Mother Love Bone

* Stone Gossard
* Jeff Ament
* Bruce Fairweather

*Mother Love Bone* was a grunge band from Seattle that formed in 1988. They are notable for their late vocalist, Andrew Wood, and for Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament who later formed Pearl Jam. They released one studio album, *Apple*, and one EP, *Shine*. The band broke up in 1990, due to Andrew Wood's death.

## History

After the break-up of the band Green River, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Bruce Fairweather formed the band *Mother Love Bone*. They recruited their friend Andrew Wood of the band Malfunkshun, who Gossard and Ament worked with in a cover band known as Lords of the Wasteland. Recruiting Greg Gilmore of Skin Yard, they finally became a band.

During live shows, Wood was the frontman and the large center of attention. His bouyant behavior was what made the band so unique live, along with Andrew's often serene lyrics which contradicted other lyrics in the grunge scene. In 1988, the band signed onto Polydor records to star recording their EP, *Shine*. They also carried a special label imprint: Stardog Records. Their EP, *Shine*, sold well in the market, and *Mother Love Bone* was a key figure in the early grunge scene. In 1989, the band started recording *Apple*, which would be their debut album. The album was to be released on March of 1990, and the recording was complete. However, the album was delayed. Andrew Wood had died before the release date due to a heroin ovrdose. The band broke up soon afterward, and the album was released in July 1990.

The four remaining bandmates reunited for a concert in 2010 with their temporary frontman Shawn Smith of Brad. The concert was at the Seattle Showbox's "Brad and Friends" evening.

## After the Break-Up

After the death of wood and the break-up, Gossard and Ament were in the process of forming Pearl Jam. They were approached by Chris Cornell of Soundgarden about recording a single of two songs as a tribute to Andrew Wood. The band accepted, and Eddie Vedder provided backing vocals. The band took the name "Temple of the Dog," based on some of Andrew Wood's lyrics. The single would become an hour-long album that was self-titled. The album was notable for "Hunger Strike." After this, Gossard, Vedder, Mike McCready, and Ament would form Pearl Jam with a series of drummers. THe band became on of the most popular grunge bands of the 1990's.

Fairweather replaced Tommy Simpson in Love Battery in 1992, playing two of the band's albums. Gossard joined the band Chubby Children while reuniting with old bandmates from the 80's. Along with the songs from *Mother Love Bone's* reputation, they covered the Urgent song "Hold Your Head Up."

## Musical Style

*Mother Love Bone* was a bit more loose than most grunge bands that took after punk. The band's glam rock style fit perfectly with Andrew Wood's loose lyrics and on-stage personality: a light-hearted behavior and androgynous appearance.

## Discography

### Compilations

* *Mother Love Bone*
* *On Earth As It Is - The Complete Works*

### Bootlegs

* *Hello, Hometown*
* *Rhapsody in Chartreuse*

## References

1. ↑ https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/mother\_love\_bone
2. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mother-love-bone-mn0000502269
3. ↑ https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/mother\_love\_bone
4. ↑ https://www.last.fm/music/Mother+Love+Bone
5. ↑ https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/mother\_love\_bone
6. ↑ https://www.last.fm/music/Mother+Love+Bone
7. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mother-love-bone-mn0000502269
8. ↑ https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/mother\_love\_bone
9. ↑ https://www.last.fm/music/Mother+Love+Bone
10. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mother-love-bone-mn0000502269