10 Perfect Supergroups In Rock History

For a few short months in the mid '90s, it looked like Layne Staley was finally going to be able to clean up his act. After spending some time in rehab, Layne returned to Seattle completely dried out and ready to work on some music, with Alice in Chains still being on a break so he could take care of himself. The rest of the Seattle scene seemed to be in repair mode as well, and Mad Season was practically more of a musicians recovery program than an actual group.

Forming in the mind of Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, Mad Season was the sound of the tortured souls of Seattle coming together, with Staley singing along with bringing in Mark Lanegan from the Screaming Trees to add an eerie counterpoint to his vocals. While there are the lingering sounds of both Alice and Pearl Jam on this record, the sounds on here actually feel a lot brighter when you start to realize what they're about, with songs like River of Deceit detailing all of those years Staley spent in a drug fueled hell and happy to be on the other side of it these days.

McCready might steal the show here though, not having to be confined to Pearl Jam's eccentric side and pulling out some of his favorite Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix licks, almost giving a sort of watery sound to some of the tunes. These good times weren't meant to last very long after Layne's eventual relapse, but for a few songs, it looked like one of Seattle's finest voices had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel.