Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (1991)

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge is the second studio album by American rock band Mudhoney. It was recorded at a time when the band was thinking of signing to a major record label, but decided to release the album on Sub Pop in 1991. The album shipped 50,000 copies on its original release. It was credited with helping to keep Sub Pop in business.

Guitarist Steve Turner has said that the album is his "favorite Mudhoney album as a whole."

There is an alternate version of "Check-Out Time" on the Let It Slide EP.

Two singles were lifted from the album: Let It Slide was issued as an EP in Europe and the United States, featuring bonus tracks and songs that did not make the album, while Into The Drink was released as a promotional effort.

Recording and production

The album was recorded on cheap tape via an 8-track desk. It is named after a mnemonic used by music students to recall the notes (EGBDF) on the lines of the treble clef.

Critical reception and legacy

Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Imagine the heaviest of Black Sabbath heavy metal, only somewhat speeded up and with added touches of humor, and you have a good approximation of the Mudhoney way of life." Trouser Press wrote that "Conrad Uno’s dry 8-track production sharpens Mudhoney’s garage-rock edge — evident in Arm’s fuzzed-out vocals and a shared fondness for second-hand blues progressions — enough to stand apart from the watered-down metal of most flannel merchants, but they don’t go anywhere with it." The Spin Alternative Record Guide called the album "charming," writing that a "revitalized sense of hooks connect Mudhoney more directly back to '60s garage." Mark Deming of AllMusic wrote: "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge was Mudhoney's declaration that they didn't need grunge to survive, and if their timing proved to be a bit off, their musical instincts were faultless, and it's one of their very best albums."

Along with the band's debut EP Superfuzz Bigmuff, the album was included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, with reviewer Jason Chow calling it "a classic album, one of the best of the genre."

In 2022, Stuart Berman and Jeremy D. Larson of Pitchfork included the album in their list of "The 25 Best Grunge Albums of the '90s".

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes.

• Mudhoney
• Mark Arm – vocals, guitar, organ
• Steve Turner – guitar, harmonica, backing vocals
• Matt Lukin – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Dan Peters – drums, backing vocals
• Technical
• Conrad Uno – producer, engineer
• Ed Fotheringham – cover art