Mother Love Bone was the first of a litany of sad stories to emerge out of Seattle in the 1990’s as the grunge movement rose to prominence. A glam rock band with roots in rock and roll, Mother Love Bone’s highly anticipated debut album Apple was marred when tragedy when lead singer Andrew Wood was found comatose in his bathroom at the age of 24. The culprit? A heroin overdose, an addiction that would emerge to play a part in claiming the lives of countless other Seattle-based musicians over the years. It’s a trend that’s born great art at great cost as we covered in-depth during our write up of Alice In Chains’ 1992 magnum opus Dirt early last year.
Mother Love Bone’s blend of glam rock and high octane classic rock meets grunge reminds me a helluva lot of Guns N’ Roses, in no small part due to Andrew Wood’s invigorating approach to his vocal lines and the band’s ability to match him in energy. Whether it be stomp rockers or power ballads, Apple is an excellent album from a band whose time ended before it ever truly began.
Standout Songs: “This Is Shangrila”, “Holy Roller”, “Crown of Thorns”
