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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII - Nova Mob,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Last Days of Pompeii (Audio CD)
"After the less than friendly break-up of Husker Du, both Grant Hart and Bob Mould released solo work which was considerably different than their work together. Hart's 1989 effort, INTOLERANCE, is a sweeping carnivalesque work that is a logical extension of his work with Husker Du. THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII still sounds like Hart, but it is a larger work - a narrative of sorts with allusions to Pompeii and Nazi Germany. The story flows well, and almost everything on the album borders on brilliance. The bright rockers "Admiral of the Sea", "Wernher Von Braun" and "Over My Head" are the best work this band has ever done to date. The album is not without its experimental side, however; "Space Jazz", a spiraling, noisy, spoken-word track, is a strange break from the narrative, but it flows well into the poppy "Where You Gonna Land". This record is an important addition to the collection of any Husker Du fan." - Chris True
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grant Hart's next step forward,
This review is from: The Last Days of Pompeii (Audio CD)
Following the break up of the great Husker Du, primary song writers; Grant Hart and Bob Mould, wasted no time in releasing solo albums. While Mould released the now legendary "Workbook", Hart released "Intolerance" on Husker Du's former label SST records. While "Intolerance" had it's share of rave reviews it seemed rushed and sounded more like a demo than a debut. Hart was not helped by the fact he was on a smaller label (SST) that didn't have the resources that Mould did with Warner Brothers, basically leaving that first album to fall into obscurity.
Hart followed up "Intolerance" with a new label, a new record and a new band. "The Last Days of Pompeii" by the newly formed Nova Mob, is the album Hart should have released following the Husker Du break up. With better production values (due to deeper pockets from his new label Rough Trade) "The Last Days of Pompeii" is much more even and focused. The songs sound more full and more thought out than those on "Intolerance", and Hart flexes his arrangement muscles and shows more confidence in his ideas with TLDOP. Hart finds a way to tie the more art based songs (Introduction and TLDOP/Benediction) with more insightful songs (Lavender and Grey, Get away, Admiral of the Sea) and poppy rockers (Wernher Von Brown and Over My Head)together with a seemless transition. Even the quirky avant garde "Space Jazz" with it's dizzying lyrical transitions works well and fits. Had this been his first solo effort one has to wonder if the scales between Hart and Mould would have been more evenly weighed. The question that also needs to be asked following both Hart and Mould's fisrt two solo efforts is where could Husker Du have gone had they stayed together, it was obvious that both song writers were looking for a different road than the one Husker Du was going down. One can only wonder
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In reference to the 2010 re-master, CD version,
By CP Warner (Whitinsville, MA, US) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Last Days Of Pompeii Special Edition (Audio CD)
Last Days of Pompeii was a great album in its original issue, and I loved it. I was fortunate to find one copy on CD after the demise of Rough Trade, and I've treasured it for twenty years. There had been talk of a re-master for a long time, but it had been such a long time, I wondered if it would ever come to pass. But today, ladies and gentlemen, December 8, 2010, the eagle finally landed in my mailbox, and I have listened. (N.B. -- My copy shipped just hours before the release date was changed to January 11th, due to a snafu with the vinyl edition. Was that luck, or what?)
Grant Hart has achieved the auditory equivalent of Emeril Lagasse "kicking it up a few notches" in a batch of etouffee. Colored it, if you will pardon the Hüsker Dü pun, with just enough spice. The original production was, admittedly, a bit on the muddy side, and Hart's vocals deliberately distorted, so it wasn't always easy to understand what he was singing. On the re-master, there is still distortion, but somehow Hart has made the words come through more clearly, and the entire recording sounds crisp, clear, live, and present. It is fresh and exciting, and for this listener, well worth the wait. The bonus tracks -- rough cuts and demos -- are a treat. Personally, I enjoy hearing the evolution of a song from its early stages to the final version. "Lavender and Grey," for instance, I now have in three different versions, and of those three, it will be hard to choose which is my favorite. I love each one for different reasons. Each version features one of Hart's most delightful, charming gifts -- his whistling! The re-mastered track features him whistling in duet with himself. If you have ever underestimated the value of whistling as an enhancement to a piece of music, Hart will surely change your mind. In short, BUY THIS CD! Do it NOW! This album sounds even more fresh and relevant than it did twenty years ago. The re-master was clearly a labor of love, and it shows. Bravo, Mr. Hart. WELL DONE!!!!
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