I've done my part to understand and digest Husker Du. I own Candy Apple Grey, Warehouse: Songs and Stories, Zen Arcade, Flip Your Wig and New Day Rising. These records all came out between 1984 and 1987. I didn't buy them until well into the 90's, mostly because of their critical acclaim. I'm not saying I don't like Husker Du, but these records don't get a lot of airplay at my house. I realize these guys were Minneapolis legends on par with The Replacements, but I prefer Bob Mould's solo stuff and his short lived band Sugar to Husker Du. Maybe it's sacrilegious, but that is how I feel. I can distinctly remember my friend Jefferson playing Bob Mould's solo debut Workbook for me in 1989 and it sold me. I've been a big fan of his ever since. You may remember the singles "See a Little Light" or "Wishing Well" from that record. It was almost acoustic Husker Du slowed down to a more reasonable speed. It could have been construed as a folk record. I just love this guy's voice and the pain he sometimes radiates. He's been wronged by lovers, record companies, band mates, alcohol and all the usual problems a rock musician seems to go through. Get this man a Behind The Music!... Husker Du broke up in 1988 and Bob Mould has been releasing solo records ever since give or take a side project like Sugar. Sugar surfaced in 1992 and it was everything I loved about Mould solo in an alternative rock setting. Mould even has a song called "I Hate Alternative Rock" because I don't think he likes being typecast. For those of you who never followed his solo career he's got several tremendous songs I highly recommend. Among my personal favorites are "One Good Reason" from 1990's solid Black Sheets of Rain, "Fort Knox, King Solmon & Next Time That You Leave" from 1996's Bob Mould, "Can't Fight It" from the 1993 No Alternative compilation and "First Drag of The Day & Skintrade" from 1998's The Last Dog & Pony show. You can find all of these records in the cutout section of your local used CD store, but that just makes me love them all the more. You'd think I'd hate seeing records I paid full price for when they were first released selling for 99 cents (in some cases), but not me. I feel like grabbing the person next to me...you know the one; he has to look at the "M's" at the exact same time you do and has no clue about waiting his or her turn...and saying "buy this!," but I never do. I guess my point is if you like Bob Mould or Sugar think about scooping up all of his solo records between 1989 and 1998. They are all very good in my opinion.
Looking back on it, you could see the Sugar thing coming on if you were paying attention to his solo work. He was slowly picking up the pace and featuring a harder edged sound after Workbook. By the way, Bob can wield the axe. When he rocks, on top of that voice, he delivers the goods. I saw him play at The Paradise a couple of years back and he stayed and signed CDs for about 20 of us after the show. He couldn't have been nicer. He had a firm handshake (sounds ridiculous, but I'm believer in a solid handshake) and he looked you right in the eye. I loved his humility. He seemed like a normal guy to me. I'm aware that he has a colorful personal life, but I'm all about the music so I bought this last three CDs and got them signed as a show of support. His music has changed a lot after The Last Dog & Pony Show. They say his latest album Life and Times, which came out recently, puts him back on track, but I haven't heard much of it as of yet. I think he DJs a lot and some of the stuff on his records the last decade or so has revolved around dance music and technology experimentation.
Sugar was a different animal. A very good Bob Mould on steroids. Teaming up with ex Mercyland bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis from my old friends Human Sexual Response (see earlier post), Mould hit a real sweet spot in his career. Copper Blue was released in September of 1992 and I went to see them play at The Orpheum Theatre in Boston in May of 1993. They rocked. WFNX was playing "Good Idea, Changes and If I Could Change Your Mind" and I was all over this record. My favorite track though was "Hoover Dam." Standing on the edge of the Hoover Dam. I'm on the center line. Right between two states of mind. Great lyrics. For those of you who are unfamiliar, The Hoover Dam is located on the state line between Arizona and Nevada and harnesses the power of the mighty Colorado River. Completed in 1936, the dam is still one of the biggest electricity generators in this country. I watched a documentary a couple of years ago on the building of the dam and it was pretty educational. We lost a lot of men on that job. Herbert Hoover got all the credit, but it's probably the biggest tourist attraction outside of Las Vegas to this day. My mother lives out in Nevada so while out in Vegas on a business I let her drag me over there. I don't know the name or number of the highway, but the imagery in Mould's song is all I could think of while I was there. I stood where Bob stood. Pretty cool. I'm leaving you with Hoover Dam because I just love this song. Hopefully somebody out there will agree with me.
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