With Bob Mould out on tour this fall supporting both his excellent new studio album and celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sugar’s beloved Copper Blue, the fine folks at Merge Records have hooked us up with a full set of the recently released Sugar reissues — that’s the 3CD Copper Blue/Beaster combo and the 2CD File Under: Easy Listening edition — to award one lucky Slicing Up Eyeballs reader.
To enter, simply drop a comment below naming your absolute favorite Bob Mould song (or songs, if you can’t quite pick) and share some thoughts on why it holds that place in your heart — whether it be a Hüsker Dü cut, a Sugar track or a Mould solo composition.
This contest is open to entrants anywhere in the world, and we’ll take entries until 12 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 2. After that point, we’ll select a winner at random and contact them via e-mail — so please remember to use a legit address when you enter. And if the winner don’t respond after one full week, we’ll select a new one. One entry per person, please.
And if you’re wondering what’s on Merge’s Sugar reissues, here’s the full scoop.
UPDATE: The contest is now closed and our randomly selected winner is… Troy. Congrats.
My favourite(s) are actually the opening three tracks of Copper Blue. Of all the albums I own I still to this day can not think of a record that opens with a stronger set of songs than that record. If I have to choose one it’s A Good Idea, but I could choose any of those three.
For me it’s a tossup between “Out Of Your Life,” which has one of Bob’s best melodies, and those octave-leaping yells of “Tell ME!” are amazing; and “Can’t Fight It,” from the No Alternative charity CD, which may be the most beautiful song he’s ever written.
Hardly Getting Over it
Books About UFOs – Husker Du
Crystal would be a good pick for me. Candy Apple Grey was the first Husker Du album I bought and it instantly hooked me.
all of copper blue. “The Slim”, if I must choose!
Stop Your Crying. Far and away his best song from his best album – Black Sheets of Rain
Tough call, but probably “A Good Idea”, a pretty dark song even by Bob’s standards.
“All This I’ve Done for You” from CANDLE APPLE GREY, and “ice Cold Ice” from WAREHOUSE
The opening cut, and title track, of Husker Du’s New Day Rising stands as my favorite Bob Mould song. It’s simple, to the point, and ignites the recording like taking a match to a can of gasoline. It gives me the shakes.
‘See A Little Light’ from Workbook.
Sugar’s “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”. It’s simply one of the best pop songs ever written.
I never tire of Beaster. The louder, the better
“Bed of Nails”… great lyrics and vocal from Bob.
Believe What You’re Saying, because I found myself, with relationships in my life, saying those exact same words. Bob has always managed to write songs that express my same sentiments.
See A Little Light!
“Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely”, I had(have?) it in all formats, I met Bob and Grant at a record store appearance, and it really got me to re-examine their music, after I’d kind of dismissed HD in my younger years.
I Apologize- Though most Husker Du (and Sugar) songs have importance for me and helped get me through my college years, I Apologize was my absolute anthem. Perhaps indicating negative things about my youthful character?
Erase Today – Husker Du
‘Circles’ and ‘A good Idea’ – both for opposite reasons. A good idea is an epic mood lifter, and circles is a great song for quietly contemplating less bouncy situations. Both brilliantly written
brasilia crossed with trenton
Judas Cradle.
for me it’s “in a free world” by Hüsker Dü, with that line that sums up our all-horizontal, post-democratic, post-politic, post-everything condition : “everybody’s an authority, in a free world”
“Dying From the Inside Out” from Golden Palominos’ ‘Drunk With Passion.’ Great, epic angry song!
‘Changes’ by Sugar, because the opening few notes reminds me of the ambulance coming to pump my friend’s stomach in the nineties. Every track on Copper Blue fills me with an explosion of youthful verve.
Explode and Make Up. I was going through a tough time and this song really changed my outlook on my situation.
All of the Beaster EP, but if I have to narrow it down, then “JC Auto”. I recall driving to a job interview with that playing VERY loudly in my car, it helped me get past the pre-interview jitters. ‘course I didn’t get the job, but that’s OK, better things happened.
Books About UFOs. It is the 1st song that I remember hearing by Husker Du growing up.
I heard Husker Du from “Flip Your Wig” on KTRU Houston in a torrential downpour driving my rusted out 70’s camaro: the college DJ said it had just been released that day so I drove through flooded roads and straight to the record store. Still love listening to it on vinyl.
“Hate Paper Doll” from Flip Your Wig.
if i can’t change your mind – major scale pretty
I’d have to say Wishing Well or Stop Your Crying. Just finished the book last week. Great read.
Wishing Well
Hoover Dam. I don’t think I could pick one, but if I had to it would be HD.
Explode and Make Up
“If I Can’t Change Your Mind” – pure power pop
“Wishing Well”. I like the interplay of the acoustic and electric guitars and the tension they create, and Jane Scarpantoni’s cello is sublime. Great lyrics too.
“Out of Your Life” — I wore out my cassette of Black Sheets of Rain listening to this one. A great kiss-off tune that was thrown into heavy rotation after every break-up.
It’s a toss-up between “Wishing Well” and “If I Can’t Change Your Mind.” Both are great tunes!
Hoover Dam from Copper Blue. Had the poster on the wall of my college dorm, that intro, reminds me of a time of my life filled with possibilities.
I Will Never Forget You – an absolutely relentless track. The intensity of the final chorus is quite frightening, actually. Bob has never sounded more unhinged.
I first heard “These Important Years” when I was 19 or 20, and felt like it sort of defined my life at the time. It’s also a great example of Mould’s amazing melodic skills.
A Good Idea – something about those guitars!
Tough to pick just one, but I’d prob go with Hoover Dam
I’ve always loved ‘Celebrated Summer’ from New Day Rising.
Makes No Sense at all! It was the song that got me into Hüsker Dü and my lifelong love of Bob Mould.
“See a little light”
“Celebrated Summer”. It has perhaps one of the best opening lines of any song: “Love and Hate was in the air like pollen from a flower.”
Lots to choose from. Hoover Dam.
“If I Can’t Change Your Mind,” (solo mix, please).
see a little light – workbook.. actually most of workbook and copper blue.. the new one is good too
Hoover Dam! That record just made music exciting for me again after a long lull! This song in particular just hammered home Bob’s gift of mixing rock and melody! I could chose ten others tho…
Explode and Make Up, because it’s badass.
Fav Sugar song….The Act We Act…..Fav Husker Du songs…..Celebrate Summer and Divide and Conquer….Bob is definitely one of my musical heroes….he does it all….performer, producer, author, DJ, BEAR Icon…..and hot as hell!!!!
“Man on the Moon” I had a friend who use to play “Copper Blue” all the time. A real indie meets ballad rock. Brings back memories.
See a Little Light
sunspots
I’d have to go with Changes… Great lyrics, great guitar, great energy! Mould showing he’s got more tricks up his sleeve beyond Husker Du.
FU:EL – my fav Bob record of them all!
The Descent… I literally learned about Bob Mould on Slicing Up Eyeballs (I knew about Husker Du and Sugar, but never heard a track), and it was at a time where I desperately needed new inspiration… the song gave me the push I needed, and this is something that hadn’t happened to me in ages. So thank you SUEB and thank you Bob Mould!
Gee angel sugar. See a little light solo
Divide and Conquer, for sure. Just a great guitar riff.
Makes No Sense at All
my favorites… the 1st song that came to mind was Sugar’s “Explode and Make Up”, but then was immediately followed in my brain by “59 Times The Pain”, “Indecision Time”, “Sacrifice (Let There Be Peace)”, and “Hanging Tree”. dang he’s good. i got to see him on the Black Sheets of Rain Tour. so amazing.
For me, it’s “Celebrated Summer.” Every rotten summer I’ve ever had, I’ve asked myself, “Is this your celebrated summer?” They never quite live up to expectations do they?
Tilted.
Just a full-on adrenaline rush, start to finish. And the guitar solo… Oh, the guitar solo.
“See a Little Light” is a new personal favorite of mine. Most of Copper Blue ranks up there as well. From Husker I’ve always been partial to “I Apologize.”
Something I learned Today!
Helpless – it’s one of the most autobiographical songs I listen too
Celebrated Summer is my pick, because that’s exactly what it sounds like and reminds me of.
“Makes No Sense At All” by the Huskers. It’s a perfect anti-heroin song in my mind. It always makes me think he’s reporting a conversation with Grant, who is denying he has a problem. Just great complex dynamics at work. Great band.
“Heartbreak a Stranger” and “See a Little Light” will always be my favorite Bob Mould songs, but “Copper Blue” as an album is just rock solid.
Hoover Dam
It’s so hard to pick one favorite, but one that made a memorable impact on me was the Sugar song “Gee Angel” which was included with Windows 95 to demonstrate the operating system’s capabilities. I remember my brother and I watched it speechless in its tiny 2″ wide window on a 10″ monitor, and I felt like the future had arrived!
See a Little Light…helped get me through college in St. Paul, MN. Used to shop at the record store that he worked at in the 80s!
Hoover Dam, Helpless, Explode and make up, though First Time Joy from the newest album is really coming on strong.
Brasilia Crossed with Trenton. It hit me at just the right moment in life — angry yet hopeful, wondering just what had just happened and not knowing what was coming up next.
Helpless
has to be the Slim. Heart wrenching.
Change Your mind
If I Can’t Change Your Mind. See A Little Light. Hardly Getting Over It. I could list them all day. Seriously.
Explode & Make Up
Wishing Well & Panama City Motel…both served as musical beacons on hope during two very separate, but daunting periods in my life.
Bob is a true living legend!
All of Black Sheets of Rain…. killer pounding violent and insane…. without it, Copper Blue and Beaster which do pretty much the same thing would not exist. and Husker Du’s Something I Learned Today
Easy: “Heartbreak a Stranger”. I was a kid in the pre-Internet days, as I’m sure a lot of visitors to this site are, and we had to try harder to communicate with people in distant places. So, I had a penpal from across the country – remember those ads in the back of Rolling Stone? – and we used to trade mixtapes in the mail. One of the songs she put on the first tape was “Heartbreak a Stranger.” Every time I hear it, it takes me right back to being 15-years-old, when discovering alternative or college rock or whatever was so damned exciting.
Flip Your Wig. It sums up everything about Husker Du as a band and a subculture.
my favorite husker du song is chartered trips, favorite sugar song is either gee angel or explode and make up, favorite solo song has to be either circles, paralyzed, or fort knox king solomon. Come to think of it, I love most husker du/sugar/bob mould solo songs
my mistake, i said “in a free world”, of course i was thinking “in a free land”
My fav song is for “JC Auto” from Sugar, Bob Mould’s ’90s band. This is from their Beaster EP. After releasing one of the best albums of the ’90s in “Copper Blue,” Sugar released this EP a series of song recorded at the same time but didn’t quite fit the overall poppy mold of Copper Blue.
While JC Auto isn’t scary in the traditional Halloween sense, its imagery, lyrical content, and sheer guttural delivery really frightened listeners who were maybe expecting another “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” or “Helpless.” Even the cover art freaks me out. The live recordings I’ve heard of this are even more devastating.
“JC Auto” in particular is frightening. It is dense, it is heavy, and it is rage-filled. When Mould sings, nay screams, “Look like jesus christ
Act like jesus christ I know, Here’s your jesus christ, I’m your jesus christ I know” you know something is not right. And then he hits you with it again and again.
Frightening.
It was only in my late teens that I developed an overbearing interest in music. Up until then I hadn’t really given it much attention, preferring instead to spend my evenings watching countless games of football or chatting crap to friends online. That was until a friend put me onto Nirvana and Pixies, which in turn led me to check out Husker Du. I only came across a handful of songs at first: New Day Rising, Celebrated Summer, What’s Going On and a few others. It was enough for me to purchase and duly obsess over their albums. Eventually I got onto Sugar and some of Mould’s solo albums, and this summer, about five years since discovering Husker Du, I saw him perform live for the first time. I was positioned up front right in front of his amp. Magical.
My favourite Mould song.. tough to decide. Very tough. Songs that immediately spring to mind are These Important Years, Changes, Makes No Sense At All, Crystal, I Apologize, Come Around, Gift, The Descent (already a classic), See A Little Light, JC Auto. There’s bloody loads. If I had to choose one (which I do, and will), it’d be Could You Be The One. The opening guitar notes are delightful presents to my ears, improving my mood no matter what is going on. And the melody, what a sweet melody. As for the glorious guitar solo halfway through, well it’s like there’s a birthday party on in my soul. Mould played this when I saw him live in August; I couldn’t help but sing along. I was beaming. After the set finished I was helpless in my joy, being on the verge of tears. I’d just seen one of my musical heroes in the flesh. Definitely one of the happiest moments of my life.
Wow – tough choice… but I just never tire of Beaster. It’s his finest (half) hour in my opinion. So… I’m going with Judas Cradle
I HATE ALTERNATIVE ROCK!
Elplode and make up. Epic emotional song with great guitar work.
Celebrated Summer, hands down. There were a couple of summers where I needed a lot of Husker Du to get by, and that song really captures how summer happiness somehow really isn’t. Whatever happiness (well, opposite-sex-based happiness at any rate) I thought I had each summer inevitably disintigrated when the clouds came.
That said, he just killed it on Flip Your Wig – all his songs are so strong on that album. Now that it’s, what, 25 years since I first heard it, I still put it on when I’m feeling reminisce-y and need a kick of the teen-/college-age me.
Anybody naming Books About UFOs should be disqualified on principle.
“JC Auto” in the ‘loud and cathartic’ category (that guitar! that howl!); “Can’t Fight It” in the ‘holy crap he’s put his heart on his sleeve, and it’s pumping fresh blood all over the stage’ category. I listen to the first more often, but that’s probably because the latter is like watching a once loving marriage unravel (even with, or despite, the ASIA-sounding orchestral bit).
“Needle Hits E,” a Sugar B-side, doesn’t get enough love
I love the Hüsker Dü stuff a little more than Sugar, but “A Good Idea” is my fave at the moment. I never saw got to see Hüsker Dü live, but I have seen Sugar twice and “A Good Idea” always ripped.
Celebrated Summertime, it’s a postcard, a slice of youth and wonderful pop punky fun
Celebrated Summer, a great song about being young.
Hoover Dam from Copper Blue. As much as I love Husker Du this song was the first time I heard a song by Mould with such an epic feel to it. It was a large in sound but didn’t go overboard. Some of his best guitar work as well is displayed on this track.
“It’s Too Late” – Bob solo or “Hoover Dam” – Sugar
Hmm. Has to be See a Little Light
“Changes” – Copper Blue (one of my favorite albums ever!)
“Heartbreak a Stranger” – Workbook
A Good Idea – reminds me of a great time…
I like ‘Helpless’. His Sugar period is my favorite.
Wishing Well… What an amazing transition from Husker Du. I love that album so much. :)
If you can’t change your mind. No doubt about it. That Sugar song has always moved me…
“Castor and Pollux” from the Body Of Song bonus disc. argh – sooooogoooood.
Tough one, but I’d probably have to pick Hüsker Dü- Never Talking To You Again. It’s a simple but beautiful acoustic song with lyrics that I can easily relate to.
Glad to see some other shout-outs for “Celebrated Summer.” It’s my favorite Husker Du song and favorite of all of Bob’s tunes. It was also the soundtrack of my summer of 1985!
Hoover Dam. Powerful song, amazing lyrics. Brings back memories of my time in Minneapolis with hubby. Best time of my life!
Compositions for The Young & Old
“If I Can’t Change Your Mind”!!
Sugar-Helpless
Husker Du-Don’t Want to Know if you are Lonely
‘Whichever way the wind blows’ from Workbook LP – I saw Bob and band play this at The Astoria in London (RIP) in 1989 and it changed my life!! If ever there is a song that you want to break things to…it is this one!! Masterpiece!
New #1- The Last Dog and Pony Show is way underated!
I can’t stay away from Husker Du and many of their songs powered my angst-filled college days…faves are: Real World from Metal Circus / “I’ll Never Forget You” from Zen Arcade and Celebrated Summer from New Day Rising (which has one of the all-time best album covers ever!
Explode and Make Up with JC Auto a close second. Both raw and emotional in two totally different ways. Bob’s howl at 3:34 of Explode gives me shivers every time.
Hoover Dam…it’s a SW thing.
For me, it’s a toss up between Could You Be The One, the tune that nearly sent Husker Du into the college rock stratosphere after a critically acclaimed career up to that point and See A Little Light, the classic Bob Mould solo track that signalled he could star on his own in a very successful solo career. As far as Sugar goes, Hoover Dam is the high-point of a body of work full of high points.
Paralyzed!!
Hardly Getting Over It. You can hear the pain in Bob’s voice.
This is a hard question. If there was one album, it would have to be his self-titled solo album especially the tracks Egoverride, I Hate Alternative Rock and Deep Karma Canyon.
Can’t choose, top plays in my iTunes instead, Gee Angel Sugar, It’s Too Late Bob Mould, I Apologize Husker Du…
Standing In The Rain – first song I ever heard written by Bob Mould and the Husker Du clan. Been hooked ever since.
Love Husker Du and Bob. Fave songs are “Ice Cold Ice” and “Wishing Well.” He’s an American Treasure.
Big fan of Sugar. The Beaster EP is my favorite: it takes you by the throat and doesn’t let you go. If I have to pick a song, it would be “Tilted”.
“Anymore Time Between” from ‘Bob Mould’ – besides having Bob do a NIN soundscape in the song, he maintains a forlorn tone vocally along with an interesting take lyrically on the usual theme of an ending relationship. Actually the entire album is underrated but this is my pick.
Hardly Getting over It
“Something I Learned Today” by Hüsker Dü. Because its just nice song.
Hoover Dam…this song gave me hope when everything in my life seemed to be falling apart…but then I’ve always found hope in odd places.
Who’s your favorite child?
“Makes no sense at all”
The Descent is my favorite Bob Mould song. It stands next to all of his best material in his catalog. He has not lost a step!
Come On Strong…Of course Husker Du was great; the Virgin albums left me breathless; Sugar is landmark music; the solo era that followed under-rated, but who foresaw Modulate? It showed Mould could do anything. Shame on those that didn’t stick with it, because although it left a little blood on the cleaver, it still cuts to the heart.
Stop Your Crying, masterpiece
What happens if the person picked a Grant Hart song? There’s about half a dozen people who picked Grant songs…
I love everything Bob did with Husker Du. I’ll just pick two random ones… All This I’ve Done For You and Private Plane.
My favorite Sugar song is a split between “The Slim” and “Hoover Damn”.
I almost finished the list when I finally found someone who agrees with me: New #1. Anger, regret, confusion, doubt, a plea for help: It’s a perfect pop song for an imperfect world. I was disappointed when he didn’t do it when I saw him on the Dog and Pony tour, but I wasn’t the only one. A guy in the audience requested it after every other song.
There are so many great Bob Mould songs, as evidenced by the variety of picks included in this comment section. I always really liked “These Important Years” from the Husker Du days. “Black Sheets Of Rain” is so bleak, but so cathartic too. And I love so much of the Sugar catalog that it is really hard to choose 1 song.
If I had to though, I’d probably go with “JC Auto”. I’ve been running to (or perhaps from) that song since 1993, and it never fails to push me into a different gear. When I get to the part where Bob sings, “When there’s nothing left to all the colors that you’ve sprayed upon it / Passing judgement on my life you never really got it right / I can’t believe in anything / I don’t believe in anything / Do you believe in anything? / Do you believe me now?”, I just close my eyes and feel the impact of every single word. Before I know it, I’m running about twice as fast as my normal pace. Fitness by Bob!
His “Turning of the Tide” cover is pretty amazing!
Gift.
It would probably have to be “Erase Today” since that was the song that introduced me to Hüsker Dü and Bob Mould.
“If I Can’t Change Your Mind”
After I was dumped in 1995, I listened to this song again..and again…and again. Sad but uplifting at the same time. Then we got back together months later (still together). Every time I hear that song it brings me back to that time for a moment.
Mine is Could you be the one?, by Hüsker Dü. It was my first contac with the band, a long time ago. And I like this pop side of Bob Mould, pretty well documented in Copper Blue lp.
These Important Years (really, love all of Warehouse!)
Hoover Dam
‘Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely’ from the Husker Du days is my all time favourite… The 7″ has served me well, though it has seen too much action and is now well worn. ‘Changes’ from the 1st Sugar LP would be my very close 2nd choice…
If I Can’t Change Your Mind
Tilted from Beaster
“New Day Rising” from Husker Du, “Hoover Dam” from Sugar. Drove up to Milwaukee over the summer to see the Copper Blue live performance, sooooo good!
“If I Can’t Change Your Mind,” acoustically.
I oddly love “Reoccurring Dreams”
Makes No Sense At All, the perfect mix of pop sensibility and post-punk energy.
I’m not trying to be obscure, but my favorite really is “Doubleface” a Bob Mould solo B side (for Egoverride)- at least at the moment. It’s got the wstrange modal celtic drone accoustic guitar, the power pop, and bothe the confessional and the storytelling lyrics. Then, again, I also dig the “Black Sheets” LP, too.
Hardly Getting Over It. …great, great song.
Hoover Damn
Hoover Dam from Copper Blue. Bob Mould delivered a song with a strong Beach Boys-esq melody but with all the attitude and integrity you expect from Bob, nice keyboard hook too.
Up In the Air, Hoover Dam, Deep Karma Canyon. Love those ELP-esque keyboards on Hoover Dam…
See A Little Light
The acoustic version of “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” as well as “Sunspots”
Feeling Better
Turn on the News – Husker Du
WOW
See a little light
I’d say most admirer’s of Bob’s songs would choose a different favorite every hour. Would it be “Makes No Sense At All” because that seemed to sum up my senior year of high school? Or “See A Little Light” giving you the strength to get out of bed in the morning, and make it to that crappy job? Each phase of his career, including the great rebirth/new start/evolution(?) of his latest is powerful, emotional, freeing and damn solid. Something crystallized in my life in the early 1990s, life/love/jumping into the future/whatever. That coincided with post-Black Sheets of Rain seeing Bob play a solo show in San Jose, CA. Pulling up in some sedan, books and guitars in tow. He unveiled new songs, which would land on Copper Blue, that night. They were rough but sharp and absolutely cool. Hearing them fully realized in recorded form a couple of years later was staggering. I was breaking up with my girlfriend and the “Act We Act”/”A Good Idea”/”Changes”/”Helpless” ass-kickings on repeat kept me alive if not sane. The rest of Copper Blue, plus Beaster (finally saw them while they toured this one – and I still listen every Easter!) also life-altering bolts of lightning. I could not have done without. And by 1995’s “Your Favorite Thing” I found a new love and soundtrack.
“A Good Idea” is such a great song, I can listen to it on repeat over and over. But it is hard to commit to one Bob Mould song.
Explode and Make Up, because it’s Bob at his angsty best.
“The Act We Act”! I love that guitar-grinding introduction, good lyrics, amazing vocals.
I celebrate his entire catalog. Probably a cheat, but “Dear Rosemary” from Foo Fighters recent release is a great collaboration with Mould and Grohl. Two reasons it’s particulary dear to me–as a native D.C.’er I got a chance to see the man perform alongside the Foos at last year’s hometown concert. Second, because it’s mentioned to “…sound like Copper Blue…” in the doc “Back-and-Forth”; a must see for fans of music.
Love is all around – simple lyrics, yet touching and classic!
Bob Mould didn’t write that. It’s the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore show.
Everything Falls Apart; Target; Real World; Something I Learned Today; Broken Home, Broken Heart; Whatever; I Apologize; How to Skin a Cat; Makes No Sense at All; Hate Paper Doll; Too Far Down; Hardly Getting Over It; Standing in the Rain; Friend, You’ve Got to Fall; If You’re True; Stop Your Crying; Sacrifice/Let There Be Peace; Helpless; Hoover Dam; Tilted; JC Auto; Believe What You’re Saying; Explode and Make Up; Egøverride; Thumbtack; Circles; Always Tomorrow; The Silence Between Us; I’m Sorry Baby but You Can’t Stand in My Light Anymore; The Descent.
Husker du: Celebrated Summer is catchy as hell and has a great sense of melancholy. Sugar: A good idea, changes, if i can’t change your mind, Gee angel. the whole workbook album. There are so many that are crunchy, driving pop.
Sunspots has the prettiest melody and the whole workbook album is beautiful
“Pink Turns to Blue” from Zen Arcade. Lyrics and overall sound make this my fave track on their most fully realized album. Gets better every time I hear it.
“It’s Too Late.” Spent an entire spring semester in Juneau listening to that in particular — and “Black Sheets of Rain” in general — to keep my head together as a number of things got weird.
“Eiffel Tower High” off of Candy Apple Grey. He name drops Junior Mints!
“Heartbreak A Stranger” is my favorite. Pure gold. And such stunning change to hear after all his years with Husker Du.
“If I can’t change your mind” and “Ice cold ice”
I can’t name just one: I Apologize, Makes No Sense At All, Could You Be The One, Helpless, If I Can’t Change Your Mind, Circles, The Silence Between Us.
If I Can’t Change Your Mind
Hoover Dam
Celebrated Summer.
New Day Rising was one of a series of albums released in 84-85 that define that time for me, along with Double Nickles On The Dime and the Replacements “Let it Be”. I was about to graduate from high school when it was released, and Celebrated Summer captures that nostalgic feel of something that hasn’t passed yet, but you know you’re going to look back on and miss.
Sugar’s If I Can’t Change Your Mind :)
Gotta go back to one of the ones that started it all – “In a Free Land”.
Gimme
Honestly, there’s not a bad Bob song to be found, but my favorite one today is “And You Tell Me,” which does us the favor of losing it’s ever-lovin’ mind during the chorus.
Love the relentless speed and power of ‘Fortune Teller’ & the acoustic brilliance of ‘thumbtack’
“Helpless”…..Sounds great cranked up!
So many great songs to choose from, but the one I love the most would be Can’t Fight It. Heard it on the No Alternative compilation back in ’93. Was going through by first big breakup, and that song really said it all. Cried my eyes out the first time I heard it. Loved it ever since. Made sure I have a copy of that comp every time, mp3s of it have been in every digital player I’ve owned.
That’s a tough question. But I go with “These Important Years”.
Hardly Getting Over It – when i finally saw the man live (in his solo years), that particular song was just amazing
Wishing Well was the first Bob Mould song I ever heard. I was a sophomore in college and the Workbook album became a kind of soundtrack for that year. I have to mention Hoover Dam and Judas Cradle as well!
Could You Be the One?
Husker Du: “Ice Cold Ice” – a perfect blend of metal and pop with great guitar work.
Sugar: “Feeling Better” off Beaster. The horns were unexpected and its placement on the EP and “upbeatedness” makes me continue to listen to it repeatedly.
Bob solo: almost anything off Black Sheets of Rain, but “Stand Guard” has such a singular structure and crunching guitar that I think it’s my fave.
Could You Be The One
“I Hate Alternative Rock” or “Egøverride” off Hubcap album. Will sing along until hoarse!
“It’s Too Late” has very catchy guitars. Love “The Descent” from the new album too.
I’d have to go with If I Can’t Change Your Mind from Copper Blue or Husker Du’s Could You Be The One. My favourite Bob is poppy Bob.
Always listen to Workbook, Black Sheets of Rain, & Beaster
“Celebrated Summer”, “See A Little Light”, and “JC Auto” are my favorites from three categories. The entire “Beaster” EP is essential from start-to-finish.
Makes no sense at all
“Gee Angel” is not just my favorite Sugar song or my favorite Bob Mould song, it is one of my all-time favorites. That song never fails to lift me up, to put me in a good place when I am down. The lyrics are sublime, the melody powerful, it is everything rock is supposed to be. I only wish more people knew how great Bob is, and what a great songwriter he is.
I think Black Sheets of Rain would have to be my favorite, I used to have a long drive I had to take every week and I listened to that countless times. Still reminds me of the drive and why I was taking it.
diane….the song Nirvana wanted to write but ended up with Polly
I’m going with Circles. I had the good fortune of meeting Bob on this solo tour, and he couldn’t have been cooler. Long live the great Bob Mould!
Explode and Make up or Changes the two are always go to songs while I am at work
Hoover Dam!
Bob Mould – Wishing Well
It is simply the most powerful acoustic song I have ever heard. Absolutely ferocious.
“Wishing Well”, it was the first song of his I heard post Husker Du.
“If I Can’t Change Your Mind” – Copper Blue Came out just when I was going througha breakup and, besides being just an incredible tune, it encapsulated perfectly what I was thinking.
See a Little Light – b/c it’s one of the few songs I would tattoo on my body.
“See A Little Light” from Workbook.
All right, the contest is now closed. Thank you all for entering and sharing your thoughts. Winner to be notified via e-mail.
During my early introduction to Husker Du’s catalog, I got instant gratification from the song “New Day Rising”. Punk fury with a melodic touch: 2 great tastes that taste great together. That song has always stuck with me.