Mother Love Bonewas an Americanrockband that formed inSeattle,Washingtonin 1988. The band was active from 1988 to 1990. FrontmanAndrew Wood's charisma and songwriting helped to catapult the group to the top of the burgeoningSeattle music sceneat the time. Wood died shortly before the scheduled release of the band's debut albumApple,resulting in the breakup of the band. The album was released a few months later, though many recollections of demos, b-sides, and live performances were released and given to the general public as well.
Mother Love Bone | |
|---|---|
 Mother Love Bone in 1989; clockwise from left: Bruce Fairweather, Stone Gossard, Greg Gilmore, Jeff Ament and Andrew Wood | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Lords of the Wasteland (1987–1988) |
| Origin | Seattle,Washington,U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1988–1990, partial reunions: 2010, 2018 |
| Labels |
|
| Spinoffs | |
| Spinoff of | Green River |
| Past members | Jeff Ament Bruce Fairweather Greg Gilmore Stone Gossard Andrew Wood Regan Hagar |
As well as being influential togrunge,they are also considered early pioneers in thealternative metalgenre.[1]
History
editMother Love Bone was established in 1987 by ex-Green RivermembersJeff Ament,Bruce FairweatherandStone Gossard,ex-MalfunkshunfrontmanAndrew Woodand ex-Ten Minute Warningand The Living drummerGreg Gilmore.The group was formed in 1987 out of the cover band Lords of the Wasteland which featured Wood, Gossard, Ament and Malfunkshun drummerRegan Hagar.By early 1988 the band had added Fairweather, replaced Hagar with drummer Greg Gilmore and changed its name to Mother Love Bone.[6]
This new line-up quickly set about recording and playing shows and by late 1988 had become one of Seattle's more promising bands.[7]Wood's exuberant on-stage personality, outlandish clothes and dreamy lyrics helped bring attention to the band. In the 1996 grunge documentaryHype!Seattle engineerJack Endinocalled Wood "the only stand-up comedian frontman in Seattle", a reference to Wood's playful style of interacting with fans.[8]
In November 1988, the band signed toPolyGramsubsidiaryPolydor/Stardog and recorded their debut EP. As part of their contract, PolyGram created the Stardog Records imprint exclusively for the band.[7]In March 1989, the group issued its debut EPShine,becoming one of the first of the new crop of Seattle bands to have a release on a major label. The record sold well and rapidly increased the profile of the band. John Book ofAllMusicsaid the "record contributed to the buzz about the Seattle music scene."[9]
In late 1989 the band entered a studio inSausalito, Californiato record its debut albumApple.Despite some initial difficulties, the record was on time for its projected March 1990 release. Tragically, on the verge of stardom with the release ofAppleonly days away, frontman Andrew Wood, who had a long history with drug problems, overdosed onheroin.[10]Unresponsive and without signs of brain activity, he was in the hospital on life support for two days to allow friends and family to say goodbye. Wood's death effectively brought the group to an end.[7]The album would see release later that year on July 19, 1990. Kim Neely ofRolling Stonesaid that the album "succeeds where countless otherhard rockalbums have failed, capturing the essence of what madeZepimmortal – dynamics, kids! – and giving it a unique Nineties spin. "[11]
Post-Mother Love Bone
editIn the months following Wood's death, Gossard and Ament were approached bySoundgardenfrontmanChris Cornell(who had been Wood's roommate), and asked if they would be interested in recording a single containing two songs he had written in tribute to Wood.[12]The project turned into an entire album and the group took the nameTemple of the Dog,a reference to a line in the Mother Love Bone song "Man of Golden Words".[13]Eddie Vedder later joinedMike McCready,Dave Krusen,Gossard, and Ament to formPearl Jam.Pearl Jam subsequently became one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed rock bands of the 1990s.
Fairweather initially remained inactive but later joined Seattle basedpsychedelic rockbandLove Battery,replacing Tommy Simpson on bass in 1992. He played on three of the band's albums and numerous tours before leaving the band. In 2006 he resurfaced in The Press Corps, with Garrett Shavlik (The Fluid) and Dan Peters (Mudhoney).
Gilmore's profile dropped significantly following Mother Love Bone's demise. Between 1992 and 1994, he drummed with the band Chubby Children, reuniting with former bandmates from 1982–1985, Brian Fox and Garth Brandenburg. Out of the band came a handful of shows and unreleased recordings. He also participated in the reunion of his former band Ten Minute Warning in 1998, and was credited with providing 'inspiration' for the song "Never the Machine Forever" (credited as being written byKim Thayil) onSoundgarden's studio album, 1996'sDown on the Upside.The song initially came out of ajam sessionThayil had with Gilmore.[14]
In April 2011, Kevin Wood (Andrew Wood's brother) teamed up with hard rock band Lace Weeper to record Mother Love Bone's "Crown of Thorns" in commemoration of 21 years since Andrew's death. The single was released on Kevin's Wammybox Records.
Reunion concerts
editOn April 14, 2010, the four surviving members of Mother Love Bone reunited for the first time in 20 years (with friend and fellow Seattle musicianShawn Smithserving as frontman) as part of a sold-out "Brad and Friends" evening at Seattle's Showbox. The songs featured were part of the band's core repertoire from their early days, including "Stardog Champion", "Holy Roller", "Gentle Groove" and a cover of theArgentsong "Hold Your Head Up",a favorite encore from the band's early club days around Seattle.
On May 5, 2018, the band again got together and performed 14 songs (including "Hold Your Head Up" ) during the event at Seattle’s Neptune Theatre. Local singersShawn Smith(Pigeonhed) and Ohm Johari (Hell’s Belles) shared singing duties.
Members
edit- Andrew Wood– lead vocals, piano, keyboard, tambourine (1988–1990; died 1990)
- Bruce Fairweather– lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1988–1990)
- Stone Gossard– rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals (1988–1990)
- Jeff Ament– bass, backing vocals (1988–1990)
- Greg Gilmore– drums (1988–1990)
- Regan Hagar- drums (1988)
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Apple |
Compilations
edit| Title | Album details | USpeak chart position [15] |
|---|---|---|
| Mother Love Bone |
|
77 |
| On Earth As It Is – The Complete Works |
|
— |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory | ||
Extended plays
edit| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1989 | Shine
|
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | "Hold Your Head Up"(cover ofArgent)/ "Lady Godiva Blues" / "Man of Golden Words"(alternative version) | N/A (promo blue vinyl 7 "single) |
| 1990 | "Stardog Champion" | Apple |
| "This Is Shangrila" | ||
| "Stargazer" | ||
| 1992 | "Stardog Champion" | Mother Love Bone |
| "Capricorn Sister" | ||
| 2014 | "Hold Your Head Up"(cover ofArgent)/ "Holy Roller"(alternative version)[17] | N/A (Black FridayRecord Store release 7 "single) |
Videos
edit| Year | Video details | USpeak chart position[18] |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Love Bone Earth Affair | 13 |
Music videos
edit- 1990: "Stardog Champion"
- 1990: "Holy Roller"
- 2016: "Captain Hi-Top"
References
edit- ^ab"Alternative metal".Silver Dragon Records.Archived fromthe originalon February 4, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 26,2012.
- ^Lifton, Dave (August 2, 2016)."Pearl Jam to reissue Mother Love Bone catalog on Vinyl".Diffuser.fm.diffuser.Archivedfrom the original on August 3, 2016.RetrievedDecember 5,2019.
- ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas."Pearl Jam | Biography & History".AllMusic.Archivedfrom the original on August 25, 2013.RetrievedAugust 26,2020.
- ^Rivadavia, Eduardo (August 27, 2016)."How Pearl Jam Overcame Everything to Complete Their Watershed Debut 'Ten'".Ultimate Classic Rock.Archivedfrom the original on August 28, 2016.RetrievedAugust 23,2020.
- ^"Godfather of grunge: How the tragic story of a self-destructive glam-metaller inspired the Seattle rock movement".The Independent.January 5, 2021.RetrievedJune 15,2023.
- ^Prato, Greg (December 15, 2010).Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music.ECW Press.ISBN978-1-55490-347-4.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedDecember 1,2020.
- ^abcPrato, Greg."Mother Love Bone | Biography & History".AllMusic.Archivedfrom the original on September 13, 2013.RetrievedAugust 23,2020.
- ^Pray, D., Helvey-Pray Productions (1996).Hype!Republic Pictures.
- ^Book, John."Shine".AllMusic
- ^Friend, Lonn M. (July 1992)."Heroes... and Heroin".RIP.Archivedfrom the original on March 3, 2016.RetrievedJune 22,2007.
- ^Neely, Kim."Mother Love Bone:Apple"ArchivedFebruary 10, 2008, at theWayback Machine.Rolling Stone.October 4, 1990.
- ^Nicholls, Justin (April 14, 1991)."KISW 99.9 FM: Seattle, Radio Interview by Damon Stewart in The New Music Hour with Chris Cornell, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard".Fivehorizons.com.Archivedfrom the original on July 20, 2011.RetrievedOctober 3,2007.
- ^Turman, Katherine. "Life Rules."RIP.October 1991
- ^Maloof, Rich."Kim Thayil of Soundgarden: Down on the Upbeat"ArchivedMarch 3, 2016, at theWayback Machine.Guitar Magazine.July 1996.
- ^"Mother Love Bone Album Chart History: Billboard 200".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on November 21, 2021.RetrievedSeptember 5,2022.
- ^"On Earth as It Is: The Complete Works by Mother Love Bone".Apple Inc. November 4, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on November 6, 2016.RetrievedMay 18,2017.
- ^"Mother Love Bone 7-inch featuring two unreleased songs due out for RSD Black Friday".Consequence.net.October 21, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on October 22, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 2,2015.
- ^"Mother Love Bone: Top Music Videos".Billboard.RetrievedMarch 9,2009.[dead link]
