The Last Dog & Pony Show

Bob Mould

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 25, 1998)
• Original Release Date: August 25, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rykodisc
• ASIN: B00000AEQ6
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #166,799 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Singer Songwriters

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
He may have decided to go off into that good night, but he isn't going gently. Bob Mould, who raged with Hüsker Dü, arguably one of the bands that defined the sound of alternative music, declared this to be his last electric album and tour. What next: a rocking chair? Doubtful. Despite his quieter moments with Hüsker Dü, his symphonic excesses with his solo records, and his flirtation with power pop with Sugar, at heart Mould is a punk rocker, his signature the throaty roar he muscles out of his guitar. The Last Dog and Pony Show captures this mighty artist at the peak of his power on songs such as the rumbling "Moving Trucks" and the massive "First Drag of the Day." So why the sendoff? Perhaps we're offered a hint on the absolutely terrible electronica cut "Megamaniac" that sounds completely out of place amid the guitar fury. Not a misstep, perhaps, but a warning. --Tod Nelson

New Musical Express
[Bob Mould] provides a summary of his best tricks: the brave tunes, the upfront lyrics, the stormy guitar.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars After Workbook, Bob's Second Best Solo Album..., August 27, 2000

By	John Orfield (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Some people are never happy. When the last Sugar album, FU:EL, came out, they said Bob sold out. Then he puts out the uncommercial, ultra-personal Hubcap album and they said he's too dark. So he goes back, more or less, to the Sugar formula and they say he's uninspired. The guy can't win. He's been fighting various public opinions since Husker Du broke up, and for the most part, I think he's done a pretty good job of sticking to his own vision, regardless of what fickle Amazon reviewers think.

Sugar fans will find plenty to devour here from "New #1" (a clone of "The Act We Act" from Copper Blue), "Classifieds", "Moving Trucks", and "Sweet Serene", all of which easily could be leftovers from the Sugar era. All fantastic stuff, though I prefer the quiet-to-loud, angry "Who Was Around?" and "Skintrade", awash in swirling guitars and vocals (imagine Brian Wilson producing My Bloody Valentine). Definitely two of his better songs, no matter what Bob era you consider. And the more acoustic numbers "Vaporub" and the stunning "Along The Way" remind us Bob doesn't have to yell all the time to make good music. Didn't anyone here buy Workbook?

Now, not everything here works. "First Drag Of The Day" wears on you after repeated listenings and "Megamanic"... What can I say about "Megamanic"? I guess the best thing to say is that Bob's entitled to go off on his own from time to time. I think he's earned it. But, really, it just isn't good. It's the virtual definition of a b-side. Then again, Bob said "Megamanic" basially saved the album and if this truly is what saved The Last Dog and Pony Show, then God bless "Megamanic".

Not his best album, but definitely worth your time.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Parting is always such sweet sorrow, June 30, 2000

By	Sal Nudo (Champaign, Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bob Mould is through with the classifieds. He's also done making electric guitar music, deservedly so after doing it so splendidly for many years. Though it's an electric beast at times, "The Last Dog and Pony Show" is a bit tamer than past Mould work and does nothing to reinvent the wheel. The energy on this album sort of comes and goes, and in some spots it comes off as a bit like business as usual -- but that's forgivable. "Dog and Pony" is a surprisingly "hit-oriented" album, quite accessible yet lyrically personal in many spots. In fact, some of the slower acoustic tunes begin in an adult contemporary-sounding fashion, before that textured rhythm guitar properly kicks in. The crystal-clear acoustic guitar work that Mould has become known for is always a treasure to hear, but it's his wall-of-sound electric guitars that often get things cooking in the right direction.

From the start, tunes like "New #1," "Moving Trucks" and "Taking Everything" display Mould's intense self-introspection in dealing with life and relationships gone bad. These songs remind you that, lyrically, Mould is always ambitious. His vocals, meanwhile, are as satisfingly blustering as the enveloping guitars that surround him. Undoubtedly, this is what addicted me, and so many others, to Mould's sound during the early 1990s and before that. "First Drag of the Day" and "Classifieds" have that sweetly melodic Sugar sound so reminiscent of the early '90s. "Skin Trade" features grandly strummed guitar chords with accompanying sad lyrics. Nothing, however, tops the driving "Sweet Serene," one of the best songs Mould has put out, musically and lyrically, a song that truly reflects his personality and ability to grab listeners.

Perhpas one song tops "Sweet Serene," though. That would be the beautiful final track, "Along the Way." With a properly placed, heartwrenching cello, a sparkling acoustic guitar with edge and Mould's unflinching lyrics, this is truly a great tune. Not that Mould's integrity was ever in doubt, but the lyrics of "Along the Way" only enhance that feeling. Though Mould does things his own way, he also recognizes people and feels a lot of pain and confusion around him. "Along the Way" is a universal tune that should be played for anyone who wants to live in a more honest world. More honest with each other, more honest to those around us. To Mould, it seems that being true to yourself and displaying the utmost integrity is ultimately the name of the game. If he truly does go strictly acoustic after this record, it will be hard to top songs like "Along the Way."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, come on......, May 10, 1999

By A Customer

Oh, come on Californian music fan, you can't be hearing the same cd i've been listening to for the last 6 months. This cd easily matches Copper Blue and beats the somewhat leaden Black Sheets Of Rain hands down. Moving Trucks, Who was Around and Skintrade are classic Mould tunes. Its so good to hear him having fun after the dour, harsh soundscapes of the 'hubcap' cd and the way Moving Trucks shifts up a gear for the insistent refrain at the end reminds me why Bob Mould is my all-time favourite songwriter/performer. Hopefully his plans to go down a more acoustic road in the future will bring us another masterpiece like Workbook but in the interim this will do just fine.