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 |
Mother Love Bone was an Americanrock band that formed inSeattle,Washington in 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 scene at 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.
As well as being influential togrunge, they are also considered early pioneers in thealternative metal genre.[1]
Mother Love Bone was established in 1987 by ex-Green River membersJeff Ament,Bruce Fairweather andStone Gossard, ex-Malfunkshun frontmanAndrew Wood and ex-Ten Minute Warning and 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 Endino called 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 toPolyGram subsidiaryPolydor/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 ofAllMusic said the "record contributed to the buzz about the Seattle music scene."[9]
In late 1989 the band entered a studio inSausalito, California to record its debut albumApple. Despite some initial difficulties, the record was on time for its projected March 1990 release. Only days beforeApple was slated to be released, 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 Stone said that the album "succeeds where countless otherhard rock albums have failed, capturing the essence of what madeZep immortal – dynamics, kids! – and giving it a unique Nineties spin."[11]
In the months following Wood's death, Gossard and Ament were approached bySoundgarden frontmanChris 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 rock bandLove 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 session Thayil 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.
On 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 Smith serving 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 theArgent song "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.
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Apple |
| Title | Album details | US peak 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 | ||
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1989 | Shine
|
| 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 Friday Record Store release 7" single) |
| Year | Video details | US peak chart position[18] |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Love Bone Earth Affair | 13 |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
