Jerusalem and Dopesmoker
Jerusalem and Dopesmoker | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1999‡ April 22, 2003† | |||
Recorded | 1996 | |||
Studio | Record Two Studio in Comptche, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 52:08‡ 63:36† 63:36₸ | |||
Label | Rise Above/The Music Cartel‡ Tee Pee† | |||
Producer | Billy Anderson†, Sleep | |||
Sleep chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reissue cover | ||||
Jerusalem | ||||
Jerusalem and Dopesmoker are two versions of the third studio album by the American
Production
After positive reviews from the heavy metal press and the release of the album Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992) on Earache Records, Sleep's label announced that they would release their follow-up record.[3][4][5] Sleep had been touring in Europe with Cathedral and in the United States with Nik Turner's version of Hawkwind in support of Sleep's Holy Mountain when the group felt they had to write new material.[3][6] The new album was going to be an hour-long song.[6] This song was written and practiced at sound checks, motel rooms and in friends' houses.[7] Matt Pike said the songwriting process was long and that they were "working on [the song] for like four years. [They] also had two other songs that were working on that were really long, too—like 15 and 20 minutes. But [they] never recorded them."[6] Al Cisneros stated that smoking cannabis was important to the song's creative process: "I was really dependent on the space I got into when I was using it, and some of the lyrics are about that...The line, 'Drop out of life [with bong in hand],' was kind of a creed at that point."[7] The song was originally known and performed live under the title "Dopesmoker". After their tour, the group began to be interested in a Middle Eastern desert theme which led to Sleep referring to the song as "Jerusalem" during later practice sessions.[8]
Sleep were ready to record the album in 1995 but did not record it until 1996 as the band was still contracted with Earache.
The song was recorded at Record Two Studio in Comptche, California.[10] While recording the song, it began to develop differently from the original vision.[10] Pike stated that the "song was getting slower and slower and then it got weird. We started tripping out and second guessing ourselves."[10] Recording the album was difficult. Pike recalled that "there was so much to memorize for that album, and we had to do it in like three different sections because a reel-to-reel only holds 22 minutes. It was really cool, but it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life."[9] Sleep were in the studio for one month then went home to rehearse and returned for another month. Pike noted that they ended up with two or three different versions of the song.[8]
Part of the song's signature sound is thanks to custom-built amps designed to be so loud, no one from the band was capable of going into the same room as them. More than half a dozen microphones were used to pick up the sound from the amps.[11]
Release
Within a few weeks of signing with London, the
By 2009, there had been four versions of the album released: a rare London Records promotional disc, a bootleg with cover art by
In March 2012,
On August 22, 2022, Third Man Records announced the release of a remastered version of Dopesmoker on music streaming services on August 26, 2022, featuring "Hot Lava Man", a track that hadn't been released digitally before. Along with this digital release, a vinyl reissue of the album is set to ship on December 9, 2022,[22] as well as a deluxe "Weedian High-Fi" vinyl pressed with "authentic cannabis leaves" which is only available to purchase at Third Man's Detroit storefront.[23]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Pitchfork | 8.5/10[30] |
Spin | (favorable)[31] |
Stylus Magazine | (favorable)[32] |
Both Dopesmoker and early releases of the album received positive reviews from the music press. In the December 2000 issue of
The album continued to receive praise after the release of Dopesmoker. Eduardo Rivadavia of online music database AllMusic gave the album four and a half stars out of five stating "Dopesmoker is [...] an instant
The 2012
Track listings
All music written and composed by Sleep.[16][17][36]
Jerusalem
|
Dopesmoker (Tee Pee issue)
Dopesmoker (Southern Lord reissue)
Dopesmoker (Third Man reissue)
|
Personnel
Sleep
- Al Cisneros – vocals, bass
- Matt Pike – guitar
- Chris Hakius – drums
Jerusalem
- Sleep – producer
- Philo Hayward – assistant engineering
- Doug Henderson – assistant engineering
- Fred Kervorkian – editing
- Adam Muñoz – assistant engineering
Dopesmoker (2003 Tee Pee issue)
|
Dopesmoker (2012 Southern Lord reissue)
|
Dopesmoker (2022 Third Man reissue)
|
See also
Notes
- ^ † This refers to the Dopesmoker (2003) release of the album.
- ^ ₸ This refers to the Dopesmoker (2012) reissue release of the album.
- ^ ‡ This refers to the Jerusalem (1999) release of the album.
References
- ^ Terich, Jeff; Blyweiss, Adam (April 20, 2017). "10 Essential Stoner Rock Albums". Treblezine. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
- ^ Dome, Malcolm (October 16, 2016). "10 Essential Stoner Rock Albums". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
- ^ a b c Earache Staff. "Sleep". Earache. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
- ^ a b Tee Pee Staff. "Tee Pee Records - Bands". Tee Pee Records. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
- ^ a b c Rivadavia, Eduardo. "allmusic ((( Sleep > Biography )))". AllMusic. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f Bennett, 2009. p.294
- ^ a b c d Bennett, 2009. p.295
- ^ a b Bennett, 2009. p.297
- ^ a b Bennett, 2009. p.293
- ^ a b c Bennett, 2009. p.296
- ^ Riff, Monster (October 14, 2019). "Dopesmoker: How Sleep's Magnum Opus Ended the Band's Career". Monster Riff. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ Bennett, 2009. p.298
- ^ Bennett, 2009. p.299
- ^ Bennett, 2009. p.301
- ^ a b Bennett, 2009. p.300
- ^ a b c d Deming, Mark. "Jerusalem: Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Rivadavia, Eduardo. "allmusic ((( Dopesmoker > Overview )))". AllMusic. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- ^ "Jim Jarmusch unedited". The Wire. November 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ "Southern Lord to Unleash Dopesmoker Deluxe Reissue". March 9, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
- ^ "Deluxe Reissue of Sleep's 'Dopesmoker' Due in May". March 30, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ^ "Dopesmoker – Sleep". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ^ "Dopesmoker". Third Man Store. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ "Sleep & Third Man Records unveil "Weedian High-Fi" deluxe repressing of landmark album Dopesmoker, with actual cannabis leaves in the vinyl". Third Man Store. August 22, 2022. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Dopesmoker (Reissue) – Sleep". Metacritic. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ^ Popoff 2007.
- ^ Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
- ^ a b Bennett, 2009. p.292
- ^ a b Ayers, Chris (September 2003). "Aggressive Tendencies Metal & Hardcore reviews:Sleep – Dopesmoker". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
- ^ a b Mojo. October 2003. p. 111.
5 stars out of 5 – '...A benchmark by which all that dares call itself stoner rock must surely be judged...'
{{cite magazine}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ Pitchfork Media. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
- ^ ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ a b "Into the Void: Stylus Magazine's Beginner's Guide to Metal – Article – Stylus Magazine". Stylus Magazine. January 9, 2006. Archived from the original on September 9, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ISSN 1074-6978. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ David Rees for the New York Times Magazine. Jan 21, 2016. Letter of Recommendation: Sleep, 'Dopesmoker'
- ^ Falzon, Denise (May 15, 2012). "Sleep – Dopesmoker". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
- ^ Raggett, Ned. "Dopesmoker (CD – Southern Lord Records #LORD 158)". AllMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
Other sources
- Bennett, J. (2009). "High Times: The Making of Sleep's Jerusalem". In Mudrian, Albert (ed.). ISBN 978-0-306-81806-6. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
External links
- Indepth Review Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine by Julian Cope
- Dopesmoker at Tee Pee Records