Customer Reviews

The Last Days of Pompeii

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"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

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

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!!!!

Nova Mob / The Last Days Of Pompeii
Track Title
1. Introduction
2. Woton
3. Getaway (Gateway) In Time
4. Admiral Of The Sea (79 A.D. Version)
5. Wernher Von Braun
6. Space Jazz
7. Where You Gonna Land (Next Time You Fall Off Of Your Mountain)?
8. Over My Head
9. Admiral Of The Sea
10. Persuaded
11. Lavender And Grey
12. The Last Days Of Pompeii/Benediction

I was just like you right now...skeptical about buying the CD again. I always really liked the CD when I bought it in the early 90's, but I thought to myself, how much better could it really be 20 years later?

I've got to say that I was very impressed. This CD (especially in the remastered form) really showcases some of Grant's best work, and thoughtful lyrics. I always thought that about this original release, but now this album feels polished. I would echo some of the reviews below. In some ways it's like a new album, instrumentation is there that I could not hear before, new effects are present, and Grant's voice is much much clearer for sure.....it's almost like listening to GH in HD (High Definition.) Drums, vocals, guitars, everything sounds sweeter...totally worth the $12. Press Add to Cart.

I picked this us after seeing a wonderful solo Grant Hart performance in Atlanta earlier this year. He played quite a few songs from this album and it reminded me of how much I used to enjoy it. My qualms with this record was always the sound. To my ears it always sounded flat and thin with the snare drum louder than just about anything else. This reissue corrects that perceived flaw (it's all just opinion anyway) and also tacks on some fun, early demo takes of some of the tunes. The remix of this record presents it with a tight and present low end and the drum mix is far more even. It is especially noticeable on "Woton" where the previous snare mix was especially egregious to my ears. This version of the album sounds punchy and warm and it kind of amazes me that so much thought was put into this record to only have it sound kind of muddy and flat on the original. Tom Merkl's bass has more clarity here as well. Grant's guitar seemed mixed back on the original, but it really springs to life on "admiral of the sea" where he totally shreds the wah pedal. I think Nova Mob may be ready for an reassessment. No, they weren't Husker Du (there could only be one!), but they presented Grant's tunes in a new light. Hopefully he'll remix their other full length which is also out of print.
On a final note, artists such as Grant Hart are rare and they need our support. I highly recommend his solo work, last year's "hot wax" was great and "Good News for Modern Man" should be considered a classic. Ia lso recommend seeing him live as he puts on a fun solo show. He's written tons of great songs.

I was always disappointed by the production/mastering on this album. I have a copy on cd that I listened to a lot when released (about 20 years ago). As a Husker Du fan who prefered Harts song writing over Moulds (to make a sweeping generalisation) I could never get true sonic satisfaction from the original cd with the muddy, flat mix that never helped some of the fine songs on this album shine. I just listened to the new remix / remastering on vinyl and it sounds like Grant Hart put a lot of effort into making this recording now sound far more exciting and open. A lot of the songs are quite different from the original release and with the exception of the 2nd "louder" version of Admiral of the Sea which has not aged well, is fresh enough to me to qualify as a new Grant Hart release. This new mix now puts this album on par with his other post Husker Du stuff apart from the 2nd Nova Mob album which is the only album he has made I would pass on.

Nothing else to say - this is a very fine collection of songs (then again, can Grant Hart do any wrong?) and the remix/remastering is great. Sounds a lot cleaner and clearer than the original. A great record. Good quality vinyl press as well.

Magnificent excecution of a remix. Sounds especially outstanding on Vinyl. I do seem to notice that Tom Merkyl's bass playing seems to have been a bit "removed" from the overall mix. Hmmm...