Bob Mould at his belligerent best... After period of solo introspection following the implosion of Hüsker Dü, Bob Mould chose a good time to form a new power trio. Post-Nevermind, angsty men with loud guitars were the order of the day, and there were few louder or angstier than Mould. Copper B...
Bob Mould at his belligerent best…
After period of solo introspection following the implosion of Hüsker Dü, Bob Mould chose a good time to form a new power trio.
Post-Nevermind, angsty men with loud guitars were the order of the day, and there were few louder or angstier than Mould. Copper Blue combined Hüsker Dü’s passionate intensity with a new, steely pop resolve; released on label-of-the-moment Creation, it duly stole into the UK top ten in September 1992.
From the serpentine growl of “A Good Idea” to breakneck Byrds tribute “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”, this is a terrific album that took full advantage of the brief window when noisy, visceral rock songs about disillusionment and death – albeit ones with sparkling tunes – could become radio-slaying hits. Also re-released this month are Copper Blue’s splenetic companion piece Beaster, plus disappointing 1994 swansong File Under: Easy Listening and a compilation of Mould’s subsequent solo output for Creation.
EXTRAS: 8/10
Disc One is filled out by contemporaneous B-sides and session tracks, including bassist David Barbe’s finest moment, “Where Diamonds Are Halos”. Disc Two contains a blistering 15-song live set, recorded at Chicago’s Cabaret Metro in July 1992. Disc Three is a DVD of promo videos and TV spots.
SAM RICHARDS
