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."

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mowing yard

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

In Bob we trust.

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

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.

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.

A very dated sounding album and not in a good way

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.

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

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…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

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.

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.

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.

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 😳

90s rock. Awesome rock album.

Fantastic album, the genius of Bob Mould

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

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

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”

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

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

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.

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.

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

Exquisite. Perfection.

Legendary

Solid

zeer graaf, dave grohl vibes

Uno de los mejores discos de los 90.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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⭐️.

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.

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!

Right up my alley.

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

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.

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

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)

Melodic sonic squall.

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.

Taking me right back to teenager.

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

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

Great Album

Great early 90s

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.

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.

Really cool album

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.

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 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.

five stars, fantastic album. More bob mould!

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.

Very surprised. Loved it!

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.

Cool

A surprisingly fun journey of the expanded universe of Bob Mould

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

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.

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.

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

Interesting find

Catchy alternative style.

Pleasant surprise!

Really fun album! 4.5

Pretty decent!

Has a very "90's" sound( like collective soul) with the guitar and drums. The bass (especially intros into "the act we act" and "good idea") is very good. I really enjoyed "if I can't change your mind". Some bleak lyrics dealing with killing of a lover and dealing with AIDS. But the melodies are very well arranged. As I had never really heard of Sugar this was a great intro.

bob's cool and all, but i liked him much better with grant and greg. this album shows his melodic self, but i miss the raw passion and grit from the husker du days.

I’ve got some gigantic blindspots when it comes to the whole Bob Mouldiverse. But I enjoyed this. Dude’s voice is infectious. No wonder he’s been at it for decades.

I was ready to dismiss this as dated... but Good Idea hit me in the right mood...Pretty sure I've heard Helpless before. Hoover Dam sounds opens like a Beach Boys song then goes into full blown Gen X 90s mode. Man on the Moon is a great conclusion. Maybe it's the shitty weather, but I like this. I'm ignoring the 2+ hour deluxe remaster that Amazon Music is giving me and considering this a tight, 10 song, 45 minute alt rock jam.

I knew Husker Du and Mould’s solo stuff, but somehow totally missed out on Sugar. Great album.

I'm a fan. This music should be in every teen movie. Quintessential garage rock. "Slick" is good.

This is such a blueprint

enjoyed it, never heard of them!

Positives: doesn't really sound dated, lots of variety, some great tracks (Helpless is my fave). Negatives: sometimes feels like a cover set of famous 90s bands like Pixies, Cure, etc. I feel like I heard enough of this album in the 90s and only like revisiting the favorites.

Formed after the demise of Hüsker Dü and really just made their full transition into alternative rock and power pop that Husker Du was making towards the end of their career. A solid album with a more interesting vocal approach than most power pop.

I got Bob Mould's solo album, the eponymous one that came out in 1996. I loved that album. It had all the loud guitars on it that I could want, but didn't sound like anything else I had. I can't find that album anywhere, now - doesn't seem to be streaming. But this is a pretty good substitute. I still love the guitars.

Great 90s alt album. This is the first time listening to this band as far as I remember. Good stuff.

Grunge. Sounds just like Nirvana. Need to listen more

Some great 90s alt rock. Can definitely see it’s influence on naughties rock and some pop punk. Enjoyable set of pop rock tunes

Pretty sweet

Perfect indie pop

This grew on me. It sounded a bit bland at first, but then I think it just clicked for me. A solid album.

didn't expect much, but this was actually a pretty fun alternative album! Shoulda known from a former Hüsker Dü dude.

I don't think I knew that when I think rock I think 90s alternative but putting this album on was kind of like putting on a t-shirt you've had for years. Honestly nothing really reached out and grabbed me but it was a solid listen through and through.