Mudhoney June 04 2008

Nirvana trumped Mudhoney in the race to save rock 'n' roll in the grunge years, but after digesting the deluxe reissue of Superfuzz Bigmuff it's apparent that Mudhoney wasn't aware of any race. Superfuzz Bigmuff is still Mudhoney's quintessential record; a singles comp that documents the group's catchiest jams churned out amid its noisy, dirty prime.

The tin-can crunch of "Touch Me I'm Sick" and the amphetamine chug of "In 'n' Out of Grace" and "You Got It (Keep It Out of My Face)" are timeless anthems. A few duds fill the spaces between the truly explosive songs, and older demos plus a live disc recorded in Berlin in '88 are added bonus clutter for a record that didn't need any extra push. The bright moments on Superfuzz Bigmuff outshine the rest, and are just as infectious today as they were 20 years ago. 4 stars