One of my most prized framed items. The MLB issue of the Rocket. Its iconic.
OK…Rock and roll history…
Andrew Wood will never get the credit he really deserves. Is that true? Have you listened to Apple? That’s my first question. Very few people actually saw him live, in the grand scheme of, you know, THE WORLD. So not a lot of exposure. Mark Bolan at least has “Bang a Gong” played on classic radio from time to time and some would argue that it’s a classic rock staple right up there with “Rock On” by David Essex and “The Day the Music Died”.
I saw just that one show and I fell in love. Now heres the thing, MLB was not JUST Andrew Wood. Stone was perfecting his sound. He was finding his groove. Green River was three chord punk rock. I love some punk rock but lets face it, punk rock has no groove.
Bruce Fairweather, the other guitarist was a head banger. The whole show, he’d kind of thrash his long hair forward. And the rhythm section of Greg Gilmore and Jeff was as tight and a little funky. Jeff pogo’ed even then. But what really stood out was his hat, which would just end up being his famous style. I think the song I remember most was “Mindshaker Meltdown”
Just as the difference between Alice’s Facelift and Dirt, I believe Love Bone would have made the same size creative jump. Apple shows its flashes. At this point, I think, you would have really had to have seen MLB to really appreciate them. Their song writing was good but it was getting better and showing its glances of brilliance. Not only was Andy just becoming a more intimate and compelling song writer, Stone was also writing the best music of his life and really perfecting the style he wanted to play. I can only guess that rhythm section would continue to gel into a formidable pair. Why would I believe anything else? Jeff has proven, time and time again, that his rhythm section will be demanding and complex as well as incredibly in sync.
Consider this…have you heard the Ten bootleg that is just instrumentals? The very demo’s that Stone and Jeff used to shop for drummers and singers? Consider that MLB’s 2nd record. If Andy, who’s song writing was really starting to blossom.
“Come Bite the Apple”, “Stardog Champion” “Bone China” all show the illusionary that Andys lyrics were blossoming into.
Stargazer. This song should be played on classic radio just as much as “Rock On”. It has it all. Distinct guitar sounds. Beautiful vocals. Andy knew how to turn a phrase.
”Stargazer you call the shots and I take ‘em”
I think enough has been said about “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns”. It is a masterpiece. I know you have heard the PJ version. But listen to the original. Fucking brilliant and it doesn’t get it due credit in the annals of rock and roll.
So when I hear the instrumentals, which I heard well after TEN, on a bootleg cassette, I think of how that could have been partly (in the least) the 2nd Love Bone record. Of course Andy would have added a song or two and he and stone would have probably written more together. Its not like these guys had been playing a long time together. Sure Jeff and Stone had the year or so in Green River, 2 years, tops. Then they did Love Bone. MLB had barely been a band for a year when the record labels started courting them.
And the story of Love Bones signing is Seattle legend, well known as the “Mother Love Bone Seattle Restaurant Tour” Every major label came to Seattle to pitch them a deal. Pretty much ALL of them. Contracts in hand. It was a big deal. They were in demand and they were looking for their dreams to come true. These guys, 20-21 year old guys, living their dreams. Literally, at least for Stone and Jeff, standing on the precipice of unbelievable success and considerable tragedy.
Andy wanted to be a huge rock star and singer of a legendary band. Isn’t it something that his band would kind of evolve into Pearl Jam? A band that eventually would become a legendary band in their own right?
Andrew Wood deserves his place in more mainstream rock and roll history. His songs deserve its credit for their originality and influence. I shudder to think how Love Bone would have responded to their time between records as Alice in Chains had. What kind of record would ten be with Andy at the lyrical and vocal controls.
You’ve heard Pearl Jams “Footsteps” and Temples “Times of Trouble”. It’s the exact same song with two different lyricists/vocalist’s inspiration. The same exact music instrumentally with completely different vocals. Can you imagine “Alive” or “Black” or “Footsteps” itself interpretated any other way? Andy’s way? Its all what if’s and could have beens. What it all actually became next was fate. It has to be.
And I think Andrew Woods legend should be on par with that of Sid Barrett and Mick Jones.