Superfuzz Bigmuff is the debut album and first major release by the Seattle grunge band Mudhoney. It was released on October 20, 1988, through record label Sub Pop. The album was later re-released in 1990 in Europe in the form of Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles.
| Superfuzz Bigmuff | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Original cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 20, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | July 22–24, August 6, 15, 21, 25 and September 29, 1988 | |||
| Studio | Reciprocal Recording, Seattle, Washington | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:31 | |||
| Label | Sub Pop (USA) Au Go Go (Australia) Glitterhouse (Germany) | |||
| Producer | Jack Endino | |||
| Mudhoney chronology | ||||
| ||||
Album information
editThe album was named after two of the band's favorite guitar effects pedals: the Univox Super-Fuzz and the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, which helped to provide the band's signature "dirty" sound.
The cover artwork is a photograph of frontman Mark Arm (left) and guitarist Steve Turner (right) performing live by photographer Charles Peterson. Other artwork on the album includes more photos of the band performing and them posing topless.[1]
Guitarist Turner also considered it to be Mudhoney's first official studio album, despite it being an EP initially.[2]
Song information
edit"In 'n' Out of Grace" opens with a sample of the eulogy from Peter Fonda's character in the 1966 movie The Wild Angels, saying "We wanna be free to do what we wanna do…"; a similar sample was later used on Primal Scream's song "Loaded", and also a refraining soundbite and quote in the 2013 film The World's End.
Reception and legacy
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Mojo | [4] |
| NME | 8/10[5] |
| The Observer |  [6] |
| Pitchfork | 9.1/10[7] |
| PopMatters | 9/10[8] |
| Record Collector | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[11] |
| Uncut | [12] |
During initial release, the EP sold incredibly poorly (even by Sub Pop standards)[citation needed]; however, it has since been acknowledged as one of the seminal records of the Seattle scene. In mid-2008 the EP charted at #25 on the UK Indie Album Chart, a peak for the EP, twenty years after its release.
Along with Mudhoney's second album Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, it was included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In its review, Jamie Gonzalo called it "sexy, smart, humorous and hard", as well as writing "[Mudhoney] emerged from the underground with this mischievous workout, achieving tense and dramatic musical structures with Turner's scalping guitars, Mark Arm's angry vocals, Matt Lukin's mighty bass and Dan Peters' propulsive drums."[13] Kurt Cobain listed the EP in his top fifty albums of all time.[14][15]
Track listing
editAdapted from the album liner notes.[16][17][18]
Original release (1988)
editAll tracks are written by Mudhoney[19]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Need" | 2:58 |
| 2. | "Chain That Door" | 1:51 |
| 3. | "Mudride" | 5:44 |
| 4. | "No One Has" | 3:26 |
| 5. | "If I Think" | 3:37 |
| 6. | "In 'n' Out of Grace" | 5:28 |
| Total length: | 23:04 | |
Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles (Europe) (1990)
editAll tracks are written by Mudhoney, except where noted[20]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Touch Me I'm Sick" | Non-album single, 1988 | 2:35 | |
| 2. | "Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More" | B-side of "Touch Me I'm Sick" | 3:46 | |
| 3. | "Hate the Police" | Dicks | Mondo Stereo, 1988 (*) | 2:08 |
| 4. | "Burn It Clean" | B-side of "You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)", 1989 | 3:00 | |
| 5. | "You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)" (8-track version) | B-side of "You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)" | 2:53 | |
| 6. | "Halloween" | Sonic Youth | Split single with Sonic Youth, 1990 | 6:12 |
| 7. | "No One Has" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 3:26 | |
| 8. | "If I Think" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 3:37 | |
| 9. | "In 'n' Out of Grace" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 5:28 | |
| 10. | "Need" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 3:00 | |
| 11. | "Chain That Door" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 1:51 | |
| 12. | "Mudride" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 5:43 | |
| Total length: | 43:39 | |||
Superfuzz Bigmuff deluxe edition (2008)
editAll tracks are written by Mudhoney, except where noted[21]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Touch Me I'm Sick" | Non-album single | 2:35 | |
| 2. | "Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More" | B-side of "Touch Me I'm Sick" | 3:46 | |
| 3. | "Twenty Four" | Dope-Guns-'n-Fucking in the Streets Volume One, 1988 (*) | 2:46 | |
| 4. | "Need" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 3:01 | |
| 5. | "Chain That Door" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 1:51 | |
| 6. | "Mudride" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 5:43 | |
| 7. | "No One Has" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 3:26 | |
| 8. | "If I Think" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 3:37 | |
| 9. | "In 'n' Out of Grace" | Superfuzz Bigmuff | 5:28 | |
| 10. | "The Rose" | Amanda McBroom | Sub Pop 200, 1988 (*) | 4:04 |
| 11. | "Hate the Police" | Dicks | Mondo Stereo (*) | 2:09 |
| 12. | "You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)" (8-track version) | B-side of "You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)", 1989 | 2:55 | |
| 13. | "Burn It Clean" | B-side of "You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face) | 2:58 | |
| 14. | "Halloween" | Sonic Youth | Split single with Sonic Youth | 6:12 |
| 15. | "Need" (demo) | 3:23 | ||
| 16. | "Mudride" (demo) | 6:03 | ||
| 17. | "In 'n' Out of Grace" (demo) | 4:53 |
- Tracks 15–17 recorded April–May 1988, mixed November 2007 by Johnny Sangster.
- Releases marked with an asterik (*) are various artists compilation albums.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No One Has" (live) | 3:59 |
| 2. | "Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More" (live) | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Need" (live) | 2:47 |
| 4. | "Chain That Door" (live) | 1:59 |
| 5. | "If I Think" (live) | 3:18 |
| 6. | "Mudride" (live) | 6:20 |
| 7. | "Here Comes the Sickness" (live) | 4:12 |
| 8. | "Touch Me I'm Sick" (live) | 2:51 |
| 9. | "In 'n' Out of Grace" (live) | 6:55 |
| 10. | "Mudride" (live) | 5:34 |
| 11. | "Here Comes the Sickness" (live) | 4:10 |
| 12. | "No One Has" (live) | 3:32 |
| 13. | "By Her Own Hand" (live) | 3:32 |
| 14. | "Touch Me I'm Sick" (live) | 3:14 |
| 15. | "Dead Love" (live) | 14:18 |
- Tracks 1–9 recorded live at the Metropol in Berlin, 10 October 1988, and tracks 10–15 broadcast live at KCSB-FM, Santa Barbara, 16 November 1988. Tracks 1–9 mixed November 2007 by Johnny Sangster.
Personnel
editAdapted from the album liner notes.[18]
- Mudhoney
- Mark Arm – vocals, guitar
- Steve Turner – guitar, backing vocals
- Matt Lukin – bass
- Dan Peters – drums
- Technical personnel
- Jack Endino – producer, engineer, mixing
- Charles Peterson – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart[22] | 3 |
References
edit- ^ Superfuzz....liner notes
- ^ "Steve Turner Ranks the Band's 10 Albums". Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles – Mudhoney". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ Wilson, Lois (June 2008). "Mudhoney: Superfuzz Bigmuff". Mojo. No. 175. p. 120.
- ^ Pouncey, Edwin (February 18, 1989). "Sublime Subversives". NME. p. 31.
- ^ Smith, Caspar Llewellyn (June 15, 2008). "Mudhoney, Superfuzz Bigmuff". The Observer. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ Masters, Marc (May 20, 2008). "Mudhoney: Superfuzz Bigmuff Deluxe Edition / The Lucky Ones". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ^ Ranta, Alan (May 29, 2008). "Mudhoney: Superfuzz Bigmuff". PopMatters. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ^ "Mudhoney: Superfuzz Bigmuff". Record Collector. Archived from the original on May 2, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ Kot, Greg (2004). "Mudhoney". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 565. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Cohen, Jason (1995). "Mudhoney". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 261–262. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ "Mudhoney: Superfuzz Bigmuff". Uncut. No. 133. June 2008. p. 104.
- ^ Dimery, Robert (2009). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Octopus Publishing Group, London. p. 589. ISBN 9781844036240. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
- ^ "Top 50 by Nirvana [MIXTAPE]". Retrieved 8 May 2013.
- ^ Cross, Gaar, Gendron, Martens, Yarm (2013). Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-7603-4521-4.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Superfuzz Bigmuff (Media notes). Mudhoney. Sub Pop. 1988. SP 21.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles (Media notes). Mudhoney. Sub Pop. 1990. SP21b.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b Superfuzz Bigmuff (Deluxe Edition) (Media notes). Mudhoney. Sub Pop. 2008. SPCD 773.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ http://www.discogs.com/Mudhoney-Superfuzz-Bigmuff/release/833064 Superfuzz Bigmuff Original Track listing Discogs
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Mudhoney-Superfuzz-Bigmuff-Plus-Early-Singles/master/30019 Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Singles Track listing Discogs
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Mudhoney-Superfuzz-Bigmuff/release/1698667 Superfuzz Bigmuff Deluxe Track listing Discogs
- ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
External links
edit- Superfuzz Bigmuff (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)