Apple (Mother Love Bone album)

Apple is the only full-length studio album by the American alternative rock band Mother Love Bone. It was released on July 19, 1990, through Stardog/Mercury Records.

Apple
Studio album by Mother Love Bone
Released	July 19, 1990
Recorded	Fall 1989 at The Plant, Sausalito, California, and Winter 1989 at London Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington
Genre	Grunge, alternative rock, hard rock, funk metal, glam punk
Length	57:59
Label	Stardog/Mercury Lemon Recordings (reissue)
Producer	Bruce Calder, Terry Date, Mark Dearnley, Mother Love Bone
Mother Love Bone chronology
Shine (1989) Apple (1990) Mother Love Bone (1992)
Singles from Apple
"Stardog Champion" Released: 1990 "This Is Shangrila" Released: 1990 "Stargazer" Released: 1990

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The New York Times	favorable[2]
Rolling Stone	favorable[3]
Uncut	[4]
Rock Hard (de)	7.5/10[5]

Days before Apple was slated to be released, lead singer Andrew Wood overdosed on heroin. After spending a few days in the hospital in a coma, he died, effectively bringing Mother Love Bone to an end. The album would see release later that year in July, and it eventually peaked at number 34 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart in 1992. Kim Neely of Rolling Stone said that the album "succeeds where countless other hard-rock albums have failed, capturing the essence of what made Zep immortal – dynamics, kids! – and giving it a unique Nineties spin."[3]

Reception

In 2005, Apple was ranked #462 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[6] In 2016, Apple was ranked #18 in Rolling Stone magazine's 40 Greatest One-Album Wonders.[7] In 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the album at #50 in its list of the 50 Greatest Grunge Albums.[8]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Andrew Wood. All music written by Jeff Ament, Bruce Fairweather, Greg Gilmore, Stone Gossard, and Andrew Wood. Primary composers listed below.[9]

1. "This Is Shangrila" (Gossard) – 3:42
2. "Stardog Champion" (Gossard) – 4:58
3. "Holy Roller" (Ament) – 4:27
4. "Bone China" (Gossard) – 3:44
5. "Come Bite the Apple" (Gossard) – 5:26
6. "Stargazer" (Wood) – 4:49
7. "Heartshine" – 4:36
8. "Captain Hi-Top" – 3:07
9. "Man of Golden Words" (Wood) – 3:41
10. "Capricorn Sister" (Gossard) – 4:19
11. "Gentle Groove" (Wood) – 4:02
12. "Mr. Danny Boy" (Gossard) – 4:50
13. "Crown of Thorns" (Wood) – 6:18

Reissue bonus track

14. "Lady Godiva Blues" – 3:40

Personnel

Mother Love Bone Andrew Wood – lead vocals, piano Bruce Fairweather – lead guitar Stone Gossard – rhythm guitar Jeff Ament – bass Greg Gilmore – drums

Production Scott Blockland – assistant engineering Bruce Calder – production on "Stargazer" Terry Date, Mother Love Bone – production Mark Dearnley – production on "Crown of Thorns" Kaylin Frank – production coordination Dennis Herring, Davitt Sigerson – pre-production Klotz – design Bob Ludwig – mastering Lance Mercer – photo Tim Palmer – mixing Denny Swofford – assistance

References

1. Henderson, Alex. "allmusic ((( Apple > Review )))". Allmusic. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
2. Browne, David (1990-11-18). "RECORDINGS VIEW; Seattle Rock: Out of the Woods and Into the Wild". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
3. Neely, Kim (1990-10-04). "Mother Love Bone: Apple". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
4. "Mother Love Bone: Apple". Uncut. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
5. Stratmann, Holger. "Rock Hard". issue 62. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
6. [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 23. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
7. "40 Greatest One-Album Wonders". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
8. "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
9. "Apple Liner Notes".