Revisiting "Workbook": A Retro-Review of Bob Mould

Promotional of Bob Mould for "Workbook"

In the late '80s, Minneapolis-St. Paul punk band, Husker Du, were definitely part of my repertoire.  "Zen Arcade", "Candy Apple Grey", and "Warehouse" were definitely among the influential but underground selections that dominated an eclectic '80s alternative scene.  I have a memory of watching MTV's 120 Minutes with my brothers, and my father came in and stood and watched a Husker Du video for a moment.  After a moment, he announced that he liked the song.  We all looked up at him in surprise.  This was punk rock, after all.

"For a rock band, they look clean-cut," he said.  This was the '80s, after all, where glam was all the rage.

But this represented the work ethic of their music - while they dressed in jeans and t-shirts, they focused instead on making music that was raw, focused, intense, and intelligent.

In 1988, after a struggle with acohol and drug addiction, as well as a bitter break-up, Husker Du front man, Bob Mould, retreated to the woods in Minnesota to pen a solo album.  Released in 1989, the debut album was entitled "Workbook".

I have written before about the summer of 1989.  It was a magical year for me.  I was nineteen, marginally attended college, had a job, had a pony tail, cash in my pocket, and a car.  I would toss my pillow and toothbrush into my car, and when my mother would ask where I was going, I would respond, "I don't know.  I'll see you in a few days."  Road trips to Yuma and Sedona.  There was definitely a bohemian vibe in the air, and I had the tie-dyed shirts to prove it.  The soundtrack for this era was indelible.  As we would rocket down the interstate in my friend Steve's Chevelle, there was an odd mix of music that shook the speakers.  "Shooting Rubber Bands At the Stars" by Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians, "Hunkpapa" by Throwing Muses, "Doolittle" by Pixies, and "Workbook" by Bob Mould.

Bob Mould now

"Workbook" had all the throaty passion and energy that Bob Mould projected while in Husker Du, but tempered with folk influences, acoustic guitars and strings.  It is said that this album greatly influenced the whole alternative scene of the following decade.  This album was beloved to me.

The problem is - I hadn't heard this album since 1989.  In fact, I had never owned it.  It was Steve's copy that used to regale us on our carefree journeys.  So I decided to download a copy.  Upon listening to it, I was taken aback at first.  It sounded really dated.  Unlike a Sonic Youth album that sounds mostly timeless, this one seemed very stuck in the era that spawned it.  But the more I listened to it, I started remembering and feeling what this album meant to me back then.

The album starts out with a simple acoustic melody called "Sunspots" and then passes into a jam called "Wishing Well", driven by the strumming of an acoustic guitar and a wistful cello.  Then Bob Mould's unique voice wails over the rhythm.  (He sounds like Ozzy.  There, I said it.  I hate saying it, but it's true.)

The main single was a happy tune called "See A Little Light", which really is the anthem for the time period.  My favorite songs are the tortured and confessional "Poison Years" and "Sinners & Their Repentances".  These two songs make the whole album worth it.  But sadly, the years have not been kind on the rest of the album.  It doesn't really grab me.  Honestly, I should not have bothered on downloading the rest of the album and only purchased the songs I have mentioned - with the exception of "Heartbreak a Stranger" and "Brasilia Crossed With Trenton".

In the years since, I have not listened much to Sugar, Bob Mould's other project, or to any of his other solo projects.  But I will always be grateful for the songs on "Workbook", and their influence upon my young adulthood.