Seattlehead
Encyclopedia
"Seattlehead" is a song written by American musician Duff McKagan
more popularly known as a song by McKagan's band Loaded
, from the album Dark Days
, but has also featured on earlier releases by Neurotic Outsiders
as well as McKagan's unreleased solo album Beautiful Disease
.
in 1984 with the lyrics "movin' to the city sight unseen/19 years of age I'm packing my bags/Hollywood was all the rage/I came to you in 1984/You showed me in, then you shut the door."
, featuring McKagan, Guns N' Roses bandmate Matt Sorum
, Sex Pistols
guitarist Steve Jones
and Duran Duran
bassist John Taylor, released in 1996 as well as the Angelina EP
released in Japan in 1997. The song was later re-recorded for McKagan's second solo album Beautiful Disease
however the album was shelved after the merger between Geffen
and Interscope Records
merged and Duff was dropped from the roster of the "new combined" label. A live version of the song was released with the debut Loaded
live album Episode 1999: Live
then in 2000 Duff began re-recording some of the songs from Beautiful Disease, including Seattlehead, as well as new material at Jupiter Studios in Seattle, Washington
. The resulting album, Dark Days
, was released in the US and Japan in July 2001 and was later released in Europe in July 2002.
A music video, featuring clips of the band performing live in Japan, was made available on Loaded's Youtube page in 2008.
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
more popularly known as a song by McKagan's band Loaded
Loaded (band)
Loaded is an American hard rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1999. Since 2001, the band's line-up has included vocalist and rhythm guitarist Duff McKagan , lead guitarist Mike Squires and bassist Jeff Rouse Loaded (also known as Duff McKagan's Loaded) is an American hard rock band...
, from the album Dark Days
Dark Days (Loaded album)
-Personnel:*Duff McKagan – vocals, bass, guitar, piano on "Misery", production*Dave Dederer – guitar, production*Geoff Reading – drums, backing vocals, percussion, production...
, but has also featured on earlier releases by Neurotic Outsiders
Neurotic Outsiders
Neurotic Outsiders was a supergroup founded in 1995, consisting of Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses, and John Taylor of Duran Duran. The very first line-up featured Billy Idol and Steve Stevens , but they were soon replaced by Jones and Taylor...
as well as McKagan's unreleased solo album Beautiful Disease
Beautiful Disease
Beautiful Disease was to be the second solo album released by ex-Guns N' Roses's bassist Duff McKagan in 1999. However, it was shelved after a merger between McKagan's label Universal and Polygram....
.
Composition
The song was originally written in the early 90's with the song being about "what L.A. came to represent, rather than what it is" while it also mentions when McKagan first moved to Los Angeles from SeattleSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
in 1984 with the lyrics "movin' to the city sight unseen/19 years of age I'm packing my bags/Hollywood was all the rage/I came to you in 1984/You showed me in, then you shut the door."
Releases
The first version of the song was released on promotional single "Jerk" by the group Neurotic OutsidersNeurotic Outsiders
Neurotic Outsiders was a supergroup founded in 1995, consisting of Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses, and John Taylor of Duran Duran. The very first line-up featured Billy Idol and Steve Stevens , but they were soon replaced by Jones and Taylor...
, featuring McKagan, Guns N' Roses bandmate Matt Sorum
Matt Sorum
Matthew William Sorum is an American rock drummer and percussionist. Sorum is most famous for his 7-year stint in Guns N' Roses and supergroup Velvet Revolver , which is comprised in part of former Guns N' Roses members Duff McKagan and Slash .-Early career :Matt Sorum was born Matthew William...
, Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
guitarist Steve Jones
Steve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
and Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
bassist John Taylor, released in 1996 as well as the Angelina EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
released in Japan in 1997. The song was later re-recorded for McKagan's second solo album Beautiful Disease
Beautiful Disease
Beautiful Disease was to be the second solo album released by ex-Guns N' Roses's bassist Duff McKagan in 1999. However, it was shelved after a merger between McKagan's label Universal and Polygram....
however the album was shelved after the merger between Geffen
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
and Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
merged and Duff was dropped from the roster of the "new combined" label. A live version of the song was released with the debut Loaded
Loaded (band)
Loaded is an American hard rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1999. Since 2001, the band's line-up has included vocalist and rhythm guitarist Duff McKagan , lead guitarist Mike Squires and bassist Jeff Rouse Loaded (also known as Duff McKagan's Loaded) is an American hard rock band...
live album Episode 1999: Live
Episode 1999: Live
-Personnel:Loaded*Duff McKagan – vocals, bass*Michael Barragan – guitar*Dez Cadena – guitar*Taz Bentley – drumsAdditional personnel*Nick Raskulinecz – recording, mixing...
then in 2000 Duff began re-recording some of the songs from Beautiful Disease, including Seattlehead, as well as new material at Jupiter Studios in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. The resulting album, Dark Days
Dark Days (Loaded album)
-Personnel:*Duff McKagan – vocals, bass, guitar, piano on "Misery", production*Dave Dederer – guitar, production*Geoff Reading – drums, backing vocals, percussion, production...
, was released in the US and Japan in July 2001 and was later released in Europe in July 2002.
A music video, featuring clips of the band performing live in Japan, was made available on Loaded's Youtube page in 2008.