March to Fuzz
BeforeNirvanabroke open the early-'90s grungeathon, Mudhoney were considered the Northwest's brightest hope.  Their first single, "Touch Me I'm Sick," was an instant classic on college radio and the band's odd-colored vinyl singles began fetching collectors' prices before the 1990s even began. Their signature sound--molten guitars hyped up on cheap and noisy effect pedals (like theSuperfuzz Bigmuffcombination that titled their first EP) with a singer who rasped with a garage band's untutored authority--was in stark contrast to the polished "hair metal" popular at the time. Collected here are the greatest hits, so to speak.  The band never scaled to theBillboardheights of Nirvana, so the choices are purely aesthetic. The highlights are obvious: an overwhelming cover of the Texas hardcore band theDicks' "Hate the Police" and a ripping commentary on a certain rock star's wife, "Into Your Shtick." The second disc thankfully rescues 30 B-sides and rarities from the dustbin of oblivion.  Consider this a grunge primer.--Rob O'Conner