Copper Blue+Beaster

As Reviewed By Mister Esquire.

Indie Rock Godhead.
Sugar is one of the best bands of the 90's alternation scam.
The main man behind sugar is bob mould, one of the best songwriters ever.
Mould started out as part of one the best bands ever =Husker Du!
Husker Du influenced everybody, from sonic youth to nirvana, blah blah.
(we have husker du in the library. I especially reccomend 'zen arcade'=best album of the 80's, bar none.
even if husker du is not something you play on your show,
it is mandatory listening for all college d.j.'s. =mach meow!)
after husker du ended, mould went onto a solo carrer, making two damn fine albums.
originally, the copper blue album was intended to be mould's latest solo effort,
but the chemistry between mould, bassist dave barbe, and drummer malcolm travis,
would become a group effort ala husker du.
sugar was mould's most successful effort, to.
to describe the sugar sound: distortion heavy beatlesque indie pop/rock.
what you hold in your hand (or, just reading about. poor you: it's better if you hold it in your hands.)
is a reissue by merge. it contains:
copper blue (one of the best albums of the 90's!) plus b-sides;
the beaster e.p. (also bitchin');
and a live show from the metro in chicago, 1992
this features tracks that bassist dave barbe wrote. barbe was kind of a surrogate grant hart. great stuff.
(this is a three disc set, and meows will be based on each disc, rather than as a whole.)

DISC 1. COPPER BLUE&B-SIDES.
MR. ESQ. SEZ: MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW!!!
FCC WARNING: 6.
RIYL: IT'S BOB FUCKING MOULD!, husker du, beatles, nirvana,
foo fighters, sonic youth, catherine wheel, soul asylum, dig, et al ad infinitum.

PLAY THESE TRACKS: ANY/ALL/THAT MEOW WORTHY.
1. BEST TRACK: chugging heavy intro, into a a very sharp gait of guitar
2. poppy, sugary...kinda like the breeders.
3. britty gits chiming along.
4. psychy pop. heavy beatles.
5. most beach boys of the bunch.
6. FCC WARNING: 'FUCK.' doomy, gloomy, epic sadness.
7. now things are upbeat again! (most poppy song of the bunch, pure 60's jangle pop.)
8. metallic pop.
9. beatles&beach boys mixture. gets into slowed psych moment.
10. BEST TRACK II: alternanation metal git begin, into indie pop ala any given gbv song
(before pollard got his formula down.)
BONUS TRACKS: B-SIDES.
11. poppy, upbeat, bitchin'!
12. acoustic version of #7 -nice.
13. acoustic git w/electric. chessy, momentous=awesome cheese!
git feedback/wankery at end (beautiful).
14. fast, driving instrumental=kills.

DISC 2.
MR. ESQ. SEZ: MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW!
FCC CLEAN.
PLAY THESE TRACKS: ANY/ALL/THAT MEOW WORTHY .
1. BEST TRACK II: hypnotic and droning.
2. fast, angry and angsty (feel the angst!) ends with found sound of televangilist. leads into...
3. this. slow to mid pissed offness.
4. BEST TRACK: driving, pissed off, neo-metallic crunch pop.
kicks into the chorus=it's over. bleeds into...
5. this. horns kinda cheese it up, but it's forgivable. (still rocks.)
6. beach boys organ psych dreamy.

DISC 3.
MR. ESQ. SEZ: MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MF-(THAT'S ALMOST AN 'E'.)
FCC WARNING: 9,
PLAY THESE TRACKS: any are good. live renditions of previously released stuff is great,
but I am only going to pay attention to unreleased as far as track by track. if you don't know the songs,
or are unfamiliar with sugar in general, I advise going to copper blue disc first, than beaster, then...
4. mould tune: awesome! sounds just like early husker du!
7. barbe tune: countryish, yearny. beautiful.
9. FCC WARNING: 'SHIT.' barbe tune: slow, sluggy build up. quintessential, powerful grunge.
11. barbe tune: sad, epic. neil young feel.
14. cover of the who song.
17. cover of the iggy pop song.