Customer Reviews

Apple

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

i remember buying Apple in 1990 only a few weeks after the fatal heroin overdose of song writing genius Andrew Wood, it really is a shame, this band had it all, a charismatic lead singer, tight musicianship and what i believe to be the most inventive band name ever. There is no doubt in my mind, Mother Love Bone would have been just as, if not bigger then Pearl Jam(most likely because their albums would have been more accessible to the general public over later Pearl Jam releases). With touching ballads(Stargazer, Crown Of Thorns, Man Of Golden Words, Bone China) and flatout hard rockin' tunes(This Is Shangri-La, Captain Hi-Top, Heartshine, Come Bite The Apple), this band had the potential to be the next Queen or Led Zeppelin. Do yourself a favour, BUY THIS ALBUM, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

OK first of all i'd like to make something clear to those who seem to think you can't like Mother Love Bone AND Pearl Jam - Both bands are absolutely stunning. Andy and Eddie were two completely different people and it doesn't detract from either band.

Now, I will say something that sums up Apple and Mother Love Bone as a whole - Special. There is no other way to describe it. Sometimes a band comes along and is just so incredibly different, beautiful. stunning and tons more superlatives that don't even begin to fully describe the talent here. There is something almost mystical about MLB. Firstly Andy Wood was destined to be a star. There are just some people that were put on earth to entertain and he was one of them. However, he was not here for simple shallow entertainment. One listen to Man of Golden Words or Bone China will tell you that.

And none of this so far has mentioned Crown of Thorns. If you can get hold of the Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns version you will be witnessing one of the most amazing songs ever written. Im sory if I sound naive and gushing here but there are no words to describe what this song does to me.

I picked this CD up about late 1992, when Pearl Jam was quickly on the rise and i continue to listen to it, to this day. Andy Wood was a total genius and could have been the Jim Morrison of this generation had he not died before his band had the chance to become huge, which they certainly would have. a truly underlooked classic and a MUST for fans of the Seattle Scene.

Quick history lesson in reverse: Pearl Jam consists of lead singer Eddie Vedder, left guitarist Mike McCready, right guitarist Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament and a slew of different drummers. Before Pearl Jam was Pearl Jam, they were Temple of the Dog, a tribute band started after Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell learned of the death of his good friend, Mother Love Bone lead singer Andy Wood. After Andy's death, Cornell reconvened Ament and Gossard, and brought in McCready and Vedder to create the Temple of the Dog project. They released one album and Vedder stayed on in what became Pearl Jam. This, however, is where it all began. Mother Love Bone was the album where 80's music met grunge mentality and lyrics and a new brand of music was born. Without Mother Love Bone and the death of Andy Wood, there would have been no Temple of the Dog and NO Pearl Jam. If that wasn't enough to make you want to buy the album, then how about this: This album is solid. The tracks range from hard rock to soft ballads, and it's one of the more unique albums to be released around this time. If I had to describe it, I'd say it sounds a bit like a primitive Pearl Jam, with Axl Rose on lead vocals, but with a different mentality altogether than GNR had. Highlights are probably Shangri-La, Crown of Thorns (which Pearl Jam frequently covers), Gentle Groove, Stardog Champion, Stargazer, and the bonus track, Lady GOdiva Blues...in all, it's a solid album and if you're a Pearl Jam or Temple of the Dog fan, it's a must have. Grunge history...

First, like most of the music from my past, I am not sure if I really love it because it is worthy of love, or if I am just nostalgic for the period in time during which I first heard it. Second, after listening again for the first time in ten years - I vote the former on this one. It is more than worthy of our love, and I felt the need to say so here.

This album is the party before the ten (twenty?) year hangover-from-hell known as grunge. Full of sexy fun songs - Captain Hi-top (a song no white boy these days would dare attempt) and Danny Boy - and a few moments of pure poetry - Crown of Thorns, Man of Golden Words, Bone China - it was a landmark record for the Seattle rock scene.

Fast forward twenty plus years and it becomes clear that Mother Love Bone - and I say this sadly and with deep reverence for an old favorite - would NEVER have made it past the early nineties. "This is Shangri-la" is a great tune, but once "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Head Like A Hole" were released, MLB would have quickly passed into distant obscurity. I am reminded of another of my pet bands from my hometown, Big Chief. Great music. Fun band! But rock superstars? Never. Not that MLB is a Motley Crue wannabe, but think about how hard it was for Vince, Nikki, Tommy, and Mick in the 1990s. And they had already solidified their fanbase over ten years and several platinum albums. Imagine the fallout for MLB, who was just getting started. It would have spelled the end for Andrew, Stone, Jeff, Bruce, and Greg.

Although I am sure I will be destroyed in replies for saying this, I have made my peace with it. I still love the music and I can almost smell the leaves turning and incense burning in my college dorm room when I hear Gentle Groove. I feel the coolness of my ex-girl's cheek pressed against mine as we hugged when I hear Stargazer. But even so, I know that I probably never would have heard these songs if Temple of the Dog and Pearl Jam had never happened. And that is sad on so many levels.

RIP, Andrew and MLB, and thanks for the fun, meaningful, amazing music.

To me Andrew Woods was the most charismatic, talented and promising epic rock ballad writer and vocalist not only coming out of Seattle but coming out of rock music in general. I know this sounds absolutely ridiculous and crazy. Unless you were a part of the 1990s grunge rock music movement you might have not even heard his name before. Andrew Woods became known pretty well in Seattle in 1998, when former members of a band called Green River, namely Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Bruce Fairweather formed a new band together with Greg Gilmore, and Andrew Woods who had closed his own prior creation, Malfunkshun. The band was called Mother Love Bone and became fairly well known in the area due mostly to Andrew Woods' glamorous on stage persona. His clothes were flamboyant and psychedelic and his act was interactive and breathtaking. After releasing an ep Shine in 1989 they have recorded this album Apple in 1990 but unfortunately a few days before the scheduled release of this music Andrew Woods overdosed on heroine, his longer term addiction. The music of this album has its own special mood but it could be characterized as a mixture of hard and grunge and glam rock with 4 beautiful epic rock ballads mixed within. All these ballads were written by Andrew Woods. Together with a couple of other great songs of faster and mixed tempo, Bone China and Stardog Champion written by Stone Gossard, these softer rock songs: Stargazer, Man Of Golden Words, Gentle Groove and Crown Of Thorns are my reason for writing this review, because these songs are what I love about this album. Andrew Woods wrote all lyrics for Mother Love Bone and besides being intensely powerful in their own special fragmented way they project certain poetic hazy dreamy quality accentuated by his spectacular way of singing. However, the 100 pound gorilla in the room is, to me, the absolute beauty of Andrew's voice. Imagine mixing 25% of each, Robert Plant's, Ian Astbury's, Marc Bolan's and David Coverdale's voice. We would be close but still not there. Adding the value of his voice to his style of singing and his perfect lyrics to showcase it all gives us some of the most beautiful rock ballads ever composed and performed. And they truly sound like songs copming out of the albums of Deep Pruple, Led Zeppelin, Rainbow or Black Sabbath, much more than Pearl Jam or Nirvana. I am sure that many people who like the harder sound love this album from a to z and might have a problem with my following sentence. However, if you happen not to care for hard sound that much but you love great rock ballads, how often do you get 4 to 5 (Bone China could be considered one as well) amazing epic ballad songs out on the debut album of a rock band? The answer to this question explains my beginning sentence of this review. This album Apple was released together with the Shine ep again in 1992 and you should probably purchase that copy, but this original release with this album cover is very dear to me personally.

Stardog Champion starts like it was coming out if the middle of some good Black Sabbath song, but its progression exchanges its hardness for the ambience of its chorus section where Andrew's vocals are being reinforced by a spectacular kids choir whose voices give this amazing song its one of the kind memorable ending.

Bone China has this Kashmir or When The Levee Breaks like Led Zeppelin quality to it and the fragments of lyrics Andrew so beautifully delivers here sketch a story details of which are unclear and unique for every one of us.

Stargazer is an amazing completely one of a kind love song with spectacular lyrics. To me this is one of those most special songs addressing a woman in a straight forward, honest, simple and beautiful way she can relate to because she usually cares so much for beauty. The progression of this song is slight but wonderful nevertheless. About 3.20 into it the most powerful section of this song comes on, just like the final moments of Stardog Champion took that song over the top. Stargazer, although quite different, reminds me of Deep Purple's Soldier Of Fortune, my most favorite rock ballad.

Man Of Golden Words is my the most favorite song of this album. This is a song expressing love towards music. I bet it is the most beautiful song of its kind ever written. The lyrics are phenomenal here: 'Let's fall in love with music, the driving force in our living, the only international language, divine glory, the expression, the knees bow the tongue confesses; the lord of lords, the kings of kings; words and music - my only tools, communication'. Has a greater tribute ever been paid and a better testimony delivered to our love for music? Andrew Woods has expressed my feelings here as well.

Gentle Groove is another great rock ballad written and sung in such a powerful way by this prolific artist. It is produced in an interesting way of the piano melody recorded loader than it is often the case and retaining the central stage throughout. I wonder what exactly Andrew was addressing here because I have this feeling that when he says: 'nobodies gonna change the way I feel for my love' this time he does not mean - a woman.

Crown Of Thorns is another spectacular song and I can completely understand that many can consider it the best song here. This song is a perfect companion to times when things do not work out really well. Oh Andy, I guess you know by now that your words: 'if you make it death well rest your soul away' should have been phrased quite differently... I am afraid there is no easy way out of here. Sometimes we wish things would be so simple but that simply defies the rules of this universe in which nothing is simple and everything has that cause and effect we just can't run away from. Nor should we want to because we direct and control our own lives in a much greater way than we often consider it possible. I have a feeling that if you were exposed to a different, more esoteric set of rules reigning over our lives, and kept in mind that you yourself were going to be evaluating your own life and setting conditions for the individual evolution of your soul - you would have less of a problem getting rid of your addiction. But you most likely know it all by now...and the life goes on... I do like the full version of Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns but quite honestly I feel like these are 2 unrelated songs joined together (very nicely and are a pleasure to listen to in such way), but that the real power is contained in this main song.

Chris Cornell of Soundgarden who used to be Andrew's roommate conceived a tribute project by involving Andrew's former band members and others, including Eddie Vedder who was to become Stone Gossard's and Jeff Ament's music partner for years to come. The tribute project and the band got the name Temple Of The Dog (taken from the lyric of Man Of Golden Words). It is a spectacular self titled album from 1991, with a hauntingly beautiful song Hunger Strike. However, to me that song has much more in common with the next incarnation of Stone, Jeff, Eddie and additional band members. Pearl Jam was born shortly after Andrew Woods' departure from the visible world.

'Bone China' and "Stargazer' are astounding. Rock ballads without the pompus and silly pretenses of the 'Power Ballad' that was so prevelant at the time this album came out. Arguably the high points of a very strong album... R.I.P. Andrew...

I am a guitarist in a 5-piece rock band. I think our songs are pretty good, and I love to do stuff with two-guitar interplay. As soon as I put on "Apple" and "This Is Shangrila" kicked in, it made me want to cry, because the songs were so perfect that I knew I could never hope to write anything that good. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of great grunge bands out there (Mudhoney, Screaming Trees and Soundgarden all come to mind), but even Stone Gossard's other bands (Pearl Jam and the Andrew Wood tribute Temple of the Dog) cannot come close to comparing to the genius songcraft shown here, melding alternative, punk and glam-rock. In short, the top of the heap of grunge bands. Better than Nirvana, better than PJ or Soundgarden or even Mudhoney (my previous favorite). Buy this album even if you think it's not your cup of tea--you might be surprised.

The words and music expressed on Apple will be with us forever, even though Andrew will not. The legacy of Mother Love Bone's gift to the world is a timeless expression of perfection. From the very first time I heard the songs from Apple, I was in love with every song. From the fantastic melody of "Man Of Golden Words" to the inflicting and haunting words of "Stardog Champion" to the power of "This Is Shangrila", Mother Love Bone is what no other will ever be.

Wow, only a handful of reveiws on this album.

I just watched Pearl Jam Twenty last night and my nostalgia has kicked into full gear. Why you ask would a Perl Jam documentary get me writing a review about Mother Love Bone's album Apple? Well, it's old news to most of us of the era but maybe not to the young people who will surely be listening to Pearl Jam and, I hope, Mother Love Bone for years to come. Read up on it or watch the documentary and you'll learn. Twenty focuses a lot on lead singer Andrew Wood (not surprising because you can trace the origination of Pearl Jam directly to Mother Love Bone by drawing a straight line).

Anyway, Mother Love Bone and Apple. Andy was such a star and talent but you cannot forget the genius and talent of the rest of the band. A truly gifted group. One thing great about Apple and MLB is you can so easily hear influences of 80's arena rock, classic rock, punk, etc. culminate into the completely original sound of the band those influences inspired. To me, it is the sound of rock music transitioning from that 80's sound to the onslaught of what would be dubbed "grunge" and also "alternative" rock. Watch some vids of MLB and you'll laugh a little at the bands attire and look. So not what you associate with "grunge" rock. Funny, really. Every track on Apple is worthy of repeat listening. Even without all the history now associated with MLB the album just flat out rocks. And when you delve deeper into the band and their influence on 90's rock, and continued influence on bands today, you'll gain that much more appreciation for it.