Morphine was a Boston trio formed in 1989 — Mark Sandman's two-string slide bass and baritone voice, Dana Colley's baritone sax, no guitars — that invented its own noirish low rock. Cure for Pain (1993) and Yes (1995) are the essentials from a band cut short by Sandman's death in 1999. Browse Morphine vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Morphine formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1989 around Mark Sandman, Dana Colley, and Jerome Deupree (later replaced by Billy Conway). The band's distinctive instrumentation - Sandman's two-string slide bass played with a slide, Colley's baritone saxophone, and minimalist drums - established the foundational template for their distinctive low rock sound. They are widely cited as one of the most original alternative rock bands of the 1990s. Mark Sandman died of a heart attack while performing on stage in Palestrina, Italy on July 3, 1999 at age 46, ending the band's active lifetime. The remaining members have subsequently performed together as Vapors of Morphine (2009-present, with various vocalists/bassists).
Morphine's sound is foundational to low rock as a recognized genre - combining low rock, alternative rock, jazz rock, blues rock, indie rock, and noir rock with Sandman's distinctive baritone vocal delivery, his foundational two-string slide bass approach, Colley's baritone saxophone arrangements, and lyrical content drawing on noir literature, hardboiled detective fiction, and atmospheric mood-driven approaches.
Rykodisc and DreamWorks Records pressings of the Morphine catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings. Multiple anniversary editions of Cure for Pain and other landmark releases have been released.
Listeners new to Morphine typically start with Cure for Pain (1993) or Yes (1995).
