Soup (Blind Melon album)

Composition

Thematically, the album is much darker than the band's debut. "2 X 4" is about Hoon's experience at a drug detox. "Skinned" is about serial killer Ed Gein. "Car Seat (God's Presents)" is about Susan Smith, who killed her children by driving her car into a lake in Union, South Carolina. "St. Andrew's Fall" is about suicide. When asked about "Mouthful of Cavities," Rogers Stevens said, "It's probably about the convoluted nooks and crannies of Shannon's brain." It featured harmonies between Shannon Hoon and Jena Kraus. "New Life" is about the birth of Hoon's daughter Nico Blue. "Wilt" is about halitosis. "Galaxie" is about Hoon's experience with his car, a 1964 Ford Galaxie. "Lemonade" is a humorous song about a bar fight.

Album cover

The producer of the album, Andy Wallace, is seen on the cover, sipping soup.

Critical reception

In issue #557 of Kerrang! (dated August 5, 1995), Paul Rees gave the album a "4 K review" (which means "Klassik"), saying, "Soup - bold, barmy, and borderline great."

In the August 21, 1995 issue of People Magazine, Andrew Abrahams gave the album a somewhat positive review, saying, "If Blind Melon's eclectic approach sounds a bit maddening, it can be. But at least they've accomplished an important task: establishing a musical life beyond the Bee Girl."

In issue #716 of Rolling Stone (dated September 7, 1995), Ted Drozdowski gave a scathing review of the album, ending his write-up with the statement, "With such slight fare to offer – and no kid in a bee suit – Soup puts Blind Melon in hot water."

Also in 1995, Soup was ranked number 13 in Kerrang! magazine's "Albums Of The Year" list, above releases by the likes of Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Green Day, Ozzy Osbourne, and AC/DC.

Legacy

In 2005, Soup was ranked number 357 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.

In the 2009 book, A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon, drummer Glen Graham is quoted as saying, "I talked to a guy from Spain yesterday [from Popular 1 Magazine], and he was saying, "Soup is the top album of the ‘90s according to our readers.' It was like, 'What?'"

The album took the #5 spot on a "Top 10 Most Overlooked and Underrated Albums of the 90s" on the V+C website and was placed #43 on the "50 Best Alternative Albums of the ’90s" list on the MetroWeekly site.

In 2014, Soup topped Alternative Nation's "Top 10 Underrated 90’s Alternative Rock Albums" list.

On January 17, 2017, Soup was reissued on limited edition vinyl via Analog Sparks (cut from the original stereo tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl).

Personnel