Mudhoney Live: Berlin 1988

BY Ian GormelyPublished Nov 30, 2012

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In the liner notes for this recently unearthed grainy concert footage, music scribe Stevie Chick goes to great lengths to emphasize the seismic importance of Mudhoney's all-expenses paid trip to Berlin for an industry showcase in 1988. "There are those nights within the annals of rock," he writes, "that just went ahead and changed everything, and it's a fact that you're holding a document of one such night in your hands." Um, not so much, Stevie. Mudhoney: Live in Berlin 1988 is a pretty cool look at the influential Seattle group playing to a small, relatively unenthused crowd. Filmed on VHS by !K7 Video Productions, a precursor to Berlin electronic music label !K7 Records, the film captures Mudhoney at their most unaffected (as if Mudhoney were ever affected). Having just released their "Touch Me I'm Sick" single, the short 40-minute set showcases tracks from what would become the Superfuzz Big Muff EP (audio from the show appeared on the EP's deluxe edition) and their self-titled debut. Singer/guitarist Mark Arm is sporting one of Sub Pop's famed "Loser" T-shirts, baiting the crowd with smarmy between-song banter like, "Ich bin ein Berliner!" and "Pull down your pants if you like us!" It's easy to see why so many bands wanted to poach drummer Dan Peters (Nirvana tried), as he's the clear anchor to the sonic chaos created by Arm and guitarist Steve Turner. Arm is particularly animated, flailing about the stage during "Here Comes Sickness" and actually falling over during "If I Think" (he doesn't miss a note). Three quarters of the way through their set, bass player Matt Lukin blows out his amp, giving Arm a chance to pretend to hit on groupies in the crowd, even if the delay does derail the set's energy. Chick wasn't completely off-the mark though. This show was the first time Europe experienced any live form of the music that would be labelled grunge, a genre the continent took to far quicker and for longer than its North American home. And, as he points out, this is the show where Mudhoney met most of the European bookers who would continue to bring the quartet back throughout the '90s. Still, the hyperbole is silly given the band's preferred "just along for the ride" vibe. Still, this release feels more like a great piece of archival footage of a band just hitting their stride — from the get-go, it's clear there was something special about this band — and that's exactly how Mudhoney like it.
(!K7)

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