Copper Blue

Sugar | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 4, 1992)
• Original Release Date: 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rykodisc
• ASIN: B0000009OI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,595 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Bob Mould realized his career goal--a rock & roll trio like Hüsker Dü, only without another strong personality to compete with him--most completely with Sugar's 1992 debut. It's mixed strangely, with little bass and lots of treble, but that gives it a buzzing power, especially on heavy-guitar songs like "Hoover Dam" and "If I Can't Change Your Mind." By the end of "A Good Idea," the narrator inexplicably drowns the woman he loves and Mould's voice assumes a frightening monotone. The only real relief from Copper Blue's intensity is the constant flood of catchy melodies. --Steve Knopper

Product Description

This limited edition LP is pressed on 180 gram vinyl and includes specially-compiled liner notes from Bob Mould as well as David Barbe (Sugar), Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie), Samuel Fogarino (Interpol), Paul Banks (Interpol), and Lou Giordano (co-producer/engineer). The critics lauded the album and to this day their top-ten lists are packed with bands who would never have gotten there unless there was Mould and his Sugar. --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Criminally underrated!, January 1, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Modena, Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Copper Blue (Audio CD)

I haven't listened to Copper Blue much since my college era, but feel I owe it to the band to recommend this to everyone, as it gave me infinite audio pleasure for years! Bob Mould is a legend and I say that on the strength of his 'Sugar' work alone, as Husker Du were before my time. The songs are of a catchy, feel-good nature, with NO cheese whatsoever. You know you're onto something when a CD can be played from start to finish without needing to skip for poor stuff. A few years old (1992), but this makes no difference, it's class! In my Top 5 albums ever. Even more underrated (in the media sense) is 'Beaster' - 1993 mini-album. Get this too! Loud, sometimes happy, sometimes dark and very thought-provoking. If there was ever a band that deserved to be rich, it's Sugar - for these two releases. I hope they are.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite possibly the best CD of the 90s, February 13, 2006

By 

Sol Rosenberg "Sol Rosenberg" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Copper Blue (Audio CD)

I'm not much for hype and I don't normally like to use "best" in describing any form of art, but I am honestly hard-pressed to think of any album that was released in the 90s that can match the consistency of excellence, the lyrical prowess and the raw emotion contained throughout "Copper Blue". Bob Mould is one of the unheralded geniuses in popular music over the past 25 years and this album stands as evidence of his brilliance.

From "The Act we Act" through "Man on the Moon", there is not a single low point on this CD. Simply put, it never lets up. This is not to say that it is not dynamic - "Hoover Dam" and "If I can't change yoru mind" are perfect, acoustic complements to the Les Paul-heavy power chords that function as the engine which drives the high level of energy throughout.

This CD is painfully consistent in its emotional intensity and this fact is punctuated both by its melodic energy and its lyrical strengths. Mould's lyrical creations manifest themselves in the form of compassion ("Helpless"), desperation ("If I can't change your mind") and even haunting nihilism ("A Good Idea").

The combination of the raw emotion inherent in the lyrics, coupled with the consistency of Mould's melodic sensibilities and disciplined yet uninhibited vocal talents, make this CD the most emotionally-charged CD in some time. Mould's willingness to bare his emotions allow the songs to move the listener in a manner in which he or she may not be fully prepared.

This CD has not only held up incredibly well over the years, it trumps most, if not all, of what has been released since.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bob Mould at his best., September 1, 2006

By 

Demon Ted "Sound Hound" (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Copper Blue (Audio CD)

In my opinion, this is the best album of Bob's discography. Every song has a pulse but it could still be filed under easy listening. I 1st got Copper Gold on cassette tape after seeing them on 120 minutes. The tape was in my tape deck playing continuously for several months. The music & lyrics from track to track are well-constructed and purposeful, yet, unlike Husker Du, they never veer too far from the mainstream. Get this album!