Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Sugar

I might be alone in thinking this, but Copper Blue has really stood the test of time.

I remember seeing the video for "If I Can't Change Your Mind" on 120 Minutes and totally loving it. At the age of 14 I was listening to Black Flag but hadn't checked out Hüsker Dü just yet, so this was my first experience with Bob Mould.

There were quite a few bands that I found out about through 120 Minutes. I know it seems pretty lame now, what with the internet and all, but in 1992 it was difficult for me to find out about new (or old) music. I was the older brother and none of my friends were into collecting records or checking our new bands, so it was sort of a solo mission for me for those first few years. Thousand Oaks might be a suburb of Los Angeles, but it is difficult to get into town when you don't have a drivers license and your friends aren't interested in driving for an hour to go to a record store or a show or whatever. It wasn't like there were buses you could take, and even if I could my mother would most definitely not have permitted it.

I'm sure my story is not singular. I do occasionally reminisce about the lengths one used to have to go through to find out about records and shows.

All this is to say that I was recently listening to the aforementioned debut Sugar album and thought to myself that I should do a post about them. I immediately ordered all the singles from the record (relatively cheaply) so I would have something to post. I know they are all available on the singles comp, but I like having them in the form they were originally released. Now you can too.

I did not include Changes as it has the exact same B sides as Helpless, but was released on Creation. I purchased it without realizing that. No needless clutter for you, however!

Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure, several CD singles by Sugar.

Helpless (Rykodisc)
1. Helpless
2. Needle Hits E
3. If I Can't Change Your Mind (Solo Mix)
4. Try Again

















A Good Idea (Rykodisc)
1. A Good Idea
2. Helpless (Live)
3. Where Diamonds Are Halos (Live)
4. Slick (Live)
5. Armenia City In The Sky (Live)

















If I Can't Change Your Mind CD1 (Rykodisc)
1. If I Can't Change Your Mind
2. Clownmaster
3. Anyone (Live)
4. Hoover Dam (Live)


















If I Can't Change Your Mind CD2 (Rykodisc)
1. If I Can't Change Your Mind
2. The Slim (Live)
3. If I Can't Change Your Mind (Live)
4. Where Diamonds Are Haloes (Live)

4 comments:

lex dexter said...

i love this group.
during this period, only Come was this great/underrated.

Peter Tron said...

thanks for the sugar stuff!

Stephen said...

Great band. I think they've held up with time quite well. I never understood how they were such a "cut out bin" band. All of their records are great, but if you looked in the cut out bin of every record store ever, there was always at least one Sugar LP/EP.

teadoust said...

the great thing about sugar is that it was an opportunity to hear bob mould play rock again in a real band with 2 guys who were on his level as musicians. grant hart and greg norton always struck me as 2 guys who were just lucky to be in a band with bob mould.