Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

Sounds like a load of songs that didn’t quite make the Tony Hawks soundtrack.

On my first attempt at university, I was not a good student. Tuesdays, in particular, I would go to my 11am English lit lecture with my mate Grant, and then we would trundle off to Manning Bar when it opened at noon, because Tuesday was band day. Every lunchtime there would be a free band, usually some local alternative band. But hard to argue with free, right? One week in March of 1990, we ambled up to the bar, where they were lugging in very large, but incredibly beaten up, amplifiers. "Whose playing?" I enquired of Ian, the Activities Officer. "Mudhoney" he replied. "Cool", I thought. The chance to see an overseas band was a special treat, and I knew the name, even if I wasn't familiar with their music. At 1pm, they shambled out and ripped through a cacophonous and powerful set, largely based on Superfuzz Bigmuff and their self-titled record. They were a revelation. They were loud and fast and angsty and funny and drunk as hell (at lunchtime!). This was music as I wanted it to be. Proper dangerous punk rock that didn't take itself too seriously. As I recall, lots of people thought it was a terrible racket and left, but it sure made a mark on me. As soon as the set finished, I hiked up to Scratches Records at Newtown and bought a copy of Superfuzz Bigmuff, which is one of my all-time favourite records. I went to see them a few times that tour, and on their next tour, which was in December of the same year if I remember correctly. I saw them at the Lansdowne Hotel, the Phoenician Club, the Paddington RSL, and then a few years later at the Big Day Out. I love, love, love, their stuff. I had been hanging around on the Sydney alternative live scene for a couple of years, so this made a lot of sense to me. Australian alternative had a lot of the elements of grunge (that noisy, punky garage rock thing, leavened with a piss-take attitude), but this was the first American band that I had seen doing what became known as grunge, which was about to take off. This is generally regarded as their best album, and it is pretty damn great. Personally, I would go Superfuzz (the CD versions with the extra singles on it for a real taste, but this a terrific album. I love the fuzzy, terrible recording quality, the sloppy playing, the punk energy, the humour, the sense of being out of control. It helped codify my musical taste (and also heavily influenced the terrible band I was in for most of the 90s). Mudhoney were my band. I bought their records, I wore the t-shirts, I saw them live as often as I could. I ended up working at Scratches not long after that, so I had a front row seat for the explosion of grunge in 1991. Oh to be 20 years old again, working in a little record shop and seeing bands three or four nights a week at a time when there was something so exciting happening in music. While the explosion of underground music into the mainstream, was exciting at the time, in the long term, it didn't really turn out well for many people (including independent alternative record stores). But that's a story for another day... My infatuation with Mudhoney did influence me in one way that I regret. When Nirvana's Nevermind exploded, I was pretty lukewarm on it. everyone I knew who worked in alternative record stores got thoroughly sick of how overplayed it was. I mean, good record, but it's not Mudhoney now is it? And so I didn't buy tickets to see Nirvana when they played the Phoenician. I really regret that. But I don't regret ever listening to Mudhoney. They are still my band. I really love this record, but is it really a must hear? It is for me, but maybe not for everyone. Four stars

I tried to like it. I really did. And any one of those songs is fine. Good, even. But, man that album felt like a slog to me. There’s just so much of it. And every song is not as [adjective] as [contemporary reference band].

This album has had my dick hanging out the back of it since day one. It still gets me hard, unlike your mum.

I love grunge but Mudhoney is at the crappy end of it imo. Yeah I know they were practically the first grunge band, but they lean too heavily into the alternative art rock DIY garage band stuff where I prefer my grunge to sound like AIC and Soundgarden. I've heard this album a few times, it kinda just exists. It's not horrible, but it's not actually good and I wouldn't listen to it for fun. Seems to be propelled by reputation alone. 2/5.

Sounds like 1992 and I love it.

Early influential grunge, but not overly impresive nowadays. Nothing stands out as exceptional or as terrible. A recording of its time

Turgid pish

Some pretty passable Seattle grunge, but someone else did it better

They get labeled as grunge because they're a Seattle band using heavy distortion in 1991, but there are more punk elements here than anything: an abundance of two-minute songs, shouty repetitive choruses, a lead singer who can't carry a tune, and purposefully mediocre production quality (because using low quality tape totally owned those studios, man). I vacillated between being impressed by the balls on these guys and annoyed by this album's existence, which was probably the point. Best track: Good Enough

Not being very familiar with the genre, I find it hard to review classic grunge in any other way than through the lens set up by Nirvana. In a direct comparison, Mudhoney lack Nirvana's catchy choruses and Kurt's iconic delivery thereof. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. It has some pretty good hooks and isn't too chaotic and certainly not mindless (my usual complaints regarding grunge and punk-inspired genres in general). The album length was perfect too, as I stayed engaged throughout. Good album.

I don't always listen to garage punk and proto grunge but when I do, I'll now make sure it's Mudhoney. Really now. My 5 stars often reflect how much I enjoyed an album within this 1001AYMHBYD challenge and this is the shit. Certainly one of the shits. Also, best harmonica I've heard so far. Looking at you, Bob.

Exceptional Grunge Band Destroys Faces

I'd seen the name of this band before but never listened. I liked it!

Whenever I hear this album I hear the distant thunder of a revolution. This is grunge! Everything else (except for the Melvins) are also rans. Released a full two months ahead of Nevermind this was touted as the album that would break through. But overall it wasn't. Too dirty sounding, having used an 8 track to do the recording, this wasn't a radio friendly album. That is why it is important. As it flew against the expectation and in a way Mudhoney took a step back so they could keep having fun. And that is what it is all about - having fun. I still hate the cover though but treasure my limited pressing on Fudge coloured vinyl

I had never heard of this album or band before this, but was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed listening. Big fan of the guitar work on this record - there's something magical about fuzzy sounding guitars. Lowkey inspiring me to whip out my electric again and mess around with my effect pedals. The guitar is definitely what stood out to me the most and what I enjoyed the most, but I also liked the vocals. Album was chaotic in a way that I thoroughly enjoyed. Might check out more by this band!

Nice grunge album with better vocals than I typically expect from the genre!! 8/10

Been meaning to listen to them for years. Scrappy, garage punk version of grunge. Cool guitar shit. I dig it!

Very listenable except for one song with snoring sounds in the middle. Sound is more late 90s indie, although can hear more classic early 90s seattle grunge too.

Grunge. No está mal, pero no me ha encantado del todo.

A pretty good grunge rock album. Apparently one of the first. Didn't quite have that hopeless edge that grunge excels at

Opening instrumental Generational Genocide sets me up for an off-kilter carnival. Mudhoney sold me the world, inviting me to something truly spectacular and never-before seen. I went along for the ride, had some fun, but left feeling slightly disappointed. Like true carnies.

Nope.

Wild, unhinged, guttural and completely absorbing.

Biased since I went to a concert of them recently. Singer still has a great voice after all these years. One of my favorite grunge albums, the playing is superb and the songs are all really active and hyped. Gotta compensate for the low score this has as well.

MUDHONEY LFG!!! Not my favorite Mudhoney album but still full of bangers and solid front to back. Maybe the most underrated of all the grunge bands but I can see why they wouldn’t have been one of ones to fully break out. This album rules.

yes

Real grunge for real people.

Some of the best out of the Grunge movement. Perfect, tight, dissonant, clever album. More, plz.

Awesome grunge with personality.

started a reluctant wednesday with this and really enjoyed it. hell yes to never being too professional

neat punk with some great variation. saved.

Yeah this is still a near-perfect grunge record with fast, catchy songs all over - had not listened to Mudhoney for many years and thought the album may have that outdated grunge sound, but it still sounded fresh, and I like it very much.

sehr gut

Loved the metal grunge vibe!

Something new, surprised I hadn’t heard of them before

Very important album in my teenage years. Incredible!

Punchy. I want some fudge now.

A little dark and gloomy, but good bit of energy and chaos in this. It's dirty, gritty, drone-y and perfect. Listened to this nonstop for about two hours before settling on a five. Would def. listen to this againif I didn't have such a mountain of unfinished reviews to write.

HELL YEAH GRUNGE LET'S GOOOOOOOOO

Such a good album, easy 5 star

Ooh, this was a very good grunge and punk album, which I'd never heard before. All these tracks were amazing in my opinion, and I have to admit I was kinda into the harmonica in one or two of these tracks. Favourite: Move Out

I recall being sniffy about this album at the time, it didn't seem to have the youthful swagger & snarl of earlier releases. Listening to it now ... sounds amazing!

Okay, this isn’t universal, but it’s a classic to me (even if you never heard it, you heard Nirvana and Pearl Jam after Mudhoney’s influence).

This is like if In the Aeroplane over the sea was a punk album. Maybe that comparison is stupid but it makes sense to me at this particular moment in time. Either way, this is quite good for my punk-loving soul, unlike anything I've ever heard.

Really good grunge album! Hadn't heard of these guys before. A couple really cool tracks. Highly recommend.

okay

amazing

Now that's more like it

One of my favorite bands... hell, at times they are my absolute favorite. Great band to see live. This is a classic in my book, just got the 30th anniversary version of this on vinyl. Glad to see it here on the list. These guys are still cranking out great stuff. I'd argue their last 3 records (The Lucky Ones, Vanishing Point, Digital Garbage) are as good as (and maybe better than) anything they've ever put out. Check them out too.

I have loved this album since it came out!

yaaas lawd, YES!

Grunge was a huge part of my teenage musical years, but I didn't hear much of this. More garagey than I might have thought, but I like that about it

Lovely mix of rock and punk

Aaaah. The band that put Sub Pop on the map. Not their best IMO, but still pretty great!

Apparently I like grunge now. Never heard of this band before but after giving the album a listen I immediately wanted to replay it. It's raw and rough around the edges, and I quite enjoyed it.

This is another one of those albums where I find myself kinda cursing the fact that I can't ever really find the time to give these things more than one play. I mean, just on a first listen, I can tell that if I had time to let this thing grow on me, I'd really love it. On the same level as, say, NEVERMIND or TEN — no, of course not. But the album stays just so consistently good throughout that I'd hard pressed not to dig it even a little. Really, my only problem with it comes down to the fact that this was my first runthrough of the thing. Diving into unfamiliar territory like this is always a bit hard for my auDHD brain, but it's also a matter of not knowing how to spread out the energy. In an album like this, unless it really clicks with you, it can be hard to not just let it out all at once, in a big, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, this shit rocks!" 'Coz after that's gone, you can spend the rest of the album, y'know, kind of zoned out. Y'know, in a state of mind where you're not exactly **ignoring** the music, but you're not really absorbing it either. You can hear it happening, but it doesn't exactly leave an impact — that sort of deal. And it makes an album that's already twice as long as the last thing I heard from them feel **even longer**. Like, yeah, 42 minutes should be no thing, but when you're in that state of mind... And that's a bummer, 'coz, again, I think the stuff here is pretty good. I know I like it a lot. But I feel myself nodding off during the album, and I hafta wonder if I actually find it that boring — and I know I don't! I'm just running on fumes 'cuz I didn't anticipate how to pace myself! And that's not the album's fault, nor is it really even mine. So, y'know, I won't let it affect my overall rating of the thing, 'coz it's not this thing's fault I have other stuff I wanna listen to in a day. (And that's not even touching on the fact that I'm behind on albums by a few days — heck, I was supposed to have this review out yesterday.) So lemme TL;DR this thing back to the top: is it the toppest tier of Seattle grunge? I wouldn't say so — in fact, I feel it's more punk than grunge, though that's besides the point. The album's got an energy and a quality about it that makes it hard not to put it up there, even if I feel like I need more time with it before I can fully appreciate it. Every album deserves more time, &c. It's a big thumbs-up from me.

A good ol' slice of 90s rock. Solid 4 Stars.

I’m at a 4.5 that I will bump down to a 4, but I’ll be damned if I’m not struggling with giving it a 5 just for the hell of it. Welcome back to Mudhoney; we got Superfuzz Bigmuff as the 45th album of the whole thing, and I gave it a 4, mainly for “a hint of repetition in the styles of each song that does become a bit apparent once that initial wave of energy washes away”. 462 days later, my brain is a bit more forgiving of grunge-adjacent “repetition”. It is, however, not totally forgiving, hence the struggle between bumping it down or bumping it up. This is, at bare minimum, a 4 to my ears – it’s just some kick-ass grunge, and another example of Seattle in 1991 being the closest equivalent to the Garden of Eden there’s ever been in the world of music. So, why the struggle then? Honestly, if I had to guess, I think the album just feels long. At 42 minutes, it’s a little under double the runtime of “Superfuzz Bigmuff”, so I think some of the luster just slowly erodes away over the course of the album. There’s never a decline in quality, because every track here is pretty good, but there’s just a decline in a listener’s tolerance. I don’t think this album fully does enough to keep the listener’s attention for its entire runtime, & while I know you can’t go full-throttle for the ENTIRE album, I had phases throughout listening to it where I entered less of a “zen state” and more of a fugue state. That’s not me calling the album boring, but I think there are portions in a number of tracks that coast for a bit, followed by extremely subtle transitions into the next segment of the song, in a way that sort of just sneaks up on the listener… but without the sort of “wow” factor that’s more typical of grunge of this era. That’s the “fugue” state I’m talking about, because I had to rewind every time it happened just so my brain could fully catch it. So, is that my fault as a listener, or their fault as composers? Is it anyone’s fault, really? The answer is no, no, and definitely not. It’s their style, and I think it works well enough. Even if I don’t fully vibe with it, it’s not anything egregious enough to ruin the album, but it does bump it down to a 4 for me. It also doesn’t quite stand next to its contemporaries – I do feel like if I gave this a 5, it would be within the same space as Nevermind or Ten, and I just don’t think it’s there. That said, I do recommend this a lot; I don’t think it’s deserving of the 2.83 average on the site. Maybe with a few more listens, I’ll go back up to a 5 anyway. For now, it’s a bump down to a 4, but it’s still a pretty enjoyable 42 minutes, and a pretty good album.

Nothing against Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but it feels so refreshing to listen to a grunge album by a band not so prominently in the cultural zeitgeist. These tracks are fast and intense, oozing with youthful energy. These guys must've put on a hell of a show back in the 90s, I'm sure the mosh pits would have been riotous.

A real find for me. Thrilling from start to finish. Stooges, Ramones and garage influences. Nice use of organ and harmonicas alongside the buzzsaw guitars.

Early grunge, sounds great - I never got into mudhoney - I think I was a little too young for pre Nirvana grunge. I will definitely be checking them out now.

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge and to listen to this album because its certainly a very good album. I saw that a critic from Entertainment Weekly compared this album to a Black Sabbath if it were sped up and had a bit of humor and while i can see that, i would more easily compare it to the grunge contemporaries of it's time such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. I don't like this album as much as i like the offerings from the two i already mentioned but i still think its very good. The music was fast and fun and, of course, had plenty of humor and quirk to it and while the vocals are a bit awkward at first, they still fit the songs well. I really enjoyed this album and think its a good addition to all the other grunge albums of 1991. Best Song: Don't Fade IV Worst Song: Generation Genocide

Hadn't heard this before! You can still hear grunge's roots here, more punk, less radio friendly. Really cool.

Intro to Grunge 101.

Good grunge album, plenty of punch to it. I could definitely learn to love this album, but I wouldn’t give it a 5. Intrigued to hear more of their discography. I imagine they’re underrated, and outcast by Nirvana.

cool grunge album. reminds me a little bit of pavement in the way that this one sounds and less like "classic" grunge bands like nirvana and soundgarden. a lot of fuzzy distorted guitar and bombastic drums. although i enjoyed my time with this one, it didn't really do enough to get it in the realm of a 5. it's a nice album, but it wasn't really mindblowing. still, i could see myself getting into this one more.

This was more punk than a lot of grunge. Which for me, is a good thing.

"Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge" is the second studio album by American rock band Mudhoney. Grunge and garage rock are the Wiki-listed genres. Absolutely. An interesting description of their music is "Imagine Black Sabbath heavy metal, only sped up and with added touches of humor. The album was recorded at low quality on an eight-track deck. The album title refers the mnemonic used to remember notes (EGBDF) on a treble clef. Mudhoney is Mark Arm (lead vocals, guitar, organ), Steve Turner (guitar, harmonica, backing vocals), Matt Lukin (bass, backing vocals) and Dan Peter's (drums, backing vocals). Commercially, the album made it to #34 in the UK. The album opens with the instrumental "Generation Genocide." Fuzz guitar, a slow driving pace and beat and high-pitched guitar solo. The band amps up the pace on their only single from this album "Let It Slide." A more melodic fuzz guitar mixed with distorted guitar slashes. Layered vocals but you do hear Mark Arm repeating "Let It Slide." I think it takes aim at record companies. Mudhoney decided to stay on their small label Sub Pop for this album although being courted by larger companies. "Good Enough" adds jangly guitars and a bouncy beat to the fuzz. I guess R.E.M.'s influences were hard to avoid. About an addiction. Pounding drums and a distorted fuzz guitar anchor "Into the Drink." A quick, fast guitar solo. This is more in-line with garage rock. Guitarist Steve Young brings out his best Neil Young guitar riff intro and solo in "Broken Hands." I have no idea if they're related. A slow but steady pounding beat. A song that builds with intensity. I guess I kinda, sorta maybe get the Black Sabbath in their music but I really heard the garage rock of band like the Sonics mixed with contemporaries at the time Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth. Anyway, you slice it this sounded good today. Melodic riffs, layered fuzz and distorted guitars, a mix of fast and grinding paces and Mark Arm's exhausted howling vocals. I do think they are at their best when they kick up the pace and come across as a garage-punk band. Their initial EP and this album are the best Mudhoney that I've heard and definitely worth checking out.

It was an ok album

Loved it

This is good rock music! I don't really have anything articulate or thoughtful to say, except that if I heard this at a show in someone's basement or garage I'd be impressed. More melodic and interesting grunge than I've heard from this time.

Even better after an annoying album. Give ‘em some fudge.

Another band whose name and influence I am very aware of, but whose discography I have not explored. Enjoyed finally listening to a full album.

Nice feeling to it, good energy

Very grungy, mostly high energy, but some songs are a bit too simple for me to really get into them. Standouts were Generation Genocide (instrumental intro to the album), Into The Drink, and Broken Hands (more vibey than the earlier songs). I thought Don't Fade IV was a bit of a dud, and I didn't like the harmonica in Pokin' Around - the rest of the song was pretty good though.

Late 80’s early 90’s punk/garage rock hits just right! My favorite genre. Songs about nothing and everything

Fun album. Interesting music with an edge, but also a sense of humor.

Good old classic grunge.

По мнению А: 4/5 По мнению С: 4/5 ИТОГОВАЯ ОЦЕНКА: 4/5 (04.02.2025)

All the usual sounds associated with grunge are here, present and correct. It's a pretty solid listen for fans of fuzz-buzz pop/rock with a twist.

When I was learning piano it was “every good boy deserves football”, I think I like “every good boy deserves fudge” better. The album is cool too

Yeah man shouty fun the fun i like

Of its time, but what a time. At the raw, punkier end of grunge, my favourite kind. Good album, good times. (Nearly -1 for gratuitous harmonica use but nostalgia saved it)

Glad I listened to it. Will listen again

The vocals are uninspiring and sound like any generic punk album. The guitar has so much reverb it sounds like it was recorded in a garage. Within the first couple songs I was ready to give up on this album. But I hung in there, in search for something that made it great. That's when I picked up on the drums. My god the drums on this album. The pacing and complexity at which it's played really just brought me right back in and brought this album up from a 2 to a 4 in my eyes.

I don't know why this has such a low overall rating. I'm starting to find myself as a fan of Mudhoney, I certainly have enjoyed the two releases from this list. Fave? I couldn't really pick one it just feels like they all have their moments.

Solid grunge - makes me nostalgic for a version of my teenage years that didn't happen in this timeline. Fave tracks - "Something So Clear", "Shoot the Moon"

shoul re listen

rocks hard, nothing special but it’s pretty fun

Rocked out to this one! Love it.

I quite liked it! A bit punk a bit hard rock here and there, wasn't a masterpiece or anything but it was a pretty damn good listening experience

Lo-fi grunge gold. I did not dislike any song on this album though my years of being an angsty teen are behind me. Not something I'll put on frequently but I'll keep it as a resource for when I want some grunge not from the usuals. Thanks for saving SubPop Mudhoney.

Nice!

Day358 - 17 year old me would have loved this if i would have known about it.

I like grunge. I liked this.

Not my kind of music BUT they started the Seattle grunge scene and Stone Gossard 🎸 was an early member. Their lyrics are sick and their style has evolved over the years. Giving them extra points for their impact on the World of Music.

Nice vibes

I think this album is a step up from their previous album both song writing and production wise. The only thing it is missing is a big song like Touch Me I'm Sick. I really like the guitar tones here, they have this compressed fuzz sound or something, where they are very dirty, but still kind of clean and don't muddy up the mix. I don't remember their previous album super well, but I think the vocals are a huge improvement here too. I think I'll checkout some of their other albums in my free time. High 4.

Pretty fun!