apple

Mother Love Bone transcended grunge with crystal-sheen dance electra and golden words of faded glory.   The band initially came together from various Seattle bands in 1988 when Andrew Wood (from Malfunkshun) joined with Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard (from Green River) as Lords of the Wasteland.  They changed their name to Mother Love Bone when Bruce Fairweather (also from Green River) and  Greg Gilmore (from Ten Minute Warning) joined the fold.  The buzz over their live shows led to a deal with PolyGram subsidiary Polydor in which the label created the Stardog Records imprint just for them.  Their debut EP Shine only increased their profile and began to create a stir over the Seattle music scene.  

'Apple' was recorded over three months at The Plant in Sausalito, California and London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington with production by Bruce Calder, Terry Date, Mark Dearnley, and Mother Love Bone.  The sessions featured  Andrew Wood on vocals and piano;   Bruce Fairweather on lead guitar;   Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar;   Jeff Ament on bass guitar, backing vocals, art direction, and concept;   and  Greg Gilmore on drums.   As the album was being finalized, Wood overdosed on heroin and was left braindead, effectively ending the band.  The album release was delayed for several months.  

Wood would express in his final interview:   "There were some mixes that were sent to us, and we sent them back to be remixed; and there was still, like, four or five songs that still had to be remixed again. Now it's all settled and ready to be pressed. Apple is nearly an hour long...I guess there's still a little grunge in the guitars from the Green River days. We didn't lose any of the grunge we needed, but we may be right in throwing some of the ugly grunge away. It's called stale grunge... I'm pretty content with the sound right now. I think I'm a bit more mellow than anybody else in the band. The whole set is pretty mid-tempo. We're not like a real "head swinging" type of band..."Stardog Champion" is a kinda...fake, kinda patriotic rock anthem of sorts. That's gonna be the first single and video. When I wrote "Holy Roller," I didn't even know what a holy roller was. I just thought it was a cool term. Actually, I was thinking of a Paul McCartney and Wings song "Let Me Roll It." I don't know why it made me think of holy rollers. "Captain High-Top" is just a total rock propaganda kinda thing. I kinda see "Heartshine" as our "Achilles' Last Stand" of the album. It's long and real powerful. I was kinda depressed about leaving Malfunkshun for a long time. Still am, kinda. I feel like, you know, I left them stranded. I've got a brother besides Kevin who, ah, is kinda insane in a way, and he makes the whole family worry about him, so "Heartshine" is a little about both of my brothers...Nobody else has really brought any in. I think I'd find it hard to sing someone else's lyrics. I've got a guitar but I've written most of my songs with keyboards as of late. I wrote "Stargazer" on guitar. I don't really consider myself a songwriter but, rather, a guy who makes up music. I don't know chords. I don't know notes. I can't even tell the guys in my band what I'm playing. I can't say, "Well, it's G-A-C-D," or whatever. They have to come and watch me and figure it out... just kinda making up my own method of playing. That's been my whole thing...[Rehab is] a total struggle. When you first get out, you're on this pink cloud, and it's pretty easy. After a while things start getting more real, and you have to just stay straight a second at a time."










Stargazer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9n9gW1wCks



Stardog Champion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7CPIXnaeeQ



Chloe Dancer / Crown Of Thorns - Live 1989
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAF3BksqxZ0







'Apple' 
full album:




This Is Shangrila - 00:00
Stardog Champion - 03:44
Holy Roller - 08:45
Bone China - 13:15
Come Bite The Apple - 17:04
Stargazer - 22:33
Heartshine - 27:28
Captain Hi-Top - 32:08
Man Of Golden Words - 35:17
Capricorn Sister - 39:01
Gentle Groove - 43:22
Mr. Danny Boy - 47:29
Crown Of Thorns - 52:21





interview with Gossard and Ament 1990







Malfunkshun: The Andrew Wood Story

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2hupqy


Malfunkshun - The Andrew Wood Story (DVD) by AlfredoPangue

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v704980228N6Xe7X5


Watch Malfunkshun: The Andrew Wood Story (2005) in Music  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com