#super fuzz

Guyatone - BUZZ BOX - FS-2

"This one just sold for $2.9k..."

" ... they came out in 1969, and were made in at least 3 colors. I'm pretty sure it's a modified Super Fuzz circuit. " (Ed Skymall)

Supersnooper (Poliziotto superpiù) (1980, Durium, D.A.I. 30.366)

Mudhoney: Superfuzz Bigmuff EP (1988)

These times are ripe for Grunge nostalgia, and for all those seeking to wallow in the primordial muck of the ‘90s Seattle music scene, well, then, Mudhoney’s Superfuzz Bigmuff is your La Brea fucking Tar Pits! (*)

Released some 30 years ago, and almost three years ahead of Nirvana’s  Nevermind breakthrough, Mudhoney’s debut EP was famously named after two of the band’s favorite effects pedals (pictured above), so essential to their signature distortion.

Of course, there’s no small irony in the fact that these songs conveyed Grunge’s future aesthetic (as did photographer Charles Peterson’s iconic black-and-white concert photos) with such astonishing clarity, in total contrast to the intentionally dirty, muddy sonics abetted by these pedals.

Almost all of those fundamental alt-rock hallmarks are here!

From the soft/hard dynamics of “Need” to the raging post-hardcore maelstrom of “Chain that Door”; from the lysergic psychedelia of “Mudride” to the bass-powered slash-rock of “No One Has”; and from the plaintive mumblings-gone-apeshit of “If I Think” to the heretic sludge-metal of “In ‘n’ Out of Grace.”

Together, Mark Arm (vocals, guitar), Steve Turner (guitar), Matt Lukin (bass), and Dan Peters (drums), plus producer/engineer Jack Endino, collaborated to mix mud and honey into an unexpectedly tasty recipe.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, my copy of Superfuzz Bigmuff is a recent Sub-Pop reissue, not an original artifact, hence the nifty collectible poster.

* Yes, I’m aware of Green River and, yes, we could make similar arguments on behalf of their pioneering efforts, immediately preceding Mudhoney’s, but that’s another blog ...