seattle grunge Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Gut Flower “Think So”

sfilzen — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 16:57:55 +0000

Gut Flower “Think So” b/w “Maple Leaves” 1990. Blow Valve Records, blue vinyl. Obscure early 90′s Seattle grunge on an equally obscure record label. This 45 is the only output by Gut Flower and Blow Valve Records’ only recording release. There isn’t even any information about the band members beyond their bland first names (Greg on guitar and vocals, Kevin also on guitar and vocals, John on bass and Ray on drums). The only contributors associated with Gut Flower who have any historical presence are cover photographer Lisa Haugen (who is/was married to DJ Shadow, hiphop artist who wrote the song “Lost and Found (S.F.L.)” which is dedicated to her) and recording engineer/producer Rich Hinklin who produced a couple of other early 90′s grunge singles and albums including Gruntruck’s Inside Yours. Both “Think So” and “Maple Leaves” are very Seattle grungy in the vein of Soundgarden, Mudhoney, etc. but a little more whiney in the vocals. This has been in the pile of stuff to listen to and decide to keep or sell for awhile now (I keep finding other things I’d rather listen to and write about). Unless someone out there has some amazingly cool insight into Gut Flower to share, this single will find itself back in a second-hand record bin again soon.

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Mudhoney “You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)”

sfilzen — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 16:08:32 +0000

Mudhoney “You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)” b/w “Burn It Clean” 1989. Sub Pop Records. Mudhoney, Sub Pop’s first true success, was the band that helped pave the way for other Seattle bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, etc. to find commercial success with the rise of the 90′s indie rock/grunge scene. Allmusic writes “[Mudhoney] took the sweat-soaked and beer-fueled mixture of heavy metal muscle, punk attitude, and garage rock primitivism that would become known as “grunge” to the hipster audience for the first time.”

“You Got It,” which appears on Mudhoney’s debut self-titled LP, has always been one of my favorite singles from the grungey late 80′s/early 90′s, all flippantly punk while still being infectiously danceable. The flipside, “Burn It Clean” is on the EP/singles album Superfuzz Bigmuff.

Runoff groove etchings:

Side A – “Mouthful of dirt”

Side B – “Handful of charms”

Here is a photo of our young Vault member channeling his inner Mudhoney earlier this summer at camp.

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Green River “Come On Down”

sfilzen — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 19:43:16 +0000

Green River “Come On Down” 1985. Homestead Records. Today, July 20th, is Green River guitarist Stone Gossard’s 50th birthday (b. 1966). Come on Down is Green River’s first release and is often considered the first grunge recording release. Members of Green River went on to form Mother Love Bone (Gossard, Jeff Ament), Mudhoney (Mark Arm, Steve Turner) and then Pearl Jam (Gossard, Ament).

The EP is very riff-orientated, many nods to metal (Jeff Ament and Gossard both Iron Maiden fans) and early punk (the Stooges). The title track “Come on Down” is heavy, sludgy, and, well, grungy. In the 1996 grunge documentary Hype!, Leighton Beezer of the Thrown Ups plays the main riff of the title track “Come on Down” to illustrate the minor differences between punk and early grunge. (It’s at the 1:40 mark here) “Swallow My Pride” has a bit more upbeat punk swagger accenting the riffs – you can really hear the roots of Mudhoney on this track. “New God” is thick and sticky while “Ride of Your Life” has a weird tension between breakneck speed and a deep slow drag that is disconcerting; I picture the flannel-clad pit confused in their mosh: first slow head-banging, then frenzied fist pumping, wait now slow down and sway a bit…guitar solo!

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Nirvana “Bleach”

sfilzen — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 20:29:19 +0000

Nirvana “Bleach” released on this date, June 15th, 1989. SubPop/Waterfront Records. Red vinyl, debut studio release. Bleach failed to chart upon its initial release but after Nirvana’s massive success with Nevermind, Geffen Records re-released Bleach in ‘92 and it went to #89 in the US and #33 in the UK.

Bleach has become a grunge/hard rock classic, with songs like “About a Girl” and “Negative Creep” now part of the pop culture lexicon. My favorite song on the album is one not written by Kurt Cobain, but rather is a cover of Robbie Van Leeuwen’s “Love Buzz” (originally released in 1969 by Shocking Blue). Nirvana injects “Love Buzz” with a dirty needle of grinding, menacing speed.

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Tad “God’s Balls”

sfilzen — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 15:55:20 +0000

Tad “God’s Balls” 1989. Sub Pop Records. Blue vinyl. Tad’s debut album – heavy heavy grungey Seattle hard rock that Allmusic’s Greg Pato describes as “punk rock slowed down to a powerful Sabbath-like pace.” Tad opened for Nirvana on their “Bleach” tour but never achieved crossover status into mainstream rock the way that Nirvana did. Perhaps song titles like “Cyanide Bath,” “Satan’s Chainsaw” and “Nipple Belt” scared off the masses. Whatever. Their loss. This album is an assault of over-the-top, in-your-face anger and swagger wrapped up in 300 pound flannel.

Runoff groove etchings: Side A (the “Judas” side) – “Judass kicks ass” and Side B (the “Jesus” side) – “Free Dick Johnson” The back cover of the album states “This record is lovingly dedicated to convicted felon Dick Johnson”

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