The Coffin Birth of Grunge: A Review of ‘Apple’ by Mother Love Bone

IMAGE COURTESY OF MERCURY RECORDS

Apple represented the true birth of grunge, but much like the Paradise that was taken away from Eve for taking a bite of the forbidden fruit, Mother Love Bone were banished from Eden.

The first time the Seattle sound catapulted into the stratosphere was in 1986 with the release of Deep Six, a compilation album of top six Seattle-based rock bands with Malfunkshun and Green River standing out the most stylistically. Green River would eventually pair-up with lead singer of Malfunkshun, Andrew Wood and create Mother Love Bone in 1988.

Two years later, just as they were about to release Apple, their first studio album, Andrew Wood would meet his untimely demise. A telling tale of the death-grip that heroin would have on the grunge scene in the not-so-distant future.

In July 1990, four months after Wood’s death, Apple, finally released. The opening track, This is Shangrila, an energetic rock ballad with undertones of what would be the foundation of the future of grunge, a taste of what was in store. The following two tracks, Holy Roller and Stardog Champion follow the same formula. Songs like Heartshine and Captain High Top, fall victim to the 90s cliché of listing songs that don’t fit the theme in an attempt to create lengthy albums. While they feel out of place, they are still great standalone tracks.

Bone China and Stargazer however, shine light on the true Mother Love Bone that inspired a generation. The layering of multiple guitars with heavy distortion and feedback gave off a funk-metal tone paired with Wood’s theatrical vocals made for an interesting sound that can only be described as sonic rock. It was a long-shot from the melancholy, gloomy tone that grunge would grow into, instead sounding more like glam-rock meets Axl Rose meets the darkness of Wood’s personal struggles - a beautiful picture in a broken frame of sorts.

Man of Golden Words sees the side of Wood that is also highlighted in Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns. A side of him that dropped the glam-rock persona to set the tone for what the genre was about to become. A sombre story sung.

Grunge would forever change the way music sounded, opening the door to a more formal state of emotion to a tone that was reckless angst and backed by the universal sound of heartbreak.

Though grunge has turned into a more Tumblr-esque, chic fashion aesthetic, a far cry from the individualistic style it first began with, it still holds a significant place in the history of music, and rightfully so.

Apple signifies the rite of passage for bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam who are mislabelled as pioneers of the music that shaped the 90s. Without it, the 90s music scene as we know it would have ceased to exist. It would unfortunately be the only album released. With Wood’s flame being snuffed out so soon, we never got a chance to see just how bright it could burn.