Mudhoney - Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

While Nirvana tapped into the mainstream and were being touted around the world as the kings of Grunge, the true emperors were not so quietly, but happily back in Seattle sitting upon their rightful thrones.  Their Album, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, has always been by far my favorite of the bunch. I can still remember waiting anxiously for it's release and having my friend's grandmother drive us down to Music Plus (of was it already Wherehouse, by that time?) to finally get my hands on it.

While their previous work was exceptionally good, I enjoyed this album above the rest because it began to venture a way from the fuzzy distorted sounds they helped bring about. You're actually able to listen to the band mature as musicians right in front of your stereo. This is not to say they got rid of the sound altogether, but rather refined it into a garage, blues rock sound.

If your a fan of the 90's rock explosion labeled "grunge" and haven't put this album on your rotation, well... repent! The go and make it right.

Jimi Hendrix- Axis: Bold as Love

We'll so far, along our trip (actual and musical) we have gone through some sounds of the Bay Area, Portland, and Olympia. We are now traveling through the wonder that is Seattle, Washington and in my mind there is no better place to begin than with Seattle's native son Jimi Hendrix.  

Dr. Suess once said, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

I guess that's the best way to describe the short lived Jimi Hendrix Experience. With only three albums under their belt before Jimi was tragically taken from our musical souls, we are left with the black hole of a question, "what could have been?" Sadly, this is too often the question encompassing The Jimi Hendrix Experience, rather than a fond embrace of the beautiful trilogy The Experience has passed down to generation after generation.

Axis: Bold as Love probably did not have the pizazz of his first effort Are You Experienced?, But Hendrix accomplished and built upon his early success his second major recording. Within the album he experiments with rock, blues, some jazz, and ventures into the arena of psychedelic with songs like if 6 was 9. My favorite song is of course, Castles made of Sand and She's So fine, but these are most peoples favorites. so I don't think I'm offering any new insight.

If you have never, or have rarely listened to The Jimi Hendrix Experience, then do yourself a favor and get this album. It's an American classic by the man who in my opinion, single handily (alright he used both hands) changed the face of Rock and Roll, became the face of the 60's, and is still by far one of the greatest, if not THE greatest guitar players in modern music.