The heart and soul of the term 'grunge' exists within the folds of this compilation. Forget 1992 Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam and all the glossy Americanised crap, Sub-pop was about punk attitude and fuzz, summed up in this records eleven tracks, and I'm pretty sure that the grunge fans among you would be completely unaware of at least half of these bands. Sure, those who recall the early days of this cool scene, would be delighted to hear Tad's driving 'Sex God Missy', Nirvana's 'Spank Thru', Mudhoney's 'The Rose' and Soundgarden's ultra-cool 'Sub Pop Rock City', rock 'n' roll for the next generation indeed, but it's the lesser known acts who truly win out here, and remain the true core of the scene that completely lost itself. The Fluid provide the mega-groove fuzz of 'Is It Day I'm Seeing ?', a wonderful sing-along anthem, Green River are there as expected with the superb 'Hangin Tree', but Catt Butt's 'Big Cigar' is pure garage sleaze, far more primal than the what the scene puked out in the mid '90s. Nights & Days ("Who ?", I hear you ask), offer the jerk-out 'Split', Blood Circus (great band name) empty their bowels with 'The Outback', whilst Swallow ('Zoo') and the wicked Thrown Ups spit 'You Lost It'.
I'm not sure how easy it is to purchase this record nowadays, but a version on vinyl is a must have. Let the fluff gathering round the needle provide you with extra fuzz for your ears. This IS the sound of grunge. Blood, sweat and fury.
7/10
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