Superfuzz Bigmuff EP

          Seattle grunge band, Mudhoney released an EP, titled Superfuzz Bigmuff in October of 1988. The name of the EP was derived from the band’s favorite guitar pedals, the Super Fuzz and the Big Muff. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Mark Arm, guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Matt Lukin, and drummer Dan Peters.

             Track 1: Need- The opening riff sounds almost too similar to Nirvana’s “Rape Me”, off their 1993 record, In Utero. If anything though, Nirvana copied off Mudhoney, for the latter’s record was released over five years prior to the release of In Utero.

            Track 2: Chain the Door- This track sounds like a 33 1/3-rpm record being played on 45-rpm. Arm makes his vocals and guitar track very fast, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Also worth mentioning: Peters’ drum fills are incredible.            

Track 3: Mudride- The pedal used on this track is evident- it is a Super Fuzz. The pedal makes the guitar very distorted and is concealed by Arm’s slow dreary vocals proclaiming, “I have a mouth full of dirt”. The bridge has a feedback ridden guitar solo for about a minute long.

Track 4: No One Has- The track starts with a thumping bass track by Lukin and some drum fills by Peters. Arm’s shrieks and wails throughout the song make it sound like the song was recorded in one take, which once again, isn’t a bad thing.

Track 5: If I Think- A definite standout from the EP, “If I Think” is the first softer song on the record –during the verses. The choruses are explosive, but the verses show that Arm can sing, not only scream and shriek.

Track 6: In ‘n’ Out of Grace- The song starts with a sample of the eulogy from the 1966 movie, The Wild Angels. Once the song starts, it sounds like a typical Mudhoney song, with fuzzy, distorted guitars and crashing cymbals. It is not the most memorable Mudhoney song, but it leaves listeners with a good taste in their mouths.