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Mother Love Bone’s sound, a unique blend of larger-than-life rock ‘n’ roll and intense nascent alternative, was first introduced on the Shine EP on March 6, 1989. This release showcased the interplay between drummer Greg Gilmore, lead guitarist Bruce Fairweather, the late legendary frontman Andrew Wood, and the tandem of guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament, who would later co-found Pearl Jam. The band’s influence on the grunge and alternative rock scenes is undeniable, and their music continues to inspire new generations of musicians and fans.
The EP also effectively set the stage for the band to deliver a classic in the form of Apple. The latter arrived on August 14, 1990, in the wake of Wood’s untimely passing, which had occurred less than five months earlier. Despite this tragic loss, its 13 tracks stood as a testament to both the frontman’s outsized talent and the once-in-a-lifetime chemistry shared by his bandmates. The album yielded favorites such as “Crown Of Thorns” and “This Is Shangrila,” among many others. To date, it has generated tens of millions of streams.
Speaking to Apple’s long-lasting impact, Rolling Stone asserted, “Their combination of Northwest grunge and runny-mascara glam sounded like a prediction of where hair metal, just beginning its decline in 1990, could go.” Ultimate Classic Rock applauded how “On Apple, the quintet combined funk-metal flash, bluesy Led Zeppelin homages, glam-grunge charisma and hard rock & roll aggression while eschewing hair metal’s sleazy pomp in favor of something more soulful.” Classic Rock professed, “MLB walked the thin line between cutting-edge rock and evocative echoes from the past.” Plus, Pitchfork hailed it among “The 25 Best Grunge Albums of the ’90s,” going on to attest, “Apple is nonetheless a foundational text for prophesying how the genre’s grimy guitar sound could be reengineered for arena-rattling mass appeal.”
Pre-order Shine HERE
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