Mudhoney: The Sound and the Fury from Seattle

Can't say I've ever been a huge Mudhoney fan, but am a huge fan of much of the music of Seattle proper. What's cool about it is you really get a perspective of when the explosion started and how. Just a really cool read about the relationships and dynamics of how all this great music seeped out of one area of the country. And to be honest, is still seeping from there. Truly interesting how influential Mudhoney has been.

Excellent book

Good read on an excellent band!

So many rock biographies are, let's face it, terribly written and either awestruck or venomous (the quality probably a result of the strong feelings in either direction). This book is balanced in its consideration of the band, and it gives what feels like a comprehensive account of its history. It was, for me, incredibly eye opening about the relative "non-success" of such an iconic band, and it made me--a casual Mudhoney fan--seek out the parts of the discography that I wasn't as familiar with--what a reward.

This is a comprehensive history of a truly under appreciated band from Seattle. Really interesting stories and in-depth fly on the wall stuff for recordings, touring, and general nuttiness that the band Mudhoney is all about.

I've been a fan boy of these guys since their first slab of wax! Hell, before that! This book is awesome! It will not disappoint!

**Review originally appeared at https://midnighttosix.wordpress.com/If you’ve been itching for a Mudhoney bio, then 2013 was a year to celebrate. First came the documentary film, I’m Now now there’s The Sound and The Fury From Seattle, written by British music journalist Keith Cameron. So, which one should you spend your hard-earned dollar on? I’m giving the nod to the book, which is far more detailed than the film. With over 250 pages of material, Cameron covers all the things you already knew about Mudhoney, but finds new areas of exploration like singer Mark Arm’s experiences as stand-in for Rob Tyner in the reformed MC5 and the band’s long-term spiritual connection to the Australian punk scene. Mostly it does a better job of capturing the band’s contrarian attitude (born from formative years on the hardcore circuit) and the many humorous acts of self-sabotage that made them a cult act rather than the globe-conquering supernova many of their Seattle peers became. Perfect example: When offered $20,000 to record a song for the soundtrack to Singles – basically a 90 minutes infomercial for Seattle rock (a.k.a. “grunge” – and yes, that term still sucks) – they spent $164 recording a song (“Overblown”) with lyrics that directly poke fun at the Seattle rock zeitgeist that the film celebrated, and pocketed the rest. Speaking of soundtrack contributions, the book never mentions “Freak Momma”, their collaboration with Sir-Mix-A-Lot for the 1993 soundtrack to Judgment Night. I don’t care about the song (although I certainly had my Judgment Night cassette on regular rotation in High School), but I’d love to hear what happens when a band that loves The Stooges and The Scientists goes into the studio with the rapper famous for “Baby’s Got Back” to record for a Hollywood film. That one small miss aside, Cameron’s book is fun, interesting and easy to recommend for fans of the band.

Well, first of all, the publishers deserve five stars solely on account of not putting the noun 'grunge' in the title of this book, but in all seriousness, Cameron earns full accolades for this excellent biography. Mudhoney have too often been a side note in the story of other Seattle bands (namely the big four) even though they were integral to the explosion of the scene. Cameron lays out his manifesto in the opening pages stating that sometimes, being in the `margins of history' may truly be the best place to be, and he proves his case convincingly. He eruditely demonstrates how this band have stood on their own musically (they're a 'grungy' punk band says Steve Turner on a recent interview, not a grunge band, darn it), and professionally. It's high time they deserved a book to themselves.The best part is that this book is such a satisfying read. No slap-dash mélange of interviews here. Cameron weaves the story of our guys cleverly and seamlessly, with various first and second hand accounts from the members of the band themselves, friends and spouses. Along the way, Cameron intersperses the text with an abundance of witty descriptors (fully expected for a book about Mudhoney), many of which are downright genius. He describes their music at one point as having a 'Stoogian aroma' and `magnesium-flare vehemence offset by unconscious goofability.' I could go on.Like all human stories, there were tough times as well and Cameron tackles them with pathos but nothing that breaches on the sentimental. Dan Peter's childhood story certainly gives you pause. Fans wanting nostalgia will get it of course but I was happy that Cameron detailed their recent catalogue (which I often prefer) with as much enthusiasm as their more well-known material from the late 80's and early 90's. The icing on the cake is the inclusion of some choice photos, including some from Mark's Arm private collection that involve lamé. Intrigued?

This is a really important book about an important band. Keith Cameron is very well placed to write this book since he was among the first to recognize the importance of Mudhoney and the Sub Pop label in what was to be known as grunge. Back then, in the beginnings so to say, it was thought that Mudhoney were going to be the next big thing, especially since Nirvana's first record, Bleach had not made a too great impression. The problem with this book is that at times it is almost too scholarly and too well written so that it takes away the excitement about the whole rock band thing. This is of course a major problem with any rock book that has to tread the fine line between the Motley Crüe type memoirs (I drank that much etc) and the extensive historically accurate thing that we almost have here. Anyway it is still good but could be more "fun". But I guess this also kind of explains why the and, that still is functioning, did not really make the big time.

Excellent read. You might not be a Mudhoney fan when you start it, but you will be by the end.

Brilliant book on the band and the surrounding scene. Well put together with great photos too

for any true maudhoney fan,relive the grunge years and then some. a true insight into the band who inspired kurt cobain

Was a good read!