# Superfuzz Bigmuff

Superfuzz Bigmuff is the debut album and first major release by the Seattle grunge band Mudhoney. It was released on October 1, 1988, through record label Sub Pop. The album was later re-released in 1990 in the form of Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles.

## Album information

The album was named after two of the band's favorite guitar effects pedals: the Univox Super-Fuzz and the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, which helped to provide the band's signature "dirty" sound.
The cover artwork is a photograph of frontman Mark Arm (left) and guitarist Steve Turner (right) performing live by photographer Charles Peterson. Other artwork on the album includes more photos of the band performing and them posing topless.
Guitarist Turner also considered it to be Mudhoney's first official studio album, despite it being an EP initially.

## Song information

"In 'n' Out of Grace" opens with a sample of the eulogy from Peter Fonda's character in the 1966 movie The Wild Angels, saying "We wanna be free to do what we wanna do…"; a similar sample was later used on Primal Scream's song "Loaded", and also a refraining soundbite and quote in the 2013 film The World's End.

## Reception and legacy

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Mojo | |
| NME | 8/10 |
| The Observer | |
| Pitchfork | 9.1/10 |
| PopMatters | 9/10 |
| Record Collector | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 |
| Uncut | |
During initial release, the EP sold incredibly poorly (even by Sub Pop standards); however, it has since been acknowledged as one of the seminal records of the Seattle scene. In mid-2008 the EP charted at #25 on the UK Indie Album Chart, a peak for the EP, twenty years after its release.
Along with Mudhoney's second album Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, it was included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In its review, Jamie Gonzalo called it "sexy, smart, humorous and hard", as well as writing "[Mudhoney] emerged from the underground with this mischievous workout, achieving tense and dramatic musical structures with Turner's scalping guitars, Mark Arm's angry vocals, Matt Lukin's mighty bass and Dan Peters' propulsive drums." Kurt Cobain listed the EP in his top fifty albums of all time.

## Track listing

Adapted from the album liner notes.

### Original release (1988)

All tracks are written by Mudhoney

### Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles (1990)

All tracks are written by Mudhoney, except where noted

### Superfuzz Bigmuff deluxe edition (2008)

All tracks are written by Mudhoney, except where noted
* Tracks 15–17 recorded April–May 1988, mixed November 2007 by Johnny Sangster.
* Releases marked with an asterisk (*) are various artists compilation albums.
* Tracks 1–9 recorded live at the Metropol in Berlin, 10 October 1988, and tracks 10–15 broadcast live at KCSB-FM, Santa Barbara, 16 November 1988. Tracks 1–9 mixed November 2007 by Johnny Sangster.

## Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes.

### Mudhoney

* Mark Arm – vocals, guitar
* Steve Turner – guitar, backing vocals
* Matt Lukin – bass
* Dan Peters – drums

### Technical personnel

* Jack Endino – producer, engineer, mixing
* Charles Peterson – photography

## Charts

| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
| UK Indie Chart | 3 |