks By Sandman
Chris Ballew /Bass
Rick Barry /Drums
Billy Beard /Drums
Mickey Bones /Drums
David Champagne /Guitar (Electric)
Jim Clements /Drums
Dana Colley /Horn, Producer
Billy Conway /Drums, Producer
Rich Cortez /Bass
Larry Dersch /Drums
Jerry Deupree /Drums
Tom Dube /Producer
Toni Elka /Vocals (Background)
Colin Fisher /Horn
Russ Gershon /Horn
Tom Halter /Horn
Jay Hilt /Drums
Bob Holmes /Producer
Jim Janota /Drums
Charlie Kohlhase /Horn
Paul Q. Kolderie /Producer
Rick McLaughlin /Bass
John Medeski /Keyboards
Mike Moss /Horn
Brian Papciak
Riley /Vocals (Background)
Michael Rivard /Bass
Jimmy Ryan /Mandolin
Mark Sandman /2-String Bass, Banjo, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Organ, Piano, String Bass, Synthesizer, Tritar, Vocals
Laurie Sargent /Vocals (Background)
Jane Scarpantoni /Strings
Jeff Sias
Sean Slade /Producer
Frank Swart /Bass
Ron Ward /Drums
Connie White /Vocals (Background)
Ken Winokur /Drums
Harvey Wright /Drums
Joel Yennior /Horn
Dominique Zar /Drums
REVIEW
by Rovi
A singer, songwriter, poet, artist, inventor, and player of numerous instruments, as well as an all-around mysterious, charismatic rock & roll figure, Mark Sandman was the stuff cult legends are built on, a status hastened by his premature death in 1999. Best known as the leader of "low rock" band Morphine, Sandman forged an idiosyncratic sound out of swamp-blues rumble, smoky jazz noir, and beat-inspired lyrics. SANDBOX, a two-CD set that also includes a DVD and photo-packed booklet, offers a definitive look at Sandman's achievements, including his recordings with Morphine and early bands Treat Her Right and the Hipnosonics.
The best moments on SANDBOX map the terrain of Sandman's shadowy interior, from the bluesy isolation anthem "Cocoon" through the dreamy "Imaginary Song" to the minor-key soul-jazz of "Justine." While Disc One focuses on the familiar sax/bass/drums sound of Morphine, Disc Two collects some of Sandman's experimental outings (the percussion/voice duet "Riley the Dog"), early roots-rock tunes ("Doreen"), and genre curveballs (the call-and-response funk-rap jam "Deep Six"). All told, the set works marvelously as an introduction to and an overview of Sandman's unique achievements, and comes highly recommended for Morphine fans and lovers of offbeat rock.
BIOGRAPHY
by Greg Prato
Multi-instrumentalist/singer Mark Sandman was best known as the frontman for self-described "low-rockers" Morphine. An intensely private person, not much is known about Sandman's early days, just that he was born in 1952 (growing up in Newton, MA), and after graduating from UMass Boston, did some traveling before working on a fishing boat in Washington. By the mid-'80s, Sandman had moved back to the Boston area where he formed and played guitar/sang in the blues roots rock quartet Treat Her Right (along with guitarist/singer David Champagne, drummer Billy Conway, and harmonica player Jim Fitting). The group enjoyed minor success with the college rock crowd, issuing a total of three albums: 1986's self-titled debut, 1989's Tied to the Tracks, and 1991's What's Good for You, before splitting up.
During the latter years of Treat Her Right, Sandman could be seen playing in any of several side projects, including Supergroup (with future Presidents of the United States member Chris Ballew), Treat Her Orange (a collaboration with Blood Oranges frontman/mandolin player Jimmy Ryan), and the horn-driven funk outfit Hypnosonics. But of all the Sandman-related bands at the time, it was Morphine that caused the biggest stir. Comprised of drummer Jerome Dupree, tenor/baritone saxophonist Dana Colley, and Sandman on vocals and a homemade, detuned two-string bass that he built himself, the trio specialized in stripped-down jazz-lounge rock complete with Kerouac-like lyrics, which would have provided the perfect soundtrack to a dimly lit, late night bar.
In the midst of their debut album's recording sessions, Dupree was replaced with former Treat Her Right skinsman Billy Conway, resulting in 1992's Good on the Accurate/Distortion label. The band's regional buzz grew worldwide with incessant touring and such further releases as 1993's Cure for Pain and 1995's Yes, both issued for Rykodisc Records (who in turn reissued their debut). Morphine's buzz had grown too loud for the major labels to ignore any longer, as Dreamworks signed the trio and issued the slightly disappointing Like Swimming in 1997. The album failed to catapult Sandman and the group to the big time, but their large and devoted cult following remained intact. With Morphine working long and hard on what would be their fourth studio album overall (Sandman in particular wanted the album to take the group to the next level musically, he was weary of the group repeating the same formula over and over), the trio toured Europe in the summer of 1999. Sadly, on July 3 at a festival performance in Rome, Sandman collapsed on stage, dying shortly thereafter from an apparent heart attack.
The studio album that Morphine had just completed, The Night, was issued posthumously a year later, as was a live album chronicling a 1994 show, which Sandman was overseeing at the time of his death. After Sandman's death, the remaining members of Morphine toured as the Morphine Orchestra (which was supplemented by added players), while the Mark Sandman Music Education Fund was founded, which benefits music education in the Cambridge public school system. In addition to his recording output with Morphine, Sandman guested on other artist's recordings over the years, including a pair of albums by the Either/Orchestra (Across the Omniverse and Half Life of Desire), Duke Levine's Lava, and Wooden Leg's self-titled debut.
