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 and 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

Turgid pish

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

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].

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.

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

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

Exceptional Grunge Band Destroys Faces

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

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 carneys.

Nope.

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

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.

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

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!

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!

Listened Before? N Great album, perfectly captures an era in rock music. Grunge/alt stuff from the early 90s has such a carefree attitude and this album is one of the better ones I've heard. I really enjoyed this. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Good Enough

This was a good "raw" sounding album. I liked it a lot. it wasn't pretentious or anything, it was just a solid album with a good sound.

I mean ben geen grunge fan, maar deze is wel goeie

could i write poetry to this? y

When you think grunge, you probably think of Nirvana, or possibly one of the handful of other big names, like Pearl Jam, maybe Soundgarden. But there was a budding scene that was developing in Washington state before 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' hit big. Mudhoney is about as pure grunge as you're likely to find. Energetic, fuzzy, and roughly recorded. This is the first album I've heard by them, but I was impressed. It's maybe not as good as Nirvana generally, but I'd picked 'Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge' over 'Bleach' at least. It's a great album that lets you feel more intimately part of that original scene, rather than the worldwide sensation that grunge would soon become.

Fun grunge

Loved Superfuzz. Garage punk grunge. I will take it.

Nirvana before nirvana. This album goes hard.

Good album

Nice, a little noisy

The fuzzy guitars Of catchy melodic blasts Voice a scratchy glue

3.75

Enjoyed it

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

Under the circumstances...

Decent grungey album, but plays a clear second fiddle to Nirvana in the same space.

Classic grunge by one of the leaders and founders of the grunge movement. In many ways Mudhoney were more grunge than Nirvana could ever hope to be. I will always prefer their early singles but this is probably my favorite album of theirs.

Back in 2021 I bought the vinyl 30th anniversary edition and so began a deep…. Passionate…. Fulfilling relationship with Mudhoney. I wasn’t too fond of it when it came out, having listened first to super fuzz bigmuff, so the ‘new’ sound of one clean guitar one dirty was a bit underwhelming. However revisiting the album now I think k it’s their best mixing influences as varied as 60’s beat pop, surf rock, punk and grunge to create something so sloppy yet so brilliant. Mark Arm deserves to be in the Mount Rushmore of grunge. 4/5

4/5

Excellent entry from one of the first bands I know of to be considered grunge.

Not that epic as it's meant classic, still very good

4/5 - solid

I think this may be my first time listening to Mudhoney on my own? To skip the inevitability of talking Nirvana, I like a whole lot of Sub Pop stuff past and present. And probably future. Some of this fits on the chill, almost Dino Jr side of the scale, then some of it is energetic and right at home on a cool skate video, like Foundation's The Good Times are Killing Me, which also has... Modest Mouse. Okay.

Not my favorite Mudhoney album (that would be the 1989 Self Titled LP) but still very solid. I've always said THIS was the band that Seattle should be recognized for, not Pearl Jam or Nirvana. This is a fuzzed up, anthem-laden, garage screamer of an album. My only complaint is it lacks the same raw ferocity that made Superfuzz Bigmuff and the Self Titled LP so untouchable.

Nothing genre defining, but just a lot of fun grooves and not too abrasive

I only ever listened to their first album so this was nice. I didn't realize how prolific they are.

The super fuzzy lo-fi production really appeals to me. The songs are fun, not really a grunge fan so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it feels more indie or garage rock to me. Glad it came up.

Great album perhaps just a little more mainstream and diverse than the earlier albums. Really not a bad song on the album but nothing to send it over the top either. Mudhoney was so close to greatness but just never got there for some reason.

There wasn't a stand out track like Touch Me I'm Sick, but it was still a good listen. A less flashy version of grunge then most of their peers.

Really enjoyed this album. Nice and sludgy, just like I like my early 90s music. There are better grunge acts, but this one isn't bad. I'll listen to it again.

This is a pretty good album, fun listen and nice early grunge. It starts to wain a bit in the middle and end of it though. Not terrible, but not the best out there. It’s good.

I don't know which band was first referred to as "grunge" but if it wasn't Mudhoney, it should have been, or maybe Tad.

- you can hear the 80s rock fading into the beginning of grunge - they may have started the wave, but they didn’t perfect it - 3.5, round up for how iconic they are

I already love Mudhoney

I probably play the S/t and SuperFuzz BigMuff more but this is probably their best. 4.5

Nice typical mudhoney album

Excellent!! Great music, although a couple of songs lose a bit of pace.

Hammer Sound, aber die Songs sind bis auf ein paar Ausnahmen etwas zu schwach. Vor allem im Vergleich zu Superfuzz Bigmuff 3.5

If I had been born just a little earlier, I would have absolutely been a grunge kid. As it is, I missed the boat by a few years. Objectively, this isn't a great album. It's messy, disjointed, and poor Mark really struggles to carry a tune. But subjectively? I loved it. The over-the-top, lo-fi aggressive irreverence is right in my wheelhouse and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this one. Hand me my flannel, I guess i'm in my grunge era now.

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

I enjoy the garage production. Some killer bass on this album too. Solid 4. Best track(s): Broken Hands, Let it Slide

Never heard them before. I enjoyed most of their songs on this album.

vibey. better grunge than nirvana

52/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

Decent mix of punk alternative and rock. Sounded familiar yet don’t think I have heard any of these songs. A couple played with the time signature which added interest. 3.75/5

Early grunge influence. Punk

cool kinda grunge thing? I dig it but it's nothing special 4/5

I feel like I slightly overrated the last Mudhoney album we got in retrospect, so I was prepared to rate this lower to compensate. But I actually enjoyed it quite a lot, so I'm going to go with my gut and rate this one a 4 too.