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In 1991, Mudhoney released "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge," their second full-length (the historic debut "Superfuzz Bigmuff" from 1988 is a mini). It was precisely released in July, and thanks to its good success, the group was on track for international fame. Unfortunately, two months later, with the advent of the acclaimed "Nevermind" and "Ten," the 60,000 copies sold of "Every Good Boy..." were overshadowed by the millions of albums sold by Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
A pity: Mudhoney, who are among the most representative and primordial figures of the Seattle scene, have always deserved better fate. Maybe because their music has never been accommodating or particularly catchy, maybe because the four, incorrigibly carefree and anarchic, never had the charisma of generational spokespersons like Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder, the fact is that Mudhoney never achieved even a quarter of the success of the more famous Seattle bands. Yet, without taking anything away from previous works, "Every Good Boy..." is a remarkable album because it shows a touch of maturity beyond their past works. Firstly, they expanded their range of instruments: it’s thus possible to hear an organ in three songs (Generation Genocide, Who You Drivin' Now, Check-Out Time), a harmonica in two (Move Out, Pokin' Around), a greater presence of slides (along with the harmonica confirming that blues is part of their repertoire), of clean and acoustic rhythmic guitars in the background. Furthermore, their style, although unmistakable, sounds more varied from the very first notes, since the brief instrumental intro Generation Genocide is almost a dark prog piece, with that odd time signature cadenced and martial, with that sepulchral riff played simultaneously by organ and guitar, with that frantic ending at times reminiscent of the more frantic Van Der Graaf Generator: it's undoubtedly the most atypical track on the setlist, but it shows that the group has opened up to multiple influences, yet revised and corrected with the typical biting and pleasantly insolent flair.
The second track, Let It Slide, is a classic Mudhoney number, a brazen garage rock'n'roll, but the rest of the compositions present small innovations applied to their sound, which until then was almost exclusively oriented towards the Stooges and the wildest sixties garage: hence, you can hear more melodic temptations (Good Enough, Move Out, Check-Out Time), references to Sonic Youth (Something So Clear, Don't Fade IV), pauses in punk territories (Thorn, Into The Drink and even Pokin’ Around, despite the addition of harmonica) and hardcore (Shoot The Moon), even some surf reminiscences (Fuzzgun '91). Anyway, the debt to the Stooges isn’t extinguished: Who You Drivin' Now really seems like one of their songs, and the presence of the organ is of little impact, and Broken Hands also reminds us of them, with that simple chord sequence developing in an ascending climax of power and tension, with that theme starting quietly almost to form a perverse ballad before exploding into walls of guitars and final noise.
"Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge" is a great work, and after listening one naturally wonders why they never became famous. Mark Arm and company never aspired to sell millions of copies and receive platinum records, yet their music, so genuinely obscurantist and raucous, is one of the most interesting facets of grunge. If at their time, modest epigones of the so-called "Seattle Sound" like Stone Temple Pilots found success (not to mention all the bland Strokes-similar bands currently infesting the charts!), why not give some to natural and authentic bands like this one?
Two words above all else can qualify Mudhoney: unjustly underestimated.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
02 Let It Slide (02:35)
Let it slide
Let it slide
Let it slide
Let it slide
They can make it sound so nice
Everybody's got a price
Ho, ho, ho, ho
Give it away
Give it away
Give it away
Give it away
Nobody's here to stay
They own you to the grave
Ho, ho, ho, ho
Try to hide
Try to hide
Try to hide
Try to hide
Everybody's got a price
They can make it sound so nice
Ho, ho, ho, ho
Hell to pay
Hell to pay
Hell to pay
Hell to pay
They own you to the grave
Nobody's here to stay
Ho, ho, ho, ho
03 Good Enough (03:26)
I've made mistakes
That I'm sure I'll make again
Guess I liked them enough
The first time around
No way to fight them
No use denying
The way it grows
Uh-huh
Whatever happens
Never thought for a second
That I'd let go
Uh-huh
Everybody says
You must have lost your head
Well, one more time is good enough for me
Yeah, one more time is good enough for me
It's a hard road to your heart
And there was a time when I never thought I'd get that far
Uh-huh
Everybody says
You must have lost your head
Well, one more time is good enough for me
Yeah, one more time is good enough for me
04 Something So Clear (04:13)
Gray skies feel so good today
Gray skies feel so good today
Bring me cold, come rain
Clearing the prey of the way
Never thought something so clear
Never thought something so clear
Got it so bad
Should have seen it coming
Should have seen it coming
Like a bird flying at a window
Didn't see it coming
Didn't see it coming
Like a bad timing on the sidewalk
Never thought something so clear
Never thought something so clear
Got it so bad
There's a certain comfort in being confused
I find certain comfort in being confused
It's clear to me, and it's clear to you
No more confusion with you
Never thought something so clear
Never thought something so clear
Got so bad
Got
05 Thorn (02:10)
I've got a thorn in my side
About the size of your eye
I feel it sticking through
I feel it sticking through
You're all watching for me
With such intensity
It doesn't matter what I do
It doesn't matter what I do
Take your eyes off me
Maybe then you'll see
The world was sticking at you
The world was watching you
You're just a thorn in my side
Wasting effort, wasting time
It doesn't matter what I do
It doesn't matter what I do
It doesn't matter what I do
Your world is dying too
(Well, my baby left me
Well, my baby left me
Yeah, she ran
That's right, she ran
Well, I got all the time in the stinking world
And a shotgun in my hand)
06 Into the Drink (02:08)
You're messing, baby, messing hard
Messing all the time
Messing, sugar, messing busy
You're messing in my mind
Well, I don't got what you want
And I don't care what you think
Better back off, back off, back off, baby
You'll get dumped into the drink
Into the drink
Into the drink
Into the drink
I don't need your judgment
And I don't believe your lies
I don't feel your lousy love
I got rights to exercise
But I don't got what you want
And I don't care what you think
Better back off, back off, back off, baby
You'll get dumped into the drink
Into the drink
Into the drink
Into the drink
Your useless piece of weaponry
Will never shoot me down
If I didn't do it, no one could
So waste another round
Well, I don't got what you want
And I don't care what you think
Better back off, back off, back off, baby
If you don't, into the drink
Into the drink
Into the drink
Into the drink
08 Who You Drivin' Now? (02:21)
(Oh who you drivin' baby? all right
Sing it with me baby, all right
Hoo, hoo, hoo
Now
Now)
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey girl
Watch what you're doing
The way you keep running around
Gonna be a ruin
Drivin' reckless in your pinto
Full tank of gas
When you get rear ended, girl
Gonna be a hell of a crash
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Who you drivin' now?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, girl
Wrap him around your finger
All the boys follow you
But you don't got the singer
You're drivin' my T-Bird
But the gauge is on empty
Don't get in, don't look back
You got no fuel left
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Who you drivin' now?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Who you drivin'?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Who you drivin'?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Who you drivin'?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Who you drivin' now?
Now
10 Shoot the Moon (02:27)
Looking for a life in the back of your mind
Looking so hard, you're going blind
Swear you tasted it, down the sun
Sooner or later, darkness will come
I've seen it
It's getting dark
It's getting dark
It's getting
On your high horse overlooking the plains
You're in a place where no one remains
Shoot the moon, it's already shot
It's coming for you or. are you gone?
I've seen it
It scares me
It scares you
It's so
Shoot the moon
What you got's been shot to hell
Shoot the moon
What you got's been shot to hell
Shoot the moon
What you got's been shot to hell
Can't keep on holding her
That's too fun
You know she's gone
She's no longer around
Can't keep on holding her
That's too fun
You know she's gone
She's no longer around
She's no longer around
No longer around
No longer around
No longer around
No longer around
No longer around
No longer around
No longer around
12 Pokin' Around (03:30)
Alone the kitchen with the
Crap in the cupboard
You save for later
For when he leaves you all alone
You're so excited
He's finally gone
You used to miss him
Now you're so turned on
You used to miss him
Now you're so turned on
Pokin' around
Gotten out of hand
I feel for you
I feel for you
Pokin' around
Lover you can't stand
I feel for you
I feel for
I hover above you
Looking over your shoulder
In the dingy kitchen
You're looking so much older
He's out on the town
Looking for you
Living the way you'd like
You make your own truth
Livin' the way you'd like
You make your own truth
Pokin' around
Gotten out of hand
I feel for you
I feel for you
Pokin' around
Wants another hole
I feel for you
I feel for you
Pokin' around
Lover, you can't stand
I feel for you
I feel for you
13 Don't Fade IV (03:58)
(zzzzzz
Zzzzzz
Zzzzzz
Zzzzzz
Zzzzzz
Zzzzzz
Zzzzzz
Zzzzzz)
My dreams are turned to rust
Leaving nothing, and nothing is enough
Today
Today
So broken up, way down inside
Too hurt to try to hide
Away
Away
I had that dream again last night
That I woke up to everything all right
Dream
Don't fade away
Dream
Don't fade into another shitty day
Out my window it only gets worse
In my mirror it's getting worse
Look away
I had that dream again last night
That I woke up to everything all right
Dream
Don't fade away
Dream
Don't fade into another shitty day
I have this dream every night
The same dream again and again
I dream I'm awake
And everything
Is all right
Dream
Don't fade away
Dream
Don't fade away
Dream
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