Screaming Trees - Anthology: SST Years 1985-1989

An essential disc for all Screaming Trees fans...

This disc is an absolute must-have for Screaming Trees fans who can't get their hands on earlier albums (Clairvoyance, Even if and Especially When, Invisible Lantern, and Buzz Factory). While the Screaming Trees' best efforts were their final three discs (Uncle Anesthesia, Sweet Oblivion, and Dust), Anthology:SST Years provides an excellent overview of the band prior to changing labels. This disc is chock full of excellent tunes - all which perfectly blend '60s psychedelia, '70s rock, and '80s punk.

While the list of solid songs on here is too long to mention, I can say with confidence that it's worth the price just for "Cold Rain" and "Black Morning Sun". Everything else is icing... May 20, 2006

Start here...

On much of this compilation, Mark Lanegan sounds like he is about 18 years old. Despite the truth in that, in no way does it detract from the likeability of the songs. In fact, there are only a few tunes here that I don't care for. It's a solid collection and admittedly, I find myself really grooving with the earlier material. The guys may not have perfected their fluidity like in "Sweet Oblivion" and "Dust", but you can definitely get a feel for why the Trees eventually went "famous". Catchy and genuinely fun, not unlike the Monkees on LSD. It's also not difficult to associate this music with a small but personal venue, where it would be appropriately played and appreciated.

If you're thinking of exploring earlier Trees material, this is probably the best place to start. May 23, 2004

thanks sst!

thank god. all the old s.trees hits compiled. 'transfiguration', 'walk through to this side' and the wah wah overload is just too much! by the time the screaming trees novice gets to the 'buzz factory' stuff on this cd they won't believe that it's the same guy singing (reminds me of the difference 'tween "closing time" and "small change" from good ol' uncle tom when i listen to the cd start to finish {does mark lanegan smoke camel unfiltered?}). that said, i sure can't think of a better way to spend bucks. September 12, 1998

Pseudo Psychedelia at its finest

This anthology sounds so Sixties Trippy I sometimes have flashbacks when I'm listening to it.Checkout there hilarious comments about the Seattle scene in the movie Hype! These guys would be real fun to party with! June 26, 1998

More reviews at Amazon.com ...