Copper Blue

This album sounds like what an AI would output if you fed it a bunch of 90s alt-rock and told it to provide a representative sample. It's not bad, but I don't understand why it's on the list. Best track: Hoover Dam

“Copper Blue” by Sugar (1992) Never heard this album or artist. This is a Mould joint. Musically, he wants to be (as successful as) Curt Kobain, but the chops aren’t there. This ‘group’ is basically a guy on vocals & guitar with a hired rhythm section. It’s not a band. Lyrically, Mould can’t put two words together without doing it again doing it again. It’s actually fun to watch to watch. Most of these songs are first person frustrations expressed to the one he loves the one he loves. I can’t stop giggling stop giggling. Sugar is to Nirvana what Jamiroquai is to Stevie Wonder. Overall, meh. 1/5

This album tries so hard to sound like so many of the other great bands of the time. You then wonder why you are wasting time listening to this when you could just listen those other bands who know their own identity. This album was like a three-course meal of nothing but dry white toast.

How ironic that after years fronting the hugely influential but desperately overlooked Hüsker Dü, Bob Mould's first project with new band Sugar, 1992's Copper Blue, would become the most commercially successful project of his career. Of course, it was released just as the seeds sown by his former band were bearing bountiful fruits in the post-Nirvana alternative nation, which provided ample explanation for its phenomenal success. But Sugar were well deserving of their success, regardless of time and place. A more aggressive, contemporary guitar attack aside, stunning power punk masterpieces like "The Act We Act," "The Slim," and "Fortune Teller" bear all of the vintage Mould musical traits: tell-tale lyrics, great hooks, and snappy melodies. It's all underpinned by that unexplainable, chilling tension between innocent beauty and dark melancholy that fans came to expect from Mould, and topped by his somewhat nasal, almost timid vocal harmonies. Other highlights include the '60s-style "If I Can't Change Your Mind," the loud, beautiful guitars of "Man on the Moon" and "Helpless," and the tongue-in-cheek Pixies tribute "A Good Idea."

Yeah, great! The first track sounds like REM were they to ever find an overdrive pedal, and the second sounds like Dogs D'Amour being plagued by a mosquito. But overall, this sounds like really punchy, melodic, beefy power pop. Not a million miles from the Wildhearts. Too young to have caught this the first time around, glad to be acquainted now.

This album is SO 90s alt-rock. It's got that shimmery chorus over doubled vocals and the thick, grungy guitar riffs that make up that iconic sound. It immediately transports me back to my youth in a (mostly) good way. Sure, the sound is totally dated but it's still grunge, man. That said, I'm not sure why it's on the list. It's not exactly a shining beacon of alt-rock/grunge. In fact, one could argue that it's kind of riding the coat tails of much better bands and albums. It was enjoyable in a nostalgic way, though. I need to go find a flannel to tie around my waist now...

Score: 20 Album art: 20 This album is completely pointless. It's mixed like shit, sounds like shit, nothing is interesting the entire runtime. The vocals are not good either, and that's when you can even hear them. The drums sound godawful. The lyrics are the definition of vapid and lazy. By the end of it i was getting pissed at how inane and repetitive it was.The number of better albums in the 90s goes into the 1000s. Take this shit off the list

No, Bob Mould didn't rip off The Pixies or Nirvana. In fact both of those bands have copped to being influenced by Mould's previous band Hüsker Dü. Sugar was Mould's return to the power trio format after a couple of pretty great solo albums. Perfect loud power pop, If I Can't Change Your Mind is an all timer, Changes, Helpless and Hoover Dam are also highlights.

Right off the bat, album is filled with malignant ear worms that bore these permanent holes into your brain. I’ve never heard this before and I am completely blown away by how much I enjoy this record. The guitar sounds are so wonderful - yes, there’s the typical Bob Mould-aggressive tones, but the tracks vary from straight up Husker Dü-ish bangers to more quiet keyboard acoustic-based songs. Quite refreshing! A great driving around in the summer with the windows down album. This entire album sounds like the opening credits to your favorite movies from 93-97.

Nice little lesser known gem from the era. Cool that it's on the list. Sounds like some thing between Nirvana, The Pixies, and Dinosaur Jr., with a dash of XTC thrown in for that pop element/vocal delivery that almost gets gleefully overdone at points? I feel like "A Good Idea" (which sounds like a Pixies outtake) is the standout track here by far and nothing else can quite touch it on the rest of the album. Definitely some unexpected/interesting sonic touches throughout that I didn't expect. 3.5 rounded down to 3.

Man, maybe I just am too much of a sucker for the 90s, but this really brought me back to high school and college, and makes me mad I didn't know about Sugar back then. Awesome wall of sound, and just general groove to these songs. Probably being a little generous with the 5, but since there is no 4.5, we are rounding up.

In Bob we trust.

Husker Du frontman Bob Mould had always married hardcore to a pop sensibility, but when he established Sugar, he reversed the emphasis and focused on pure pop with the energy of hardcore. My awareness of this album at the time was focused on the three hits from the album, A Good Idea, If I Can Change Your Mind, and Changes, so I wasn't overly impressed. Fortunately, these are probably the three weakest tracks, tending towards heavy handed and obvious pop tropes. As for the rest of the album, it's remarkably consistent. The songcraft, arrangements and performances range from very good to excellent, but what really makes Sugar and Copper Blue stand out is the hypnotic, trance inducing quality of the overall sound. Whenever possible, Bob Mould uses drones, pedal points, and moderate levels of distortion to create an appealing meditative quality, even on the hardest rocking tunes. I'll subtract a half point for the hits (which actually work better in the context of the album than as stand alone tunes) and the misguided synthy prologue of Hoover Dam, but this is really good stuff.

Mowing yard

Bob Mould is one of the most prolific artists of his generation with an impressive discography from Husker Du, his solo career, and here with Sugar. It is this album that hits the sweet (pun intended) spot. I still remember when it was released and being blown away at how instantly I was hooked. This still remains one of my favourite albums of all time. The first half of the album is a relentless cascade of driving guitar energy and the second half offers a change of pace. As well as the quality of the songs (I don’t think there is a weak one here), it is a textbook example of how to structure an album. 10 tracks, 45 minutes, grab the listener’s attention early on and then a variance later on. Not sure I would say any individual track stands out but collectively it makes a great album. Very jealous of anyone who has just discovered Bob Mould for the first time, as they have an extensive back catalogue to discover. Start with Beaster which is another classic.

Sentimentality has arrived! I had a friend whose roommate was blasting random songs on his stereo, he was all bummed about a breakup, and "A Good Idea" came on, and I was like what is this who is this omg omg. He let me borrow the cd and I wore this thing out. This album is so emblematic of the best of the alt rock sound of the early 90's, it's got some serious rockin' tracks, some grooves, some bizarre lyrics that maybe are stupid nonsense or maybe I'm just stupid and don't get it, and of course I would assume the latter.

This album is for a big part responsible for the fact there is always a slight annoying buzz in my ears nowadays (together with that one time I saw Mogwai and I'd forgotten my earplugs). I played this album so much on my Walkman when it came out and so loud. And despite its negative effects all those years later I don't really regret doing it. This is an album best experienced loud. You need to feel that big wall of guitars, it makes those brilliant, catchy melodies even more impactful. This album is the perfect combination of aggression/speed/volume/punk and sweet/melody/harmony/pop. (A bit strange but, at the time, it didn't really make me want to seek out Hüsker Dü and I still vastly prefer this version of Bob Mould). 10/10

I still can play "If I can't change Your mind" on guitar.

A very dated sounding album and not in a good way

This one is up there is one of my favourite albums so I’m very biased. I think this came out not too long after I started getting into music and at the time was a slight extension from what I was listening to. Possibly one of the first albums I got into that showed it was possible to play punchy guitar music that also contained catchy meoldies. The album hits you from the start and doesn’t seem to let up in pace. Every song seem to offer an earworm opportunity and overall it’s very listenable. This album is probably up there in favourite albums so not surprisingly it gets the full 5 stars from me.

Preceded by Black Sheets of Rain and then this which also knocked out Beaster, a remarkable run and fine tuning of THE sound. 👏👏👏

Fantastic album, the genius of Bob Mould

90s rock. Awesome rock album.

Brilliant return from Bob Mould -a great songwriter Loved Husker Dü always melodic These songs pull that forward plus plus Every song is a cracker Some great break up songs … beautifully dark in places Solid album - I played and played it - 30 years ago 😳

Sounds like Pearl Jam, but like with a heavy pop-rock sound. I can definitely see the appeal of a band like this. This definitely is pop-punk and grunge put together, and is like a heavier version of what Green Day was doing at the same time. OK, fine, I think I love this album, it has like the jingle-jangle sound with the pop punk and the grunge, and that's pretty good; I'm a sucker for a melodic rock record, especially ones that can be McCartney-esque at times.

What a great rock album! The dynamics are there, diversity of songs, some more folk and pop while the others more grunge, a very cool guitar song, vocals similar to REM, and all in a great run time. Nirvana is the gold standard for 90s rock, but these guys bring a fantastic rock album to the list.

Played the shit out of this and still go back to every two years or so for a full listen

Haiku Tuesday: ### Minneapolis Sound alt punk rock tones of home It ain’t Seattle ### Another album I remember buying (CD) back at the Electric Fetus. Little Tommy Dyke probably heard this at least once while getting his diaper changed in 1994😃. Great album that dropped out of my rotation over 20 years ago - great to hear again, because I think this is the quintessential “Minneapolis sound”. Well orchestrated angst permeated hooks. You feel like you’re accomplishing something good for humanity just by listening…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Best album ever. Seriously getting some weeper vibes and Dave grohl sounding vocals. I listened to this twice.

I didn't need to listen to rate, but I did because I love this album so much. I had it in constant rotation when it was released. These are my favorite kind of songs. Dark lyrics, happy music. And so much personal storytelling. These songs make me so happy. And I have always love his guitar playing.

a lot of bands had this sound at this time, but to be fair, the music was catchy. i was not familiar with bob mould’s work… not this band nor his previous band hüsker dü, although i have heard both of those bands name checked before. i may need to do a deep dive into his other work. great album. highlights: “a good idea” “the slim” “slick”

Hi! It's me! Lover of 90's alt and grunge! This album fits right in to my likes - a blast from the past! The sound is a mix of many of the bands I enjoy from that time, especially REM, The Barenaked Ladies and Gin Blossoms. Liked some of the heavier sound with the lighter melodies. Album is consistent all the way through, second half even better. Great lyrics throughout. Definitely a product of it's time, maybe a little generic sounding, but it's my happy place. I will listen to more of Bob Mould's stuff. Fave Songs: Hoover Dam, The Slim, Slick

If you're of a certain age - either a teenager going through heartbreak, or an *cough* older person just being nostalgic for early alt rock - then this album is great. It has the heaviness of Husker Du but also great lyrics and melodies. If you like guitar and heartbreak, you'll love this album. If you don't probably not so much. Best Tracks: The Act We Act; Good Idea; If I Can't Change Your Mind

3.5 stars if I could

I wanted this to be a little better than it was, but still it was pretty good. Felt like classic American rock, in a sort of Wilco vein, if Wilco had drunk a lot of coffee and taken an enormous shit before playing and so felt lighter and a bit happier, or maybe just more satisfied. I admire their way of teasing a rhythm out of a long string of words, just wish it was all slightly more memorable.

No. 76/1001 The Act We Act 4/5 A Good Idea 3/5 Changes 3/5 Helpless 3/5 Hoover Dam 3/5 The Slim 3/5 If I Can't Change Your Mind 3/5 Fortune Teller 3/5 Slick 2/5 Man on the Moon 2/5 Average: 2,8 Average 90s rock album. There was nothing special here.

90s Alt Rock. It was okay. Nothing special.

It's like the Pixies, but not. 1992 so that's about right. I'll give it a three.

Like R.E.M.'s Document, only smothered in shitty production

A great power pop album from Bob Mould.

This album sounds so familiar but I can’t say I know any of these songs. Definitely a product of its era but to me is incredibly solid. Gives me mostly REM and Foo Fighters vibes, but here and there there’s some Barenaked Ladies or even Crash Test Dummies. This is an album that, whether I heard it back then or not, I’m glad to have been exposed now. Really dig this one!

Definitely like Sugar better than Husker Du. Copper Blue is an alt rock masterpiece, with some anthemic songs. The increased focus on melody and slightly poppier vocals than Mould's other work definitely marks this out. I'm a real sucker for heavy guitars with sweet singalongs and this ticks both those boxes ✅

"Copper Blue" is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Sugar. All songs were written by former Hüsker Dü member Bob Mould and the album was produced by Lou Giordano. A decent description of their music is "the punk guitar of Mould's previous band, Hüsker Dü, while slowing the slowing the tempo and employing melody." I'd argue that a lot of Hüsker Dü had decent melodies. Mould was the vocalist and played guitar, keyboards and percussion. Other members included bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis. Commercially, it hit #10 in the UK. Wow! It was also critically well-received. A guitar sounding like an engine revving kicks the album off in "The Act We Act." Loud and clear drums. Mould singing about acting like nothing is wrong when a relationship is over. Nice melodies throughout this song and the whole album for that matter. The song ends with the same revving guitar sound. "A Good Idea" has eerie guitar noises within an overlayed guitar melody. A fast and humming bass by Barbe. A great guitar sound. A dark humored love song. '"Changes" has a ringing bells at the start and is a little more pop-ish. Echoing vocals. Sometimes you need to change to accommodate someone. Drums open right into a great guitar riff in "Helpless." Very catchy. Here's your anthemic power pop song. Mould has no clue what his partner wants. "Hoover Dam" has a majestic feel to the vocals and music. Bells, pages turning, marching band drums and two keyboard solos. He's standing on the edge of Hoover Dam. Will he get swept away? "If I Can't Change Your Mind" is a happy sounding pop song juxtaposed by the lyrics which tell of a break up. This was the fourth single from this album. Mostly fast rhythms mixed with catchy, melodic guitar hooks. A lot of this album I would put in the power pop and anthemic category but, undoubtedly, it's good song after good song. Really no let up. Firecracker drums and a thumping bass. This is a great sounding album; I don't think I can say about any Hüsker Dü album. This a fabulous album from a guy, Bob Mould, that has a lot of them and this one is up near the top.

These reviews are an argument for listening to the albums in chronological, rather than random, order. Listen, kids, there would be no Nirvana or Pixies without Bob Mould. In my personal pantheon I rate Grant Hart a little higher as a songwriter and I therefore like Hüsker Dü a bit better than Sugar, but I'm not going to split hairs. Totally solid power punk.

This album makes me happy. Love Bob Moulds various bands and projects. Always makes poppy grungey happy dancey guitar based loveliness. Stand out tracks ‘Changes’ and ‘If I Can’t Change Your Mind’

Actually really like the Scooby Doo era vibes of this one 5/5

Oh, is this what Foo Fighters would sound like if they were good? (I said what I said, don’t @ me, dad rockers). This album sounds quite of its time, but there’s something about it that elevates it above some of its contemporaries. That’s probably because I’m a sucker for good melodies — I was always a bit more of a Collective Soul kind of kid over a lot of the grunge sound. These songs have the introspective, dark soul of grunge but with brighter-sounding music. In fact, “Hoover Dam” sounds like what would happen if The Cure wrote Collective Soul’s “World I Know.” There are actually quite a few sounds and effects on this album that remind me of The Cure’s “Wish” album that came out the year before (“If I Can’t Change Your Mind” came on as I was typing this sentence and it sounds like a Del Amitri take on “Friday I’m in Love.”) There’s a lot of post-punk and shoegaze influence here, which is great for me. There are bass lines that wouldn’t be out of place on a Sisters of Mercy album, and some songs sound like a more radio-friendly version of what the Pixies were doing around this time. I’m woefully unversed in most of Husker Du’s music, and based on this album, on Bob Mould’s work as a whole. I will definitely be correcting that. 5/5

Yes, yes, yes! I get if you have no idea who this is, as I didn't either until about two years ago. I was listening to Husker Du's Warehouse as part of the 1,001 list and a couple songs from this album kept popping up on autoplay. I took immediate notice - who is THIS? Loved it. Bob Mould (from Husker Du) formed Sugar after going solo; he has help on bass and drums. I don't know what it is but this album just does it for me. I decided to listen to it a few months ago and couldn't stop playing it. The grungy bass lines and guitar licks (and Mould's perfectly matched vocals) to kick off the album on The Act We Act is a good start. The absolutely rocking second song A Good Idea (right from the throbbing bass and taking a hit from a bong? to the droning guitar riffs) locks it in. I dare you not to rock along. Changes, Helpless, If I Can't Change Your Mind, and Fortune Teller are also crunchy, rocking tunes. Man on the Moon closes the album just as awesomely as it opened (great hooks, great melody). Not a single weak song on this album. There are so many great grunge / alternative albums from the 90's but this one flew right under the radar. It should be right up there with other DIY'ers like the Pixies. It is now on my all time favorite list.

Awesome. Not heard this for years. Still great

For the thirty-plus years since it's release, "Copper Blue" has been in my "Top Three" must-have albums. I wouldn't last more than a few days on a desert island without it. The listening experience gets even better when "Copper Blue" is paired with its "evil twin" EP, "Beaster", which was released about six months later. Infinite stars for this one. An excellent choice, Mr. Dimery.

Feels like one of those 90s alternative rock bands I always like so much. More of a poppy feel with the vocals. Not really a dull spot on here and I enjoyed it from start to finish.

I loved this album. Great rock music from the 90s from a band I’ve never heard of. Alt rock at it’s peak

1992. Copper Blue is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Sugar

Honestly really good. Like a heavy distorition REM

This site determined to give me grungey vibes the whole way through October at this rate, and I am not opposed!! The opening tracks helped me imagine I was in some coming of age movie credits instead of just sitting at a desk at work

A perfect time capsule of the mid 90’s. I wasn’t expecting this to be so familiar to me. It’s got a real “soundtrack to summer” vibe.

Not sure how this one slipped through. I was listening to tons of stuff like this back then. But I'm hearing it now.Thoroughly enjoyable album. I might check out Husker Du while I'm at it.

Favourite tracks: the act we act; a good idea; changes; helpless; man on the moon

A surprisingly fun journey of the expanded universe of Bob Mould

Cool

My vote would have gone to another Husker Du album on the list, but all three Sugar albums are great. This one got Hoover Dam, the best Sugar song, and is a proper 5 star album.

Very surprised. Loved it!

Heck yeah! Other than Hoover Dam this album is nearly perfect. Hooks galore, loud guitars and that Bob Mould voice. If I Can't Change Your Mind was on so many of my mixtapes back in the day.

five stars, fantastic album. More bob mould!

I didn't expect to see this here. This is a phenomenal album. It mustve been hard to follow up Husker Du but Bob Mould knocked it out of the park. If I can't Change Your Mind hits so damn hard if you've ever been in that position and is just insanely catchy too. This ALMOST makes up for the bizarre choice of Warehouse: Songs and Stories while ignoring the true classic Husker Du albums. Almost.

Is it blasphemous to say that I prefer this album to anything from Husker Du? Well I do! I always that Bob Mould was the punky noisy side of the theam Husker Du team and that Grant Hart was the softer melodious, pop sensibility side. This album calls that into question. Copper Blue is amazing from beginiing to end. Tough but with melodies and hooks and up the wazoo. Side 1 is an absolute tour de force and side 2 offers little let p to the song writing greatness. One of my favorite albums of the 90s. 5 stars

I love this album, I’ve listened to it sooo many times. Top-to-bottom, play right through every track. It’s a classic as far as I’m concerned.

Really cool album

I forgot about this record! Brings me back to good times while listening to it. This album and band is the best incarnation of Bob Mould.

Woah. OK. This is an awful lot poppier than I expected, and that's not a bad thing. I grew up through the birth of grunge, and I knew who Bob Mould was but never listened to either Sugar or Husker Du. I think I missed out.

Great early 90s

Great Album

9/10 love this shit — so catchy I need to hear the deluxe remaster sometime

Taking me right back to teenager.

I’ve panned a lot of albums on this list for being all one tone. I concede that Sugar is guilty of this, but I really like this album. I never pieced it together before, but I think the reason I don’t like Smashing Pumpkins is because they aren’t Sugar. Four stars +1 bonus star for the most aggressive tambourine playing ever recorded on a couple of those tracks.

Melodic sonic squall.

Brilliantly fills the gap between grunge and britpop, hinting at the sound of Nirvana and oasis, foo fighters and biffy, Pearl jam and stereophonics. A great album I would never have otherwise heard, and exactly the point of doing this (in my opinion)

The description read like a perfect recipe for what I want to listen to, and the album did not disappoint in the slightest. The marriage of punk power chords and the alternative vocals really works well for me. The album itself feels like it transitions from punk to alternative as it goes on, and I love it. The instrumentation is simply fantastic--I hear REM in here very strongly. Favorite track: Changes

I really enjoyed this, it had some elements of grunge but also 90s rock - kind of like the Breeders. There were also some moments that reminded me of 70s/80s art rock I.e. XTC which I really liked. I hadn’t heard of this band and was really surprised to see this was Bob Mould’s project. Husked Du came up on this on a previous day and I really didn’t like it, but I found this album to be way better produced, with more variety in the songs. I decided when I started doing this album challenge that I wouldn’t be too shy to give a 5 star rating and considering how much I enjoyed it on the first listen and how there didn’t seem to be any low points I think it qualifies as 5 star album. I will definitely come back to it.

Excellent next step for Bob Mould post Husker Du. Powerful album

Right up my alley.

The best, or at least my favourite post-Husker Du album from Bob Mould's power trio, Sugar. Mould's first couple solo records after Husker Du broke up were subdued and softer, but Mould turns up the volume again with his new band and Copper Blue is a return to melodic, catchy power-pop rock that was evident on the last Du record, Warehouse. Grant Hart and Mould released some decent albums in the 90's, but Copper Blue stands out and is there a better side one, especially the first four songs that open the album, in the 90's? Solid album and I still play it often!

Perhaps it sounds similar to other alt-rock albums at the time and not as original as his previous work but damn I love this album. Loud fuzzy guitar and I really like the way his vocals were recorded on this.

Mould is one of my favorite singer/songwriter/guitarists of all time. I can’t even recall how many times I’ve seen him from Hüsker Dü to solo to Sugar to solo again… This record has everything I love about his work. Full of hooks and also hard edged, moody or dark. Signature electric guitar growl but sometimes with jangly 12 string behind it, multi tracked harmonized vocals and such a full soundstage. This a super easy 5⭐️.

This is a great record. It captures the energy of the early Husker Du records and blends them with the 90s sound. Its surprising to see how well this works compared to the last Husker Du record.

It's very good. There are certain singers/artists that are just special and Mould is one of them. Sure, it's early 90s alt distilled into a single album, but there's nothing wrong with that, that sound the crunchy then jangly guitars, the severe overdubs, etc, are all part of the charm. Also I hear a lot of influences for more popular music (espcially early Foo Fighters) on this album. Sort of how you can tell how much The Pixies influenced Nirvana, I feel Grohl must have had this album on repeat when he was creating writing.

Zalige ontdekking! Beetje Foo Fighters avant la lettre. Enorm van genoten

Loved this album! A true fusion of the top rock bands of the 90s. Reminded me a mix of Manic Street Preachers, a bit of REM with some slightly heavier surprises added in. Great stuff.

Good old rock, a vintage classic sound. Very satisfying find

Uno de los mejores discos de los 90.

zeer graaf, dave grohl vibes

Solid

Legendary

Exquisite. Perfection.

It was pretty good!

Decent alt rock album

There is an endless amount of 90s albums that for some reason have their band's name in a pretty big font and usually operate within alt rock. Sugar seemingly is no exception to this weird trend and from previous albums like this that I've listened to before Most of what I have to say about it is that I like whenever musicians from this era were blending heavier/distorted guitar with more poppy sounding chords, it gave poppier rock an edge but also just works really well together, which is what this album does perfectly imo. I think I will be coming back to this one quite a bit.

4- Stars (10/15)

First listen. Solid album from beginning to end. The first half is very good. Will come back to this one. Could hear the Bob Mould influence on Foo Fighters.

In a 1983 interview, Bob Mould told interviewer Steve Albini, "We're [Husker Du] going to try to do something bigger than anything like rock & roll and the whole puny touring band idea. I don't know what it's going to be, we have to work that out, but it's going to go beyond the whole idea of 'punk rock' or whatever." And I don't think anybody realised how that change would look, but change things they did. Husker Du married the noise and aggression of punk rock with the melodicism of classic rock and pop, which became the dominant sound of alternative rock by the early 90s. Their willingness to pour on layers of guitar noise over everything helped pave the way for shoegaze. And most importantly, they showed that an underground band could sign to a major label and maintain a semblance of creative control, which is probably the most seismic shift in the rock music industry at the end of the 1980s. Despite being one the key bands pioneering these changes, Husker Du didn't have much to show for it. The major label contract didn't bring any significant commercial returns, and they collapsed in penury, addictions and internecine conflict. I like the two Bob Mould solo albums that followed, which are carefully orchestrated folk rock albums, but very dark in tone. Not many people bought those records, his contract with Viegin collapsed, and I don't think Bob quite knew where he was heading. But then the success of Nevermind and MBV's Loveless, both of which are indebted to Husker Du, prompted him to form a new band and get a bit more back to basics. And that's what the Copper Blue album is: a distillation of what is great about Bob Mould. He was always been a prolific writer, but this is particularly strong set from him. The melodies are strong, the playing is strong, the production is great, and the lyrics a little sunnier that usual (which helped). If you wanted a good career summary of Bob Mould in a single album, then this would be it. Is it as good as Zen Arcade or New Day Rising or Candy Apple Grey? Maybe not, but this was his most commercially successful album, which he achieved by leaning into his strengths just at the moment that he rest of the world caught up with what he had been doing for nearly 15 years. It is hard to begrudge Bob some public recognition, a small victory lap, after the years of dues paid. I confess it had been a long time since I pulled this record off the shelf for a spin, but I'm really glad I have. It's been great to be reminded of what a solid album this is.