Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988, following the demise of Green River. Mudhoney's members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the band in 1999.
Mudhoney's early releases on the Sub Pop label, particularly their debut single "Touch Me I'm Sick" and the Superfuzz Bigmuff EP, were massively influential on the Seattle music scene. More than almost any other release of the era they inspired the dirty, high-distortion sound that would become grunge. Later on, Mudhoney also mixed heavy blues rock and punk rock into their sound at various stages. Although the band has found little commercial success during its long career, which has yielded ten studio albums, it has inspired countless grunge and alternative rock musicians.
SUB POP: 1988–1991
Turner wanted to start a band that rehearsed before playing to a live audience. He and Arm began songwriting with Bundle of Hiss drummer Dan Peters. The trio decided that Matt Lukin, who had recently left Melvins, should join the band as bassist. They named themselves after the Russ Meyer film Mudhoney.
In 1988, the band recorded and released their debut EP, Superfuzz Bigmuff, and their first single, "Touch Me I'm Sick", on the Sub Pop label. The single attracted attention and the band enjoyed moderate success in the United States. Mudhoney quickly became Sub Pop's flagship band. Sonic Youth, who were fans of the band, had invited Mudhoney to join them for a tour in the UK in 1989. After this tour Superfuzz Bigmuff entered the British indie charts and they received a respectable amount of press coverage. The band released their first album, Mudhoney, in 1989.
Kurt Cobain listed Superfuzz Bigmuff as one of his favourite albums in his journal in 1993.
They released their second album, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, in 1991. After the album's release they were offered a deal with Reprise Records, and they joined the label in 1992.
After a few years of touring, Reprise decided to release Mudhoney. Subsequently, Lukin left the band. They released March to Fuzz, a retrospective compilation album.
In 2011, Pearl Jam had Mudhoney open for them on their 20th Anniversary tour. They were chosen by Mogwai to perform in May 2012 at the All Tomorrow's Parties 'I'll Be Your Mirror' festival at Alexandra Palace, London. In April 2013 the band put out their ninth studio album Vanishing Point on the independent label Sub Pop.
MARCH TO FUZZ
The booklet that comes with the digipak album features an introduction by Bruce Pavitt, "Corporate Associate." The remainder of the booklet includes comments by Mark Arm and Steve Turner about each of the 52 songs.
[ AllMusic Review by Steve Huey [-]
Mudhoney was most convincing when the 7" recording format limited their more indulgent tendencies. In general (especially early on), their albums were always peppered with great songs -- usually variations on the band's trademark scuzzy sound and sneering attitude -- but rarely sustained momentum all the way through, thanks in part to the band's weakness for ponderous jams.
The sorely needed, two-disc best-of March to Fuzz attempts to have it both ways: the first disc is a generous, 22-track overview of their recordings from 1988-1998, while the second compiles 30 rarities for the devotees. It's a tactic that's been used before, and it's usually maddening, giving both casual and die-hard fans an entire disc they don't want. But March to Fuzz actually works very well. For one, it's not priced as a double-disc set, and for another, both discs are actually very strong.
Mudhoney's sound didn't change very much over the course of their career, which means that even though disc one isn't arranged chronologically, everything is pretty much of a piece. It's also very well chosen, even if the surprisingly strong latter-day albums My Brother the Cow and Tomorrow Hit Today aren't heavily represented. But the disc makes a convincing case that Mudhoney never stopped making bruising, vital rock & roll, or writing great (albeit samey) songs.
The rarities disc is surprisingly entertaining, featuring plenty of cover versions, cranky goofs, and songs that were certainly better than some of their album tracks, but were relegated to B-sides or indie compilations. Their '60s garage and surf roots are actually summed up very effectively here, as well as their love of early-'80s hardcore. March to Fuzz might be a little hard to handle all in one sitting, but it's hard to imagine a better overview of Mudhoney's career.]
[Sid Smith 2007
Before it became the birthplace of grunge, the Pacific Northwest city of Seattle was probably best known as the birth place of Jimi Hendrix, and whilst Hendrix had to up sticks and go and seek out the wider world, true to type, the nascent grunge movement with its slacker slouch turned up the max shrugged its shoulders, skinned up and hung around for the world to come and find them.
That the world took any notice or even cared at all, was probably due to the sounds emanating from Sub Pop Records and a clutch of proto-grunge releases by the likes of Green River. Having pretty much knocked together the whole grunge template, when Green River washed up in 1988, guitarists Mark Arm and Steve Turner formed Mudhoney as a vehicle for their continuing and most excellent adventures in sound.
Whereas Nirvana tended toward solemnity and sonic belligerence, the overriding Mudhoney vibe is one of surprisingly good humour. There’s a lot of fun to be had. “Who You Driving Now?” detonates spiky parcels of distortion at such jaunty angles it’s impossible not to warm to it. “Generation Genocide” pokes fun at the dopey jam-band vernacular, whilst “Judgement, Rage, Retribution and Thyme” sticks the finger at self-reflecting obsession with a smattering of slide and marimba that suggests Zappa and Beefheart can’t have been too far away from the turntable that day.
As eclectic as they are electric, they have an unshakable belief in the rightness of the fuzz pedal: “A Thousand Forms Of Mind” giving vent to a Black Sabbath fixation and a more than credible Ozzie impersonation.
Disc 2 also has a smattering of cover versions including a previously unreleased wacky take on Roxy Music’s “Editions Of You.” Homage to Elvis Costello can also be found in a very faithful, though uneventful, “Pump It Up,” included here for no other reason than they like playing it and I suppose, that’s reason enough.
Released in 2000, March To Fuzz marshalled a bunch of rarities, b-sides and a career through-view into an indispensable package that actually lives up the 'best of' moniker.]
DISC 1. - BEST OF
01. In 'n' Out of Grace
02. Suck You Dry
03. I Have to Laugh
04. Sweet Young Thing Ain’t Sweet No More
05. Who You Driving Now?
06. You Got It
07. Judgement, Rage, Retribution, and Thyme
08. Into The Drink
09. A Thousand Forms of Mind
10. Generation Genocide
11. If I Think
12. Here Comes Sickness
13. Let It Slide
14. Touch Me I’m Sick
15. This Gift
16. Good Enough
17. Blinding Sun
18. Into Your Shtik
19. Beneath the Valley of the Underdog
20. When Tomorrow Hits
21. Make It Now Again
22. Hate the Police
DISC 2. - RARITIES AND B - SIDES
01. Hey Sailor
02. Twenty Four
03. Baby Help Me Forget (Mr. Epp and the Calculations)
04. Revolution (Spacemen 3)
05. You Stupid Asshole (Angry Samoans)
06. Who Is Who (The Adolescents)
07. Stab Your Back (The Damned)
08. Pump It Up (Elvis Costello)
09. The Money Will Roll Right In (Fang)
10. Fix Me (Black Flag)
11. Dehumanized (Void)
12. She's Just 15 (Billy Childish)
13. Baby O Baby (Suicide)
14. Over the Top (Motörhead)
15. You Give Me the Creeps (The Crucifucks)
16. March to Fuzz
17. Ounce of Deception
18. Paperback Life
19. Bushpusher Man
20. Fuzzbuster
21. Overblown
22. Run Shithead Run
23. King Sandbox
24. Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown (Jimmie Dale Gilmore)
25. Holden (Jimmie Dale Gilmore/Reed)
26. Not Going Down That Road Again
27. Brand New Face
28. Drinking for Two
29. Butterfly Stroke
30. Editions of You (Roxy Music)
HATE THE POLICE LYRICS
Mommy, mommy, mommy
Look at your son
You might have loved me
But now I got a gun
You better stay out of my way
I think I've had a bad day
I've had a bad day
I've had a bad day
Daddy, daddy, daddy
Proud of your son
He got him a good job
Killing niggers and Mexicans
I'll tell you something, and it's true
You can't find justice, it'll find you
It'll find you
It'll find you
People tell policemen
They've met their match
Down in them desert sands
The Dicks were hatched
Dicks hates policemen, and it's true
You can't find justice, it'll find you
It'll find you
It'll find you
HERE COMES SICKNESS LYRICS
Heh
Here comes sickness
Walking down my street
Shaking her hips
Like she's some kinda treat
All the neighborhood dogs
Licking at her feet
Here comes sickness
Here comes sickness
Here comes sickness
Walking down my street
Yeah
Here comes sickness
Moving up my block
When she comes to my house
I hope she don't knock
All the neighborhood dogs
Sniffing at her crotch
Here comes sickness
Here comes sickness
Here comes sickness
Moving up my block
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah
There goes sickness
In my daddy's car
Good riddance to the both of you
I hope you go far
All the neighborhood dogs
Should be drunk in the bar
There goes sickness
There goes sickness
There goes sickness
In my daddy's car
DISC 1.
MP3 @ 320 Size: 171 MB
FLAC Size: 506 MB
DISC 2.
MP3 @ 320 Size: 168 MB
FLAC Size 502 MB
DISC 1.
MP3 @ 320 Size: 171 MB
FLAC Size: 506 MB
DISC 2.
MP3 @ 320 Size: 168 MB
FLAC Size 502 MB
Fantastic post! I saw Mudhoney this past year, and they still sound great.
ReplyDelete