Screaming Trees, “Paperback Bible”

Lee Conner posted this hidden gem to his YouTube page late last year. If you know this song, it’s from the Ocean Of Confusion comp. But, there’s a little more to the story.

”Paperback Bible” was recorded in the winter of 1993-94 in Seattle as part of the unfinished and scrapped Don Fleming/John Angello produced follow-up to Sweet Oblivion. The version of this song that appears on the Ocean Of Confusion album has a vocal that Mark Lanegan recorded in 2005, shortly before the release of that compilation. It was also mixed and mastered at that time. This version is a rough mix done during the original sessions. Besides the vocal, there may be a few other slight differences, such as lyrics and percussion, but I think the instrumental tracks are the same as originally laid down. Van and I wrote this song in 1993 about Lanegan rolling a joint from a rice paper bible page while on the tours for Sweet Oblivion.”
—Lee Conner, November 12, 2021