Merge Records to re-issue Sugar catalog this summer

Fans of Hüsker Dü frontman Bob Mould can get amped due to exciting news about forthcoming Sugar releases set to land soon. Here is the latest news pulled from my inbox...


Merge Records to re-issue Sugar catalog on July 24, 2012

Through both his solo work and as a frontman for the legendary Hüsker Dü, Bob Mould pioneered a signature wall of guitar sound and unmistakable vocal style that has imprinted a defining influence on more than one generation—impacting artists including Dave Grohl, Ryan Adams and Britt Daniel of Spoon, all of whom paid homage to Mould by performing songs from all stages of his career at a tribute show last year at L.A.’s Disney Hall. In the three decades encompassing his career thus far, however, Bob Mould saw his greatest success during his stint as lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for iconic early ‘90s trio Sugar.



Mould broke onto the rock scene in the early 1980s as front man of the hardcore band Hüsker Dü. Hüsker Dü packed decades of creative evolution into the barely five years between the release of its first and final records, blowing eardrums and minds in equal measure while progressing from the primal breakneck caterwaul of Everything Falls Apart to the double-vinyl conceptual opus Zen Arcade to bona fide initial pop rock inroads with Candy Apple Grey before disintegrating in 1987. Mould re-emerged in 1989 as a sober and formidable singer/songwriter with his landmark solo debut Workbook, and continued working as a solo artist through the following year’s Black Sheets Of Rain.


Mould returned to a three-man band format with the 1992 debut of Sugar. With Mould on guitar and vocals, David Barbe on bass and vocals, and Malcolm Travis on drums, Sugar harnessed the sonic chaos of Hüsker Dü into a more focused pop/rock framework with increased emphasis the songs’ exciting melodies and irresistible hooks as well as the increasingly accomplished musicianship behind them. Critics and audiences alike warmed to Sugar’s fresh and innovative balance of punishing volume and pop sparkle, with many regarding this phase as their favorite of Mould’s entire career.

Sugar’s 1992 debut album Copper Blue sold over 250,000 units upon its original release and received overwhelming praise. Rolling Stone christened it “thunderous”; Vogue dubbed it “smashing”. NME would ultimately name it their 1992 Album of the Year. Currently, Mould has been commemorating Copper Blue’s 20th anniversary by playing the record in its entirety with his current band of Jason Narducy (bass) and Jon Wurster (drums).



Recorded and mixed during the same intense sessions that produced Copper Blue, the Beaster EP was originally released in April 1993. Notably darker in tone than the widescreen power-pop of Copper Blue, Beaster nevertheless boasts some of Mould’s most powerful songwriting.


File Under: Easy Listening -- the third and final album by this short-lived but brilliant trio -- was originally released in September 1994, featuring songs such as “Your Favorite Thing” that endure as mainstays of Mould’s solo performances to this day.

You can pre-order the releases via Merge Records' site here.

Watch the video below for an exciting overview of the upcoming Sugar re-issues!