Sleep: Dopesmoker gets reissued

Word came late last night that Dopesmoker, the epic single song album from stoner legends, Sleep, is getting reissued by Southern Lord.

Sleep's Al Cisneros at the Starlight Ballroom, 9.7.10

The album that ultimately led to the band's demise in the mid-90s, Dopesmoker was considered unmarketable by Sleep's then label, London Records.  Compromise on the band's part led to a rewritten and edited version of the album dubbed, Jerusalem, but this move was deemed unsatisfactory.  The excellent bands Om and High On Fire arose from Sleep's ashes.
An official version of Jerusalem was issued in the late 90s by The Music Cartel, followed by the definitive Dopesmoker in 2003 by Tee Pee Records.

All info below comes courtesy of Earsplit PR.

Related links:
Sleep at the Starlight Ballroom, 9.7.10, Philadelphia, PA.
Om at Johnny Brenda's, 11.15.07, Philadelphia, PA.

High On Fire — Snakes For The Divine
Om — Pilgrimage
Om — Live Conference
Shrinebuilder — s/t

A small write-up about the 2007 vinyl edition of Sleep's Holy Mountain



SLEEP: Southern Lord To Unleash Dopesmoker Deluxe Reissue

News of almighty proportions has landed as Southern Lord announce a deluxe reissue of one of the towering achievements in metal history, Dopesmoker by SLEEP.

For the 2012 reissue, there are some very notable changes. The original studio tapes have been remastered presenting the album as the band had originally intended. The audio is clearer, louder, and at last brings a true representation of SLEEP’s hour-plus Weedian chronicle. Exclusive to this Southern Lord edition is brand new artwork by long time SLEEP artist Arik Roper, to be unveiled in the coming weeks. Additionally, this reborn version of Dopesmoker boasts an unreleased live recording of one of the band’s best all-time performances: "Holy Mountain" from San Francisco's I-Beam in 1994.

Southern Lord is overwhelmingly ecstatic to reissue one of the most important recordings in heavy metal history. This edition ensures that this mesmerizing, incredibly complex document remains unrivaled in the annals of stoner metal. Dopesmoker Track Listing:
1. Dopesmoker 1:03:31
2. Holy Mountain (Live @ the I-Beam SF, CA. 1994) 11:54

Check out SLEEP’s upcoming European tour dates below...

SLEEP 2012 European Tour Dates:
4/14/2012 Roadburn Festival - Tilburg, Netherlands
5/03/2012 Asymmetry Festival - Wroclaw, Poland w/ A Storm of Light
5/04/2012 Amager Bio - Copenhagen, Denmark w/ A Storm of Light
5/05/2012 Betong - Oslo, Norway w/ A Storm of Light
5/06/2012 Strand - Stockholm, Sweden w/ A Storm of Light
5/08/2012 Tavastia - Helsinki, Finland
5/09/2012 Berghain - Berlin, Germany w/ A Storm of Light
5/10/2012 Conne Island - Leipzig, Germany w/ A Storm of Light
5/11/2012 Lucerna Music Bar - Prague, Czech Republic w/ A Storm of Light
5/12/2012 Club 202 - Budapest, Hungary w/ A Storm of Light
5/13/2012 Tvornica Kulture - Zagreb, Croatia w/ A Storm of Light
5/14/2012 Arena - Vienna, Austria w/ A Storm of Light
5/16/2012 Circolo Degli Artisti - Rome, Italy w/ A Storm of Light
5/17/2012 Fillmore Club - Cortemaggiore, Italy w/ A Storm of Light
5/18/2012 Dachstock - Bern, Switzerland w/ A Storm of Light
5/19/2012 Fzw - Dortmund, Germany w/ A Storm of Light
5/20/2012 Gagarin 205 - Athens, Greece
5/22/2012 The Arches - Glasgow, Scotland w/ A Storm of Light
5/23/2012 Button Factory - Dublin, Ireland w/ A Storm of Light
5/24/2012 Stylus - Leeds, United Kingdom w/ A Storm of Light
5/25/2012 I'll Be Your Mirror - London, United Kingdom w/ Slayer, Melvins
5/26/2012 Villette, Sonique - Paris, France
5/27/2012 Trix - Antwerp, Belgium w/ A Storm of Light
5/28/2012 Feierwerk - Munich, Germany w/ A Storm of Light
5/31/2012 Primavera Sound Barcelona - Barcelona, Spain w/ Wolves In The Throne Room

http://www.weedian.com 
http://www.facebook.com/officialsleep 
http://www.southernlordrecords.com 
http://blog.southernlord.com
http://twitter.com/twatterlord 

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead