The Winding Sheet

The Winding Sheet
Studio album by Mark Lanegan
Released	May 1990
Recorded	December 1989
Genre	Alternative rock, blues rock
Length	40:18
Label	Sub Pop
Producer	Jack Endino, Mike Johnson and Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan chronology
The Winding Sheet (1990) Whiskey for the Holy Ghost (1994)

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The Winding Sheet is an album by American musician Mark Lanegan that was released in 1990. It was Lanegan's first solo work, and is notable in its departure from the characteristic sound of Screaming Trees, the band he fronted from 1985 until 2000. While the work done in that group was much more energetic and fit into the burgeoning grunge genre of the late 80s/early 90s, The Winding Sheet has a much more stripped down sound, defining Lanegan's solo work largely for the rest of the decade. The album was a modest success. The term "winding sheet" is a synonym of shroud. "The Winding Sheet" is also the title of a traditional sea chanty that was the basis of the well known "Streets of Larado".

The album showcases Lanegan's adept skills as a lyricist and his deep, soulful voice. Highlights include "Mockingbirds," "Ugly Sunday" ("I'm drunk, half blind and it's an ugly Sunday morning") and the haunting "Wild Flowers." On "Down in the Dark" good friend Kurt Cobain sings while on the Leadbelly classic "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" Cobain contributes guitar and vocals and Krist Novoselic plays bass. Nirvana would later cover "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" on their Unplugged album.

The album is produced by Mike Johnson, who also co-wrote many of the songs.

Legacy

Foo Fighters' frontman and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl has called The Winding Sheet "one of the best albums of all time" and has said that it was a huge influence on Nirvana's 1993 MTV Unplugged concert.

Track listing

All songs written by Mark Lanegan and Mike Johnson except as noted.

1. "Mockingbirds" – 2:29
2. "Museum" – 2:50
3. "Undertow" – 2:52
4. "Ugly Sunday" – 3:56
5. "Down In The Dark" – 3:21
6. "Wild Flowers" (Lanegan) – 2:59
7. "Eyes Of A Child" – 4:00
8. "The Winding Sheet" – 5:30
9. "Woe" (Lanegan) – 2:04
10. "Ten Feet Tall" – 2:49
11. "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (Traditional) – 3:59
12. "Juarez" (Lanegan/Fisk) – 1:21
13. "I Love You Little Girl" (Lanegan) – 2:02

Performers

• Jack Endino - bass (1, 3 - 5, 10) / second electric guitar (5)
• Steve Fisk - organ (8, 12) / piano (1, 4)
• Mike Johnson - acoustic guitar (1 - 4, 7 - 8, 10) / electric guitar (1, 3 - 5, 8, 10)
• Kurt Cobain - background vocal (5, 11) / electric guitar (11)
• Mark Lanegan - acoustic guitar (6, 9, 13) / vocal (1 - 13)
• Chris Novoselic - bass (11)
• Mark Pickerel - drums (1, 3 - 5, 11)
• Justin Williams - violin (3, 7)

References

• Charles R. Cross (2001). "10". Heavier Than Heaven. London, UK: Hodder and Stoughton. pp. 137–138. ISBN 0-340-73939-8. 
• "On an Honor Roll". RollingStone.com. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7483596/on_an_honor_roll. Retrieved February 5, 2006.