By By Mike Fordham
It's a shame that Blind Melon is and will always be known primarily for the song "No Rain" or the Bee Girl of the accompanying video and album cover. This doesn't mean that "No Rain" is a terrible song (far from it), but the group's 1992 self-titled album had much more to offer than just that one hit.
At their peak, Blind Melon linked together grunge and alternative rock with a hippie mentality. The band could just as easily tour with Soundgarden and hang with Axl Rose, (lead singer Shannon Hoon and Rose were great friends) as they could get into an acoustic jam. Still, Blind Melon's calling card was mixing all of these elements together into a sound that was wholly their own. Listen to "Tones Of Home" and "Soak The Sun," complete with muscular electric guitar work along with a carefree vibe. As a contrast, "Deserted" and "Change" resonate with a down-home, roots feeling.
"No Rain" stands out from the rest of Blind Melon because of its very nature. At the midpoint of the album comes a sunny, upbeat acoustic track. It lets the whole band revel in their own twisted glory since they don't fit in anywhere else. "No Rain" also shows everything right about Hoon - a bit off-kilter yet well-meaning with a poetic touch.
Listening to Blind Melon proves the point that Hoon's death was tragic and senseless. With his powerful wail, Hoon stood out from the alt-rock pack and so did the band by default. In fact, bassist Brad Smith and Christopher Thorn tied to recapture the group's sound with their post-Blind Melon outfit Unified Theory. Had the singer lived, it would have been quite interesting to see where Blind Melon had wound up (superstars? One hit wonders?). Many fans and other critics suggest that Blind Melon would have been embraced by the jamband scene, which is probably the likeliest scenario. Still, Blind Melon was an indicator of a band that could have, and should have, been bigger; not just relegated to the used album bin.