Too Odd for Radio, not for music fans

It was such a strange sound from a band. They didn’t have a guitarist. Mark Sandman played bass, saxophonist Dana Colley and drummer Jerome Dupree and later Billy Conway. That’s it. It wasn’t jazz or rock, but a funky mix. The band was called Morphine. That isn’t a name that Top 40 radio would like, but it’s memorable.

They got airplay on alternative radio because of bass intros, how not Top 40! The first radio song was called, “Vuena.” Heavy bass. It had a melody and memorable hook. Big saxophone solo. You would think that sound would be melancholy, but it had hooks and had a bounce. What was it about? Them?

They followed that with equally bass heavy and hook laden, “Honey White” and “Cure for Pain.” It got a lot of critical praise and alternative radio airplay. They never hit the Top 40 in even alternative sales charts. This band was too odd for radio, but they had devoted fans.

Mark Sandman died in 1999 and the band broke up. They would reform under different names but they weren’t Morphine. Yet, they were still sampled and still played on radio. That is how hypnotic the music was. You had to hear it again. Their website is filled with pictures and information about their tours and pictures of their tours.  They played sold-out shows. There are pictures of crowds and travels.

I went to YouTube to look for concert videos, no luck. There were clips of their big run from 1993 to 1995 from band approved videos. There are cover bands playing Morphine songs. Imagine. Here is a band that never had a big hit or big selling record, yet there are cover bands.

Once you heard Morphine, you don’t forget them.