Product description
Dark 1-man masterpiece from 1996 by Husker Du/Sugar man.
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Bob Mould's first solo album in six years (following the demise of Sugar) is unremittingly dark, direct, and brilliant. Entirely self-written, -performed, and -produced, the 11-song collection opens with Mould bellowing that he's "sick of myself, sick of everything I am" and ends with: "If I couldn't hold you I'd end it all." That last song is called "Roll Over and Die," if that helps provide a sense of the situation. In between, Mould rails with brutal bluntness about his personal and creative strife. Someone he "expected to grow old with" has broken his heart, and he's utterly grief-stricken. No matter how many times Mould insists he's "as useless as can be," and that what he creates is "bullshit," the urgency of such cathartic music argues to the contrary. --Steven Stolder
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From the Label
We asked Bob Mould to talk a little about his new album... "I have a preoccupation with words and sounds that some might say borders on the obsessive. This is nothing new to me. When I was five years old, my only way of coping with the world was to hide myself in a room and listen to mid-60's pop singles. I was obsessive to the point of being able to memorize every bit of label copy. I kept the AM radio tucked under the pillow at night, listening to stations from exotic and faraway places. New York City, Boston, Philadelphia: the cities faded in and out uncontrollably, depending on the weather. I started writing music when I was nine, feeling like this was my only calling in life. 26 years later, I finally feel content with myself. I understand my obsession and recognize that it has left me here, with this current recording. Making this record was something I've always wanted to do, by myself, for myself. I wrote every word, played every note, created the artwork. There is no distilling of the thoughts, no explanations to other musicians about the raw emotion; this is the sound inside my head. It's strange to share the result with others, mostly because I wasn't completely sure what I was doing, in an emotional and creative sense. Since 1985, I've always created what people would commonly call "demos";usually, they've sounded as good, if not better, than the actual recorded-for-release versions. It's often said that the first recorded version of a song is the best because it captures the essence of the idea. It's more of an unconscious work. This album is the closest I've come to creating that style of document; the emphasis is more on composition and arrangement, and less on the dynamic interplay between writer and interpreters. I was aware of the trade-off when starting this project, and I hope the personal nature of the work more than makes up for any lack of group interplay. I recognize that most people might not understand the conflicts and contradictions of the music business that have made themselves apparent to me over the last few years. Measures of success, lack of privacy, concern for the craft: I've hinted at how these issues have affected me in the past. I've always tried to be as honest as possible while attempting to maintain what little privacy I deserve. As a result, I've been accused of "making good copy" and that concerns me. I value my work too much and have too much pride in myself to remain unaffected by the cynics. I've found that some things I've said may not have been fully understood or appreciated in the public forum. This time around, I don't have much to add beyond this press release -- explanations don't seem appropriate, and they may not be necessary. I appreciate the respect I've earned from people much more than the kind ofsuccess that's measured by sales and financial reward. SUGAR ended for various reasons, but in hindsight, I think the initial satisfaction of three like-minded people having fun with music may have turned into that quest for success. SUGAR began very organically, without a plan. We were three people who enjoyed each others' company and enjoyed playing music together. Somewhere along the way something changed. Obsessions interceded: sales, credibility, money, the competitive nature of the music business. Once the business gives you a taste of the spotlight, it's hard to let go of it. It's the elixir of fame, knowing that you have a gift for shaping peoples' perceptions of themselves and the world around them. It's a gift that should not be taken lightly. When external forces begin to elevate you too much, you can lose sight of the gift. Or, even worse, begin to use it as a weapon. So, for me, this record ended up being something less complicated, and morepersonal and revealing. Compared to my previous work, this one is unique. It represents a natural step toward a new direction, and while I have no idea how long I'll stay with this approach, it's fun for now. I have no desire to talk about myself every day for the next three months, nor do I feel any great need to perform these songs 100 times in the four months after the talking stops. I would prefer to continue writing and working toward the next record. Maybe then I'll feel the urge to run the gauntlet again, but not this year. The thoughts and emotions of this record speak for themselves -- there's not much else I can add. Enjoy."
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Reviews
3.3
All from verified purchases
C**E
BUY THIS NOW!
One of my favorite Bob Mould albums! This one is awesome.
A**.
Great album. Glad to have obtained it
Not available digitally anywhere? WTF? Great album. Glad to have obtained it, again...
M**N
Roll Over and Die
There's 1 good song on this CD: Roll Over and Die. The remainder lacks the intensity I expect from Mould. I admit to being spoiled, having watched the post-Workbook tour in Santa Cruz in 1990/91. Plus, I was intrigued by the positive reviews here on Amazon, and the fact that he put this together himself. Well, perhaps he's mellowed, but these songs don't say much and he doesn't put any life into saying it.
E**N
Highly underrated
Okay: of Bob's five solo albums to date, I'm going to go out on a limb and declare this to be the finest (with full awareness that I will most likely be set upon by a thousand deeply offended "Workbook" fans). There just isn't any filler on this one. My favorites are the tracks that another reviewer has accurately described as the "slow burn" numbers: "Anymore Time Between," "Next Time That You Leave," and "Roll Over And Die" (which closes the album on every bit as harrowing a note as "Explode And Make Up" did on Bob's previous effort, aka Sugar's swan song). There's plenty of other great stuff here, though. Check out "Eg0verride," in which Bob playfully pulls off a lyrically self-deprecating, seemingly electric-guitar-drenched melodic tour de force which actually doesn't feature his signature instrument at all. (Yep: it's all keyboards, fed through what must have been a rat's nest of effects.) Check out the metaphor-driven, acoustic relationship epitaph "Thumbtack" and decide for yourself whether you believe Bob that he wrote it on the fly and recorded it in a single take. Check out "Hair Stew" -- with its big sign reading, "Hi, I'm this album's Experimental Track" -- and keep checking it out until you're convinced that it's a little bit brilliant in its melodic and emotional dissonance. (At the very least, you will end up granting me that it's significantly less annoying than "Megamanic" from the followup album.) And if you still miss that iconic Sugar sound, you've got the blistering "I Hate Alternative Rock," the coulda-shoulda-been-a-single "Deep Karma Canyon," and "Art Crisis" (which loses points in my book only because it's musically and lyrically redundant with "IHAR").One final note: some have criticized this album for being entirely self-recorded and self-produced on Bob's part, with particular criticism reserved for the electronic drums. As a drummer, I can honestly say that they don't bug me; in fact, I find them considerably less annoying than some of Grant Hart's work with Husker Du. ;)
S**O
Solid post-Sugar songs from Bob Mould
"Anymore Time Between" opens Bob Mould's "Hubcap" album on a down-tuned, downbeat note. Mould's voice sounds forlorn, and his lyrics are hopeless and downcast. None of these musical characteristics are exactly foreign elements from Mould, and to the guy's credit, he spices up the song as it moves along with driving chords and a faster pace. The following tune, "I Hate Alternative Rock," pretty much speaks for itself in terms of subject matter, and it's where the album gets interesting. This song could have come from Sugar just four years earlier -- that's how cool it is. "Alternative Rock" is a blast of sugar-powered rock and roll that ranks up there with Mould's most supreme work: killer riffs all over the place that come off as frantic; strained, double-tracked vocals (how Mould sounds best) buried in the heavy, wall-of-sound mix; and pissed-off lyrics about the state of the music industry to boot. "Fort Knox, King Solomon" is mellower, much more breezy, and also sugar-powered pop rock. On it, Mould strums his trademark bright-sounding acoustic guitar to drive the song along, and it's good to hear lyrics from him that stray from personal problems with lovers, personal demons and low self-esteem. The carefree "For Knox" sounds as if it's about bank robbers who attempted a big score but failed miserably. (My interpretation is probably dead wrong but I'm sticking to it.)Most of this album is indeed a venting of personal frustrations by Mould, as solid tunes like "Next Time That You Leave," "Hair Stew" and "Roll Over and Die" will attest to. The good this is, "Bob Mould" is heavy on electric guitar and is pretty tuneful throughout, just like past Sugar albums. "Hair Stew" comes across as downright eerie (you might want to avoid it), but "Deep Karma Canyon" and especially "Art Crisis" pick things back up in a huge way to wind down the CD. For the record, "Art Crisis" is one of the best songs on the album. A portion of the driving guitar on that song is reminiscent of Sugar's "Mind is an Island" from the band's swan-song CD entitled
Besides
.One could argue that there's a bit of a one-dimensional feel to this album, perhaps because Mould so singlehandedly created it, and that makes for songs that are a tad less exciting than what Sugar was doing earlier on in the 1990s (see
Copper Blue
). Still, "Bob Mould" is worthy, and anytime this artist plugs in his guitar, it's usually cause to open up your ears and listen.
B**K
BREAKING THE MOULD!!
Peerless is a word that comes to mind when one thinks of BOB MOULD.Anyone familiar with his outstanding work as the kingpin in HUSKER DU and then SUGAR will be knocked out by this fiery and deeply personal collection.In fact some of the songs feel so personal that you feel like you are intruding in private griefwitness NEXT TIME THAT YOU LEAVE sheer unbridled anger at the breakdown of a relationship with lyrics to match ''You were just a bastard'' BOBS' not one for mincing his words and Much of that mood pervades this album as does his trade mark full on guitar barrage with the glorious vocals set well back in the mix he's like a new age SPECTOR but unlike 'OL PHIL' this man sure can write a catchy song or two ,songs that once heard, buzz around in your brain for days perfect examples being FORT KNOX,KING SOLOMON and DEEP KARMA CANYON both priceless pop/rock gems.BOB MOULD seriously talented and criminally underated.You can redress that balance.
H**T
Great LP
We already loved the album. However, Apple Music, which we subscribe to, did NOT make this particular record available.
F**O
strano
Dopo l'esperienza con gli Sugar, l'ex Husker Du torna a proporsi con un album solista, e sforna un prodotto strano, cupo e pesante. Bob Mould is Bob Mould è scritto nelle note del libretto interno, ma niente mi è sembrato più distante dalle gioie dei lavori passati.
R**O
Four Stars
ok
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Zainab N.
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Yusuf A.
Fantastic experience overall. Will recommend to friends and family.
We asked Bob Mould to talk a little about his new album...
"I have a preoccupation with words and sounds that some might say borders on the obsessive. This is nothing new to me. When I was five years old, my only way of coping with the world was to hide myself in a room and listen to mid-60's pop singles. I was obsessive to the point of being able to memorize every bit of label copy. I kept the AM radio tucked under the pillow at night, listening to stations from exotic and faraway places. New York City, Boston, Philadelphia: the cities faded in and out uncontrollably, depending on the weather.
I started writing music when I was nine, feeling like this was my only calling in life. 26 years later, I finally feel content with myself. I understand my obsession and recognize that it has left me here, with this current recording.
Making this record was something I've always wanted to do, by myself, for myself. I wrote every word, played every note, created the artwork. There is no distilling of the thoughts, no explanations to other musicians about the raw emotion; this is the sound inside my head. It's strange to share the result with others, mostly because I wasn't completely sure what I was doing, in an emotional and creative sense.
Since 1985, I've always created what people would commonly call "demos";usually, they've sounded as good, if not better, than the actual recorded-for-release versions. It's often said that the first recorded version of a song is the best because it captures the essence of the idea. It's more of an unconscious work. This album is the closest I've come to creating that style of document; the emphasis is more on composition and arrangement, and less on the dynamic interplay between writer and interpreters. I was aware of the trade-off when starting this project, and I hope the personal nature of the work more than makes up for any lack of group interplay.
I recognize that most people might not understand the conflicts and contradictions of the music business that have made themselves apparent to me over the last few years. Measures of success, lack of privacy, concern for the craft: I've hinted at how these issues have affected me in the past. I've always tried to be as honest as possible while attempting to maintain what little privacy I deserve. As a result, I've been accused of "making good copy" and that concerns me. I value my work too much and have too much pride in myself to remain unaffected by the cynics. I've found that some things I've said may not have been fully understood or appreciated in the public forum. This time around, I don't have much to add beyond this press release -- explanations don't seem appropriate, and they may not be necessary.
I appreciate the respect I've earned from people much more than the kind ofsuccess that's measured by sales and financial reward. SUGAR ended for various reasons, but in hindsight, I think the initial satisfaction of three like-minded people having fun with music may have turned into that quest for success. SUGAR began very organically, without a plan. We were three people who enjoyed each others' company and enjoyed playing music together. Somewhere along the way something changed. Obsessions interceded: sales, credibility, money, the competitive nature of the music business. Once the business gives you a taste of the spotlight, it's hard to let go of it. It's the elixir of fame, knowing that you have a gift for shaping peoples' perceptions of themselves and the world around them. It's a gift that should not be taken lightly. When external forces begin to elevate you too much, you can lose sight of the gift. Or, even worse, begin to use it as a weapon.
So, for me, this record ended up being something less complicated, and morepersonal and revealing. Compared to my previous work, this one is unique. It represents a natural step toward a new direction, and while I have no idea how long I'll stay with this approach, it's fun for now.
I have no desire to talk about myself every day for the next three months, nor do I feel any great need to perform these songs 100 times in the four months after the talking stops. I would prefer to continue writing and working toward the next record. Maybe then I'll feel the urge to run the gauntlet again, but not this year.
The thoughts and emotions of this record speak for themselves -- there's not much else I can add. Enjoy."\n\n
","image":["https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71nXkvD-OrL.jpg","https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71WwqFLo1QL.jpg"],"offers":{"@type":"Offer","priceCurrency":"EUR","price":"18.14","itemCondition":"https://schema.org/NewCondition","availability":"https://schema.org/InStock","shippingDetails":{"deliveryTime":{"@type":"ShippingDeliveryTime","minValue":8,"maxValue":8,"unitCode":"d"}}},"category":" indieandlofi","review":[{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"5.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"C***E"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2018","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n BUY THIS NOW!\n \n","reviewBody":"One of my favorite Bob Mould albums! This one is awesome."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"5.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"A***."},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2014","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Great album. Glad to have obtained it\n \n","reviewBody":"Not available digitally anywhere? WTF? Great album. Glad to have obtained it, again..."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"1.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"M***N"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2009","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Roll Over and Die\n \n","reviewBody":"There's 1 good song on this CD: Roll Over and Die. The remainder lacks the intensity I expect from Mould. I admit to being spoiled, having watched the post-Workbook tour in Santa Cruz in 1990/91. Plus, I was intrigued by the positive reviews here on Amazon, and the fact that he put this together himself. Well, perhaps he's mellowed, but these songs don't say much and he doesn't put any life into saying it."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"5.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"E***N"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2004","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Highly underrated\n \n","reviewBody":"Okay: of Bob's five solo albums to date, I'm going to go out on a limb and declare this to be the finest (with full awareness that I will most likely be set upon by a thousand deeply offended \"Workbook\" fans). There just isn't any filler on this one. My favorites are the tracks that another reviewer has accurately described as the \"slow burn\" numbers: \"Anymore Time Between,\" \"Next Time That You Leave,\" and \"Roll Over And Die\" (which closes the album on every bit as harrowing a note as \"Explode And Make Up\" did on Bob's previous effort, aka Sugar's swan song). There's plenty of other great stuff here, though. Check out \"Eg0verride,\" in which Bob playfully pulls off a lyrically self-deprecating, seemingly electric-guitar-drenched melodic tour de force which actually doesn't feature his signature instrument at all. (Yep: it's all keyboards, fed through what must have been a rat's nest of effects.) Check out the metaphor-driven, acoustic relationship epitaph \"Thumbtack\" and decide for yourself whether you believe Bob that he wrote it on the fly and recorded it in a single take. Check out \"Hair Stew\" -- with its big sign reading, \"Hi, I'm this album's Experimental Track\" -- and keep checking it out until you're convinced that it's a little bit brilliant in its melodic and emotional dissonance. (At the very least, you will end up granting me that it's significantly less annoying than \"Megamanic\" from the followup album.) And if you still miss that iconic Sugar sound, you've got the blistering \"I Hate Alternative Rock,\" the coulda-shoulda-been-a-single \"Deep Karma Canyon,\" and \"Art Crisis\" (which loses points in my book only because it's musically and lyrically redundant with \"IHAR\").One final note: some have criticized this album for being entirely self-recorded and self-produced on Bob's part, with particular criticism reserved for the electronic drums. As a drummer, I can honestly say that they don't bug me; in fact, I find them considerably less annoying than some of Grant Hart's work with Husker Du. ;)"},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"4.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"S***O"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2007","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Solid post-Sugar songs from Bob Mould\n \n","reviewBody":"\"Anymore Time Between\" opens Bob Mould's \"Hubcap\" album on a down-tuned, downbeat note. Mould's voice sounds forlorn, and his lyrics are hopeless and downcast. None of these musical characteristics are exactly foreign elements from Mould, and to the guy's credit, he spices up the song as it moves along with driving chords and a faster pace. The following tune, \"I Hate Alternative Rock,\" pretty much speaks for itself in terms of subject matter, and it's where the album gets interesting. This song could have come from Sugar just four years earlier -- that's how cool it is. \"Alternative Rock\" is a blast of sugar-powered rock and roll that ranks up there with Mould's most supreme work: killer riffs all over the place that come off as frantic; strained, double-tracked vocals (how Mould sounds best) buried in the heavy, wall-of-sound mix; and pissed-off lyrics about the state of the music industry to boot. \"Fort Knox, King Solomon\" is mellower, much more breezy, and also sugar-powered pop rock. On it, Mould strums his trademark bright-sounding acoustic guitar to drive the song along, and it's good to hear lyrics from him that stray from personal problems with lovers, personal demons and low self-esteem. The carefree \"For Knox\" sounds as if it's about bank robbers who attempted a big score but failed miserably. (My interpretation is probably dead wrong but I'm sticking to it.)Most of this album is indeed a venting of personal frustrations by Mould, as solid tunes like \"Next Time That You Leave,\" \"Hair Stew\" and \"Roll Over and Die\" will attest to. The good this is, \"Bob Mould\" is heavy on electric guitar and is pretty tuneful throughout, just like past Sugar albums. \"Hair Stew\" comes across as downright eerie (you might want to avoid it), but \"Deep Karma Canyon\" and especially \"Art Crisis\" pick things back up in a huge way to wind down the CD. For the record, \"Art Crisis\" is one of the best songs on the album. A portion of the driving guitar on that song is reminiscent of Sugar's \"Mind is an Island\" from the band's swan-song CD entitled \n\n \nBesides\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n .One could argue that there's a bit of a one-dimensional feel to this album, perhaps because Mould so singlehandedly created it, and that makes for songs that are a tad less exciting than what Sugar was doing earlier on in the 1990s (see \n\n \nCopper Blue\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n ). Still, \"Bob Mould\" is worthy, and anytime this artist plugs in his guitar, it's usually cause to open up your ears and listen."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"5.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"B***K"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2002","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n BREAKING THE MOULD!!\n \n","reviewBody":"Peerless is a word that comes to mind when one thinks of BOB MOULD.Anyone familiar with his outstanding work as the kingpin in HUSKER DU and then SUGAR will be knocked out by this fiery and deeply personal collection.In fact some of the songs feel so personal that you feel like you are intruding in private griefwitness NEXT TIME THAT YOU LEAVE sheer unbridled anger at the breakdown of a relationship with lyrics to match ''You were just a bastard'' BOBS' not one for mincing his words and Much of that mood pervades this album as does his trade mark full on guitar barrage with the glorious vocals set well back in the mix he's like a new age SPECTOR but unlike 'OL PHIL' this man sure can write a catchy song or two ,songs that once heard, buzz around in your brain for days perfect examples being FORT KNOX,KING SOLOMON and DEEP KARMA CANYON both priceless pop/rock gems.BOB MOULD seriously talented and criminally underated.You can redress that balance."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"5.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"H***T"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in Canada on February 22, 2020","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Great LP\n \n","reviewBody":"We already loved the album. However, Apple Music, which we subscribe to, did NOT make this particular record available."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"3.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"F***O"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in Italy on June 24, 2016","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n strano\n \n \n","reviewBody":"Dopo l'esperienza con gli Sugar, l'ex Husker Du torna a proporsi con un album solista, e sforna un prodotto strano, cupo e pesante. Bob Mould is Bob Mould è scritto nelle note del libretto interno, ma niente mi è sembrato più distante dalle gioie dei lavori passati."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"4.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"R***O"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2016","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Four Stars\n \n","reviewBody":"ok"}],"aggregateRating":{"@type":"AggregateRating","ratingValue":4.111111111111111,"bestRating":5,"ratingCount":9}}
