Friday, December 03, 2021

Bob Mould: 12 Songs (All Killer, No Filler)

"Make a 12-song sampler by the artist of your choice: all killer, no filler"

I saw that challenge on a music message board. The criteria was "either your personal favorite tracks across an artist's catalog or a sampler collection that you might share with someone not familiar with a particular artist". 

I opted for "personal favorite tracks".

Bob Mould

Wishing Well
Brasilia Crossed With Trenton
Black Sheets Of Rain
New #1
First Drag Of The Day
Stand Guard (Live Dog '98)
Star Machine
Tomorrow Morning
Losing Time
Pray For Rain
When You Left
Send Me A Postcard

Note: This sampler is only from albums released under Mould's own name. I did not consider anything from either Hüsker Dü or Sugar. Even after ignoring those two bands, this wasn't easy. And honestly, a second list of 12 completely different "favorite" songs is only slightly less awesome*. Also: The last track is a cover of a Shocking Blue song from 1970. It, along with a dash through the Buzzcocks' "I Don't Mind", makes me wish Mould would knock out an album of punk-pop covers just for the hell of it.

Wishing Well (Workbook, 1989)


Brasilia Crossed With Trenton (Workbook, 1989)

 

Black Sheets Of Rain (Black Sheets Of Rain, 1990)

 

New #1 (The Last Dog And Pony Show, 1998)

 

First Drag Of The Day (The Last Dog And Pony Show, 1998)

 

Stand Guard (Live Dog '98, 2002; originally on Black Sheets Of Rain, 1990)

 

Star Machine (Silver Age, 2012)

 

Tomorrow Morning (Beauty & Ruin, 2014)

 

Losing Time (Patch The Sky, 2016)

 

Pray For Rain (Patch The Sky, 2016)

 

When You Left (Blue Hearts, 2020)

 

Send Me A Postcard (Sunshine Rock, 2019)

*: Heartbreak A Stranger, Poison Years, Hear Me Calling, Disappointed, (Shine Your) Light Love Hope, Missing You, The Descent, I Don't Know You Anymore, Hold On, Thirty Dozen Roses, Lost Faith, Little Pieces.

6 comments:

Paul Hickman said...

Out of Control
Electric Co.
A day without me
I threw a brick
11 o'clock tick tock
Celebration
Gloria
Rejoice
Is That All ?
Like a Song
Pride
Bad
Exit

Off the top of my head, in 5 minutes, that'd be my list & I finished with 13 songs - mostly off their first 2 Albums, which were absolute Killers !

allan said...

Man, I have not listened to The Unforgettable Fire in a really long time. Decades, really. I know I liked it a lot when it came out, it was more atmospheric and impressionistic than War. . . . A few songs on your list (Rejoice, Is That All?) I have no idea or memory of what they sound like.

Paul Hickman said...

Well, you can check them out, while I immerse myself in the Mould !

laura k said...

Wow, nothing from Copper Blue!

laura k said...

I started trying to do this for Aimee Mann but gave up.

allan said...

Wow, nothing from Copper Blue!

I noted this does not include Husker Du or Sugar.