50. Apple - Mother Love Bone 1990
This often overlooked gem is easily one of the most important records
ever released, let alone, of the 90's. Why such a hefty statement for a record that hasn't shifted millions of units? Several reasons. Firstly, it rocked hard, in a grand, stadium sized, Zeppelin way, without being tied up in image and style over substance. It demonstrated better than any other Rock record that being a rock star and larger than life didn't have to be like the 80's had made it so. The members, particularly front man, Andrew Wood, were larger than life and glamorous, without looking like a ridiculous, big haired, Sunset Strip, girl-boy. Although Wood was somewhat androgynous, it was more in a Marc Bolan way rather than looking like one of your sisters friends from back in the 80's. Wood was well known in the band's hometown of Seattle, as a star in waiting. A wonderful songwriter, showman and vocalist, wrapped up in a blur of blond hair and energy. When Polygram signed the band in 1989, they recorded an E.P. called 'Shine', then toured, getting rave reviews. What a crying shame that after completing the recording of 'Apple', which was tipped to catapult the band to super-stardom, Wood died shortly before its release, from a heroin overdose. He was pronounced brain dead, and was not going to recover, he was kept alive for a few days, to allow friends and family to say goodbye. 'Apple', swaggers, soothes, rocks, grooves and shows off. It is just full of great songs. Wood was a huge Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, T-Rex and Queen fan, as well as the rest of the band, and these influences can all be heard, along with a modern twist that, all mixed up created the Mother Love Bone sound. 'Apple', when released, became hugely influential, and inspired many Rock music fans, demonstrating that at the turn of the decade, you didn't need to be Hair Metal or, in contrast, Thrash Metal to be in a happening Rock band, and that taking your cues from the classic rock bands of yesteryear, with the right talent, was a viable way to connect with music lovers and the world. From the ass-kicking 'This is Shangrila' all the way through to the epic, 'Crown of Thorns', the album reaches a sky high peak and then just plateaus in the clouds. Such a mystical and profound lyricist, Wood's words were almost sermon like tales of leading a new religion of freedom and clarity. It is hard to believe that a guy, who wasn't anywhere near the biggest rock star in the world at the time, penned them. One of the band's guitar players and the bassist, went by the names of Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, respectively,who went on to form one of the world's biggest Rock bands, Pearl Jam. After Wood's death, they were asked to be a apart of a project called Temple of the Dog, with a certain gentleman, called Chris Cornell. Cornell was already doing very well in his own Seattle Rock band, Soundgarden. Cornell was a close friend and shared an apartment with Wood, and has often recounted stories of Wood, excitedly showing him future Mother Love Bone songs, that the singer had written. Cornell, and Matt Cameron, Soundgarden's drummer, joined forces with Gossard and Ament, and wrote an entire album in tribute to Wood. Two other musicians involved in the project, at the request of Gossard and Ament, were a couple of guys that they had started jamming with, post Mother Love Bone. A surfer dude from San Diego, by the name of Eddie Vedder and a Stevie Ray Vaughan worshipping, wildly talented lead player, called Mike McCready. They all, of course minus Cornell and Cameron, would become Pearl Jam, and achieve the level of worldwide acclaim and recognition, that would have undoubtedly, come to Mother Love Bone. The cruel twist of fate is that, Wood, knowing that with the release of 'Apple', and his bands impending touring schedule and almost inevitable stardom, wanted to get clean and be on top of his game, and had been in rehab at the tail end of 1989. He was found comatose by his fiance, in the apartment they shared and in March of 1990 died of a an overdose. Not only was Wood's death one of a terrible loss of talent and, by all accounts, a wonderful human being, but also one of the biggest cases of, "what could have been".