Morphine, At Your Service

By Noreen Sobczyk

Morphine’s music is like a steamy, illicit affair in a slightly dodgy hotel room. It’s dark and smoky and might take you someplace you oughtn’t go, but you are compelled to travel none the less.

Singer Mark Sandman oozed a silky sexuality and had one of the best deliveries in rock and roll. It was both engaging and sleepy. On the band’s song “French Fries With Pepper,” Sandman sang that he hoped to be, “sitting on a back porch, drinking red wine” on September 9, 1999. Unfortunately he died on stage of a heart attack just a few months prior to that date, stalling what was still a vibrant, relevant musical career.

With their nontraditional rock sound, Morphine debuted with Good and their presence was immediately felt by all who heard it. In fact, it was as if one didn’t know how music lovers had done without them. Their sound was fine tuned, like a wine perfectly aged. All of the right elements were there. Often times music with horns can sound too slick, overproduced, or brash. Worse still, it can sound intolerably cheesy. That was never the case with (sax player) Dana Colley and Morphine. And though original drummer Jerome Deupree and his replacement Billy Conway had the musicianship, they never dominated the music with showy antics. It all blended together perfectly in an understated, dreamy haze.

That remains the case with At Your Service, a compilation of 35 live and unreleased studio and alternate version tracks (allegedly 60 or more unreleased recordings exist, because the band liked to record everything). One might be tempted to think these are scraps, but most of them are first rate. In fact, though not cohesive like a studio release, this compilation is better than most albums currently being released. Upon listening, one is reminded just how scary good this band was, and what a shame it is they’re gone.

However, if you missed them live, this double disc set has 11 live songs. That’s a treat for those too young—or not fortunate enough—to have witnessed the band up close and personal. For the die hard fans, a small percentage of these tracks may already be in your possession, but they weren’t readily accessible. And parts four and five of the song “I Know You” (which began on Good and continued on Like Swimming), are included here. The live sessions recorded at WMBR in Cambridge are also included here, as is a nice alternate version of “Buena.” This set is not only for the completist, but fans of the band in general. And although not technically a “best of” compilation, this two-disc set would serve as a fine introduction to the band for prospective new fans.

At Your Service can be ordered directly from Rhino’s website.