4 Grunge Songs From the ’80s Produced by Jack ‘The Grungefather’ Endino

The genre of grunge may not have become the global phenomenon it did had it not been for Jack Endino. Born in Southbury, Connecticut, Endino moved to the Pacific Northwest with his family as a young person. There, he grew up and soon found a big interest in music. Both in shopping at local record stores and, eventually, in recording it.

In the studio, Endino was fast. He had a good ear. He loved lo-fi rock. And he was as interesting and personable as any in the scene in 1980s Seattle. But when he hooked up with the city’s burgeoning new label Sub Pop, it was a match made in sludgy heaven. Quickly, Endino was the man behind the boards for many recordings for the label.

Here, we wanted to explore four songs Endino recorded in his salad days with Sub Pop. A quartet of tracks that helped introduce and establish the genre of grunge. Songs that, had they never existed or been recorded by someone else, might not have grown grunge into the behemoth it was.

“Hunted Down” – Soundgarden from Screaming Life (1987)

Released on Soundgarden’s debut EP, Screaming Life, the dissonant hard rock track “Hunted Down” was the sole single the band unleashed unto the world. The success of the song and the EP led the band, which was fronted by banshee singer Chris Cornell, to release their debut LP in 1988, Ultramega OK, which went on to earn the group a Grammy nomination. That was a major breakthrough for the whole PNW region. But it was sparked by Endino’s prowess.

“Touch Me I’m Sick” – Mudhoney (Single, 1988)

Like Endino, vocalist Mark Arm is a too-often unsung hero of grunge music. His group Green River may have invented the sound in the early-to-mid-80s, and his band Mudhoney helped cement it. That second group’s hit single, “Touch Me I’m Sick,” was produced by Endino, who gave it his signature distorted, buzzy, hefty aesthetic. The chorus in many ways sums up the grunge vibe: in pain and ready to party.

“Love Buzz” – Nirvana from Bleach (1989)

Before Nevermind, Nirvana’s debut LP was Bleach. Released in 1989, the album showed the potential and the talent of Kurt Cobain, and one of the standouts on the record is the catchy tune, “Love Buzz.” A cover of a song by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, Cobain and Nirvana put their own buzzy spin on the track. For Endino, who recorded Bleach in a matter of a few dozen hours, the album marked one of many he helped bring to life. Little did he know what it and Nirvana would become.

“Where the Twain Shall Meet” – Screaming Trees from Buzz Factory (1989)

Fronted by the gravely-voiced singer Mark Lanegan, the Screaming Trees were one of the most important grunge groups from the PNW. Lanegan was like the area’s Tom Waits, except more depraved and sullen. You can hear all that, hear all his potential and allure on the band’s 1989 LP, Buzz Factory, which was produced by Endino. Grey and groovy, poetic and punchy, the tune lives on thanks to all the artists involved.