Mark Arm - The Freewheelin' Mark Arm
Released as part of Sub Pop's singles club, "The Freewheelin' Mark Arm" is the first (and only to date) solo release by Mudhoney's fantastic lead singer. The packagaing on this single alone makes this a worthwhile 7" to seek out. A parody of the artwork from Bob Dylan's "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," the only difference between the two is the military-grade gas masks on the couple walking down the snowy lane, Mark Arm's name switched in on the liner notes from the original Dylan release, which were then cut and pasted by line to create utter nonsense.
The A-Side of this E.P. is Arm's take on Dylan's "Masters Of War" (from, obviously, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.") The performance is reminiscent of Billy Bragg with Arm strumming clean tone guitar angstily, though Arm's vocals are far more snarly than Bragg ever was, even at his youngest and angriest.
"My Life With Rickets" (which I think is one of the funniest song titles in rock and roll history) is a pixelated account of drunken encounters, and it is hilarious.
Though it is not likely to go down in history as one of the "great" Bob Dylan covers, or even covers of "Masters Of War" (I think the Eddie Vedder/Mike McCready version from the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert is the best version out there), but there is something uniquely Mudhoney about Arm's take on the song, that it is definitely satisfying.
The Freewheelin' Mark Arm - 9 out of 10