Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bob's triumphant return, 3 Aug 2005
Ok, let's just get one thing out of the way-Bob Mould is a legend, pure and simple. Few people can claim to have had so much influenced over guitar music since Bob first exploded out of a Minneanapolis basement in the early 80's with his first band, the seminal Husker Du. Albums like "Metal Circus", "Zen Arcade" and "New Day Rising" not only changed the face of punk rock, they took a hammer to it. Never before had a band so successfully married searingly loud and aggressive guitar playing with personal, introspective lyrics. Not only did Husker Du go against the grain of other hardcore bands like Minor Threat and Black Flag by wearing their hearts on their sleeve, they were also unafraid to drop a folk song or pyschedelia in between their usual power pop. Back then, the now annoyingly over-used phrase of "emo" hadn't been coined, but just about any band since then to plug in an electric guitar and attempt to play anything vaguely resembling punk rock with a bit of melody owes -at least indirectly- a debt of gratitude to Husker Du. Pixies, Nirvana and Foo Fighters are a few of the more high profile bands to show the Husker influence.
Following this bands tragic demise in 1989 amid acrimony, drugs and suicide, Bob released two folk-influenced solo albums, three albums with his band Sugar, and two more melodic folk rock albums following Sugar's break up.
However, in 2002 something a little strange happened. Bob released his first album in 4 years-"Modulate", an album which rather than being driven by Bob's trademark "swarm of bees" guitar sound, was heavily reliant on samples, electronica and drum loops. The common reaction was one of puzzlement. Bob then immersed himself in New York's dance scene, even earning himself a weekly DJ residency. Having already quit touring with a band due to tinnitus, Bob-ites thought they might have lost him forever.
So there was a huge collective sigh of relief when Bob announced his return to guitar music with "Body of Song", and a great return it is. Similar in tone to 1998's "Last Dog and Pony Show", this album has Bob doing what he does best:-writing big, guitar driven anthems full of humanity but tinged with an edge of bitterness and regret. First single "Paralyzed" is a good example. Propelled by a classic Bob riff, this could easily fit on to a Sugar album or possibly even one of Husker Du's later records and is arguably the best track on the album. Its also perfect choice for first single-a true statement of intent for the album as a whole. Other stand-out tracks include "Circles", "Best Thing" and my personal favourite "Days of Rain". The legacy of "Modulate" is not completely dead though, the main throw-back being the occasional use of the vocoder voice effect. This is undoubtedly a guitar record though. In fact you can almost feel Bob's rediscovery of his love for strapping on a guitar and creating the kind of beautiful noise so many have come to love him for. Such is his renewed enthusiasm he is even going against doctor's advice and tour with a full band for the first time in 7 years. Welcome back Bob, we've missed you.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Strap-on Bob, 18 Oct 2005
Back to some sort of old form. It's growing on me despite earlier resistance. But why the heck does he insist on using that horrible electronic voice treatment vocoder thingy that was used more (in)famously by Cher? I almost threw the CD out of my car window in despair at some stages.Bob's always going to suffer at my hands because I expect a barnstormer like 'Poison Years' every time, and end up being disappointed. A bit like sleeping with an old flame; you pretend to yourself that you're enjoying it, but end up with tinges of regret. In saying that, Bob's guitar stuff is always gonna be a million miles higher than anyone else. Even God sometimes puts his pants on back to front.
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![Bob Mould-Circle of Friends [2007] [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411BoOvuPBL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Brendan Canty
~ Bob Mould
~ Bob Mould
~ Blowoff
~ U2
See all 12 tracks on this disc
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