Jerusalem and Dopesmoker

After positive reviews from the heavy metal press and the release of the album Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992) on Earache Records, Sleep's label announced that they would release their follow-up record.{{cite web|author=Earache Staff|url=http://www.earache.com/bands/sleep/sleep.html|title=Sleep|work=Earache|access-date=May 19, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220125939/http://www.earache.com/bands/sleep/sleep.html|archive-date=December 20, 2007 }}{{cite web|author=Tee Pee Staff |url=http://teepeerecords.com/bands/sleep/index.php |title=Tee Pee Records - Bands |work=Tee Pee Records |access-date=May 19, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510151431/http://teepeerecords.com/bands/sleep/index.php |archive-date=May 10, 2008 }}{{cite web|author=Rivadavia, Eduardo|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=sleep-mn0000021578|pure_url=yes}}|title=allmusic ((( Sleep > Biography )))|work=AllMusic|access-date=May 19, 2008}} Sleep had been touring in Europe with Cathedral and in the United States with Nik Turner's version of Hawkwind in support of Sleep's Holy Mountain when the group felt they had to write new material.Bennett, 2009. p.294 The new album was going to be an hour-long song. This song was written and practiced at sound checks, motel rooms and in friends' houses.Bennett, 2009. p.295 Matt Pike said the songwriting process was long and that they were "working on [the song] for like four years. We also had two other songs that were working on that were really long, too—like 15 and 20 minutes. But we never recorded them." Al Cisneros stated that smoking cannabis was important to the song's creative process: "I was really dependent on the space I got into when I was using it, and some of the lyrics are about that...The line, 'Drop out of life [with bong in hand],' was kind of a creed at that point." The song was originally known and performed live under the title "Dopesmoker". After their tour, the group began to be interested in a Middle Eastern desert theme which led to Sleep referring to the song as "Jerusalem" during later practice sessions.Bennett, 2009. p.297

Sleep were ready to record the album in 1995 but did not record it until 1996 as the band was still contracted with Earache. Cisneros said that there was "about a year and half of legal wrangling between their managers and lawyers at Earache" and that Earache owner Digby Pearson "waited to make the most prime conditions for himself before he let [Sleep's] contract [go]." Sleep were in talks with both London Records and Elektra Records to release their next album. They chose to sign to London, as they were promised complete artistic freedom and more money, and since the label did not have any metal bands, Sleep felt they would receive special treatment.Bennett, 2009. p.293 The members of Sleep were poor, and used the majority of money they received from London Records to cover for the debt they were in at that time.

The song was recorded at Record Two Studio in Comptche, California.Bennett, 2009. p.296 While recording the song, it began to develop differently from the original vision. Pike stated that the "song was getting slower and slower and then it got weird. We started tripping out and second guessing ourselves." Recording the album was difficult. Pike recalled that "there was so much to memorize for that album, and we had to do it in like three different sections because a reel-to-reel only holds 22 minutes. It was really cool, but it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life." Sleep were in the studio for one month then went home to rehearse and returned for another month. Pike noted that they ended up with two or three different versions of the song.

Part of the song's signature sound is thanks to custom-built GREEN Matamp GT120 MV amplifiers{{Cite web |title=Al Cisneros of Sleep/ OM with an amazing rig |url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/96616354478574022/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=Pinterest |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=SLEEP - 1994 Tour |url=https://www.planetoftheamps.com/sleep-1994tour.html |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=www.planetoftheamps.com}} designed to be so loud, no one from the band was capable of going into the same room as them. More than half a dozen microphones were used to pick up the sound from the amps.{{Cite web|last=Riff|first=Monster|date=2019-10-14|title=Dopesmoker: How Sleep's Magnum Opus Ended the Band's Career|url=https://monsterriff.com/2019/10/14/dopesmoker-how-sleeps-magnum-opus-ended-the-bands-career/|access-date=2020-09-12|website=Monster Riff|language=en-US}}

Within a few weeks of signing with London, the A&R member who was negotiating with Sleep had been transferred and replaced. After sending the finished album to London Records, the label told Sleep that they were not going to release the album in its current format.Bennett, 2009. p.298 London Records had David Sardy remix the album but the label was still confused as to what to do with the album.Bennett, 2009. p.299 Sleep refused to have the album released in any edited form which led to a deadlock between London and the band. The members of Sleep have mixed feelings whether the album should have been released in general. Cisneros felt it should not have been released, while Pike was content with its release, saying "We did all the work so why leave it sitting around?"Bennett, 2009. p.301

By 2009, there had been four versions of the album released: a rare London Records promotional disc, a bootleg with cover art by Arik Roper, the Rise Above/Music Cartel Records album, and a release by Tee Pee Records.Bennett, 2009. p.300 The Rise Above/Music Cartel release was an unauthorized edited version, released in 1999 under the title Jerusalem. Jerusalem runs at 52 minutes and is a single composition split into six identically named tracks.{{cite web|author=Deming, Mark|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=jerusalem-mw0000047173|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=September 18, 2011|title=Jerusalem: Overview|work=AllMusic}} The version of the album titled Dopesmoker was released on April 22, 2003, by Tee Pee Records on compact disc and vinyl with a 63-minute running time.{{cite web|author=Rivadavia, Eduardo|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=dopesmoker-mw0000027601|pure_url=yes}}|title=Dopesmoker: Overview|work=AllMusic|access-date=September 18, 2011}} Cisneros spoke most positively about the 2003 Dopesmoker release, saying "I don't think the Dopesmoker thing is the exact version that we submitted, but that's the closest one that's come out of the four. If I had to pick a favorite, that would be it."Bennett, 2009. p.300 Parts of the song were used in the film Broken Flowers by Jim Jarmusch. Jarmusch stated that he was a fan of Sleep and listed them along with Earth and Sunn O))) as an influence for creating the film: "I love these kind of visual landscapes they make, and they really inspired things for me for my film The Limits of Control".{{cite web|url=http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/3253/|work=The Wire|date=November 2009|access-date=October 2, 2010|title=Jim Jarmusch unedited}}

In March 2012, Southern Lord Records announced plans for a deluxe reissue of the album, adding of the pending release that "The audio is clearer, louder, and at last brings a true representation of Sleep's hour-plus Weedian chronicle".{{cite web|url=http://www.earsplitcompound.com/site/2012/03/09/sleep-southern-lord-to-unleash-dopesmoker-deluxe-reissue/|date=March 9, 2012|access-date=March 9, 2012|title=Southern Lord to Unleash Dopesmoker Deluxe Reissue}} The reissue features new artwork by the band's artist Arik Roper, a recording mastered from the original studio tapes by From Ashes Rise guitarist Brad Boatright, and a live version of the song "Holy Mountain", recorded at the I-Beam in San Francisco in 1994.{{cite web|url=http://www.theprp.com/2012/03/30/news/deluxe-reissue-of-sleeps-dopesmoker-due-in-may/|date=March 30, 2012|access-date=March 30, 2012|title=Deluxe Reissue of Sleep's 'Dopesmoker' Due in May}} This version of the album reached number 14 on the Top Heatseekers chart.{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=sleep|chart=all}}|magazine=Billboard|title=Dopesmoker – Sleep|access-date=May 21, 2012}}

On August 22, 2022, Third Man Records announced the release of a remastered version of Dopesmoker on music streaming services on August 26, 2022, featuring "Hot Lava Man", a track that hadn't been released digitally before. Along with this digital release, a vinyl reissue of the album is set to ship on December 9, 2022,{{cite web |title=Dopesmoker |url=https://thirdmanstore.com/products/dopesmoker |website=Third Man Store |access-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824120031/https://thirdmanstore.com/products/dopesmoker |archive-date=August 24, 2022 |language=en |url-status=live}} as well as a deluxe "Weedian High-Fi" vinyl pressed with "authentic cannabis leaves" which is only available to purchase at Third Man's Detroit storefront.{{cite web |title=Sleep & Third Man Records unveil "Weedian High-Fi" deluxe repressing of landmark album Dopesmoker, with actual cannabis leaves in the vinyl |url=https://thirdmanstore.com/blogs/news/sleep-third-man-records-unveil-weedian-high-fi-deluxe-pressing-of-landmark-album-dopesmoker-with-actual-cannabis-leaves-in-the-vinyl |website=Third Man Store |access-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823031748/https://thirdmanstore.com/blogs/news/sleep-third-man-records-unveil-weedian-high-fi-deluxe-pressing-of-landmark-album-dopesmoker-with-actual-cannabis-leaves-in-the-vinyl |archive-date=August 23, 2022 |language=en |date=August 22, 2022 |url-status=live}}

{{Music ratings

| title =

| subtitle =

| state = plain

| MC = 94/100{{ref|Dopesmoker (reissue)|^₸}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{ref|Jerusalem|^‡}}

| rev2 = AllMusic

| rev2Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{ref|Dopesmoker|^†}}

| rev3 = Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal

| rev3score = 7/10{{sfn|Popoff|2007}}

|rev4 = Consequence of Sound

|rev4Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}

|rev5 = Decibel

| rev5Score = (favorable)

| rev6 = Exclaim!

| rev6Score = (favorable)

| rev7 = Mojo

| rev7Score = {{Rating|5|5}}

| rev8 = Pitchfork

| rev8Score = 8.5/10

| rev9 = Spin

| rev9Score = (favorable)

| rev10 = Stylus Magazine

| rev10Score = (favorable)

}}

Both Dopesmoker and early releases of the album received positive reviews from the music press. In the December 2000 issue of Spin, the album was referred to as "brilliant" and as a "stoner touchstone".{{cite magazine |last=Gross |first=Joe |date=December 2000 |title=Racket to Bits: Indie Metal: Your Source for Precious Alloys |magazine=Spin |volume=16 |issue=12 |page=140 |publisher=SPIN Media LLC |issn=0886-3032 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aPe2ZKjsEBIC |access-date=September 8, 2010}} CMJ New Music Monthly wrote positively about the song, saying that the "monotony rarely becomes tedious, because Al Cisneros and company are unpredictable and sensual in their drug-induced pounding of early Sabbath terrain."{{cite journal |last=Christe |first=Ian |date=December 1997 |title=Metal |journal=CMJ New Music Monthly |volume=52 |page=64 |publisher=CMJ Network, Inc. |issn=1074-6978 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oSkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64 |access-date=October 2, 2010}} Online music database AllMusic gave the Jerusalem album four stars out of five stating that "Either version is worth investigating for adventurous metal enthusiasts, but Dopesmoker is clearly the final and definitive presentation of this work". In 2006, the extreme metal magazine Decibel included the album in their hall of fame of "extreme metal masterpieces".Bennett, 2009. p.292

The album continued to receive praise after the release of Dopesmoker. Eduardo Rivadavia of online music database AllMusic gave the album four and a half stars out of five stating "Dopesmoker is [...] an instant doom metal classic—some might even say a masterpiece". The British music magazine Mojo gave the album a rating of five out of five stars proclaiming that Dopesmoker is "A benchmark by which all that dares call itself stoner rock must surely be judged."{{cite magazine |date=October 2003 |magazine=Mojo |page=111 |quote=5 stars out of 5 – '...A benchmark by which all that dares call itself stoner rock must surely be judged...'}} Exclaim! praised Dopesmoker's production value and noted that the album was an "ultimately better version of 1999's stoner opus Jerusalem."{{cite web|url=http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid2=846&fid1=14349&csid1=51|title=Aggressive Tendencies Metal & Hardcore reviews:Sleep – Dopesmoker|work=Exclaim!|author=Ayers, Chris|date=September 2003|access-date=September 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111151853/http://exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid2=846&fid1=14349&csid1=51|archive-date=November 11, 2017|url-status=dead}} Stylus Magazine's Stewart Voegtlin defined Dopesmoker as "a 60-minute song about the spliff, a monstrous rock ode to stinky buds". Voegtlin pointed out that London Records' refusal to "share Sleep's affection or vision, [led the band to] disbanding in disgust. Matt Pike went on to form High on Fire; Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius contemplate the universe's navel with Om."{{cite web|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/into-the-void-stylus-magazines-beginners-guide-to-metal.htm|title=Into the Void: Stylus Magazine's Beginner's Guide to Metal – Article – Stylus Magazine|work=Stylus Magazine|date=January 9, 2006|access-date=September 8, 2010|archive-date=September 9, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909023059/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/into-the-void-stylus-magazines-beginners-guide-to-metal.htm|url-status=dead}} A New York Times critic wrote: "What seems disorienting and monochromatic at first grows richer and more rewarding upon repeated exposure. It's like a Mark Rothko painting hitting you over the head with a bag of hammers."David Rees for the New York Times Magazine. Jan 21, 2016. [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-sleep-dopesmoker.html Letter of Recommendation: Sleep, 'Dopesmoker']

The 2012 Southern Lord Records re-issue was also praised. On Metacritic, it has a score of 94 out of 100, based on 9 reviews.{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/dopesmoker-reissue|title=Dopesmoker (Reissue) – Sleep|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=August 15, 2012}} Exclaim! noted that this issue was "cleaner and more powerful, the guitars sound heavier, with a much larger presence, and the mesmerizing complexity of the track has been reinvigorated."{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/Metal/sleep-dopesmoker_2|work=Exclaim!|title=Sleep – Dopesmoker|access-date=May 30, 2012|date=May 15, 2012|author=Falzon, Denise}} Pitchfork Media gave the album an 8.5 out of 10 and listed it as one of "the best new reissues" noting that "It's an hour of adventure and momentum, where the lumber and the repetition somehow always push ahead."{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16601-dopesmoker/|work=Pitchfork Media|title=Sleep: Dopesmoker|access-date=May 30, 2012|date=May 15, 2012|author=Currin, Grayson}} Consequence of Sound gave the album three and a half stars out of five, stating that "It's not for everybody, certainly; all but the biggest potheads/metalheads may burn out after so much grinding. It's no showcase for songwriting, either, but it makes up for that with heady atmosphere."{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2012/05/album-review-sleep-dopesmoker-reissue/|work=Consequence of Sound|author=Trunick, Austin|date=May 11, 2012|access-date=May 30, 2012|title=Album Review: Sleep – Dopesmoker}}

All music written and composed by Sleep.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/dopesmoker-mr0003608266|work=AllMusic|title=Dopesmoker (CD – Southern Lord Records #LORD 158)|access-date=June 1, 2012|author=Raggett, Ned}}

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-2}}

Jerusalem

{{Track listing

| total_length = 52:08

| title1 = Jerusalem

| length1 = 9:26

| title2 = Jerusalem

| length2 = 8:26

| title3 = Jerusalem

| length3 = 9:01

| title4 = Jerusalem

| length4 = 10:28

| title5 = Jerusalem

| length5 = 5:45

| title6 = Jerusalem

| length6 = 9:03

}}

{{Col-2}}

Dopesmoker (Tee Pee issue)

{{Track listing

| total_length = 73:07

| title1 = Dopesmoker

| length1 = 63:31

| title2 = Sonic Titan

| note2 = live

| length2 = 9:36

}}

Dopesmoker (Southern Lord reissue)

{{Track listing

| total_length = 84:26

| title1 = Dopesmoker

| length1 = 63:34

| title2 = Holy Mountain

| note2 = live

| length2 = 11:35

| title3 = Sonic Titan

| note3 = live; vinyl, cassette and Japan CD only

| length3 = 9:17

}}

Dopesmoker (Third Man reissue)

{{Track listing

| total_length = 71:59 (123:42)

| title1 = Dopesmoker

| length1 = 63:34

| title2 = Hot Lava Man

| length2 = 8:25

| title3 = Dopesmoker Part 1 Alternate Take

| note3 = deluxe edition only

| length3 = 11:51

| title4 = Alternate Solo Take 2

| note4 = deluxe edition only

| length4 = 3:27

| title5 = Dopesmoker I-Beam San Francisco 5–28–94

| note5 = deluxe edition only

| length5 = 18:14

| title6 = Dopesmoker (Cont'd) I-Beam San Francisco 5–28–94

| note6 = deluxe edition only

| length6 = 8:43

| title7 = Dopesmoker (Radio)

| note7 = deluxe edition only

| length7 = 4:44

| title8 = Proceeds the Weedian

| note8 = deluxe edition only

| length8 = 4:44

}}

{{Col-end}}

Sleep

• Al Cisneros – vocals, bass
• Matt Pike – guitar
• Chris Hakius – drums

Jerusalem

• Sleep – producer
• Philo Hayward – assistant engineering
• Doug Henderson – assistant engineering
• Fred Kervorkian – editing
• Adam Muñoz – assistant engineering

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-3}}

Dopesmoker (2003 Tee Pee issue)

• Sleep – producer, liner notes
• Billy Anderson – producer, engineering
• Mark Keaton – mastering
• Arik Roper – art direction
• Doug Ebright – artwork

{{Col-3}}

Dopesmoker (2012 Southern Lord reissue)

• Sleep – producer
• Billy Anderson – producer, engineering
• Brad Boatright – remastering
• Arik Roper – artwork

{{Col-3}}

Dopesmoker (2022 Third Man reissue)

• Billy Anderson – recording (tracks 1–4), mixing (tracks 1, 2)
• Brandon Eggleston – mixing (tracks 3, 4), additional engineering (tracks 3, 4)
• Zak Riles – additional engineering (tracks 2, 5, 6)
• Matthew Tobias – additional engineering (tracks 3, 4)
• Carl Saff – mastering
• Arik Roper – artwork

{{Col-end}}

{{Portal|1990s}}

• 1999 in music
• 2003 in music
• List of songs about Jerusalem

• {{note|Dopesmoker|}} ^† This refers to the Dopesmoker (2003) release of the album.
• {{note|Dopesmoker (reissue)|}} ^₸ This refers to the Dopesmoker (2012) reissue release of the album.
• {{note|Jerusalem|}} ^‡ This refers to the Jerusalem (1999) release of the album.

{{Reflist}}

Other sources

• {{cite book |last=Bennett |first=J. |editor-last=Mudrian |editor-first=Albert |title=Precious Metal |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FTFm382cpscC |access-date=September 8, 2010 |year=2009 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=978-0-306-81806-6 |chapter=High Times: The Making of Sleep's Jerusalem}}
• {{cite book |last1=Popoff |first1=Martin |author-link1=Martin Popoff |title=The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties |publisher=Collector's Guide Publishing |year=2007 |location=Burlington, Ontario, Canada |isbn=978-1-894959-62-9 |page=408}}

• [http://www.headheritage.com/unsung/albumofthemonth/1058 Indepth Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928163453/http://www.headheritage.com/unsung/albumofthemonth/1058 |date=September 28, 2007 }} by Julian Cope
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081007161621/http://www.teepeerecords.com/bands/sleep/ Dopesmoker] at Tee Pee Records

{{Sleep (band)}}

{{Good article}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Sleep (band) albums

Category:1999 albums

Category:2003 albums

Category:Rise Above Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Billy Anderson (producer)

Category:Tee Pee Records albums

Category:Southern Lord Records albums