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Morphine — Scratch
Album: Yes
Avg rating:
7.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1788









Released: 1995
Length: 3:12
Plays (last 30 days): 3
I was once sitting on top of the world
I really had things in my hand
But something went wrong I'm not sure what
And now I'm sitting here at home alone
People they want to give you free advice
Well that's something that I always try
But you get what you pay for that's what I say
And now I'm paying and paying and paying
I lost everything I had
I'm starting over from scratch
I lost everything I had
I'm starting over from scratch
Everything I wanted cooking on the stove
Everything I needed right in the home
I had the best thing you can have
You can have it you can have it now
I lost everything I had
I'm starting over from scratch
I lost everything I had
I'm starting over from scratch
It's just a fact
Wiped that smile off my face
Put me down in my proper place
But the world just keeps on spinning around
And I'm still hanging around in this world
I lost everything I had
I'm starting over from scratch
I lost everything I had
I'm starting over from scratch
Comments (135)add comment
excellent !
can always count on the slutty sax in morphine songs . . . .
 tm wrote:

This is me in my life right now… I lost everything I had - I am starting over from scratch at 54! It feels pretty good to be honest.




Good luck!  I wish you well! ...Keep us informed!
This is me in my life right now… I lost everything I had - I am starting over from scratch at 54! It feels pretty good to be honest.
The whole album is awesome.  Yep.
My introduction to Morphine happened on a train to work on a morning when I really didn't want to go there, and a friend who worked in the same place and knew  what was going on in my life put her headphones on me and I heard Cure For Pain, for the first time.

I got to see them in Concord, CA in '95, and was so sad, later. but. also, full of respect on hearing of Mark Sandman's death. The musician died onstage. Dedication.

The post-Sandman stuff is like a new world according to familiar principles, like Pink Floyd post-Sid--not better or worse, just different.

In Spite Of Me is on my top ten list.
 Highlowsel wrote:

Oh my goodness was that sax player makin' a porno?  Cause he and that sax were gettin' DOWN to it weren't they?  

Highlow
American Net'Zen


...follows the Allman Brothers' cialis tune - and here i am stuck painting a ceiling
Love a little Morphine with my morning coffee.  Gets the old bones moving. 
Love the bluesy set!
19 years and counting with this track on the RP playlist.  Sorry, kiddies, it's kinda worn out its welcome with me.  One play a week for 19 years, pretty much a thousand plays...and maybe I'd be okay to have it retired...
RIP Mark
Love them. RIP Mark and Billy


Morphine

is     Morphine!
so I saw this crazy band in NOla on chance in a billiards hall. The fucking sax player was playing two saxes at the same time and the bass player only had 2 fucking strings on his bass! Needless to say my mind was blown… RIP Like Swimming is a favorite album of mine! ❤️
So fortunate to have seen these guys -- twice -- in DC, both times in relatively small venues.  To say they destroyed this material -- absolutely blowing the audience away -- is a vast understatement.  RIP & thank you, Mr. Sandman; you clearly gave it your all.
I believe that back in the '90s this singer was in a Boston band called Treat Her Right. Always had to worry about the marketing when the band, album, AND song all had the same name
BAD ASS!
Fantastic song.
Discovered Morphine several years ago right here on RP - THANKS Bill!! - and what a great sound they have.
I love Morphine!
The band is pretty good, too.
Oh my goodness was that sax player makin' a porno?  Cause he and that sax were gettin' DOWN to it weren't they?  

Highlow
American Net'Zen
Amazing the sounds a two-string bass, baritone sax, and drums can make innit?
 Foot wrote:
Morphine anytime RP - it's the cure for pain.
 And, makes for a pretty solid blues "fix", too!! ✌️

Up kcar wrote:




Good luck on your journey! 

This is one of Morphine's best songs to my ears. It defines a slice of Boston for me. A great, great segue from Allman Brothers' Live at Fillmore East "Stormy Monday" to this...
 
Abso frickin lutely!! Bein just south of ya, CT, makes one feel kinda proud to know of a band from the area we live. One of the females earlier played, from Wesport, CT! Us E. coasters got some talents in our midst!! Ain't ALL gotta be "Hollywood stars" to be appreciated or, the grunge bunch from mostly W. coast!! God bless Brother. Stay safe. ✌️
 coloradojohn wrote:
KILLER SONG!  Sometimes this just perfectly hits that sweet spot way on down inside the old blue soul; such a bad-ass sexy style, too...
 Couldn't  agree with you more, CJ!! Tune just hits deep down. Lyrically, AND  instrumentally! Good ole reliable RP, for bringing out another gem!! You take care and be safe. God bless, Brother! ✌️

 justin4kick wrote:


I'm going to hit PSD and hope to travel that worm hole the other way around. 
 



Good luck on your journey! 

This is one of Morphine's best songs to my ears. It defines a slice of Boston for me. A great, great segue from Allman Brothers' Live at Fillmore East "Stormy Monday" to this...
 kcar wrote:
So great to PSD into this from The Shins' "Split Needles."   {#Bananapiano} {#Bananajam}
 

I'm going to hit PSD and hope to travel that worm hole the other way around. 
Listen up saxophonists; this is how you play the instrument in a rock context.
Mid-90's, long before I discovered Radio Paradise, I was working at a large firm in a sea of fabric coated cubicles.  To keep ourselves from going nuts doing mundane work on computers for long hours, we'd all be plugged into headphones listening to music.  My cubbie neighbors began passing CD's over the partitions to swap and dicover new music.  This is how I discovered Morphine, so unique in sound and attitude.  I couldn't believe they'd never hit our radio airwaves and that'd I'd been unaware of their existence
Love me some sexy Morphine!
So great to PSD into this from The Shins' "Split Needles."   {#Bananapiano} {#Bananajam}
KILLER SONG!  Sometimes this just perfectly hits that sweet spot way on down inside the old blue soul; such a bad-ass sexy style, too...
 fredriley wrote:

Does any other band use baritone saxes, anyone know? They really do generate one viscera-rumbling sound. Without them this would be a decent enough but ordinary band.


 

Is that the brown note you're refering to. Love these guys.
The only instrument i ever played was alto sax...as you would expect i was not good...thax mrfixit for post below...
Dosed up to the eyeballs on Morphine
 Misterfixit wrote:


Bass Sax in this case.  Early recording bands in the days before electric microphones used either the bass sax or the baritone sax and many times the tuba for the bass line — if they really had to "go low" they would use the Double Contra-Bass Sarrousophone.  The string bass put out too many vibrations and the old mechanical disc cutting machines (with sound horns, not mics) would jump off the tracks.  They had the same problem with drums, which is why a lot of the really early recordings you could hear a snare drum or floor tom but no bass drum.  My dad (Zebe Mann) recorded with Hank Halstead and Paul Whiteman and other bands in the days before electric mics and when "Jazz" bands were called "Jass Bands" (because the word "Jazz" was a slang term in the "Negro Culture" for sexual intercourse.  So, when you come across a one-sided 10" record you will know it was a pre-electric recording — one-sides were right after the revolving cylinder which also used an acoustic horn for amplification.  I could go on with this, but details are on Wikipedia where I wrote a lot of these arcane details.  Speaking of the Sarrousophone, if you find one down in grandpa's basement, hold on to it — they haven't made one since about 1925, although you can make a close approximation from some 4" diameter PVC drain pipe and an air compressor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarrusophone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Disc_Record

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Halstead

 
Thank you!  As my son's (12 & 14) learn tuba, and sound better than I ever remember sounding, I realize I was trained to play tuba; I never really learned music theory.  And then I come across gems like this, and I realize why I love music so much.
Everyone could use more SAX!
 Misterfixit wrote:
Dana Colley, their Sax Player, is quite a Saxophone fan — plus a great musician. Anyway, I ran into him here back in the mid 1990's and as we chatted, I mentioned that my Dad had been quite the Bass player in his day (Zebe Mann). When I described the Double Contrabass Sarousphone that Daddy played when he was with the Spike Jones bunch, Dana's eyes lit up. We talked about the effect a bass reed instrument has on blues music — similar to — but substantially different from — the tuba. Anyway, it was a nice chat. BTW for the instrument collectors, Dad's Sarousphone is in the AFM instrument collection Museum at AFofM's NY HQ.

 
Your dad played with Spike Jones?!? Holy Mother of Pearl.

Mister F, you've got to write a memoir—you've got a boatload of great stories to tell. And post more while you're at it, willya? 

Morphine—great band. Love their sound. "All Your Way" is one of the best tracks on this album along with "Scratch." 


 Misterfixit wrote:
Bass Sax in this case.  Early recording bands in the days before electric microphones used either the bass sax or the baritone sax and many times the tuba for the bass line — if they really had to "go low" they would use the Double Contra-Bass Sarrousophone.  The string bass put out too many vibrations and the old mechanical disc cutting machines (with sound horns, not mics) would jump off the tracks.  They had the same problem with drums, which is why a lot of the really early recordings you could hear a snare drum or floor tom but no bass drum.  My dad (Zebe Mann) recorded with Hank Halstead and Paul Whiteman and other bands in the days before electric mics and when "Jazz" bands were called "Jass Bands" (because the word "Jazz" was a slang term in the "Negro Culture" for sexual intercourse.  So, when you come across a one-sided 10" record you will know it was a pre-electric recording — one-sides were right after the revolving cylinder which also used an acoustic horn for amplification.  I could go on with this, but details are on Wikipedia where I wrote a lot of these arcane details.  Speaking of the Sarrousophone, if you find one down in grandpa's basement, hold on to it — they haven't made one since about 1925, although you can make a close approximation from some 4" diameter PVC drain pipe and an air compressor.
 
Nice background, Misterfixit!  
Morphine anytime RP - it's the cure for pain.
Groovy {#Motor}
 fredriley wrote:

Does any other band use baritone saxes, anyone know? They really do generate one viscera-rumbling sound. Without them this would be a decent enough but ordinary band.

 

Bass Sax in this case.  Early recording bands in the days before electric microphones used either the bass sax or the baritone sax and many times the tuba for the bass line — if they really had to "go low" they would use the Double Contra-Bass Sarrousophone.  The string bass put out too many vibrations and the old mechanical disc cutting machines (with sound horns, not mics) would jump off the tracks.  They had the same problem with drums, which is why a lot of the really early recordings you could hear a snare drum or floor tom but no bass drum.  My dad (Zebe Mann) recorded with Hank Halstead and Paul Whiteman and other bands in the days before electric mics and when "Jazz" bands were called "Jass Bands" (because the word "Jazz" was a slang term in the "Negro Culture" for sexual intercourse.  So, when you come across a one-sided 10" record you will know it was a pre-electric recording — one-sides were right after the revolving cylinder which also used an acoustic horn for amplification.  I could go on with this, but details are on Wikipedia where I wrote a lot of these arcane details.  Speaking of the Sarrousophone, if you find one down in grandpa's basement, hold on to it — they haven't made one since about 1925, although you can make a close approximation from some 4" diameter PVC drain pipe and an air compressor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarrusophone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Disc_Record

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Halstead

 MrSpaz wrote:
Portishead -> Morphine ... did not work. :P
 
Works fine for me.  Now if it only segued into "Java" by Al Hirt...

betsyroks wrote:
slutty band

Yeah betsyroks!  Seriously slutty.{#Clap}
 jagdriver wrote:
Really like their sax; every tune I've heard by them on RP is a winner.
 
Does any other band use baritone saxes, anyone know? They really do generate one viscera-rumbling sound. Without them this would be a decent enough but ordinary band.

 newwavegurly wrote:

Yeah, he just did it again, and I didn't really like it.
 
What I DID like is the segue from this Morphine cut to "Dashboard Jesus" as done by The Carnivaleros. That was great.

 

And again.  I was blocking out the Poorshithead then heard the unmistakable sound of Morphine, turned it up.
 MrSpaz wrote:
Portishead -> Morphine ... did not work. :P
 
Yeah, he just did it again, and I didn't really like it.
 
What I DID like is the segue from this Morphine cut to "Dashboard Jesus" as done by The Carnivaleros. That was great.

 betsyroks wrote:

slutty band

 

Absolutely.  Music that reaches out & grabs you by the butt.  Love it.
 MrSpaz wrote:
Portishead -> Morphine ... did not work. :P
 
agreed

 jjbix wrote:
did I mention these guys always use that slutty sax. it really identifies their work . . .
 
slutty band

did I mention these guys always use that slutty sax. it really identifies their work . . .

*giggle* I asked this chick jock here in Omaha "the rock station" blahhh ....why doesn't your station ever play Morphine...she said

"ah we hear enough Pink Floyd"

i have a feeling she won't be in the radio world for long.....

Thanks Radiopardise your the best! {#Cheers}

i love it here




Portishead -> Morphine ... did not work. :P
Really like their sax; every tune I've heard by them on RP is a winner.

GR{#Yes}{#Yes}VY!!!


 ick wrote:


I would start with their album "Good"... it fits...

 

Don't forget to check out Mark's first band Treat Her Right; great blues sound!
I remember playing this song after emptying my pockets to make a payment at a Ford "Red Carpet Lease" office.
EssexTex wrote:
This song makes me scratch
yes. its like poison ivy or poison oak. it doesn't look too bad or make you itch right away... but soon you feel the effects of running into it.
This song makes me scratch
cvandoren wrote:
I would like to purchase a Morphine Album but don't know which one. Did their sound change over the years? On Amazon, the first album has the most ratings and the highest rating - should that be the one? An 8 from me, which is very ununusual for a first time listen.
I liked "Cure for Pain."
cvandoren wrote:
I would like to purchase a Morphine Album but don't know which one. Did their sound change over the years? On Amazon, the first album has the most ratings and the highest rating - should that be the one? An 8 from me, which is very ununusual for a first time listen.
I would start with their album "Good"... it fits...
Ooh, that sax! :) Makes me want to hear that old 50's song "Strolling" (or whatever it was called).
I would like to purchase a Morphine Album but don't know which one. Did their sound change over the years? On Amazon, the first album has the most ratings and the highest rating - should that be the one? An 8 from me, which is very ununusual for a first time listen.
i shouldn't listen to much to rp . too much good songs. that's not good for my budget...
Misterfixit wrote:
Dana Colley, their Sax Player, is quite a Saxophone fan -- plus a great musician. Anyway, I ran into him here back in the mid 1990's and as we chatted, I mentioned that my Dad had been quite the Bass player in his day (Zebe Mann). When I described the Double Contrabass Sarousphone that Daddy played when he was with the Spike Jones bunch, Dana's eyes lit up. We talked about the effect a bass reed instrument has on blues music -- similar to -- but substantially different from -- the tuba. Anyway, it was a nice chat. BTW for the instrument collectors, Dad's Sarousphone is in the AFM instrument collection Museum at AFofM's NY HQ.
Your Dad played with Spike Jones!?!? WAY cool. I have NO idea what a 'Double Contrabass Sarousphone' is, but that's a great story. c.
Dana Colley, their Sax Player, is quite a Saxophone fan -- plus a great musician. Anyway, I ran into him here back in the mid 1990's and as we chatted, I mentioned that my Dad had been quite the Bass player in his day (Zebe Mann). When I described the Double Contrabass Sarousphone that Daddy played when he was with the Spike Jones bunch, Dana's eyes lit up. We talked about the effect a bass reed instrument has on blues music -- similar to -- but substantially different from -- the tuba. Anyway, it was a nice chat. BTW for the instrument collectors, Dad's Sarousphone is in the AFM instrument collection Museum at AFofM's NY HQ.
I just bought a Morphine CD. Another music buy inspired by RP! I just love this sax. Every time I hear it, I have to come and make sure it's Morphine. Yummeh! *edit: can't speel
I heart morphine. (Can we hear Whisper next?? Puh-lease??)
I love this band. Incredible live.
poo poo
One of the best live acts I have seen!!!!
Wildly unique, and unbeatable at what they did. RIP Sandman, and rock on, RP! Swing it!
Amazing indeed. Perhaps you have heard of Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Would play a couple of different saxes and a nose flute simultaneously. Rahsaan is departed but was one of the finer jazz woodwind players in his day. I say woodwinds because he played instruments such as the 'Stritch' and other saxes with interesting bends and twists. Certainly one of the more amazing performances I remember from the days of the Keystone in SF. Gotta love the growling bari here in Mophine . . . Radiohead-head wrote:
There is a bass sax....dude in Morphine used to play a bass on stage somtimes....he also used to play a baritone and alto sax at the same time...amazing.
These guys have definately not grown on me.
Barry wrote:
Cool, Daddy
Yeah Baby
Cool, Daddy
I was going to write: "This song has a baritone sax, anything with a baritone sax is, by definition, cool." Then I saw: Radiohead-head wrote:
There is a bass sax....dude in Morphine used to play a bass on stage somtimes....he also used to play a baritone and alto sax at the same time...amazing.
Right. I must check out more of Morphine's music.
I miss you guys
Mary_Read wrote:
Good for pretending that your are a dancing snake in a moonlight jungle..
LOL! Thanks for the visual!
Good for pretending that your are a dancing snake in a moonlight jungle..
uncledan wrote:
Bill must like the seque way from the Iguanas to Morphine cause he just did the same one that he did a month or so ago... Iguanas "Flame On" to Morphine "Scratch"...
I think Bill puts a lot of effort into his playlists, and I don't blame him for recycling some of them (or at least reusing some of the same segues). This one worked great! The Iguanas came on, and I thought, "That sounds like Morphine, but I hear a guitar so it can't be." Then, with Morphine still in the back of my mind, here comes Scratch. Nice job, Bill--you got me! :)
mc wrote:
And... that Mark Sandman worldview. Virtually every song about how bad he's screwed up another relationship. (In reality he was happliy taken; I think the performing Sandman was more of a character he created, but damn, what a great job he did! Truly sad i won't get to hear more stories of how he blew it yet again.) If you like Morphine, get the Twinemen CD. Surviving members with a female vocalist. Not some grave-robbing cash-in BS; it stands alone & is a fine CD, and does have some of that dark feel. Especially the song about the girl who finds the midget's hand...
Thanks for the recommend (I'm a bit slow on the uptake).
oh boy i never hear morphine on RP!
Just gets better and better every time I hear it. RIP Mark.
Bill must like the seque way from the Iguanas to Morphine cause he just did the same one that he did a month or so ago... Iguanas "Flame On" to Morphine "Scratch"...
The vocals remind me of one of my favorite groups from the distant past: Timbuk3
That's it Bill! Give me a shot of the good stuff!
I totally dig the sound of this band... would like to hear more!
Ixion wrote:
RP just played "The Iguanas - Flame On" right before this song, and while the similarities between the bands will always be debated, Morphine rules the "sax-rock" niche.
Yep and Yep.....
RP just played "The Iguanas - Flame On" right before this song, and while the similarities between the bands will always be debated, Morphine rules the "sax-rock" niche.
bobringer wrote:
I don't know about the transition... what I DO know is that the real thing really puts the thieves in their place.
The Iguanas and Morphine are 2 entirely different different bands. Joe Cabral, Iguanas sax player was gigging my neighborhood with a bari since the early eighties, before anyone had heard of Morphine, or The Iguanas. They moved to New Orleans, and Morphine is from Boston. Never the twain met, until Radio Paradise...
jean-louis wrote:
Here come the farting saxophones again!
farts that smell like daisies!
Radiohead-head wrote:
There is a bass sax....dude in Morphine used to play a bass on stage somtimes....he also used to play a baritone and alto sax at the same time...amazing.
Caught them about 10 years ago & will never forget seeing (completely awed, of course) the amazing, double-saxed man on stage. Sigh, smile, inspired.
ciscochasbro wrote:
Very nice transition!!!!! Iguana's to this - OH YEAH!
I don't know about the transition... what I DO know is that the real thing really puts the thieves in their place.
Here come the farting saxophones again!
mojoman wrote:
It's a baritone sax. No such thing as a bass sax as far as I know.
There is a bass sax....dude in Morphine used to play a bass on stage somtimes....he also used to play a baritone and alto sax at the same time...amazing.
mojoman wrote:
It's a baritone sax. No such thing as a bass sax as far as I know.
Actually, there is such a thing. Go here: https://www.contrabass.com/pages/basssax.html
stacadette wrote:
Is it bari or bass sax (those are huge horns)? Either way, it rocks!
It's bari, according to the CD cover....
stacadette wrote:
Is it bari or bass sax (those are huge horns)? Either way, it rocks!
It's a baritone sax. No such thing as a bass sax as far as I know.
mc wrote:
And... that Mark Sandman worldview. Virtually every song about how bad he's screwed up another relationship. (In reality he was happliy taken; I think the performing Sandman was more of a character he created, but damn, what a great job he did! Truly sad i won't get to hear more stories of how he blew it yet again.) If you like Morphine, get the Twinemen CD. Surviving members with a female vocalist. Not some grave-robbing cash-in BS; it stands alone & is a fine CD, and does have some of that dark feel. Especially the song about the girl who finds the midget's hand...
Just wanted to second the suggestion on the Twinemen CD. Not Morphine, but close, and well done.
Is it bari or bass sax (those are huge horns)? Either way, it rocks!
Had the pleasure of seeing these guys live a few times before Mark died on stage in Rome.... To truly "get" Morphine you had to have seen them live... One of the best non-traditional bands ever as far as I'm concerned...Mark was an amazing poet....and the mix between the slide bass and baritone sax is beyond words. RIP Sandman!!!
The bass guitar-baritone sax thing was interesting with "Honey White," but it's really tiring now. Get a guitar, willya!
I've been on a morphine drip twice (two knee reconstructions) and can say that the band Morphine sounds like what morphine feels like – smooth, mellow and leaves you completely happy... :sunny.gif:
Xeric wrote:
Don't quite like this a whole CD at a time--I borrowed a couple from a friend--but the occasional cut kicks. Ah, that baritone sax. . . .
You gotta love the bari! oooooh yeeeahhh (pimp)
it's hard going from cannonball to this...
Don't quite like this a whole CD at a time--I borrowed a couple from a friend--but the occasional cut kicks. Ah, that baritone sax. . . .
Very nice transition!!!!! Iguana's to this - OH YEAH!
Sooooo.......what's their best?? ianguy wrote:
pretty great song, not their best, but good. maybe its my ears or these speakers, but it sounds a little distorted compared to how I remember on the album, just a tad to much gain from the compressor maybe?
Gee, I love those saxes...
8)
this (almost) daily dose of morphine makes me drowsy
Love these guys......
pretty great song, not their best, but good. maybe its my ears or these speakers, but it sounds a little distorted compared to how I remember on the album, just a tad to much gain from the compressor maybe?
I've now heard Morphine a bunch of times on RP, and while I love the sax solos, the rest of the music is kind of lame... repetitive lyrics, boring baselines and the voice of the lead singer just doesn't sit will with me... eh...
camden_hampden wrote:
The archetypical Morphine song. Features all the aspects that made them a brilliant band -- clever lyricism, soulful vocals, baritone sax that sets them apart from any other "rock" band -- ever -- and all of it floating on Sandman's simple (sounding) bass work...
And... that Mark Sandman worldview. Virtually every song about how bad he's screwed up another relationship. (In reality he was happliy taken; I think the performing Sandman was more of a character he created, but damn, what a great job he did! Truly sad i won't get to hear more stories of how he blew it yet again.) If you like Morphine, get the Twinemen CD. Surviving members with a female vocalist. Not some grave-robbing cash-in BS; it stands alone & is a fine CD, and does have some of that dark feel. Especially the song about the girl who finds the midget's hand...
Hmmm... I guess the Bari really is (as the Bari player in the Tower of Power horn section claims on stage) the Voice of God.
Sandman, we sure do miss you. What a groove.